Marcus Butler
22 August 2016
Introducing building blocks in early childhood education is something Australians may take for granted, but in Papua New Guinea (PNG) schools they are a rarity.
That’s something University of Canberra assistant professor in early childhood primary education Kym Simoncini is hoping to change.
Dr Simoncini is appealing for Canberrans to donate any unused Duplo™ blocks for use in PNG classrooms, with building blocks regularly used to start introducing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) concepts through interaction.
She has been working in PNG for the past two years and has already had success with a project teaching communities the skills they need to build playgrounds at their local schools.
“The playground project is about getting the kids to school in the first place, now I want to ensure they get a good start at their education inside the classroom,” Dr Simoncini said.
“Duplo™ blocks can be used not just for building, but also teaching colours, counting and basic maths and spatial awareness, which are all important skills for further learning.
“In Australia, practically all early childhood facilities have them and they are popular in school age care, preschool and kindergarten classrooms, but in PNG they don’t have this kind of resources.
“Teachers are members of the community with little training, the classrooms are basic, preschools don’t have desks and they really are lacking in materials and resources we see here ,” she said.
“I think Canberrans would be really excited to know that the building blocks which helped their own kids get a good start on learning would be enjoyed by other children in PNG.”
Dr Simoncini will return to PNG next month and will be collecting Duplo up until 5 September. Donations can be dropped off at the University of Canberra by contacting Dr Simoncini at Kym.Simoncini@canberra.edu.au
