Putting Things Into Perspective

Putting Things Into Perspective

When children understand something, they create cognitive maps built upon their own research into cause and effect. Once they have such an understanding, they can then begin to make use of it. They rearrange things, try out new possibilities and continue exploring and testing hypotheses. Alison Gopnik’s book The Philosophical Baby: What Children’s Minds Tell Us About Truth, Love, And The Meaning Of Life explains how a child’s ability to construct causal mental maps allow them to then create conceptual “blueprints.” The maps represent the world as they observe it. The blueprints allow them to imagine what they can create which is different. Ethan’s drawing grew out of a compositional research experience which made use of nine squares which he had drawn on, painted, and then arranged. In the process of working, however, Ethan became more interested in the spaces between each square and this drawing is the result.

The Question Of Kindergarten Readiness

The Question Of Kindergarten Readiness

…water and sand, clay and blocks, dolls and dollhouses do not need to be argued for. But…the intellectual values of such play, as explorations of intrinsically worthy subject matter, appears to me to have been typically overlooked. One unfortunate result, I believe,  is that in the majority of our schools (in this case nursery school and kindergarten) such materials have been cast out as unrelated to “pre-reading, pre-writing and and pre-arithmetic.

David Hawkins

As children enter their final year of preschool, parents sometimes begin to wonder if an environment which focuses upon a discourse built around play will leave their child unprepared for the rigors and structure of kindergarten and beyond. Children who have been asked to think, and to explain how they know what they know are better prepared than someone who has memorized material which might seem impressive, but is in fact more often than not of little value, and no real depth. Children who have been guided with care, who value their own strengths and those of others  are more resilient, adaptable, confident, and eager to learn.

A lack of understanding of how the many benefits of play contribute to later success in school and throughout life can undermine our efforts and ultimately our ability to provide the kind of experiences which are most appropriate for young children.

It is critical to the long term survival of all play based, child-centered approaches that every parent and  practitioner who understands the value of open-ended exploration become ever more competent at explaining why we do what we do. Every parent, and teacher, not just the school director director or professor must radiate their love, and deep appreciation for the importance of  play. It is only then that we can truly inspire confidence in other parents, the larger educational community, and legislators.   

All who have seen and understand the many benefits of play, and playful learning need to become articulate, tireless advocates. In recent years, play and support for social and emotional development has lost ground to early academics. We need to campaign for a resurgence of play as a means of making learning deeper and more accessible  at every level of education.  Together we can help to build the foundation for a happier, more thoughtful, harmonious and creative world.

Nurturing Individual Development And Collaboration

Nurturing Individual Development 

And Collaboration

When an individual child’s efforts take place within the context of a group exploration, their work is more likely to be noticed, supported and documented,    often because one child’s response influenced others and was transmitted through the group. If a child’s words or actions do not relate to the investigation being run by the teacher, the discoveries and wonderful ideas are not as likely to be supported or scaffolded to a higher level in any organized way.

Because this so often takes place without being recognized, many Reggio inspired schools do not even see it as a problem. Other Reggio inspired communities, with a slightly different set of priorities understand what sometimes takes place, but feel that de-emphasizing individual achievement is a good thing.

It is the author’s belief that collaborative investigations have the potential to be wonderful experiences (positive, memorable moments) and therefore of great value on many levels. But not every group achieves what is possible. Sometimes this is because of problems in facilitation. Far more frequently, difficulties emerge because the work is not of genuine interest or intrinsically engaging to the children.

Challenges of this nature are often associated with more traditional forms of education, but they can occur in any classroom, even our own.  If children come away from an experience with   a sense of frustration, we must look back on the work more carefully and courageously than ever. Even in a case where a child’s behavior was disruptive, we must look critically at our own words and actions, and then ask what we might have done differently.

Attending to the overall well-being of one’s class requires making  sure that each individual child is getting what they need. The deep desire to provide for every child, including the exceptionally creative is part of our cultural context.

It is possible to meet the needs of individual children, and at the same time move an entire class toward greater and greater collaboration. Focusing questions rather than the more traditional praise upon an exceptional child can help others to engage and soar higher.

If teachers can begin each day anticipating something wonderful taking place at any moment, they will be far more likely to notice the amazing. If teachers are not beginning their day with such a mindset, if they feel too rushed, this works against them. Most will still do their best to be cheerful as children begin to arrive, but their receptivity is often diminished. 

If we are not actively looking for the extraordinary, we are less likely to see it.  Most of the time, the transformation from ordinary to exceptional takes place in a matter of seconds, with one child’s creative response to someone or something. That spark of an idea is frequently emulated and further elaborated by others. Both Piaget and Vygotsky would be quite pleased. 

It is the uniqueness of each child which make group process so rich. Watching for and supporting remarkable individual actions and comments with a “Beautiful Question” (David Whyte, The Conversational Nature Of Reality/ OnBeing.org) or comment may help to propel an exploration to unexpected heights and elevate the thinking of the entire group, and occasionally a whole school community. 

The desire to share one’s thoughts, feelings and discoveries is built  upon the existence of a connection between the members of the group and the teachers, and between the children themselves. Creating and nurturing this bond of openness is a highly nuanced process.

Often a well-intentioned, yet unskillful attempt at facilitating a meaningful group experience can leave one or more children wishing that they could somehow escape. Our questions should never feel like an interrogation. If a child ends up feeling this way, they will be even less willing to join a similar group the next time that possibility arises. The worst thing that can be done in such a case is to have a teacher or administrator demand continued across the board participation. Sometimes an individual child is simply not interested in a particular investigation. If things are not going well, we need to stop, and figure our why.  

The long term sense of well-being and security of each young child should always take precedence over an adult’s agenda. The balance point of this equation continues to shift as students mature.  One of the primary responsibilities and most challenging parts of our job is to help children become comfortable, competent, and more open to new experiences and opportunities to problem solve without causing them to never want to try that activity again. We must make certain that the work offered is engaging, satisfying, and developmentally appropriate, not just something which looks good.

In the time since the death of Loris Malaguzzi, the phrase “Nothing Without Joy” has in some circles been modified. It is now more frequently presented as “Nothing Without Joy, if possible.” The author sees this as a most distressing turn of events. He feels quite certain that if Professor Malaguzzi was still with us, there would be no such attempt at qualifying or amending this fundamental and most essential premise.

Taking this position does not imply that our young students should never be asked to try once more or that they will not have to deal with any disappointments. It does not mean that they will always get their way. Many children struggle with the necessity of having a clean up time, for example, or not being able to always be first in line, or not being allowed to monopolize every classroom conversation. These are GIVEN parts of the maturation process which come with joining nearly every learning community. 

Most children learn rather quickly that though they may have to wait, they will in time get a turn, and then feel a bit better. If the overall balance of

emotional ups and downs of any given day is good, the child will most likely look forward to their next day at school with great anticipation, and even joy.

Authors and presenters from Reggio are fond of saying, “It all depends…” precisely because their path is so nuanced and responsive. They do not want us to create formulaic forms of curricula, and then refer to it as being derived from their work. They try to point out that each of their schools is slightly different. Each of us have different parenting and teaching styles, different strengths, and different hidden biases. Most readers of this text have  grown up and been educated in environments which are very different from the parents and teachers in Reggio Emilia. They remind us again and again that we must make this process our own, and not copy them. We need to be as aware of the very quiet, and potentially passive child, as we are of the more demanding or disruptive one. Making certain that the individual social and emotional needs of students are met helps to support the overall development of entire learning community. We are reminded once again just how attentive each of us must be.

A Note On Introverts, and Extroverts

A very significant and yet frequently not talked about individual difference has to do with introversion and extroversion. This is more than simply being shy or outgoing. It is not only a matter of apparent differences related to how much or how little a child might want to engage with the world.

Extroverts are energized by interaction. They not only crave it, but need it to feel complete. For the introvert, not only are they usually quieter, they need time and space to themselves to reenergize and rebalance. This holds true even later in life, when some have become far more comfortable and capable socially and can successfully engage, even speaking in front of others. Introvert teachers have similar needs.

Extroverts usually get what they need quite easily from environments which emphasize group process, though sometimes they feel the need to compete with other extroverts. An introvert on the other hand may be emotionally drained by continuous close proximity, and the expectation that they should  have to collaborate. Schools can help to provide accommodations for introverts by creating quiet spaces where a child can have time to themself, or time with a teacher.

The more skilled we become at watching, listening, and sometimes simply waiting, the better we will become at supporting our students and fellow teachers. If we share the most interesting, and maybe  even  the least expected of our observations with colleagues, they will begin to do the same with us.

If we then also pass along to parents all that is appropriate (always respecting any issues of privacy) we will go a long way toward beginning to create a real learning community which ripples outward and inward, beyond the walls of our classrooms. Sometimes we can enlist the help of grandparents and others from a child’s extended family. Often they may have much information, insight and time to listen or share. When a  school becomes especially confident in their ability to train new teachers as observers, it could be valuable to offer similar training to parents, grandparents or other family members.

Even without a parent orientation class, if teachers or administrators can  explain an interaction with a child as it is happening, it can build a deeper understanding and appreciation for our methods.  Such a practice can be an important part of a school’s parent education process even when no formal program is in place.

Alertness is the hidden discipline  of familiarity-   David Whyte