Hello everyone! The first day of our Summer Institute is coming up soon!In preparation for the first day, everyone should read the following article:
Dawson, K., & Beattie, A. E. (2018). Locating the educator in outdoor early childhood education. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 1-16. doi:10.1017/aee.2018.24
Kate Dawson, one of the co-authors of this lovely piece will be the first of the guest teachers in our course on Monday afternoon.
We are also delighted to welcome ethnobotanist and educator Senaqwila Wyss to lead us in a session on Indigenizing the ECE curriculum in the garden in the second half of Monday afternoon.
From our course outline, here is a list of the things you should bring each day to the Summer Institute:
•a water bottle
•a commuter mug for tea
•a sun hat
•sunscreen
•closed-toe shoes or boots that can get muddy
•layers of clothes for all weather
•a light rain jacket with a hood (as umbrellas are not that helpful in the garden)
•(gardening gloves -- optional)
•any medication for special health needs (allergies, epipen, etc.), and let us know of any medical needs
•lunch and snacks every day
•a notebook and pen for taking notes
•a portable device if you have one available: smart phone, tablet or laptop
•a small backpack to put all this in!
You are also invited to bring along (later in the week) a storybook, poem or story to tell related to gardens and outdoor places. Your story or poem should be brief, should relate to early childhood education, and should include a way to involve learners through a simple activity.
This is a wonderful blog Susan, Tathali and Kate. Ready to start and share a bit of this journey!:)
ReplyDeleteMari
We discussed many different ideas from this article already today but when I was reading it yesterday one of the ‘stop’ moments for me was the quote on page 13 that discusses how wonderful moments happen when we “Stop merely learning from place and start being with place”. This quote stopped me because I was so intrigued and touched by it. As an educator, I am continuing to move past just using the environment as a tool that aids my teaching of the curriculum to instead encouraging my students and myself to be present in the environment around us. The “sit spot” activity we did with Kate today was a wonderful example of what I believe this quote represents. We watched, listened, smelled, and were just immersed with the environment as we sat at our spots, not participating in any activities, but instead just being with the place around us. It was a great first day and a wonderful first article!
ReplyDeleteThe article "Locating the Educator in Outdoor Early Childhood Education" was meaningful in so many ways to my practice. However, the one that stands out the most is on page 5 where it discusses fostering magical moments. As an educator and leader I am always looking for ways to leave spaces for the children to get bored, yet be inspired. I am worried about making the wrong decisions, or not providing the correct space. The one thing I hadn't thought about was me. The article states "To encourage our students to be Pathic learners, educators should have an awareness of, and continue to deepen, their own pathic skills." This article gave me a wakeup call that I need look at my actions, thoughts, and space.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I am appreciative to have Kate provide language that I feel comfortable using now to define moments I have with children. I have avoided for many years calling these rare special events anything. I have tread carefully not to offend someones spiritual and cultural beliefs, by calling these moments anything. In that I feel I am not giving recognition and celebration accordingly. I now feel I have literature if questioned to support my language choice, defining these moments as Magical! I feel inspired!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe journal “Locating the Educator in Outdoor Early Childhood Education” written by Kate Dawson and Elizabeth Beattie was an enriching piece of literature. As a young educator working with children who live with developmental delays, the importance of moving away from the traditional four walls is so critical. Often educators become accustomed to the western way of teaching such as having a traditional agenda and a ‘lesson plan for the day’ with time constraints. While reading yesterday, one of my ‘stop moments’ was when I read “When the educator surrenders some control of time, space, movement, or language, she makes room for others—students, place eagles—and trusts that the learning experience will be enriched by the energy, actions, words, and ideas contributed by those others” (Dawson & Beattie, 2018, p. 3). This quote spoke to me because I too in practice recognize that learning is fast-tracked and limited when we work under time constraints while working with youth. It really emphasized the need for educators in providing a space in the outdoors without time constraints. Moreover, this will allow us as educators to become in tune with our senses, appreciative of our children and their magical moments. Finally when we surrender control and time students are given room for creativity, to interact with themselves, each other, and their environment.
ReplyDeleteThis reading reinforced some ideas and introduced some new ones, as well as some theorists/educators. I am unsure of my understanding of the nuances between them, or not sure I can clarify their positions but I was surprised at the different iterations around place-based learning.
ReplyDeleteThis reading was of interest around the importance of relational and experiential learning, revisiting a place which develops care for it (and ritual, which I hadn't thought of before) and how learning unfolds unexpectedly and to be comfortable with this. An idea that has stuck with me in the last couple years as a teacher, is to help cultivate empathy and care, one needs to have a relationship with the place they are. Not to say that students shouldn't know or care about global issues, but that may be cultivated by developing a knowledge or care about the local.
*This reading was of interest to me
DeleteKate Dawson, and Liz Beattie, share a narrative that builds on previous knowledge to challenge a conception of education. Traditionally, in colonized western education, educators valued organization, structure, and management; however, Dawson and Beattie suggest, as Kayla has previous outlined, that the educator must surrender to the experience. Allowing for a slower pedagogy opens a space for the Place to reveal itself as an educator.
ReplyDeleteToday, Beattie proposed allowing the Place to be a co-teacher. This notion is risky, exciting, and makes me curious if a system, as rigid as education, could allow such a leap of faith.
Ann Pelo (referenced in the article and mentioned today by Kate) extends our conversation beautifully. I highly recommend checking out her webcast!!
https://capeon.wordpress.com/ann-pelo-paying-attention-in-the-outdoors/
Amy Flett
DeleteThank you to everyone who has shared on this forum, or personally throughout the day, the ways in which our writing has inspired and validated your work as Educators. I honestly did not consider that our work would have such an immediate impact, but it is both exciting and humbling to witness your connections, Warmly, Kate
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article by Kate Dawson and discussing the article today in the garden, I realized that magical moments are happening all around us whether we realize it or not. As a teacher of a nature kindergarten program, I often make plans for a lesson and then have a contingency plan if the weather doesn't allow for that plan to happen. One magical moment for me was when it was pouring rain (I'm talking sideways rain- hits you in the face type of rain) and we went outside towards for a nature walk to measure the circumference of the trees. I decided to throw my lesson plans for an engaging math lesson out the window and we decided to jump in the GIGANTIC puddles at the empty waterslides parking lot. The Kindies loved running and jumping in the puddles that were up to their thighs. Afterwards the students loved playing with the water so much they decided to stand underneath the gutters of the nearby firehall and literally be showered with a steady stream of water. We were all laughing so hard even though we were all absolutely drenched. I will never forget that moment! The article states "When the interactions between educators, students, and place ‘resonate in the body, in our relations with others, in the things of our world, and in our very actions’, we experience those spine-tingling, awe-inspiring, and profound moments that are the delightful magic of teaching" (Dawson & Beattie, 2018, p.5). I believe it is up to the educator to facilitate a learning environment that allows children to form a relationship with the environment and mother nature, surrender to her gifts and let go of control.
ReplyDelete- Erika von Poser
As a diploma student in Outdoor Education, I enjoyed the simplicity and vulnerability of the article, especially the connections to place-based learning. In particular, I experienced a "stop" moment when it mentioned tree climbing as a powerful activity to improve coordination, risk management and observation skills. I had a student this past year that often asked to climb trees rather than participate in the class activity I had prepared. Similar to Kate, I experienced the same need to justify letting the student climb the tree in front of other staff. It was validating to read the positives of an activity such as this, in the same way I think we all felt comfort today sharing in our want to create opportunities for "magical moments" for our students.
ReplyDeleteThe article "Locating the Educator in Outdoor Early Childhood Education" written by Kate Dawson and Elizabeth Beattie is a refreshing and reflective depiction of the synergy between teacher, student and place. Having the opportunity to meet with the authors allowed the chance to hear more in-depth and firsthand of the inspiration behind the writing as well as the process of how the authors are handling feedback on the article. One of my 'stop moments' that resonated with me in this article was when it read: "I was concerned that I was not presenting a very professional example of being a teacher. I worried that I did not look like I was teaching" (Dawson & Beattie, 2018, p.2). I completely relate to this as I often have emergent teachers in my classroom setting and it is like being in a fishbowl in so many ways. The pressure of being 'watched' or at least the perception of it is something I connected to instantly with this article. The concept that was discussed further today of what the image of 'busy-ness' looks like and the perceived expectations to align with what has been deemed acceptable in traditional forms of education resonated so much with me from own experiences as a teacher. That feeling of having to defend or explain my activities or decisions or having to fill the space with description and instruction seems to be programmed into teachers at different levels. This article was so moving for me because it reminded me that sometimes being silent and still is one of the greatest teaching tools and that the concept so beautifully illustrated in this article of 'surrendering' results in those "magical moments" (Dawson & Beattie, 2018, p.5).
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThe journal “Locating the Educator in Outdoor Early Childhood Education” written by Kate Dawson and Elizabeth Beattie is an inspiring article. The journal focuses on the importance of experiential and play based moments. Some things I took away from reading this article was: magical moments cannot be written into a lesson plan, place is a powerful teaching tool, and some of the best teaching moments can happen outside. This quote stopped me, The pathic refers to the general mood, sensibility, sensuality, and felt sense of being in the world.... The pathically tuned body recognizes itself in its respon- siveness to the things of its world and to the others who share our world or break into our world. It made me wonder about my own teaching style and was I fostering more of these magical moments and mindfulness in my teaching practise. Finally, to encourage more of these moments it comes down to my surrender of time, place, words, and control. Tracy Sirianni-Petrie
There is a portion of the article that speaks about “an awareness of what is habitual, typical, or routine allows for recognition of a changing condition”. Repeated visits to the same “place” might seem stale/boring/unimaginative at first. This notion leads me to think about a few very important life skills:
ReplyDeleteI think a seed for creativity is planted by the very unease nature of boredom.
Revisiting/Repetition (ordinary day to day rituals/repeating of an act) is indeed fundamental for exploration, discovery (inward or outward), and finally the recognition for the extraordinary/ “the magical moment”.
The ordinary has the capacity to become extraordinary when we willingly give in to the possibilities that are embedded/seeded/planted in the ordinary moment/task/place.
Repetition Nineteen III is an art installation by one of my all time favourite female artist, Eva Hesse. It consists of 19 handmade translucent vase-like forms.. As the name suggests, the work explores the concept of variation in repetition. At first glance, they all appear to look the same but under scrutiny, the subtle variations in form appear before one’s eyes. visit this link to see a picture of this installation: https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/eva-hesse-repetition-nineteen-iii-1968)
The concept of a "slow ecopedagogy" in Kate Dawson and Liz Beattie's article really resonated with me. So often, we feel pressed for time, whether that be moving from one activity to the next, a regimented schedule based on sharing space (i.e. time slots for music, gym, counselling, etc.), or the more broad scope of the entire school year from one term to the next. It is such an important reminder to let go and pause. The notion of an "embodied experience" from spending prolonged time in one place builds on the idea of place as co-creator in learning (Dawson, p. 6). Many of the ideas presented in this article and in our discussion today reminded me of the First Peoples Principles of Learning. The most obvious connection to slow ecopedagogy would be the simple principle that "learning involves patience and time." Others, such as "learning involves recognizing the consequences of one's actions," and "learning is... focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and on a sense of place" also ring true. I was also struck by the possibility (and significance) of children creating rituals when they return to a place repeatedly. When we create rituals, it is a way of interacting with and expressing interplay with that place; rituals may develop into traditions that can be shared with those we trust or welcome into a place. Rituals -especially those that are self-invented- deepen our relationship to place. This would be stifled in a more traditional, regimented educator-student-place experience (i.e. always walking in line, hands to self, etc, to get from A to B).
ReplyDeleteFinally, I really appreciated the break down of 'environmental education' terminology in this article. Dawson's explanation of various approaches ("place-based education" vs. "place-conscious education"), helped me to understand some of the language that is often tossed around as educational jargon or buzzwords of the day. Now that I have a better idea of the nuanced differences, I can start to understand my own practices within these contexts more accurately.
http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/PUB-LFP-POSTER-Principles-of-Learning-First-Peoples-poster-11x17.pdf
What a “magical” piece to read! What stood out the most to me from this article, “Locating the Educator in Outdoor Early Childhood Education”, was that all components of the education system of young children - educators, students, and place - are agentic; whereby, they all cause change, and change themselves (Dawson & Beattie, 2018). This made me reflect how much the traditional education system, of all age groups, lack agentic components. I recently took a course that introduced a term Paulo Freire (1993) utilized to critique traditional adult education called “banking education”, where teachers deposit knowledge into students, and students passively accept it. This traditional strategy of "banking education" is common, and involves a one-way pathway of knowledge that oppresses education. I found it interesting to connect something I learnt in an adult education course, to a topic in early childhood education. All students, no matter what age, have their own capacity of knowledge to contribute. It is important for teachers to remember that they are not the only educators in the classrooms!
ReplyDelete