A few paragraphs into "Hopi's Story" and I had multiple connections to the reading on a personal level as well as to yesterdays article. I quickly thought back to my own classroom experience and how it can be a challenge to get your ELL students engaged in a topic when they don't speak the language. In the article it touches on the use of visual documentation and how it creates a space for the students to feel more comfortable sharing their ideas and also feeling proud of their work, regardless of the language barrier (Anderson, Comey & Chiarotto, 2017, p.178). The article also mentions the use of "sharing circles"(Anderson al., 2017, p.178), something I use in my classroom often. This is a great way to help students feel respected (through attentive listening) in their classroom community that can also be taken outside.
When Hopi mentions the time she spent with her children at the ravine to naturally observe the "Kindergarten Inquiry Process" I soon connected to yesterdays article and the sense of time. She mentions that if her girls were given enough time in the "mucking about" stage their investigations would go off into directions an adults mind would not think of (Anderson al., 2017, p.178). I find it interesting how we often come back to this theme of time and giving ourselves permission to have it and use it.
When the topic of this reading was described in class I was excited to read this article as the concept of nurturing the natural curiosity of children is something both my job share partner and I are very passionate about. We have had so much success in inquiry based learning by simply letting the seasons guide us and guiding our students to make observations about the outside world and ask questions about their observations. I purposely say "our" learning as often the kindergarteners are asking questions that we don't have the answers to, which means that we are given the opportunity to learn along side our students. I love the idea of "circle teaching" that is defined in this article as that concept is what guides our teaching and allows us to truly explore learning in a completely different and meaningful way. Another aspect of the article that resonated with me was how the author tied a lot of indigenous teachings into her own practices. For example in our classroom we begin our day in the "self-reflective inquiry" described in this article through the use of a feeling thermometer but the idea of "nurturing the fire within" and finding ways to make the "internal fire just right" is a different way to look at self reflection and in my opinion more meaningful and culturally rich way to integrate emotional regulation into the students learning.
As soon as I began reading "Hopi's Story", I knew that I would have multiple connections. Similar to Natalie, my class is made up of mostly ELL students and I find the use of visual documentation a great support for their learning as well as mine. As the article mentioned, “when children saw their thinking shared visually through photographs, videos, and written words, they would light up (Anderson, Comey & Chiarotto, 2017, p.178).” I have witnessed this many times with my students. When I document something that they have created or explored, I often revisit the photo or video with the child to allow them to reflect on the experience. It is amazing some of the things I learn through their reflections that I would have never know without them showing me it through their eyes and words.
I also connected with the Knowledge Building Circle. My class often begins the day with a morning circle where we greet each other and have a community conversation lead by one of the students. Something that I always intent to do but often find myself running out of time and abandoning is a sharing circle at the end of the day where we could share our learning and experiences from throughout the day, similar to the Knowledge Building Circle. As Hopi mentions in the article, this would allow children to bring their individual ideas to the larger class community and create more connections into deeper inquiry (Anderson et al., 2017, p.183). Allowing children to have more time for reflection and deeper connections to each other’s learning is something I would like to try and prioritize this coming year.
Something that stood out to me right away while reading this article was the reference to questioning. The author states, "rather than listening for answers that confirmed what I already knew, I started listening to how the students explained their learning, listening for clues that would help me understand what they wondered" ((Anderson, Comey & Chiarotto, 2017, p.178). This stood out to me because often as teachers we are observing, listening, and questioning as a form of formative assessment. We are assess what the child DO know--instead, we need to observe and focus on what they DO NOT know in order to dive into meaningful inquiry. This has reminded me to follow the students' wonders more in my own practice. Secondly, this article has connected to Kate's article and what we discussed yesterday about returning to a place many times. The author explains that she took her daughters to a familiar place often and that the girls named it "Horse Valley" (Anderson, Comey & Chiarotto, 2017, p.178). This shows the deep connection and relationship that they have formed with this place. The author also referred to it as a "Magical place," (Anderson, Comey & Chiarotto, 2017, p.178) which reflects our discussion about agency and pathic knowledge.
After reading article, "Hopi's Story" I had wished I could have the opportunity to observe this learning community in action. The indigenous perspectives woven into her work with children is inspiring. It is respectful and gives children agency in their own learning. In my class, I have used the inquiry based approach to learn about student's interests and wonders. We have a "Wonder Wall" where their curiosities are posted. Most recently we learned about Butterflies through an inquiry unit. Students asked individual questions through a inquiry circle. We raised butterflies in our class and learned about their wonders together through researching books, videos, and observations. One student in particular was absolutely aw-struck that his question was actually answered about butterflies, "Where did the first butterflies come from?" Inquiries and questions were shared on the bulletin board for other students and teachers to read and learn about our wonders. This inquiry was particularly engaging because the learning was driven by the students' curiosity and they were so impressed with themselves when their learning was displayed (Anderson et al, 2017, p. 178).
Yes, Kaitlyn, "listening" stood out to me too. I noticed how often the author referred to "active listening" throughout this article. This seems like a really simple and obvious thing for us, as adults working with children, to remember. But, upon reflection, I can think of many times that I have asked questions to children with the answers already in mind. My intentions were good, but what I was ultimately doing was limiting their exploration and inquiry by guiding and leading them to the answers that I (or perhaps the curriculum) deemed important to know. The author says, "In my experience, teachers would ask questions about a subject they already knew about and students would either guess or be told the answer" (Anderson, Comey, and Chiarotto, 2017, p. 178). For me, this was a powerful statement. It points out how limiting such interactions with children are. It also reminds us, as educators, that we are co-constructors of knowledge and that we can and should learn right alongside our students. Yes, I already know this to be a true representation of "good teaching", but it is something that I need to make sure that I keep at the forefront of my mind at all times.
As I read the article, I reflected on my practice in terms of documenting and sharing learning. I keep a classroom blog that I update on a daily basis. I use it for many purposes (sending out reminders and letting parents know about upcoming events, for example). The intended main purpose of the blog, though, is to foster communication between the children in my class and their families. I take pictures of the happenings in the classroom, photos of the learning that is taking place and I ask the children to tell me about their learning, this is included as captions for the photos. Too often to count, parents/caregivers have told me how the learning that takes place during the school day is continued and extended at home. The author of this article explains that "home is their community" (p. 185) and "my job as their teacher was to help amplify their voice and make connections in the community to support their learning" (p. 185). This also made me pause. It affirms the work that I'm doing with my blog and challenges me to think of other ways to "amplify their voice" (such a great phrase, full of so much respect and honour).
Finally, in the closing statements of the article, the author explains, "the circle of inquiry learning can be an expanding spiral that returns again and again through all four branches of environmental inquiry every day, every season, and every year" (p. 186). The image of a spiral is one that I am deeply drawn to. For me the spiral is a symbol of learning and growth. As we learn, we revisit and build upon our knowledge and understandings, each time growing and/or changing our understandings, but relating to our previous knowledge. I would love to share a book during story time called "Swirl by Swirl, Spirals in Nature" by Joyce Sidman, if we have time one day.
"Rather than listening for answers that confirmed what I already knew, I started listening to how students explained their learning, listening for clues that would help me understand what they wondered about" (Anderson, Comey & Chiarotto, 2017, p.178) I believe, when we take the time to listen to children we open our minds to see the world how they see it. We then know how to direct our teaching in a way that is going to provide the children to be successful. The children become the teachers, providing us with the ability to be a part of the ever changing environment. We then can use the environment as the third teacher, providing an open ended teaching. This way of respecting the child relates directly to an indigenous holistic approach. We are now not only listening to children but we are also stripping away those colonized views of how children learn and how we should teach. My favorite parts of the day are when I get to sit with a child or group of children and listen to the dialog that is being exchanged. When I take the time to see through their eyes, to experience the world how they experience it. I felt many connections to "Hopi's Story", as an Indigenous person I was connected to the respectful manner in which the indigenous ideas where explored.
In reading Hopi’s Story the first thing that really struck me was the author’s reflections on active listening and how this changed her relationship with her students. I thought about this from the perspective of the teacher/student relationship initially but then thought about how this was so true with any relationship in life. Being “present” and in the moment brings authenticity to the relationship and fosters reciprocity and supporting a safe space for relationships to grow and evolve. As wonderful as this sounds I find it to be a serious challenge in the world today. So very important that we honour and value this state of mindfulness in ourselves and in our co-workers. The other interesting connection I made to yesterday’s class was the author’s reference to Horse Valley as the “magical place”. How great it is that we wish to describe places we encounter as “magical”. There are other words we can use “wonderful”, “serendipitous”, ”amazing”, but magical often seems to be the most representative word for me. It is a word that I am very comfortable with but as I further consider the power of language it reminds me of the need to be mindful with the words we choose and the audience we share these words with. Again, active listening and tuning in to the responses and reactions of those around us.
So it's late, I'm tired, my arms are killing me (Note to self- don't ever, ever weave with broken arms- it seems harmless but ouch- you'll pay!) yet, "My fire's Burning!" What a great read! And what a great quote, "My daughter, how's your fire burning?" I think this may be my new way of dismissing children at the end of the day. The process of inquiry is something that I find myself grappling with on a regular basis. I do get 'fired up" when I read about the deep level of learning that can only happen when this process of allowing the children's inquiring questions to naturally evolve and drive the curriculum occurs. To me this was the biggest take away from the reading of Hopi's Story. How inquiry is messy, it is never perfect yet it is what makes learning deep and meaningful for our children. There were many 'aha' moments in this article for me. I love the idea of how a day in the classroom is like the cycle of the sun. How perfect. I love how the notion of community comes into their teaching. For the little ones in their class, home was their community. This made me think of how I strive to make learning visible in my class. I must admit I often have the parents in mind when I think of sharing their learning. I have done blogs, weekly newsletters, scrapbooks etc. But maybe this is too complicated. Are these meaningful for the individual child? Maybe it is as simple as letting a child take their work home to share it with their community, their family. Lastly I found that yesterday's discussion with Kate and Elizabeth and their connecting of nature to the empathic knowledge that one feels, with their senses and their emotions connects seamlessly to the message of Hopi's story. If we pay attention to the voices and the questions of the children, the cycles of the earth and allow inquiry to unfold then learning will happen in a deep, meaningful way. My fire's burning! I just have one question? Where did this chestnuts come from?
Reading this article made me really excited about how I might incorporate the outdoors into my own daycare someday. At the very beginning of the article it said “Rather than listening for answers that confirmed what I already knew, I started listening to how students explained their learning, listening for clues that would help me understand what they wondered about” (p. 178), they additionally listened through artistic expression such as painting, drama, sculpture, drama, and outdoor exploration (p. 178). This is so important because children's language is through play and exploration, they often do not have words to their experiences, but they are always learning. I really enjoyed reading on page 181 how they would structure their day by connecting it with the environment. “We would start each morning relating to the sun and its place in the sky and use an Anishinaabe circle to plan the cycle of the day. We would watch the sun rising in the east and relate its colour and position to the yellow part of the circle. We would talk about red being the hottest colour, and say that we would have lunch when the sun was hottest in the middle of the sky. When the sun would start to set in the west, the shadows would be black. Later at night the white moon would come up and we would be home dreaming about our great day together”. This prepares the children for the day and provides some stability for the children as transitions can be very difficult for children. By sharing with the children what the day is going to look like it provides comfort and takes away that fear of the unknown, not knowing what is going to happen (though something unexpected will always come up, the cycle of the day will always remain). To further expand on this point, I also liked that they would sing a song to help with the children's transition into Kindergarten, to provide a sense of calm and make them feel more at home. Another way they incorporated nature into their classroom that made me really excited was that children would collect treasures in the morning from outside and would bring them inside, and these items would be included into subjects such as math, art, science, literacy (p. 182). Using natural materials is so important in furthering the child's learning as they learn and understand things through their senses. In one of the classes I am taking we have been learning about how the environment and the inclusion of natural materials helps to reduce stress and anxiety and provide a sense of calm in the child (Curtis & Carter, 2014).
My "stop" was on p. 182:"It took a lot of self-discipline and patience to resist directing the exploration...". As teachers, I think that this has traditionally been the essence of what we do - direct and correct! I had the joyous opportunity to visit the Reggio "Wonder of Learning" exhibit in Toronto last year, and it made a profound impact on my correcting:directing:connecting ratio, which is a formula from Jean Clinton's article in Think, Feel, Act, one of the cornerstones of Ontario's Pedagogy for the Early Years (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013, p. 5). Not only does it take practice to resist directing children's exploration, but it also takes practice to resist correcting their ideas. If they think that shadows move because the sun moves, I do not have to be the all-knowing teacher who corrects them. It takes effort for me to resist explaining away the 'facts', but learning how to accept their viewpoints (and listen to them in the first place) without correcting gave me permission to be more inquisitive in my own life, particularly in nature as it is so rich in mystery. Changing my correction:direction:connection ratio has naturally led to more learning outdoors as less correction and direction not only leads to more connection with others, but also with nature.
Ontario Ministry of Education (2013). Think, Feel, Act: Lessons from Research. Toronto: Author.
I apologize about not getting this up on the board sooner.
As an educator. I was responding to the idea of lighting a fire in the children and stimulating their creativity and curiosity.
As an artist, I am always thinking about stimulating individuals I work with to not just do the bear minimum when they are asked to respond, but to find the aesthetic in the play and reach for that "more" inside themselves.
As a clinician, I was thinking about not just lighting the fire but standing at the fire with ... someone and feeling that warmth and connection in the endeavour. The curative factors in connecting as "WE".
I am also reminded of the invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer who speaks to me about standing at the fire with someone when you are weary or despairing and still say "Yes!" to what they bring - even when it is not always pretty. The idea of seeing the beauty every day and source that in your own life from what they bring.
I was also drawn to the image of "Whiling away the time" which is an old but apt word for what being in an open space can mean to me. Finding that space to spend some quiet moments from the busyness of our own lives. Particularly in the social media era where everything is quick, instant gratification, immediate expectations.
The idea of unplugging to play really hits home for me where I see everything as potentially "Play". Taking the time to just unplug from my own busyness. To be present in my own life, in my children's and grandchildren's lives and be fully present as much as possible.
I am also interested in expanding the concept of "Play" to include us older kids and creating the spaces that are multi-generational. I am also reminded of the special challenges created by cultural, age, setting, politics, internalized culture and one's worldview. It becomes quite complex.
Tuesday evening's reading will be "Hopi's Story", from the book Natural Curiosity. Here it is -- this is the link.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI had a few typo's so my corrected post is below :)
DeleteA few paragraphs into "Hopi's Story" and I had multiple connections to the reading on a personal level as well as to yesterdays article. I quickly thought back to my own classroom experience and how it can be a challenge to get your ELL students engaged in a topic when they don't speak the language. In the article it touches on the use of visual documentation and how it creates a space for the students to feel more comfortable sharing their ideas and also feeling proud of their work, regardless of the language barrier (Anderson, Comey & Chiarotto, 2017, p.178). The article also mentions the use of "sharing circles"(Anderson al., 2017, p.178), something I use in my classroom often. This is a great way to help students feel respected (through attentive listening) in their classroom community that can also be taken outside.
ReplyDeleteWhen Hopi mentions the time she spent with her children at the ravine to naturally observe the "Kindergarten Inquiry Process" I soon connected to yesterdays article and the sense of time. She mentions that if her girls were given enough time in the "mucking about" stage their investigations would go off into directions an adults mind would not think of (Anderson al., 2017, p.178). I find it interesting how we often come back to this theme of time and giving ourselves permission to have it and use it.
When the topic of this reading was described in class I was excited to read this article as the concept of nurturing the natural curiosity of children is something both my job share partner and I are very passionate about. We have had so much success in inquiry based learning by simply letting the seasons guide us and guiding our students to make observations about the outside world and ask questions about their observations. I purposely say "our" learning as often the kindergarteners are asking questions that we don't have the answers to, which means that we are given the opportunity to learn along side our students. I love the idea of "circle teaching" that is defined in this article as that concept is what guides our teaching and allows us to truly explore learning in a completely different and meaningful way. Another aspect of the article that resonated with me was how the author tied a lot of indigenous teachings into her own practices. For example in our classroom we begin our day in the "self-reflective inquiry" described in this article through the use of a feeling thermometer but the idea of "nurturing the fire within" and finding ways to make the "internal fire just right" is a different way to look at self reflection and in my opinion more meaningful and culturally rich way to integrate emotional regulation into the students learning.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I began reading "Hopi's Story", I knew that I would have multiple connections. Similar to Natalie, my class is made up of mostly ELL students and I find the use of visual documentation a great support for their learning as well as mine. As the article mentioned, “when children saw their thinking shared visually through photographs, videos, and written words, they would light up (Anderson, Comey & Chiarotto, 2017, p.178).” I have witnessed this many times with my students. When I document something that they have created or explored, I often revisit the photo or video with the child to allow them to reflect on the experience. It is amazing some of the things I learn through their reflections that I would have never know without them showing me it through their eyes and words.
ReplyDeleteI also connected with the Knowledge Building Circle. My class often begins the day with a morning circle where we greet each other and have a community conversation lead by one of the students. Something that I always intent to do but often find myself running out of time and abandoning is a sharing circle at the end of the day where we could share our learning and experiences from throughout the day, similar to the Knowledge Building Circle. As Hopi mentions in the article, this would allow children to bring their individual ideas to the larger class community and create more connections into deeper inquiry (Anderson et al., 2017, p.183). Allowing children to have more time for reflection and deeper connections to each other’s learning is something I would like to try and prioritize this coming year.
Something that stood out to me right away while reading this article was the reference to questioning. The author states, "rather than listening for answers that confirmed what I already knew, I started listening to how the students explained their learning, listening for clues that would help me understand what they wondered" ((Anderson, Comey & Chiarotto, 2017, p.178). This stood out to me because often as teachers we are observing, listening, and questioning as a form of formative assessment. We are assess what the child DO know--instead, we need to observe and focus on what they DO NOT know in order to dive into meaningful inquiry. This has reminded me to follow the students' wonders more in my own practice.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, this article has connected to Kate's article and what we discussed yesterday about returning to a place many times. The author explains that she took her daughters to a familiar place often and that the girls named it "Horse Valley" (Anderson, Comey & Chiarotto, 2017, p.178). This shows the deep connection and relationship that they have formed with this place. The author also referred to it as a "Magical place," (Anderson, Comey & Chiarotto, 2017, p.178) which reflects our discussion about agency and pathic knowledge.
After reading article, "Hopi's Story" I had wished I could have the opportunity to observe this learning community in action. The indigenous perspectives woven into her work with children is inspiring. It is respectful and gives children agency in their own learning. In my class, I have used the inquiry based approach to learn about student's interests and wonders. We have a "Wonder Wall" where their curiosities are posted. Most recently we learned about Butterflies through an inquiry unit. Students asked individual questions through a inquiry circle. We raised butterflies in our class and learned about their wonders together through researching books, videos, and observations. One student in particular was absolutely aw-struck that his question was actually answered about butterflies, "Where did the first butterflies come from?" Inquiries and questions were shared on the bulletin board for other students and teachers to read and learn about our wonders. This inquiry was particularly engaging because the learning was driven by the students' curiosity and they were so impressed with themselves when their learning was displayed (Anderson et al, 2017, p. 178).
ReplyDelete- Erika von Poser
Yes, Kaitlyn, "listening" stood out to me too. I noticed how often the author referred to "active listening" throughout this article. This seems like a really simple and obvious thing for us, as adults working with children, to remember. But, upon reflection, I can think of many times that I have asked questions to children with the answers already in mind. My intentions were good, but what I was ultimately doing was limiting their exploration and inquiry by guiding and leading them to the answers that I (or perhaps the curriculum) deemed important to know. The author says, "In my experience, teachers would ask questions about a subject they already knew about and students would either guess or be told the answer" (Anderson, Comey, and Chiarotto, 2017, p. 178). For me, this was a powerful statement. It points out how limiting such interactions with children are. It also reminds us, as educators, that we are co-constructors of knowledge and that we can and should learn right alongside our students. Yes, I already know this to be a true representation of "good teaching", but it is something that I need to make sure that I keep at the forefront of my mind at all times.
ReplyDeleteAs I read the article, I reflected on my practice in terms of documenting and sharing learning. I keep a classroom blog that I update on a daily basis. I use it for many purposes (sending out reminders and letting parents know about upcoming events, for example). The intended main purpose of the blog, though, is to foster communication between the children in my class and their families. I take pictures of the happenings in the classroom, photos of the learning that is taking place and I ask the children to tell me about their learning, this is included as captions for the photos. Too often to count, parents/caregivers have told me how the learning that takes place during the school day is continued and extended at home. The author of this article explains that "home is their community" (p. 185) and "my job as their teacher was to help amplify their voice and make connections in the community to support their learning" (p. 185). This also made me pause. It affirms the work that I'm doing with my blog and challenges me to think of other ways to "amplify their voice" (such a great phrase, full of so much respect and honour).
Finally, in the closing statements of the article, the author explains, "the circle of inquiry learning can be an expanding spiral that returns again and again through all four branches of environmental inquiry every day, every season, and every year" (p. 186). The image of a spiral is one that I am deeply drawn to. For me the spiral is a symbol of learning and growth. As we learn, we revisit and build upon our knowledge and understandings, each time growing and/or changing our understandings, but relating to our previous knowledge. I would love to share a book during story time called "Swirl by Swirl, Spirals in Nature" by Joyce Sidman, if we have time one day.
"Rather than listening for answers that confirmed what I already knew, I started listening to how students explained their learning, listening for clues that would help me understand what they wondered about" (Anderson, Comey & Chiarotto, 2017, p.178) I believe, when we take the time to listen to children we open our minds to see the world how they see it. We then know how to direct our teaching in a way that is going to provide the children to be successful. The children become the teachers, providing us with the ability to be a part of the ever changing environment. We then can use the environment as the third teacher, providing an open ended teaching. This way of respecting the child relates directly to an indigenous holistic approach. We are now not only listening to children but we are also stripping away those colonized views of how children learn and how we should teach. My favorite parts of the day are when I get to sit with a child or group of children and listen to the dialog that is being exchanged. When I take the time to see through their eyes, to experience the world how they experience it. I felt many connections to "Hopi's Story", as an Indigenous person I was connected to the respectful manner in which the indigenous ideas where explored.
ReplyDeleteIn reading Hopi’s Story the first thing that really struck me was the author’s reflections on active listening and how this changed her relationship with her students. I thought about this from the perspective of the teacher/student relationship initially but then thought about how this was so true with any relationship in life. Being “present” and in the moment brings authenticity to the relationship and fosters reciprocity and supporting a safe space for relationships to grow and evolve. As wonderful as this sounds I find it to be a serious challenge in the world today. So very important that we honour and value this state of mindfulness in ourselves and in our co-workers. The other interesting connection I made to yesterday’s class was the author’s reference to Horse Valley as the “magical place”. How great it is that we wish to describe places we encounter as “magical”. There are other words we can use “wonderful”, “serendipitous”, ”amazing”, but magical often seems to be the most representative word for me. It is a word that I am very comfortable with but as I further consider the power of language it reminds me of the need to be mindful with the words we choose and the audience we share these words with. Again, active listening and tuning in to the responses and reactions of those around us.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAhh! I've lost my post twice now! It keeps deleting when I go to publish! Sorry I can't seem to get out of the long ago blog site I used to use.
Delete
ReplyDeleteSo it's late, I'm tired, my arms are killing me (Note to self- don't ever, ever weave with broken arms- it seems harmless but ouch- you'll pay!) yet, "My fire's Burning!" What a great read! And what a great quote, "My daughter, how's your fire burning?" I think this may be my new way of dismissing children at the end of the day. The process of inquiry is something that I find myself grappling with on a regular basis. I do get 'fired up" when I read about the deep level of learning that can only happen when this process of allowing the children's inquiring questions to naturally evolve and drive the curriculum occurs. To me this was the biggest take away from the reading of Hopi's Story. How inquiry is messy, it is never perfect yet it is what makes learning deep and meaningful for our children.
There were many 'aha' moments in this article for me. I love the idea of how a day in the classroom is like the cycle of the sun. How perfect. I love how the notion of community comes into their teaching. For the little ones in their class, home was their community. This made me think of how I strive to make learning visible in my class. I must admit I often have the parents in mind when I think of sharing their learning. I have done blogs, weekly newsletters, scrapbooks etc. But maybe this is too complicated. Are these meaningful for the individual child? Maybe it is as simple as letting a child take their work home to share it with their community, their family.
Lastly I found that yesterday's discussion with Kate and Elizabeth and their connecting of nature to the empathic knowledge that one feels, with their senses and their emotions connects seamlessly to the message of Hopi's story. If we pay attention to the voices and the questions of the children, the cycles of the earth and allow inquiry to unfold then learning will happen in a deep, meaningful way. My fire's burning!
I just have one question? Where did this chestnuts come from?
Reading this article made me really excited about how I might incorporate the outdoors into my own daycare someday. At the very beginning of the article it said “Rather than listening for answers that confirmed what I already knew, I started listening to how students explained their learning, listening for clues that would help me understand what they wondered about” (p. 178), they additionally listened through artistic expression such as painting, drama, sculpture, drama, and outdoor exploration (p. 178). This is so important because children's language is through play and exploration, they often do not have words to their experiences, but they are always learning.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading on page 181 how they would structure their day by connecting it with the environment. “We would start each morning relating to the sun and its place in the sky and use an Anishinaabe circle to plan the cycle of the day. We would watch the sun rising in the east and relate its colour and position to the yellow part of the circle. We would talk about red being the hottest colour, and say that we would have lunch when the sun was hottest in the middle of the sky. When the sun would start to set in the west, the shadows would be black. Later at night the white moon would come up and we would be home dreaming about our great day together”. This prepares the children for the day and provides some stability for the children as transitions can be very difficult for children. By sharing with the children what the day is going to look like it provides comfort and takes away that fear of the unknown, not knowing what is going to happen (though something unexpected will always come up, the cycle of the day will always remain). To further expand on this point, I also liked that they would sing a song to help with the children's transition into Kindergarten, to provide a sense of calm and make them feel more at home.
Another way they incorporated nature into their classroom that made me really excited was that children would collect treasures in the morning from outside and would bring them inside, and these items would be included into subjects such as math, art, science, literacy (p. 182). Using natural materials is so important in furthering the child's learning as they learn and understand things through their senses. In one of the classes I am taking we have been learning about how the environment and the inclusion of natural materials helps to reduce stress and anxiety and provide a sense of calm in the child (Curtis & Carter, 2014).
My "stop" was on p. 182:"It took a lot of self-discipline and patience to resist directing the exploration...". As teachers, I think that this has traditionally been the essence of what we do - direct and correct! I had the joyous opportunity to visit the Reggio "Wonder of Learning" exhibit in Toronto last year, and it made a profound impact on my correcting:directing:connecting ratio, which is a formula from Jean Clinton's article in Think, Feel, Act, one of the cornerstones of Ontario's Pedagogy for the Early Years (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013, p. 5). Not only does it take practice to resist directing children's exploration, but it also takes practice to resist correcting their ideas. If they think that shadows move because the sun moves, I do not have to be the all-knowing teacher who corrects them. It takes effort for me to resist explaining away the 'facts', but learning how to accept their viewpoints (and listen to them in the first place) without correcting gave me permission to be more inquisitive in my own life, particularly in nature as it is so rich in mystery. Changing my correction:direction:connection ratio has naturally led to more learning outdoors as less correction and direction not only leads to more connection with others, but also with nature.
ReplyDeleteOntario Ministry of Education (2013). Think, Feel, Act: Lessons from Research. Toronto: Author.
I apologize about not getting this up on the board sooner.
ReplyDeleteAs an educator. I was responding to the idea of lighting a fire in the children and stimulating their creativity and curiosity.
As an artist, I am always thinking about stimulating individuals I work with to not just do the bear minimum when they are asked to respond, but to find the aesthetic in the play and reach for that "more" inside themselves.
As a clinician, I was thinking about not just lighting the fire but standing at the fire with ... someone and feeling that warmth and connection in the endeavour. The curative factors in connecting as "WE".
I am also reminded of the invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer who speaks to me about standing at the fire with someone when you are weary or despairing and still say "Yes!" to what they bring - even when it is not always pretty. The idea of seeing the beauty every day and source that in your own life from what they bring.
I was also drawn to the image of "Whiling away the time" which is an old but apt word for what being in an open space can mean to me. Finding that space to spend some quiet moments from the busyness of our own lives. Particularly in the social media era where everything is quick, instant gratification, immediate expectations.
The idea of unplugging to play really hits home for me where I see everything as potentially "Play". Taking the time to just unplug from my own busyness. To be present in my own life, in my children's and grandchildren's lives and be fully present as much as possible.
I am also interested in expanding the concept of "Play" to include us older kids and creating the spaces that are multi-generational. I am also reminded of the special challenges created by cultural, age, setting, politics, internalized culture and one's worldview. It becomes quite complex.
Liz McK