Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing each of you a very happy Thanksgiving day if that is your thing and a pleasant short week! I am nursing a flu that has sent my fever above 103 degrees (I did not know I could still get a fever this high!) and am glad to have skipped the plane trip to the West coast.

It would be fun to look at all of the traditions that are unique to your own family and share these in class next week. How much of what we do with our celebrations is actually highly personal and individualized- find out by observing your own and then ask your students.

Reflection

When do you build the habit of reflection with your students and yourself? Do you ask questions as the day unfolds about what your students think about things about how they arrived at a particular idea or conclusion? By inserting these little parenthesis within the day and the dialogue you are creating the narration of your experience that will help to string it all together. Plant the seeds of thought and then cultivate these over time by checking in by having students check in with each other and talk about these things.

Control reaches a whole new level

I was at a conference where this was being sold (by a man in a kilt- which is a whole different conversation). Essentially, there is a metal bar that runs down the middle with yellow straps that hold the children in place so the teachers can take them out on a ‘walk’. It looks more like part of a prison chain gang- and the kids can have no free movement and if one falls down they are all compromised.

When I see this I cannot help but wonder if we are so afraid of the kids moving about freely- engaging the world that we would risk killing their spirit to prevent it? Can we communicate in any greater way that we do not have confidence in them- in their ability to make decisions, than by locking them together to move about.

Disturbing on so many levels.

What is the purpose of school for young children?

11.23

After attending NAEYC and walking around the exhibition hall- looking at all of the STUFF that is created and produced for the market that is early childhood I have been thinking all weekend about the purposes of schooling. I was staying with an old friend while in DC, she is now a professor and has a young child and so looking at the offerings on a macro level at the conference and then on the options on a micro level at the home of a friend and with a young child…

Why are yellow, red, blue and green the colors on most every game and toy?
When we think about a young child knowing shapes, triangle, circle and square- which are also very commonly found on the surfaces of objects for young children (often using the primary colors) how does recognizing a circle versus a square lead to critical thinking and problem solving- there is a place for this content within the learning of children. However the frontloading of concepts that are not connected within a larger framework that is linked to life and thinking seems to be a waste of time. Also, it begs the question- what is the purpose of school in the life of the young child?

NAEYC

11.20

It is 4:37 am and I am on my way to the train to go to NAEYC and give a talk on the Reggio Approach. I am looking forward to meeting many of you (the readers who come to this blog everyday) in person and will report out next week when I get back.

What is the purpose of the morning meeting? Are we getting together, much like when friends come over, to talk and to connect. Can you imagine having people count the days of the week with straws at a social event while everyone else waits? The individualized way that we structure things needs to be challenged- even in film and on tv it is always about the extreme close up and one character saying their lines- while on European television and in the cinema there are many more ensemble scenes…how do we create the feeling of an ensemble cast within our classroom instead of a bunch of little STARS who all have to have a turn taking the stage…

NAEYC

11.19

So I am going to NAEYC later today to give a talk tomorrow that I have not finished preparing…:)

In a class I taught last night we watched videotaped lessons of students- which is always such a great thing to do as a group. In watching the great things they do and the challenges they have there was something very consistent about tone of voice. One of my students was really good about modifying the volume not moving only into the loud teacher voice but also drawing the children into her with a softer voice that asked for action on their part. This same student also had in her video a morning meeting in which the students were having side conversations and a bit of chaos- which I really liked. It looked realistic- the way that children really learn.

Theory vs. practice

11.18

I am reminded quite a bit these days of the grand fissure that exists between the theory and practice of teaching. When I am writing I must be sure to speak to the ‘academy’ yet the things I want to say are really for the laymen.
I conducted a class yesterday (it was a great class) and one of the participants commented that this was more geared for practitioners and she is in a role of teaching teachers. Isn’t that the ultimate position in terms of practice? Who better to have the most honed, most polished and refined skills than one who works with teachers? Where does the praxis of the two exist?

Gaining a new perspective

I have to admit that I am quite taken with my FLIP camera- for a number of reasons…what is important for you is to get one (Amazon.com- $130) an begin using this to capture aspects of your day- beginning with the assemblea. Videotaping yourselves and your students in actions offers a series of things: 1. insight into what is happening 2. an accurate record of what was said/done even in parts of the group you were not able to actively manage 3. beginning artifacts for analysis- the FLIP gives you video, audio and still photo artifact options- so this coupled with any notes you take really get you started on the path to reflecting on and documenting you work.

What makes great teachers?

11.16

I would be curious to know what your students say. What is a great teacher and what makes them this way?

Change

11.14

“Things do not change, we do.”

Henry David Thoreau