Monday, November 23, 2009

Listening to Children


"It's cold!"


"I'm using my finger"


"Oh!"


"It's sticky!"


"Are we painting?"


"I gotta wash my hands!"


"Cold!"


"Ahhhhhhh!"


"Glue?"


"Off!"


"What do I do with this?"




"Listening to children" The Hundred Languages of Children

This week, I asked the adults to write down exactly what the children said as they experienced the clay. Why??

"Listening means being fully attentive to the children. Listening means seeking to follow and enter into the active learning that is taking place."

The metaphor of "catching the ball that the children throw us", is a favorite one in Reggio Emilia. They like to use the metaphor of the children and adults participating in a game of ping-pong. What they have in mind, though, is not a fast-paced championship-level game among adults, but rather, a game where child novices are trying to play, assisted and supported by an adult expert. The adult is trying to help keep the game going. Sometimes he or she steps in to return the ball, or puts the ball back in play, or coaches children on technique, or fixes or adjusts the materials, or even calls a break and rests or feeds the children. All of these supportive adult interventions are based on keying in to the rhythm of the game and modeling an attitude of attention and care. The adult seeks to extend the children's stamina and attention span, increase their range of techniques and strategies, enhance their concentration and effort, and still allow them to fully experience pleasure and joy in the game."

The Hundred Languages of Children p.181-182


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Thursday, November 12, 2009

9am Wonder Arts: chalk pastels, watercolor, light/shadow projector

Scribbling!
Scribbling is a very important developmental task. Crawling obviously leads to walking, but many other important kinds of brain development are fostered when a child learns to crawl. So it is with scribbling. Scribbling not only leads to drawing, scribbling provides essential brain development leading to other advanced mental capacities. Children naturally move on to image making, just as crawling children naturally move on to walking. For a child's intellect and personality to develop there needs to be opportunities to explore, be curious, be rewarded for this with recognition and praise.We encourage scribbling by providing a place and materials, by acknowledging the work, and by discussing the work in a nonjudgmental ways. In the child's mind scribbling is not meant to be artwork in the sense that we think of artwork. Scribbling for a child is more about action than about creating a product. It is process. It is activity. I never ask, "What is it?" I might say, "Wow, this looks like you are having fun. Your crayon is really going fast." As the child gets closer to the stage of image making, I might , say, "This part looks neat, can you tell me about it?" As children become verbal and are able describe their work, their minds are learning to think in imaginary and abstract ways. It is our ability to imagine that makes us human. It makes us care. It makes it possible for us to take responsibility.
For the rest of our lives it is our imaginations that allow us to predict the consequences of scribbling on walls and every other thoughtless and considerate act of expression. Our imaginations help us avoid thoughtless acts that bring sadness from those we care about. Our imaginations allow us to be creative, to solve everyday problems, and to make the world a better more joyous place for ourselves and those we care about.
Written by: Marvin Bartel



J. liked the dump truck and the chalk. He went over to the rocksalt bin and picked out the dump truck and brought it back and began loading up the chalk. Then he would dump the chalk and drive over it with the truck (which created a pretty neat effect.) Thank you to J.'s mom who emailed me this information!






Ordinary Moments,
Extraordinary Possibilities!
An acknowledgement that even small, seemingly mundane moments hold great potential for surprise, wonder, discovery and learning. One only needs to observe a child marveling at a stick floating in a puddle to understand the profound significance that ordinary moments can have. Through attentive and unhurried observation of a child's focus and intent, we allow ourselves to subtly bolster and deepen the child's experience. Often a teacher or parent’s timely expression of interest and support, coupled with a child's initial enthusiasm, can lead to an extended and more reflective exploration of these moments. Our challenge as educators is to participate in the moment without controlling it. We seek to remain present and engaged in the experience as it unfolds, following the child's evolving path of interest rather than focusing on a predetermined outcome or plan.

This is why wandering in The Wonder Studio is so valued! As the children finish their experience with the chalk pastels, S. begins to arrange some of the chairs in a line. He asks his mother to join him in his line.

She is of course, a willing partner! Now, we see a head approaching the scene. Everyone is aware of the empty seat. What will happen?

S. stands up as C. comes closer. They look at each other and try to interpret what the other's intention might be.

C. Sits down on the floor with her head down. She obviously wants to be a part of this experience and seems to want S.'s approval.
I find this moment to be extraordinary in that it seems to be a beautiful sort of Dance between 2 souls. Niether one communicating audibly with words but the nonverbal communication is very apparent. Learning to "read" another person's nonverbal language is critical to developing empathy and understanding. While most would just see children "playing", we know that an extrordinary moment just took place.

Practicing conflict resolution with Mom's help.

H. yearns for a social interaction with her peer. They work together for a moment with one brush.


H.'s Mom points out that J. doesn't appear to be enjoying the interaction and H. relinqueshes the brush. Not a missed opportunity for learning about nonverbal communication and/or empathy.





Stirring, and Stirring, and Stirring the Brew!!!!



My Moment in the Spotlight!


I saw the moment during which he drew the connection between moving the snake on the projector and looking on the wall to see the shadow move. He got really excited about that. J.'s Mom Comments


An important accomplishment for a child is the process of sorting/classifying. Many children enjoy lining things up! It gives them a chance to explore lines as well as a sense of order and organization. She spent much time looking for lizards that would fit into her line.




Here, a mom is pointing out one of the lizards. Notice Z. is paying attention as well!

11 am Wonder Arts: Chalk pastels, watercolors, light/shadow projector

Scribbling!
Scribbling is a very important developmental task. Crawling obviously leads to walking, but many other important kinds of brain development are fostered when a child learns to crawl. So it is with scribbling. Scribbling not only leads to drawing, scribbling provides essential brain development leading to other advanced mental capacities. Children naturally move on to image making, just as crawling children naturally move on to walking. For a child's intellect and personality to develop there needs to be opportunities to explore, be curious, be rewarded for this with recognition and praise.We encourage scribbling by providing a place and materials, by acknowledging the work, and by discussing the work in a nonjudgmental ways. In the child's mind scribbling is not meant to be artwork in the sense that we think of artwork. Scribbling for a child is more about action than about creating a product. It is process. It is activity. I never ask, "What is it?" I might say, "Wow, this looks like you are having fun. Your crayon is really going fast." As the child gets closer to the stage of image making, I might , say, "This part looks neat, can you tell me about it?" As children become verbal and are able describe their work, their minds are learning to think in imaginary and abstract ways. It is our ability to imagine that makes us human. It makes us care. It makes it possible for us to take responsibility.
For the rest of our lives it is our imaginations that allow us to predict the consequences of scribbling on walls and every other thoughtless and considerate act of expression. Our imaginations help us avoid thoughtless acts that bring sadness from those we care about. Our imaginations allow us to be creative, to solve everyday problems, and to make the world a better more joyous place for ourselves and those we care about.
Written by: Marvin Bartel
http://www.bartelart.com/arted/wallscribblers.html












I am always so interested to see the children observing one another. What might they be interpreting. Toddlers are just beginning to learn about the idea of having a friend and what that means. We know that most of the time, it means we like doing the same things. I think this is why so often toddlers imitate other children (both positive and negative aspects). If they try out what they see a peer doing, they can learn if it's something they also like or perhaps they find they don't like it. So "copying" is actually a good thing because it gives them a chance to develop new parts of their personality, as well as a chance to learn if this person will be a "friend" that they can share in similar experiences.
Mom shows. E. the proper way to handle the chalk. This is so important! When it comes to situations of technique, I am all for teaching them the proper ways. Let's set them up for success in this regard!



One of the most immediate, visible, and comprehensible ways in which children can experiment with the physical world involves the movement of objects. Pushing, sliding, rolling, tilting...the possibilities are endlessly fascinating to children. - Chaille and Britain The Young Child as Scientist
E. begins to roll his chalk and he observes the results.
His chalk rolls over to C.'s space.

Wonderfully, an interaction occurs between the pair as C. also begins to roll his chalk. Now they are sharing in an experience that they both find pleasure in. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!"





















The teachers in Reggio Emilia, Italy believe it is important to create a feeling of anticipation in children, heighten their expectations and their interest in an experience.
As M. was painting on her coffee filter, I asked her to lift it up to see what might be happening underneath. I couldn't wait to capture her face right at the moment of the discovery!

She can't help but release a smile at marvel at how it printed through the coffee filter onto the paper underneath!