Thursday, September 20, 2012

The Value of a Learning Community. 10:30 Wonder Science

What is the difference between doing these experiences with your child at home and doing them here at The Wonder Studio?
Besides, not having to set it all up and then of course...the clean-up... You don't end up with Shaving cream all over your couches...
There are no worms in your toddler's bed...

Flubber doesn't end up on the Dog.
I would argue that the best part of having your child at The Wonder Studio is becoming part of a learning community.
Your child will learn so much as they Co-construct knowledge with the other children and adults.  
What does it mean to co-construct?  
"Offering children the opportunity to realize that their ideas are different and not coinciding with the ideas of others, and therefore they discover that they hold their own ideas and unique point of view."  (The Hundred Languages of Children...p. 94)
This is why I try in class (and you can too) to bring the child's awareness to the other children.  "Look at what Jack is doing...he is rolling his truck through the shaving cream."
We are careful not to interrupt what knowledge the child is already constructing...but if you are carefully observing...you will begin to see opportunities for co-construction between the children.
You will miss it if you are concentrating on "teaching" your child the colors...or teaching them to count...
You might miss it, if you're trying to take a "cute" picture.

(I know I do often...in taking these pictures and looking back on what I missed)

The teachers in a learning community change from teaching children to studying children, and by studying children, learning with children.
(p. 240)
Invite your child to acknowledge, observe, and interact with the other children. 


This will create exchanges of differing views, which will lead to "higher planes of thinking"
(p. 271)
At home, your child has much more time to "be right" and that's good and important too.
But The Wonder Studio provides an entire community of new ideas to consider.




































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