entitled "Doing Reggio"
http://www.mnreggio.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Margie-Carter-article.pdf
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
From the Reggio listserv
I think Leslie Gleim is my hero... Keep up the good work!
I have been enjoying Vea's book--Art and Creativity. It is full of nuggets that my brain is wrapping thoughts around.
From her book a phrase captured my attention---I almost never think of "behaviors" as "behaviors" but rather as part of a child's 100's of languages. I try to think about how is a child is using "behaviors" or their actions or reactions as a way to communicate something that they can't articulate at the moment? What are they trying to tell us?
In her book Vea used what I thought was a powerful phrase that created an aha and then a hmmm...yes, she's so right!
She talked about two boys who weren't getting along rather than a behavior problem they began to study these two boys and their relationship. They thought about the boys conflicts around "a sort of iteracy in the language of relationships." Wow that was powerful! Questions began to form...
How do we begin to observe the nuances/literacy that are in a language of relationships?
Do we stop to think that the children's conflicts are about how they aren't "reading" each others messages (within this concept of a language of relationships)?
How do we (adults) support, nourish and "seed" our work with children around this idea of "language" of relationships?
What are the "literacy" components in the language of relationships? Facial expressions, body language, gestures, the turn of the head, etc.
What would this look like as a "project"? Why would this be worthy of having children unpack this idea?
How should we as teacher/ researcher try to understand and observe what this means ("language" of relationships) in our learning communities?
I began to think back to my time with my children with special rights/needs. I recalled a "strategy" that I used a lot where I would think out loud and read or interpret a child's body language to their peers. I would become the voice for the child who lacked verbal or expressive language. Often I would share what the child could be thinking and expressing through their actions (facial and/or body) to their peers-- particularly to our typically developing children (for example I would say hmmm look at his eyes I think they look like he is sad I wonder why?).
I viewed my interpretative role as a gesture in valuing all children.
What I observed was soon this simple "strategy" of my thinking out loud around children's gestures and body language became a scaffolding tool or a bridge that was a support for the relationships in our classroom community. This simple thinking out loud of mine set the stage for "silent" dialogues or conversations to occur throughout our community. The children would "read" each others nuances or gestures. This in turn created a community that valued each child. A community where relationships thrived amongst ALL the children.
This idea of a literacy in a language of relationships is rather complex and it is causing me to rethink the interactions that I have with children.
How can or do we use this idea of "literacy" as part of our conversations that we have with children around the process of a relationship?
Hmm... when we see children in conflict with one another how often do we pause and rethink our mindsets--shifting from behaviors to relationships? Do we take the time to unpack with children this idea of a "literacy" of relationships?
What would happen if we began to ask the children such questions as:
What did Suzie's body tell you about how Suzie might be feeling or thinking?
Do we take the time to scaffold what might a child's facial expressions be revealing to others?
What if we slowed the pace down as we begin to deepen the relationships by helping to support this "literacy"? What would happen if we had the children read the gestures, nuances and expressions of their peers? In slowing down the pace would it make the "literacy" in the language of relationships now readable?
How would the children's interactions change if we began having conversations such as these?
What about having children revisit images in "reading" possible thoughts of their peers?
Much to ponder upon!
Side note: This summer I was able to work in the purest form in the role of just a Pedagogista (vs.during the school year where I have a dual role of Pedagogista for our team and a Lead Teacher in the classroom). I worked with our Summer School team on a 5 week micro project on "Looking" which stemmed from the children's conversations--- where a distinction was noted in their use of and the dialogue about--hunting for and looking for. This project took us to some fascinating research and understanding around what 3 & 4 year old children internalize and know about "looking".
It epitomized how well children "read" people and each other!
We took the children out in the community (the local mall and the beach) observing people in order to have the children help us understand what they understand about what it means to "look". We (teachers) became true researchers--when a child told us someone was looking--we asked how did they know this? What told them that the person was looking? As the children shared with us what "told' them this--- we (teachers) tallied-head turns, eyes, body positions etc. as well as inferences that the children would make.
We narrowed the children's thoughts around "looking" down to body gestures (certain turns and angles of the body) and the direction peoples eyes. As one child said, "when we look one eye goes up and one eye goes down so that we see everything."
At the end of the project we had the children create looking eyes from "found" and recycled materials (with one catch--no round objects were used). The nuances of the materials that the children used in their "looking" eyes were brilliant and amazing!
It has me once again rethinking the pace and how we (adults) support and scaffold the work and the thinking of the children--around the many languages that are there.
I have been enjoying Vea's book--Art and Creativity. It is full of nuggets that my brain is wrapping thoughts around.
From her book a phrase captured my attention---I almost never think of "behaviors" as "behaviors" but rather as part of a child's 100's of languages. I try to think about how is a child is using "behaviors" or their actions or reactions as a way to communicate something that they can't articulate at the moment? What are they trying to tell us?
In her book Vea used what I thought was a powerful phrase that created an aha and then a hmmm...yes, she's so right!
She talked about two boys who weren't getting along rather than a behavior problem they began to study these two boys and their relationship. They thought about the boys conflicts around "a sort of iteracy in the language of relationships." Wow that was powerful! Questions began to form...
How do we begin to observe the nuances/literacy that are in a language of relationships?
Do we stop to think that the children's conflicts are about how they aren't "reading" each others messages (within this concept of a language of relationships)?
How do we (adults) support, nourish and "seed" our work with children around this idea of "language" of relationships?
What are the "literacy" components in the language of relationships? Facial expressions, body language, gestures, the turn of the head, etc.
What would this look like as a "project"? Why would this be worthy of having children unpack this idea?
How should we as teacher/ researcher try to understand and observe what this means ("language" of relationships) in our learning communities?
I began to think back to my time with my children with special rights/needs. I recalled a "strategy" that I used a lot where I would think out loud and read or interpret a child's body language to their peers. I would become the voice for the child who lacked verbal or expressive language. Often I would share what the child could be thinking and expressing through their actions (facial and/or body) to their peers-- particularly to our typically developing children (for example I would say hmmm look at his eyes I think they look like he is sad I wonder why?).
I viewed my interpretative role as a gesture in valuing all children.
What I observed was soon this simple "strategy" of my thinking out loud around children's gestures and body language became a scaffolding tool or a bridge that was a support for the relationships in our classroom community. This simple thinking out loud of mine set the stage for "silent" dialogues or conversations to occur throughout our community. The children would "read" each others nuances or gestures. This in turn created a community that valued each child. A community where relationships thrived amongst ALL the children.
This idea of a literacy in a language of relationships is rather complex and it is causing me to rethink the interactions that I have with children.
How can or do we use this idea of "literacy" as part of our conversations that we have with children around the process of a relationship?
Hmm... when we see children in conflict with one another how often do we pause and rethink our mindsets--shifting from behaviors to relationships? Do we take the time to unpack with children this idea of a "literacy" of relationships?
What would happen if we began to ask the children such questions as:
What did Suzie's body tell you about how Suzie might be feeling or thinking?
Do we take the time to scaffold what might a child's facial expressions be revealing to others?
What if we slowed the pace down as we begin to deepen the relationships by helping to support this "literacy"? What would happen if we had the children read the gestures, nuances and expressions of their peers? In slowing down the pace would it make the "literacy" in the language of relationships now readable?
How would the children's interactions change if we began having conversations such as these?
What about having children revisit images in "reading" possible thoughts of their peers?
Much to ponder upon!
Side note: This summer I was able to work in the purest form in the role of just a Pedagogista (vs.during the school year where I have a dual role of Pedagogista for our team and a Lead Teacher in the classroom). I worked with our Summer School team on a 5 week micro project on "Looking" which stemmed from the children's conversations--- where a distinction was noted in their use of and the dialogue about--hunting for and looking for. This project took us to some fascinating research and understanding around what 3 & 4 year old children internalize and know about "looking".
It epitomized how well children "read" people and each other!
We took the children out in the community (the local mall and the beach) observing people in order to have the children help us understand what they understand about what it means to "look". We (teachers) became true researchers--when a child told us someone was looking--we asked how did they know this? What told them that the person was looking? As the children shared with us what "told' them this--- we (teachers) tallied-head turns, eyes, body positions etc. as well as inferences that the children would make.
We narrowed the children's thoughts around "looking" down to body gestures (certain turns and angles of the body) and the direction peoples eyes. As one child said, "when we look one eye goes up and one eye goes down so that we see everything."
At the end of the project we had the children create looking eyes from "found" and recycled materials (with one catch--no round objects were used). The nuances of the materials that the children used in their "looking" eyes were brilliant and amazing!
It has me once again rethinking the pace and how we (adults) support and scaffold the work and the thinking of the children--around the many languages that are there.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
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