all the languages that are already co-existent in the mind and in the activity of the child have the power to be generative of other languages, other actions and other potentials that are in turn generative.
This statement resonates with me as I reflect on the previous assignments of observing, documenting, and reflecting. The 'languages of the child' is a term I haven't incorporated yet to interpret the 'what' about the 'what'.
necessary to become familiar first by using directly what you know and what you have learned in order to acquire further learning and knowledge.
Very important messaging for educators as well as for planning experiences for children based on interests and curiosities.
national
A national law passed for free education for children ages 3-6 and then for children ages 3 months - 3 years (ages 6-18 already existed) between 1968-1971. How progressive even by today's standards in other countries around the world.
innovation.
I love this word 'innovation'! And it was based on a conviction that children are competent, capable, and full of extraordinary potentialities that continuously amaze us.
the search for meaning - the meaning of the children and adults as well as their shared meanings.
The meaning of each individual child and their shared meanings between each other, the meaning of each educator and their shared meaning with each child and each educator, the meaning of the environment to each child and educator and their shared meaning, plus the meaning of the collective group within the context of the childcare centre. What a beautiful to think about the childcare centre.
istening is an active verb, which involves givingan interpretation, giving meaning to the message and value to those who are being listened to by others
A three-part process of giving: interpretation, meaning, and value.
Expressing our theories to others trans-forms a world which is not intrinsically ours
Unfortunately, sharing among educators is not a reality in my current context. I value the importance of sharing and the significance to my own learning with and from the children.
understanding means being able to develop an interpretive theory, a narra-tive that gives meaning to the world around them.
This is relatively new for me as I never used to interpret the children's interests nor curiosities on this level - more surface level and just enough to extend the experience for the children.
These theories are provi ional and can be continu-ously re-worked.
This is important for me to remember that theories are just that and they are fluid.
“You only want to cut with this little wheel, don’t you? It does make very beautiful marks.”
I appreciate the educator respects the child and permits them to direct their play experience rather than interfere with the child's exploration of clay and making marks.
They are working on the problem of “representing movement, on a surface.”
How wonderful! I absolutely love this entire passage!
in collaboration with other adults
I appreciate all of your contributions to our collective learning as it is essential for us to learn from one another.
emergent,
It does take time and effort through habitual observations and documentation to find these 'big enough and hard enough' challenges for children to engage with.
In reliving earlier moments via photography and tape recording, children are deeply reinforced and validated for their efforts and pro-vided a boost to memory that is critical at their young age.
I love this! Revisiting observations and documentation with children. What a great way to get the children's interpretation of what they experienced or wondered about while engaged with the materials!
revisiting
To 'spiral' or circle back to an experience/provocation to revisit the curiosities and possibly uncover more 'whys' is so important. Too often experiences are a 'one time' engagement before educators move quickly into an extension without exhausting all the curiosity, questions, and hypotheses of the children that stem from the provocation/experience. That is a fault of the system that children need to be shown something different each day as though educators are filling their minds with knowledge instead of permitting the time for children to actively engage and be protagonists in their learning.
“for the game to continue, the skills of the adult and child need appropriate adjustments to allow the growth through learning of the skills of the child”
This reminds me of the 'serve and return' exchanges necessary for brain architecture. We can all learn so much from playing a game with others as it builds upon our existing knowledge and stimulates brain development.
language of education
Language is a beautiful way of bringing everyone together.
connected to adults and other children
The connection to adults and other children is an important relationship and one that is most often overlooked as we tend to stop at "competent, curious, and full of potential" when reciting the Image of the Child. It appears it has become simply 'jargon' in the ECE profession without a clear understanding of the original context.
"Children have a right to talk, as long as they do not interrupt someone else who is talking first, but children have a right to wait for their turn to talk."
This is a more respectful way to position rights in the environment versus "rules". I dislike making 'rules' for the environment, that is, a list of 'don't 'rules.
Children encounter numerous marvels on the way to the car or to the store that merit ex-amination-the intriguing shapes and splashes of puddles, the intricate pathways of bugs and worms, the irresistible gleams of shining treasures lying on the street disguised as trash.
Walks or wagon-rides to the nearby pond and park are a way for all of us (educators and children) to find patience and time in our daily schedule. The pace at which we walk or push the wagon is slow to be able to look, point, ponder the events and objects along the way as well as engage in the wonder of nature with the children.
These children were speaking about the dependence on adults that arises, not from lack of competence, but from their small stature in an adult-sized world.
Power imbalance. Unfortunately, at times, adults tend to forget about the rights of the children or rather, do not consider their rights as relevant.
The children nevertheless might have believed that they had a right to be angry and sad as well as happy.
The children "might have believed" is just another example of adults stripping away childhood.
Children's assertions that sadness and anger were not okay may stem from their awareness that these emotions were not always okay with their parents or teachers or peers, or that being angry or sad did not feel okay to them.
This is interesting to read. I cannot count the times that I have overheard parents, adults, educators, etc. state directly to a child, "don't cry", "big boys/girls don't cry", "put away your tears", and "there is no reason to cry or be angry". Children are intuitively aware of the messaging from the adults in their lives.
listen
To "listen" with ears, eyes, and other senses to pick up on child's communication of cues, interactions, and insights with other children and adults.
act contrary
Your image of the child is your relationship and interactions with the child. Your image of the child may come from a place/event/emotion that you experienced during your own childhood and you are projecting that image upon a child in your care.
It’s necessary that we believe that the child is veryintelligent, that the child is strong and beautiful andhas very ambitious desires and requests. This is theimage of the child that we need to hold
A powerful image for children, their families, and educators.
If it is left toferment without adult interference and without thatexcessive assistance that we sometimes give, thenit’s more advantageous to the child.
Unnecessary interference interrupts a child's creativity and spontaneity. I have learned to pause before interjecting myself or ask permission to join in their play.
activate within children the desire and will and greatpleasure that comes from being the authors of theirown learning
What enjoyment and emotional satisfaction children would gain if all provocations and experiences were planned in this capacity. Planning over improvisation.
we need to be comfortablewith the restless nature of life.
This is an important message for me to reflect upon. At times, it is this restless nature of life that makes me feel uncomfortable and uneasy.
An environment that grows out ofyour relationship with the child is unique and fluid.
The environment reflects the image of the child and an educator must constantly reflect upon the environment and assess whether the environment reflects the image of all children, families, and educators who interact with the space.
create an archive
An intriguing concept as all work and traces of the children's engagement is sent home weekly with each child where I am employed.
can last from a few days
I like the project idea that develops over time with no set time limitations except for when children demonstrate that they wish to leave the experience and perhaps revisit it another time.
they compare, discuss, and interpret together
This is another process that I wish to learn more about to become proficient and implement in the classroom with the team of educators.
teachers organize spaces that support the engagement of small groups
The process of observation, document, and assessment as a tool to reflect how the environment is or is not engaging the children is an educator's best tool in the box. I wish to learn more about this process in this program to become more comfortable with it and make it a habitual practice.
right to participation
This right to participation resonates with me as a professional. Parents know their children and their insight along with their suggestions and contributions are valuable to the programming and building relationships at the centre.
Both education and care are considerednecessary to provide high quality, full-day experiences for young children.
Our Federal Government announced in July that they will work with our Provincial Governments to establish a Canada-wide, community-based system of quality licensed centres that will benefit today's children and families by giving women access to affordable childcare services to participate in the workforce.