Month: September 2016

Another older posting. Discuss what has improved or changed since then.

 Good afternoon! :)

I’m back with my final installment to my mini series of blog posts.  If you’ve just joined the conversation please take some time to read through my other blogs.  As always, please like and share this posting so others can join the conversation!  I enjoy learning from others too!

Today’s discussion will be centered around aspects of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).  There is a lot more to STEM than what I would like to discuss today, but you can find all sorts of stuff on other websites.  For now, I would like to focus on how important STEM can be for young children and why it is wonderful to expose children to these content areas sooner rather than later.

    Children are exposed to math and science early in their lives just as they are to art and literacy.  The difference is that most traditional programs  and some progressive, focus too heavily on the arts and literacy and really don’t put as much time into the sciences and math contents.  With STEM, we educators are able to learn and understand more about how important these content areas are for both girls and boys.  The focus narrows down a bit to really hone in on girls and minority groups, which haven’t done as well with these areas of study in the past.

 When the sciences, technology, engineering, and math are not integrated into early learning environments and curriculum, the children miss out on vital key ingredients to their learning and future interests and abilities.  Waiting till children are well into middle school and high school is too late for most children.  Science is a curiosity from the start, so why ignore it?  Just like with art and literacy, young minds crave knowledge and it just so happens most of the sciences are very sensory and tactile oriented.  The world children are the most curious about is filled with unending science!  So making sure STEM is covered in the early years is also key to children developing strong foundations for future interests and learning.  When a child’s foundation for all learning is built strong in the early years, the later years are so much more rewarding because the children don’t have to struggle as much with these traditionally more male dominated areas.

 Young girls and minority groups should have equal opportunities to learn science, technology, engineering, and math.  These opportunities should appeal to them as much as it does to the dominant male gender in these fields.  That means as educators and parents it is our job to encourage all children to explore, question and construct. Children are naturally young scientists and that usually is stunted when they enter schools that focus heavily on the other core content areas.  If we are addressing the needs of the whole child and every child, then it is vital that we do not stifle the natural scientist in each child.  We need to nurture those ideas and constructions so as the children grow and learn more they will be far more competent in the STEM areas and be able to compete  and work with other nations as adults.

 Check out your local Early Learning Department and any related sources for more information on STEM.  Classes are also available to take so you can be up to date and ready to implement these age-old content areas but in a new and better way. 

I was a child that really struggled with math through my formal school years.  I really had to work hard later in my life due to not having a strong science and math foundation from my early years.  So other young children do not suffer the same fate, it is extremely important that we change our way of looking at the STEM content areas.  Our futures rely on the sciences and math areas, so why not create curriculum, that invites, inspires and allows children to utilize their creative art and literacy skills in conjunction with the areas of STEM?  The more positive and creative ways we can introduce a variety of subject matter to young minds the more fascinated they will become.  The more fascinated they are, the more they will question, work together, discover and construct.  

Please share how you have implemented STEM into your early learning schools.  And how has STEM changed parental, perspective on these core content areas?

 Thank you for stopping by The Marigold School of Early Learning! :)

An older posting. Please take a read.

   Hi!  I’m back with number four in my mini-series!  Please join the discussions, like and share these blog posts so others can have opportunities to join and share their experiences too! :)

Today I would like to open discussions around parent involvement in Reggio Emilia inspired preschools.  A Reggio inspired school is just that, an early learning environment with aspects of the Reggio Emilia Approach integrated into multiple areas of the early learning experience.  Parent involvement has always been encouraged and sometimes expected or a requirement for early learning schools and co-ops.  However, the ways in which parents have been invited, encouraged and required to participate in their child’s school varies from place to place.  It also depends on the philosophies the early learning schools follow as to how a parent can contribute.

Coming from both progressive and traditional educational environments I have been fortunate enough to witness and experience many different ways in which parents have helped in the classroom through the years. The ways in which parents have participated in the schools and classrooms I’ve taught in have ranged from being responsible for one center or activity table to having parents sign up to be a classroom helper and jump in wherever assistance was needed.  One of the things I’ve always stressed it that parents should only engage in activities in which they feel comfortable.  The reason for this is so the experience is enjoyable and rewarding for both the parent and their child.  I prefer that parents be able to choose the areas of interest they wish to help out with and I love inviting them to share a special talent they have, such as music, plants, art etc.  

In Reggio inspired early learning classrooms parent involvement can grow over time.  As the parent participates more and more in different aspects of the learning day, he/ she becomes more confident in their abilities to not only support but to impart knowledge and learn from the children around them.  In this way, the parent not only continues to influence the children in positive ways, but they too are learning new things from being around a diverse group of children.  The more comfortable parents become participating and assisting the more confident they become in how their children are learning too.

Sometimes it can be difficult to step back and allow your child to be themselves in a different environment.  Parents are used to seeing how their children are with them, yet sometimes they can be a bit surprised at their child’s new found confidence and behaviors while at preschool.  Please don’t be alarmed, your child is simply expressing their new found independence and engaging in several new social/ emotional opportunities.  And each child is being influenced by another child and the whole group, so they are in essence trying on many different hats as they continue to grow into who they will be someday.

 Taking into account the Reggio aspect, parents may have opportunities to take up documentation and transfer this skill to their homes.  Valuing what your child learns in preschool is great, but learning never stops for children, so if you like learning different ways to document your child’s learning then being able to volunteer in a Regio inspired preschool is a double plus for you, the parents! :)

I also love the fact that with a Regio Emilia inspired classroom there can be different culminating events after children have worked hard on their own creations throughout the school year.  Taking the time to schedule family events highlighting the wonderful and rich work your children construct is a great way for your child to show you what he/ she has accomplished.  It is also a great way to meet other parents, plan play-dates, and yes talk to the teacher about pairing up with other parents to contribute either a special skill or talent to the school for the children.  Working together and becoming a close-knit community happens when we respect the children and value what they are doing each day they play at school!  Each time parents help out they are communicating how much they treasure and respect their child’s abilities.  Parents also get a wonderful insight as to how their children interact with others and the types of personalities he/ she is drawn to while making friends.

 Of course, in any early learning environment, parents should be invited to come and join the class.  Your talent is one that all of the children can learn from and appreciate.  And don’t worry if you don’t have a “special talent” to share, just being there to assist, observe and document the learning journey your child has taken is important and meaningful.

Share what you’ve been able to do in your child’s class!  Share with us the talent you demonstrated and what the outcomes were from your experiences! :)

 Thank you for stopping by The Marigold School of Early Learning!  :)

Another older posting. Enjoy! Discuss!

 Hi! :)

Today I would like to open discussions around individual, mixed-age and small class size benefits.  Anyone out there running their own in-home or small preschool, please feel free to join the conversation!  Any parents out there who would like to discuss what their experiences are raising and home-schooling their young preschool aged children, please feel free to join as well!  Share, like and pass this post along to keep the conversation going! :)

If any of you follow current research as I do, then we all are aware of the fact that small class sizes benefit children the most.  I love having a small preschool because my class sizes will remain small through the years.  The benefits of having fewer students means, each child will get individual attention when they need it and the children will also get to know one another better.  More learning can happen if the environment is designed for fewer children as well.  

 I would like to discuss a little about the benefits of one on one attention during the early years.  Many parents out there staying home and raising either one or two young children are encouraged to join the discussion, because I’m sure you have found many positives having time to give one on one attention.  For me, I had one student last year and I really valued the opportunity because it is not often that a teacher has only one student. unless tutoring.  What one on one attention meant to me as a teacher was that I could truly tailor the curriculum to this student’s needs.  I got to know my student much quicker and I was able to catch on to any current interests this student was thinking of.  For children who do not have much experience prior to preschool interacting with other children, a one on one can be ideal for the child as well as the parents.  A small, quiet learning environment was far less intimidating than a large and noisy one.  And my student benefited in all learning areas as the curriculum emerged with not only the student’s interests but as the student grew through the school year.

As much as I value the time I spent teaching only one child, I designed my preschool for eight young and eager to learn children.  Mixed-ages is my favorite way to teach because children learn so much more from each other.  When children have multiple opportunities to interact with both younger and older students, the benefits have no limits.  I’ve taught mixed-age preschool before and really loved how younger students glommed onto older ones and learned how to write and read quicker, became more confident in outdoor activities and generally were more alert, interested and eager to learn!  I’m not saying that children in the same age classes aren’t similar in their desire to learn, it’s just a bit different.  And until you experience it yourself, you’ll just have to trust me.  Mixed-age classes really are the best way to go!

 Small class sizes have a number of positive benefits for young children, and one I’d like to focus on is the time it takes to cultivate first friendships.  First friendships happen in preschool, especially if the children have had no other opportunities to build prior friendships.  Preschool gives children the time they need to make friends and the time they have to cultivate these friendships increases with smaller class sizes. Just think of the zillion interruptions that happen in large classes when children are right at pivotal points of discovery.  Interruptions still happen quite a lot in small learning environments too, yet the children have more opportunities to go back to what they were focussed on and to continue the process of learning they embarked upon with fewer interruptions in total.

When children are enrolled in smaller early learning schools they are able to form deeper friendships during these early years and these friendships can last a life time.  And even if the friendships dissipate through the years due to other factors, the children still have more time engaging in life experiences they need in order to function in larger groups as they grow older and enter  elementary , middle, highschool and beyond.  Any time young children are encouraged to interact with others and are placed in supportive learning environments he/ she will be better prepared for our very social world as they grow older.  And older children benefit greatly with helping younger classmates learn.  Older children become mentors and take on being role models for the younger children.  These positive benefits have no limits as well!

 I’d like to return to the topic of individual attention for a moment.  One thing that really stands out for me as a teacher is that having one student last year really pushed me to grow as a teacher once again.  My role took on the form of not only teacher, mentor, support, but as a peer.  I took the time to really reflect on my behavior around my student because I did not want to over influence her with my adult perceptions.  I wanted her to learn and I wanted to learn from her.  She had a special skill that I really admired.  My student came from a family that used American Sign Language, so she was able to teach me some words even though she was a hearing person.  Her comfort level with signing was natural because she had been communicating in this way her whole life.  I also saw how proud she was to have this knowledge and be able to teach me, her teacher.  

 The most ideal situations are ones in which children interact with a group of peers. However, sometimes our youngest members of society need some firm first steps prior to their introduction to larger group settings.  And that is perfectly fine!  My student from last year needed time to adjust to this new thing called, school.  She needed time to feel free to explore, question, construct and gain new knowledge without being intimidated or stifled.  If you too have experienced having only one student for a time, you may be able to relate.  Once children experience this firm first step, they are able to move onto larger groups with much more confidence and are very successful.  There is nothing wrong in being sensitive to your child’s needs and recognizing the importance of taking your time figuring out what best works for your child.  Just because friends or family put their children into large groups doesn’t necessarily mean that your child should follow the exact same path.  And it doesn’t mean anything is wrong developmentally or cognitively with your child.  It just means that you value and respect your child as an individual and you know what works best for him/ her.  Preschool is the first school experience your child will most likely experience, so keeping in tune with what type of environment they need as their first step is just as important as any other aspect of learning.

 A good reminder to all of us is that throughout our lifetime we all will be either learning or working in both large and small environments.  The size of the groups we interact with constantly change.  So don’t worry if your child starts out in super small class sizes. They will experience larger groups throughout their lives as you and I have.  The most important thing to remember and keep close is that social/ emotional development happens the moment young children start interacting with their small universe.  You, their family, friends, strangers, are all a part of how each child develops and preschool is a vital part of this important growing and learning journey.  Stand up for your child and value who they are.  You’ll know where their first steps should be when you are in tune with their needs as only a parent can be.

Please feel free to leave comments and add your experiences! :)

Walk, bike or ride to The Marigold School of Early Learning! :)

Welcome back! :)

Today we will continue discussing ways to document children’s learning while adding how to honor the whole child and their social/emotional development.  So if you are an early learning teacher or parent, please join this conversation with me!  You may private message if you do not with to share with all. And of course, if you are neither a teacher or parent you are more than welcome to join our conversation! :)

When I think about how I’ve been inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach all these years, I think about the multiple ways of documenting learning and how that process enables me to continue to honor each child as a whole person and value their social/ emotional development.  I mentioned in my previous blog post about the two ways in which I document the most, yet there are several ways and each really reflects the community in which you teach or the school your children are enrolled in.  And of course, the country and region you live in will have different interpretations on ways to document that work best.  Always remember  there are no right, or wrong ways to document.  The purpose of documenting a child’s learning journey is to not only see the growth and changes each child is going through as they learn, but it is a way for both teachers and parents to stretch children’s minds.  Documenting allows us to look back and reflect on all the steps taken while the child was on his/ her learning journey during the early years of development.

So as I mentioned before, I type, take pictures and write for my main ways to document.  However, I love portfolios and in the past have experimented quite a lot with several different types from small to large.  I learned a lot about what worked best and what just fizzled.  Above I posted some pictures as examples of the types of play/ work a child will engage in on his/ her learning journey.  All of these interests are ways in which children interact with their environment as a third teacher, and all are great experiences to document.  For example, the first time a child tries to use the tools in the classroom can be a stressful experience, where some frustration spills out due to the awkward feel of how to twist the screw into the hole just right to make it tight or loose.  After the child continues to manipulate the tools and gain more experience using them the child’s skills will improve to the point which they can add more things and construct a variety of projects due to their gained knowledge and ability.   Awkwardness to confidence can be documented through pictures, scribing their words and feelings as they practice using tools.  These documentations can be put in a portfolio and the child has access to that portfolio and can go back and look at it to see his/ her growth and transformation.

Another way to document that I often have really enjoyed and have not been able to do for a while is a mural of artwork the child has created throughout the school year.  The mural can be large as they usually are, or you can miniaturize it by taking pictures and asking the child to put it into a picture frame.  Along with this more visual documentation comes the child’s words about his/ her growth through the year in regards to their artistic abilities. The child’s words tell us a lot about what he/ she understands and can demonstrate how understanding has emerged and changed over time.  The words are just as important as the stages of work and the final pieces produced.

Now on to social/ emotional development.  This is often a topic that is not well respected in many traditional programs, unfortunately.  A child’s emotions are paid lip service, but not actually taken into account when teachers are teaching their large groups of students and pushing developmentally inappropriate curriculum.  In the early learning sector of education, there are more and more programs that are progressive and more in tune with the importance and life-long impact of social/ emotional development.

We must remember that children are people just starting out in life.  They do not possess the life experiences older children, teenagers, young adults and older people have.  The human journey of development is not short for most, it is long and as we all mature we gain a better understanding of our emotional intelligence.  Young children are just becoming familiar with how to label the feelings each have within so they are not fully able to communicate how or why they feel the way they do.  Often they look to us adults to explain and help them understand how they are feeling and why.  Now happiness is a feeling that is most easy to understand, yet even young children cannot always express why they are happy.  So it is really important to allow early learning curriculum to emerge with children as they develop and come to understand their emotions.  Documenting this process is more about scribing their words and discussions and not so much about taking pictures.

Emotions are also calmed and ignited when we allow children to use tactile/ kinesthetic materials to either promote creativity or calm their nerves.  We could go on about the positive ways in which sensory materials are excellent for helping children as they gain emotional intelligence, but that would take too long.  So I will leave this portion alone for the rest of this blog post.  We will return to emotional intelligence and development another time.

Social development is often linked with emotional development, yet it can stand somewhat alone.  Children naturally begin their social journey once they are born and become a part of your family.  As they grow and mature the circle of people they interact with grows with them.  Sometimes, children are born into an environment where they are introduced to larger social groups sooner and some are born into smaller social groups and it may take more time for the opportunities to interact with other people to come about.  Social development is vital to human growth and success.  Children need to be around not only children their age but children older and adults.  The more time a child spends interacting with people through family time, parties, playgroups, sports, artistic expression classes, childcare and preschool, the more those vital interpersonal and extrapersonal skills will develop.

As adults, we can document the social development of children by not only scribing their words and conversations, but we can take pictures of the group work they engage in whether that be an art, construction or dramatic play project, or sport and dance type class.  We can document by really listening and observing how children’s first approaches to interacting with others unfolded and support each step through this developmental process.  If we adults are not paying attention and not validating the child’s beginning and emerging experiences socializing with others, we are not valuing the whole child.  So by making sure we put young children and their social development as a priority, we can eventually support the development of the whole child.  Of course, in terms of the whole child, we have to look at all aspects of how a child grows during these precious early years and beyond.  (I will revisit the whole child aspect along with emotional development in another blog post.)

  Please like and share this posting!  Also, please share your experiences with children and documentation and social/emotional development.  I would love to learn from you too! :)

Thank you for stopping by The Marigold School of Early Learning! :)

Happy Wednesday! :)

If you would like to join the conversation, today we are discussing how documenting a child’s learning journey doesn’t have to be a difficult process.  There are many different ways we can document learning and how much or little detail and time given to any provocation or project depends on the child/ children. 

In the above pictures, you see paint, a cat figure and then much more. :)  Setting out paint and paper is a provocation that is common in all early learning programs, it is what most children gravitate towards.  If we just think about how paint includes the full spectrum of colors, it is wet, creamy, glossy, squishy, and you get my point.  I am not the type of teacher to tell children they have to paint or what to paint.  Painting is a very open and expressive way for children to not only de-stress, get inspired, be creative, it is a way for children to show their skill level when they are interested in something and take the time to put their best into their work.  There was no lines or picture for this little girl to follow.  She likes cats and she made the decision to paint one.  Did the picture stay a cat?  No, it continued to evolve with her creativity, exploration, and intense concentration as she continued with her work.  

My documentation for this provocation was, of course, pictures, but I journaled the process to her parents so they could not only see the wonderful artwork as it emerged but so they could gain more understanding of how their child assimilates knowledge in a Reggio inspired environment.  

For the preschool fair last fall, I bought some lovely yellow roses for my display and of course they went right on the table for school the next day.  I put out plain paper and crayons with the bouquet as a provocation.  I did not know if anything similar to the roses was going to emerge, so it was a complete surprise to me when it did!  Prior to this representation of a rose, the drawings were not symbolic, they were still heavy in scribble form.  Apparently, I was not the only one in love with the roses! :)  See how internal motivation and something aesthetically pleasing can bring out such creativity and understanding?!  Once again I not only took pictures, but I typed the process this child went through.  Now, I only chose to use two forms of documentation for these two examples, but there are more ways to document children’s learning journeys.

Documentation is a wonderful way to travel with each child as he/ she begins their learning journeys.  Each step one takes is full of curiosity, explorations, discoveries, experimentations and creativity.  The path each child embarks on is one that encourages each to keep building onto the knowledge they already possess.  The more interested and involved children become in these journeys, the more they strengthen the foundation for all learning.  I want young children to be well prepared for their futures.  However, I also want to make sure that I am honoring each child as a human being that needs time to use play as their vehicle.  Documenting this process requires me to listen to their words, their  dialogue, and watch their play patterns.  I can take pictures, video, write their words, type their discussions, map out their plans and the process each takes when creating something new.  Then not only myself but the children and their families can look back on the process and be as happy and proud of their children as I am!  

Young children have so much intelligence that can be tapped into if we only stop pushing harsh worksheets and structured academics onto them.  Respecting the developmental journey each child has ahead of him/ her means valuing play and documenting along with the child the entire learning process.  Why?  Because children are our precious future and they will carry the world ahead of us.  So why not respect, value and care for them as intelligent and capable human beings.

Please like, share and keep the conversations going!  Read my previous blogs so you can see how this conversation is emerging!  Thank you for stopping by!

Heidi Scott, BA & MIT

The Marigold School of Early Learning

 Today’s discussion will revolve around the classroom as a “third teacher”.  Having a preschool that is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to education, I have reflected and enjoyed the many years of learning how the classroom is like a third teacher. If any of you have ideas, thoughts, and experiences around this topic please join in the discussion! :)  Also keep in mind that large spaces and small spaces will have some things in common, yet many other things that are not common.

Obviously as a teacher I was trained and have years of experience setting up classrooms and using those spaces to support learning.  However, it wasn’t until I started learning more about the Reggio Emilia approach that I really took a good hard look at the teaching spaces both students and myself occupied. Once I really observed and set about reorganizing and shifting these spaces I was able to understand how the classroom itself could be another teacher supporting the learning of children.  Trial and error is the best way to put it really.  I spent a lot of time moving furniture and creating spaces for the children to engage in.  After seeing the children function in those areas I would know what to keep the same or change.  You’re right if you are thinking I changed more than kept the same. Our adult minds can only plan so far in advance for how children will respond to the learning environment, so the absolutely best way is to pay close attention to how the room set up works with and for the children.  When I would see things not working for them and spaces not being used or cutting off inquiry and exploration, I would take all the information I’d gathered from observing the children at play and make some functional changes.  

Creating my own preschool has allowed me to put to practice what I’ve been developing in my mind all these years.  I am happy that my classroom will change with each group of children that comes through.  My environment is a “third teacher” because I love putting the children’s learning needs ahead of my own desire for how the room should be.  I change or keep things the same based on the patterns of play.  If the room is not being fully used I change the provocations, move some of the materials to different interest areas and of course keep things the same for spaces that have been working for the children.  Fortunately, the materials are very clear to see and easily accessible for children to find and use, so the classroom does get used in its entirety.  

Another aspect of the classroom being a third teacher falls under the category of too many materials and wall decor contributing to overstimulation, while less is not as overwhelming and more conducive to learning.  I have found that children do much better in clean, well organized, and aesthetically pleasing environments than they do in clutter-filled rooms with way too many materials and wall decor.  So I’ve made sure to keep the materials that are out and available to children at a minimal so that they do not get as overwhelmed as they normally would in a more traditional program with bright primary colors everywhere. (I don’t know about you, but when I go outdoors, shopping or am at home, I am not bombarded with primary colors in all directions like most traditional preschools and elementary schools.)

Keep in mind that when young children come to school for the first time or change school environments the entire process can be very overwhelming for young minds.  It does take a couple of weeks for some personalities to adjust to any learning environment.  The  first thought most of us teachers have when we see a child overwhelmed and not able to choose a space and engage in that area for long enough to actually go through the inquiry and investigation process, is to guide that child and in essence tell them where they should explore first, second and so on.  Basically, control how they assimilate the new information they have been hit with.  Yet that would be awful for that child because that child needs time to explore in the only way a young developing mind can.  Young children are not adults and they operate differently than we do.  They have energy!!  They have the capacity to assimilate quite a bit of information by moving quickly through new spaces and trying out everything they want.  It is through this process that they are able to learn how to plan, make decisions, question, explore and engage in projects and interact with peers.  A young child’s mind needs a couple of weeks of consistent class time to allow their brain to transform from the assimilation of new information.  Once the child has been through this haphazard approach he/ she is able to slow themselves and become more engrossed in the areas of interst each choses.  So we can gain a lot from each other!

The environment as a third teacher is very helpful when children are becoming accustomed to new situations. As I’ve observed children in the beginning phase of taking in this new space, I have been able to gain information about those children’s interests, believe it or not, so I can set up provocations the next day that may entice each to spend a little more time in certain areas than they would have during this period of time in which they were acquiring new knowledge.  Last school year I had a little student become super energized and excited to explore every inch of the classroom, but once this child gained all the knowledge from rapid explorations she settled right into planning the areas she enjoyed engaging in first , second and so forth. And as a teacher inspired by the Reggio Emilia process, I was so happy to learn from her as she went through this journey.  I have observed many other children during this assimilation phase being treated as though they have either a learning disability or behavioral issue.  And that makes me so frustrated because this phase is normal development and most of the human population actually did go through this either at home, a friends house, at school and most definitely if they moved to a new city.  The duration in which children go through this phase of rapid and haphazard assimilation is different for each child, but please know this is absolutely normal and perfectly okay!  

How has your teaching or understanding of children changed since using your classroom as a third teacher?  How has your perception’s of your children changed as parents using your home as a third teacher?  Please comment, like and share!  Let’s keep these conversations going! :)

Heidi Scott, BA & MIT

The Marigold School of Early Learning! :)

This is another older post, but I still find it to be true today in 2023. Enjoy!

  Earlier in the week, I posted a blog about having an open discussion centered around the broad topic of provocations.  Provocations, of course, stem from the Reggio Emilia approach. To continue with this discussion, I would like to talk about not only provocations but the growing and evolving role of creativity and the “zone of proximal development”, a term coined by Lev Vygotsky.

I am a teacher inspired, changed and constantly growing in my understanding of how young minds learn.  I attribute this to learning about the Reggio Emilia approach several years ago.  Before I learned of this branch of constructivism, I was much more close-minded and rigid in my view of education in general and of what capacity young children were capable of in terms of learning for understanding.  Since opening my own preschool and being able to fully take advantage of the fact that I can implement as much or as little of this philosophy as I wish, has made me appreciate how much I love this approach to education and how I am constantly learning by implementing aspects of the Reggio approach.

 Provocations are not glorified activities.  They are not cute things set up just to look at.  Provocations are invitations to learn, to question, to explore, to gain new knowledge while utilizing the information a child already possesses.  Provocations also can rely on the child working alongside a peer with more knowledge on the particular provocation that is set up.  For example, one of my students knew how to use American sign language, so she was able to teach me the appropriate way to sign her name and other words familiar to her.  I was the learner and she was the teacher, the peer in this instance in which I learned from and gained new knowledge from.  I used knowledge, I had of sign language, but it was limited compared to her capacity since she was born using this form of communication.  A provocation such as, the picture above was an invitation to learn for not only me but any student that wanted to learn more about American sign language.  It was also an opportunity for another child to become the teacher and together we worked so that my capacity for understanding grew.  However, her capacity for learning sign language also grew, because she became more interested in furthering her vocabulary as a result.

My continual goal for my preschool is that it grows and changes with each student that walks through the doors.  By taking into account each child’s unique capabilities and limitless capacity for learning I can set up provocations that not only grab their attention but enable each child to take on roles that are not usually strong in traditional preschool classrooms.  Children have diverse capabilities and each contains knowledge on subjects that others may not possess, so why not use provocations as a vehicle to allow each child to become either a “teacher” or “student” while interacting together.  Why not continually use my knowledge as a teacher to stretch each child’s capacity for understanding?  I love challenging children in ways that neither I nor they ever thought of.  And guess what?  We all benefit from this wonderfully social way of teaching and learning!

Creativity is my next topic that fits into everything we do.  Creativity is not one skill that fits neatly into the subject of art.  Creativity is a part of how human beings make things happen.  We use creativity to form new theories, to experiment, to construct, to use and to gain new understandings.  Creativity is an innate part of being human.  Children utilize creativity in both a more open, expressive and unique form and in a more unorganized, haphazard and unrefined way.  I say this because we all know that young children are still developing in many different physical and cognitive ways, so their approach is not going to be polished and refined such as older children, and adults.  Creativity fits nicely into any provocation or project because children use this form of expression to understand what they are dealing with.  In the pictures above, I included examples of different areas in which creativity is the main part.  When using recyclable materials creativity is vital to how a child will gain new insight.  Recycled materials are items that were used for a different purpose at first and are now free to be used any which way a child can come up with.  By incorporating other known objects into the provocation I am stretching that child’s current understanding and communicating that I trust he/ she is capable of using these materials in a new and maybe better way.

Setting up blocks with fairies was not enough for one child.  This child needed the geoboards as well.  The fairies were going to use the blocks as furniture and the geo-boards were to be movie screens.  This provocation was an invitation that took on a more complex form and what followed was this child dramatized how she behaves when she is at the movies.  This particular provocation could have stayed with using two materials, blocks and fairies, but it evolved through this child’s own ideas and knowledge.  Creativity was vital for this to happen.  Creativity was the vehicle in which this idea was allowed to take off.

 As we all know painting is one of the very best and most recognizable in terms of creativity.  As long as there are no pre-cut shapes and lines to stay within, children are enabled to be as creative as they wish.  The colors, the feel, the temperature, the paper, and paint brushes are all very recognizable and much-used materials in creative expressions.  Color exploration is one of the first things I notice children enjoying.  Discovering that blue and yellow make green is so exciting to see happen for the first time!  Another aspect that opens the mind and is very captivating is being able to feel the cool, shiny and wet paint.  The texture, the tactile experience alone can invoke creativity in a child.  This is not a waste of time!  Children’s minds are opened to so much more understandings if they are allowed to explore paint and color without the close-ended coloring books and worksheets that are so often the staple and “proof of learning” in more traditional preschool programs.  In the picture above a three-year-old formed a cat on a blank piece of paper with no lines to follow, no adult assisting and only her imagination and love of cats. :) 

My last category for this posting is “the zone of proximal development”.  Children come to school having knowledge, they actually are not empty sponges soaking up everything once they start school.  When a child has knowledge of a topic it doesn’t matter how much or how little the child knows, what matters is that the knowledge they already possess becomes the platform onto which more information can be obtained.  The process of gaining new information and learning happens when peers, adults, and the environment are utilized as pieces of information to construct with.  A child will learn and be competent in anything he or she desires or anything they are required to know as they grow, however, that process is assisted by those who can impart knowledge, can assist, can support the need for new information for understanding.  Learning only happens when we as human beings interact with people and the environment.  And most importantly, where your child learns must be positive, kind, empathetic, and safe for that child to continue to have the internal and external motivation to learn.

An environment that does not respect children, their capacity to learn, their emotional sensitivities and their interests, is not supporting “the zone of proximal development”.  When we want to learn something new, we turn to other resources, whether that be books, articles, classes, online information, friends, family or strangers.  We are supported in doing so because as adults it is expected of us and we are supported in positive ways most of the time, in doing these things. The same positive and supportive environments should be 100% available to young children too.

 Tell me your thoughts on provocations, creativity and the zone of proximal development.  I would love to engage in this topic more with anyone who has the time, experience and interest! :)

Thank you for stopping by The Marigold School of Early Learning! :)