A New Beginning...

As the new year has unfolded, we have been closely observing and listening to the work of the children in their new environment in order to understand who each child is as a learner. In our observations of the ordinary moments of our day, all of the children are revealing themselves to us in the most extraordinary ways. We watch as their thinking is made visible through their interactions with the materials, their peers, and the adults.

 On the surface, the children appear to be merely playing with objects or materials. However, when we look closely, we find each child developing and thinking in complex ways about the materials and objects. We discover the child's thinking about how the materials or objects function and connect within his world.

Over the course of the first few weeks, we have been carefully documenting the children's work with the many materials and objects in the classroom, the various areas of the room that they are using, and how they are using the materials in the various areas.

We have noticed some fascinating behavior in the dress-up area. The children have been slipping into "costume" to be a character such as a pirate or princess.  However, once dressed as the character, they have been shifting into playing house, etc. Why the shift? Why not dress up as Mom or Dad? Why this seeming mismatch of character and role? These are a few of the questions that we will ponder as we continue to observe their work in this area.

A few of the interactions that we have been looking at closely are the children's work with the telephones, the blocks and accessories, the message area, and the mini-atelier. These areas are of high interest and high use. Within these areas, we are observing to learn how the dynamics of the children change as they shift from one type of material to another.

Some questions that we are asking ourselves as we observe:

Do we find the children more engaged in certain materials? Why is this?

How do the children approach the materials? Do we find a more exploratory approach when they begin? Or do we notice intentionality from the moment they pick up the materials, indicating that the children are thinking about what they want to do prior to engagement?

Once the children are engaged, do we find the children scaffolding their thinking, that is, building upon ideas and their thinking within that moment?

As the year unfolds we hope to uncover answers and, yes, raise new questions about the work of the children.

Often we watch a child working when suddenly he stops and leaves. Why does a child abandon his work when he has been very engaged in it? This "walking away" from work is a signal that the child has been thinking about his work and concluded that he does not understand what is needed next - for the moment, he can't figure out what to do.  In other words, the child's abandonment of his work indicates that he has just shifted into that higher level of thinking called critical thinking. 

Often when this happens we are tempted to jump in and help the child, but in most instances it is about allowing the child to walk away and then observe what happens next. We will either see the child come back to the materials after he has had time to think about his problem and begin to work again. Or the child will simply abandon his work for the day. In either case we need to be patient and allow the child to think through his problem. In observing, we also must document the child's work and process to that point. If we are very patient and the child is given time to rethink and revisit, we will be rewarded by the child returning and moving forwarded in his thinking.