How Literacy Begins, Grows, and Blooms

December 23, 2020

Information

This session focuses on a developmental approach to how three- , four-, and five-year-olds learn to read, with practical strategies for teaching in the early childcare setting.

Featured Speakers Include:

Dr. Nancy Close, Assistant Professor in the Child Study Center; Associate Director of the Yale Program in Early Childhood Education; Lecturer in Psychology
Dr. Carla Horwitz, Lecturer, Yale Child Study Center, Psychology and Education Studies; Director Emerita, Yale’s Calvin Hill Day Care Center and Kitty Lustman-Findling Kindergarten
Winnie Naclerio, Senior Head Teacher, Kitty Lustman-Findling Kindergarten at Yale’s Calvin Hill Day Care Center
Nancy Garrity, Senior Director of Early Childhood Publishing, Scholastic Education

ID6037

To CiteDCA Citation Guide

00:00Good afternoon everyone. Thank
00:02you so much for joining us.
00:04My name is Linda Maze and I'm from
00:07the Yale Child Study Center and
00:09it's just a pleasure to welcome
00:11you to this second web and are in
00:14our early Childhood series where
00:15we are focusing on the ways that
00:18literacy can build resilience.
00:20This web and R An R series is
00:22a part of the L Child Study
00:25Center Scholastic Collaborative,
00:27both focusing on child and family resilience.
00:30It's just a very special partnership
00:32where an academic Department in the
00:34Yale School of Medicine has come
00:36together with scholastic publishers to
00:38impact children and especially impact
00:41children and families during these
00:43incredibly stressful times of the pandemic,
00:45and we're focusing on the way literacy
00:48narrative skills can actually help.
00:50Build resilience skills across the lifespan.
00:54In our previous Web and R,
00:57which was November 19th just
00:59before Thanksgiving,
01:00we focused on how covid impacted the youngest
01:03learners and heard from Walter Gilliam,
01:06Heather Harrison,
01:06Tracy Smith.
01:07We had that recording available for you.
01:10It's on our website and will be
01:13glad to provide you the link.
01:16I'm recording this one is as well
01:18as well as the third one and on the
01:213rd where we're going to focus on
01:23equity and that will take place on
01:26January 7th in the New Year 2021.
01:29So today we're going to be hearing
01:31from 3 experts on how children's
01:33literacy develops.
01:34I know all three an I can tell you
01:37that you're in for a really very,
01:39very rich session.
01:40They're going to take their.
01:42Each are grounded in working
01:44with young children,
01:45and they'll take you through this
01:46remarkable process of how literacy,
01:48in the understanding of narrative
01:50in the use of narrative comes about.
01:53And they'll share their understandings
01:55of both child development
01:56and educational theory.
01:57But as I say,
01:59they're really very grounded in direct,
02:01hands-on work with children.
02:03So again, thank you so much for joining us.
02:06We are just excited to be able to
02:09get so many of you in the same
02:12virtual room and at this point I
02:15want to hand it off to my colleague
02:17Nancy Garrity from Scholastic,
02:18who will be moderating the session.
02:21Nancy is Scholastics education senior
02:22director of Child Development,
02:24and she's been a very very close
02:26partner in this child study center
02:28scholastic Collaborative and
02:29developing early childhood content.
02:31So Nancy may I hand it to you.
02:33May thank you so much, Linda.
02:35Thank you, I really appreciate it.
02:37I just want to start off by
02:39thanking you and and quoting you.
02:41You like to talk about this collaborative
02:43as a bridge that's freely crossed where
02:45we have really wonderful exchanges.
02:47An I get very excited every time we
02:49have one of those exchanges so I'm
02:52really happy to be with you all today
02:54and I'm grateful to you for all the
02:57work that you did with us on our mind.
03:00Builders around social and
03:01emotional and executive function and
03:03motivation skills that I think are.
03:04More important than ever now,
03:06so thank you for that.
03:08Thank you, thank you.
03:09So on behalf of US Plastics,
03:12Chairman **** Robinson,
03:13our president is classic education,
03:15Greg Worrell,
03:15Janelle Cherrington's Classic Senior
03:17Vice President and publisher,
03:18and Karen Baker,
03:19who's our Executive Director of the
03:21Yale and Scholastic Collaborative.
03:23I want to thank everyone for
03:25joining us today.
03:27I see that there are a lot of
03:29friendly faces out there.
03:31I don't see.
03:32Your face is saw that you're there.
03:35I recognize some of your names,
03:37so just really thrilled that you
03:39all were able to join us today.
03:41I know that now is a challenging
03:43time for everyone,
03:44especially you all who are working
03:46with our youngest students
03:48and their families right now.
03:50I know this is not an easy time
03:52and hopefully some of what you hear
03:54today will sort of help failure
03:56buckets and then give you some
03:58ideas and some just a little bit
04:01of a light for these times so
04:03I know I'm excited about it.
04:05My name is Linda said is Nancy Garrity.
04:08And I work at Scholastic with a
04:10great team of people developing
04:12materials to support early childhood
04:14teachers in schools and head starts
04:17in private centers so I know there
04:19are a lot of folks on today who are
04:21from very different backgrounds,
04:24which I think is wonderful.
04:25Some of you know two of my colleagues
04:28Kathy Yount,
04:29who's our early childhood director
04:31for the East and Ernesto Rodriguez,
04:33his early childhood director for the West.
04:35And I think they're on today too.
04:38So I'm saying.
04:39Hello to them so I want to introduce
04:41to you the three panelists we
04:43have with us today.
04:44And as I mentioned,
04:45this is an instance of where we have
04:48this bridge that's freely crossed,
04:50and I know that I,
04:51as a person at scholastic,
04:53look forward to every time we
04:54get to work with folks from yell
04:56and learn from them,
04:58and I'm excited that all of you are
05:00joining in this today to learn along with me.
05:03And you know that there's the Q&A area.
05:05If you have questions as we go along,
05:08we would encourage you to put
05:09them into the Q&A.
05:10We're going to hear from our three
05:12panelists and then we'll have a
05:14little bit of an opportunity for
05:16a roundtable discussion and will
05:18try to bring in as many of those
05:20questions from the Q&A as
05:22we can. We might not get to all of them,
05:25but will try to get to as many of
05:27them as we can, so I'd love to
05:30introduce you to Doctor Nancy Close.
05:32Stuck to Carl Horowitz and
05:33winning the clario Me Tell you a
05:35little bit about Doctor Close.
05:37Nancy is an educator and clinician.
05:39She's assistant professor,
05:39the Child study center.
05:41Yeah, she's also director of the Yale
05:43Program for early Child Education,
05:46an elector in psychology.
05:47She specializes in the assessment and
05:50treatment of children underage five.
05:52She teaches yell college
05:54students and fellows,
05:55and training at the Child Study
05:57Center and the topics of her
06:00courses include child development,
06:02child psychopathology,
06:03developmental assessment,
06:03and clinical evaluation,
06:05mental health consultation,
06:06and early childhood education.
06:08She conducts developmental
06:09assessment of young children.
06:11And does dynamically oriented
06:12psychotherapy with children.
06:13In addition,
06:14she provides mental health consultation
06:16to early childhood education programs
06:18in the community and after close,
06:20is a consultant to two
06:21parenting programs as well.
06:23Parents 1st and minding the baby.
06:25These programs have both the
06:27service and research component and
06:28focus on supporting parent child
06:30attachment in the development
06:31of the reflective function.
06:33So Doctor Close will speak to us
06:36from that perspective and give us a
06:38little bit of the sort of research behind.
06:41Everything that we all do in early childhood.
06:44Next we have Doctor Carla Horwitz.
06:47Carla is a member of the Yale
06:49Education Studies faculty,
06:51as well as a member of the faculties
06:53of the Yale Child Study Center
06:56in the Psychology Department.
06:58Carlos is the director of Yale
07:00University's Calvin Hill daycare
07:02Center for 40 years.
07:03She retired in 2016 and is
07:05currently director Emerita.
07:07The center and nationally accredited
07:09model educational preschool and
07:10kindergarten program provides high quality,
07:12developmentally informed.
07:13Affordable childcare and education
07:15for the children of Yale and
07:17Community family members.
07:18It is also the site of Early
07:21Childhood practicum placements
07:22for Yale and other colleges.
07:24Carla teaches three courses
07:26at Yale Child Development,
07:28Language Literacy and play,
07:29and the theory of practice of
07:31early childhood education,
07:33as well as the education
07:35studies senior Capstone Seminar.
07:37Karla sunny here in England
07:40studying open classroom.
07:41Integrated day infant schools
07:43and studying in Reggio Emilia,
07:46Italy and is involved in incorporating
07:49through her consultation an mentoring.
07:52Practice of progressive preschools
07:54that are found there and that some
07:56of what we'll hear about today.
07:58Carla is kind of going to take
08:01what Nancy introduces from the
08:03research perspective.
08:04Talk about it in the context of
08:07what they've managed to do at
08:09at the Calvin Hill Center,
08:11and then we'll move on to winning Mcclary.
08:14Oh,
08:15who's the head teacher of the
08:17kindergarten program at Calvin Hill?
08:19And Winnie has 40 three years of
08:22relevant experience teaching at Calvin Hill.
08:24Um,
08:24and she's going to share a little
08:26bit of what she learns alongside
08:28children even after 40 three years,
08:30she says she still excited about
08:31what children teach her and I
08:33think that'll come through today
08:34and I'm really
08:35looking forward to hearing
08:36from all three of you,
08:38and I think that the flow from one
08:40to the next is really exciting to me.
08:42Is as we go from sort of the larger
08:44thinking down to the very specific.
08:46So with that I will hand it
08:48over to you, Doctor Close.
08:50Thank you so much, Nancy,
08:52and it's so nice to be with all of
08:55you this afternoon and share some
08:58of our work and our thinking and my
09:02focus in to begin with is really on
09:05development in early childhood and how
09:08it impacts learning, so the next slide.
09:12So Eleanor Duckworth.
09:13I don't know if you've read
09:16her book or paper.
09:17She is a psychologist and teacher
09:20and teacher educator and she used
09:23this term the having of wonderful
09:25ideas of quite a long time ago.
09:28When in early childhood education I
09:31think we were trying to figure out what
09:34is the essence of teaching young children.
09:37And really,
09:38she coined it so beautifully
09:40the having of wonderful ideas
09:42is what I consider the essence.
09:45Of intellectual development and she
09:47talked about how wonderful ideas
09:49build on other wonderful ideas.
09:51And when I talk about wonderful ideas,
09:54I'm meaning the wonderful ideas that
09:57young children bring into the classroom,
10:00as well as the wonderful ideas
10:02that teachers have an it's the
10:04interaction between the teachers
10:06and the children that creates that
10:09can create an exciting curriculum,
10:11an an exciting curriculum around literacy.
10:14Next slide.
10:14So it's important that we think about
10:17how teachers can provide opportunities
10:20for children to have wonderful ideas.
10:24And I think number one.
10:26It's important to be able to appreciate
10:29that children have very interesting
10:31questions and very interesting ideas,
10:34and it can be really quite incredible
10:37to go on a journey with them and think
10:41together with them about some of the
10:45questions and ideas that they have.
10:48And that really requires a setting
10:50which really suggests that went.
10:52There are wonderful ideas and questions to
10:54explore with children and their children.
10:57Different children will have different ideas,
10:59and so from one year to the next,
11:02the ideas and the questions that come
11:04up in your classroom maybe very,
11:07very different.
11:08And so it always keeps teachers
11:10on their toes and ready,
11:12ready to dig in and learn something
11:14new together.
11:15And what happens is that children
11:18really get caught up.
11:19In the intellectual problems that are
11:22very real to them that come from the
11:25questions that they ask next slide.
11:27And so I want to talk about some
11:30of the theories and that inform the
11:33important components of the curriculum.
11:36And, you know,
11:37number one to me is the importance
11:40of play in development that there
11:43needs to be lots of opportunities
11:46for play in a preschool classroom
11:49because it really is that play allows
11:51for deeper and much more meaningful
11:54learning in all the content areas
11:57including including literacy.
11:59Next slide.
12:01So we know that play has many
12:05definitions and functions and
12:07takes on many different forms.
12:10We also know that through
12:12research and scholarly thinking,
12:15that play is really important for
12:18the development of intellect,
12:20personality and socialization.
12:22Next slide.
12:24We know that imaginative play really
12:27supports cognitive development.
12:29An research has indicated that when
12:32children can engage in imaginative play,
12:35you see the development of imagination,
12:39creativity, divergent thinking,
12:40ideational, fluency.
12:41Using playfulness is a motivator,
12:44so really, being playful with ideas or
12:48playful with questions or concepts,
12:51developing representational abilities which
12:53are extremely important for learning how to.
12:57Read and understand.
12:59Reading an understand math an
13:01other content areas an it also
13:04enhances language development,
13:06which again is extremely crucial
13:09for the development of literacy.
13:11Next line.
13:12Play also has a really important impact
13:15on social in an emotional development.
13:19Socially in play.
13:21Children learn how to share ideas,
13:24how to note, negotiate the sharing of ideas,
13:27how to solve conflict,
13:29how to join in groups and
13:32an get along emotionally.
13:34It really serves as an outlet an it's a
13:37way in which children can communicate
13:41different ideas or feelings or.
13:44Difficult ideas or feelings that
13:46maybe they don't necessarily
13:47have the words to express it.
13:49It's really a way for them to express
13:52some of the wishes that they have.
13:55The feelings that they have,
13:57that maybe they don't want to
13:59kind of talk directly about,
14:01and some of the conflicts they have
14:04around being three and four and growing up.
14:07It also provides them an opportunity
14:10to assimilate experiences that have
14:12been challenging or difficult for them.
14:14Next line.
14:15In terms of young children an learning,
14:19we know that cognitive and social
14:22and emotional development don't
14:24develop in parallel lines.
14:26They interact constantly, an impact each.
14:28Each area of development impacts
14:30the other area in terms of learning.
14:34We also know that among a group of
14:37children there are lots of similarities,
14:40but also a lot of differences
14:42in their developmental profiles
14:44which can create challenges for.
14:47For teachers,
14:48as their planning their curriculum,
14:50next line.
14:52So these are some developmental
14:55principles that I find really helpful
14:59to hold in mind while thinking about.
15:02High quality curriculum and high
15:05quality early childhood education.
15:07Number one is, you know,
15:10we always say it's relationships,
15:12relationships, relationships.
15:13It really has.
15:15Relationships really have a central
15:17role in a child's in a child's
15:21development and it's important
15:23to understand that an understand
15:26that as as teachers,
15:28we become important attachment figures
15:31for the children that were working with.
15:34And that it's important that we
15:37provide them with a safe and
15:39trusting environment in which they
15:42can make those connections in order
15:44to really thrive in the classroom.
15:47It's also important to appreciate
15:50that there are many individual
15:53differences between children in a group,
15:57and it's important to understand
16:00what those are and and use those
16:04differences to help children
16:06appreciate differences in children
16:09and help children appreciate their
16:13own developmental trajectory.
16:15Along with that,
16:16regression is a very normal and
16:19natural part of of development,
16:22and that can put a lot of stress
16:25in a classroom,
16:27and children tend to regress
16:29maybe some before they've made a
16:32big developmental leap,
16:33and maybe sometimes after they've
16:36made a developmental leap.
16:38Again,
16:38you see individual differences
16:40coming out in terms of the ways
16:43in which children regress.
16:45And the ways in which they they use it.
16:49Sometimes if they've made a big step forward,
16:51it feels good to go back an an not be
16:54sure that you're able to do something
16:57that feels really hard and really
17:00big and so adults need to be there to
17:03support children as they move forward.
17:05But also as they move backward,
17:07an knowing that they're not going to be
17:10stuck there and in a minute I'll be talking
17:13about why they really don't get stuck.
17:16Inner Aggressed state of being an.
17:18Then another theory that our principle
17:21that I find really important that is in
17:24order to move forward in development
17:27there is going to be conflict and there
17:30is going to be struggle an that that's
17:33really OK and it's from learning how to
17:36manage those struggles and manage the
17:38manage Ng those conflicts that children
17:41develop the capacity to delay gratification,
17:44to tolerate frustration,
17:45to try something that's really hard and.
17:48And not be fearful that they can't do it
17:51or they won't be able to do it next line.
17:55In terms of cognitive development,
17:56we know that there are individual
17:59differences in learning styles in
18:01terms of the experiences children have,
18:03the endowment that they kind of
18:05come into the classroom with,
18:07and the rate at which they are
18:11changing and developing next slide.
18:13In terms of cognitive development,
18:16we know that in early childhood there's
18:20the thinking is pre operational into
18:23school years early school years.
18:26They become more concrete thinkers
18:28until they are in early adolescence
18:30or late elementary school years.
18:33They begin to think abstractly.
18:35So what preschool children need a really
18:38opportunities to manipulate an Explorer
18:41of variety of concrete materials?
18:43We know that children move through
18:46stages at varying rates. Next line.
18:51So I want you to just think,
18:54take a moment to think
18:56about what principles or theories of child
18:58development do you use in your teaching.
19:01Just kind of make a mental
19:03note of it next slide.
19:06So Siri is really important.
19:08It really helps us think
19:10about what we're doing.
19:11Planning, thinking about the children
19:13who are in front of us and theory
19:17really needs to underpin the design
19:19and practice in education curriculum.
19:21We know that theory drives the practice
19:24and then the practice enlightens the
19:26theory and then raises research questions,
19:29which is an impact the theory.
19:32So next slide there many theorists and
19:35researchers and educators who guided.
19:37Education education in early childhood,
19:39so let me briefly go over some of them.
19:42I think the next slide they'll
19:45be familiar to you, Piaget,
19:47we know from from him that children actively
19:50construct knowledge about the world,
19:52so they are active learners.
19:54They need to have opportunities to
19:57manipulate and struggle with concepts
19:59as their cognitive state moves from
20:01being kind of in disequilibrium
20:03to being an equilibrium and back,
20:06and as they go back and forth they.
20:09They grow their concepts and they grow
20:12their cognitive abilities next line.
20:14Robert White, I think,
20:16is somebody who really underscore
20:18the importance of children's
20:19natural tendency to explore,
20:21manipulate and master their world.
20:24So there have to be opportunities
20:26for them to be curious and to be
20:29able to follow their interests.
20:32Next slide.
20:32Hunt talked about the importance
20:34of matching the curriculum to
20:36the child's cognitive level,
20:38providing enough challenge to allow struggle,
20:40but not too much frustration
20:42and providing opportunities for
20:44them to kind of be in balance.
20:46Some of some of the time so that they
20:50will take chances and risks next slide.
20:53Of the Godske certainly talks about
20:56the importance of the learning
20:58environment and the scaffolding the
21:00teachers used to stretch a child.
21:02Skills talks about the zone in
21:05which where the child can be just
21:08working on his or her own versus what
21:11can happen in terms of learning.
21:13When there's a teacher there
21:15providing the scaffolding next slide.
21:17And then there's Gardner's multiple
21:19intelligences.
21:20I think it's important to from this
21:22it's important to understand that.
21:25Children have different strengths
21:27and different areas for growth,
21:29and I think it's important to appreciate.
21:33Appreciate that and be willing to work
21:36with that diversity in a classroom.
21:39Next slide.
21:40In terms of social emotional
21:42development children again the
21:44importance of relationships.
21:45They bring their relationship history
21:47into the classroom and they respond
21:49with the expectations that they've
21:51developed in relationships with parents.
21:53And so sometimes it means
21:55working closely with appearance,
21:57and sometimes it means figuring out
21:59how to develop a relationship with
22:02a child who might be presenting
22:04some challenges to you. Next slide.
22:07Erik Erikson, you know,
22:09talked about children developing trust
22:11in themselves and others and coming
22:14into school with a sense of wanting
22:16to be independent and autonomous.
22:19And so between the ages of two
22:21and five children do struggle
22:23with trying out new skills,
22:26being curious, and taking initiative without
22:28feeling guilty because at the same time
22:31they're learning to control their impulses.
22:33Next slide. Expressing and
22:37regulating emotions is a constant.
22:42Challenge and experience for
22:44early childhood teachers.
22:46I think appreciating that behavior
22:48is communication, an that we want to
22:52work really hard to understand what,
22:55especially the diffi cult behavior
22:57that happens.
22:58What is that communicating?
23:00We see a myriad of feelings,
23:03joy, anger, sadness, fear, shame,
23:06curiosity really reveal the child's
23:08internal experience in state and
23:11so it's important to be curious.
23:14About that and be able to
23:17support them next slide.
23:19Um adults Need to be able to be soothing,
23:25engaging and regulating and make connections.
23:27Those connections between feelings and
23:29behavior is important to understand
23:31our own reaction to the emotional
23:34climate of the classroom and the
23:36importance of our own self regulation.
23:38It's put, you know,
23:39put your breathing mask on first
23:42before you help a child who might
23:45be dysregulated next slide.
23:47And then there's Reggio Amelia
23:49that children must have some
23:51control in their learning.
23:53Again, they learn through touching,
23:55moving, listening, seeing,
23:57and hearing and exploring materials.
23:59Next slide.
24:00They talk about the importance of
24:03relationships and with children.
24:05Adults in that community.
24:06The environment is seen as the third teacher
24:10and needs to communicate to the children.
24:13I've thought about you and
24:15planning this environment.
24:16I have some really exciting
24:19things planned and we're going
24:21to learn together next slide.
24:24Anne and children must have lots of
24:27opportunities to express themselves
24:28and then how important documentation
24:31is in the learning environment.
24:34An that fits so nicely into the literacy
24:38component of a early childhood curriculum.
24:41And next slide,
24:43I have some take home messages.
24:45We know that children bring a
24:47lot to all learning situations.
24:49We understand where they are
24:51in their development.
24:53We need to we understand that normal.
24:55There are normal developmental
24:57struggles and challenges.
24:58We know how important it is to
25:01build and nurture relationships.
25:03Next slide.
25:05It's important to trust yourself
25:07as a teacher and learner.
25:09Trust children's teachers and learners
25:12believe that learning can be fun,
25:14exciting, but also difficult.
25:17A foster trusting and respectful
25:19relationships in the classroom and no and
25:22articulate your reasons for teaching.
25:25Next slide.
25:27This is a quote from a student.
25:29I hope I have time to do this from
25:31a student of ours in the language
25:33and literacy and play class.
25:35He said at first I thought literacy learning.
25:38Is worksheets and fun?
25:39With phonics we we call that drill and kill,
25:42um,
25:42I learned that literacy learning
25:44actually happens best in play based
25:46curriculums where kids actually
25:48treat writing as this new and
25:50fun mode of communication.
25:51Expression in art.
25:52But the things I learned from the
25:55kids will stick with me next slide.
25:57They made me think about being a
25:59college senior in new and emotional ways.
26:02Play is how kids learn best because
26:04that's when they are open to new ideas,
26:07when they can think about the feelings.
26:10Life in creative ways when they can
26:12manifest their creative energies,
26:13the joy of seeing kids learn
26:15to read makes you next slide.
26:18Remember what you love about learning.
26:20And since the instructors only let
26:22seniors in most of us are pretty
26:24jaded from the entire yell experience.
26:26But seeing the joy on these kids
26:28faces when they read and write and
26:31triumph an remembering what it was
26:33like to be that little when the world
26:36was full of possibility. Next slide.
26:39When there were new and exciting
26:41things every day on the playground,
26:43bugs, bark, birds when you could
26:45just draw your feelings on a page.
26:48Those are the reminders I needed
26:49to be able to leave college with
26:52a better and healthier attitude
26:53towards learning and tord's life.
26:55Next line,
26:56like those little kids we college
26:58seniors are also so so young and the
27:01world is so full of possibility for us.
27:03Let the world be or play based curriculum
27:06refused to give up their creativity.
27:08Enjoy you had in kindergarten.
27:09You absolutely must take this class,
27:13so I'm going to turn it over
27:17to Carla and then Winnie Ann.
27:20You will begin to be able to see how
27:26teachers. Let the world be there.
27:29Play based curriculum. So thank you.
27:34Good afternoon everybody.
27:35Nancy and I are partners
27:38in crime in that class.
27:40That quote came from and every year we
27:44find that Yale students are so so young.
27:48But there are also so open that they
27:51learn enormous amount about young
27:53children about themselves in these classes.
27:57Anyway, you'll hear a little bit about
28:00what what the students usually see because.
28:04Those classes have observations in
28:06classrooms. One of them is winning,
28:09but not this year.
28:11So I'm very happy to be here and I I
28:15thank Scholastic for putting this on
28:18and for allowing us to share what it
28:21is that we do and what we love doing.
28:26I'm going to be adding to Nancy's
28:29overview of development by presenting
28:31some thoughts about the organic
28:33nature of teaching and learning.
28:35Some examples of curriculum related
28:37to today's focus on literacy and
28:40sharing some images of children
28:42in model educational settings.
28:44As examples of what we think all children,
28:47regardless of setting, deserve.
28:50Next slide. So what do children need?
28:54And I'd like to just sort of think
28:57about this as we're going through.
28:59For healthy physical, social,
29:02emotional and intellectual development next.
29:05Um and again children are in relationships,
29:09so we start with at home security and safety.
29:14And the meeting of their basic
29:17needs an intellectual stimulation
29:20and supportive play next.
29:22At school,
29:23children need curriculum that
29:25is developmentally appropriate,
29:27stimulating, nurturing,
29:28play based,
29:30child centered and culturally informed.
29:33Next And these are just a couple of
29:38illustrations of children playing,
29:40and I think you can probably
29:42extrapolate what is going on.
29:44Those children took a survey to find out
29:47what everybody thought about something
29:49and they're telling the results,
29:52and they're going to.
29:53I make a graph and report to the class.
29:57It's probably what kind of pizza do you like?
30:00Because as we make lunch,
30:01we need to know how many different
30:04kinds of pizza to make,
30:05and so it's a very grounded way
30:08of having children learn math.
30:09But it matters to them,
30:11and the answer matters to a lot next.
30:15Uh, this is I said something about.
30:19Play based and culturally informed well,
30:21these children in New Haven there are.
30:24There's a wonderful farmers market and
30:26so the children actually set one up,
30:28and that's what's going on here.
30:30It's from their own experience
30:32about what they do,
30:34and they got a lot of materials and
30:37they made the vegetables and fruits and
30:40they're just playing farmers market next.
30:43Um?
30:43And children at school children
30:46also need involved parents and an
30:49active school family partnership.
30:51You can see that little girl saying
30:54bye to her dad with the accompaniment
30:57of a teacher just for support.
31:00Next And then what personal and
31:04professional qualities do teachers need?
31:06Nancy talked a little bit about.
31:10Uh, what she views as what teachers need,
31:13and I think we we are really in
31:15agreement that teachers need deep
31:17respect for enjoyment of and trust in
31:20children curiosity and willingness to
31:22learn understanding of child development,
31:25knowledge of curriculum and materials,
31:27and respect for children and families.
31:30Next, and here's just some illustrations
31:33of children doing what we hope they
31:37will do in terms of being curious,
31:40exploring the environment next.
31:44And here is the literacy front and center
31:47with the children and the teachers enjoying
31:51a moment together with books and language.
31:54And really this is more than just reading.
31:58This is a an emotional experience.
32:01It actually involves the book,
32:03the child and the adult.
32:06It's a kind of a triangle next.
32:10Um, there are also our needs
32:13for support and understanding.
32:15This is a picture of Winnie actually
32:19during the beginning of her career,
32:22just comforting children,
32:24but there's a book front
32:27and center as well next.
32:30And the personal and professional
32:33qualities teachers need.
32:34Really an awareness of.
32:37Cultural and individual differences.
32:40Encouragement of family engagement regard
32:43for contributions of their colleagues.
32:47This is really a collaborative effort
32:52and support for community next.
32:56This is when I talked about it.
32:58The engagement of families.
33:00This is a mom making dumplings
33:03with the threes classroom and her
33:05daughter who's sitting to her right,
33:07but everybody is making dumplings
33:10and will everyone will have
33:13a chance to eat them next.
33:15This is another part of the cultural being
33:19culturally informed in the kindergarten.
33:21There were many languages spoken by
33:24the families and their children,
33:26and this was just a poster that
33:30we we actually hung up to honor
33:34and respect that next.
33:37I'm teachers need institutional supports
33:39to help children learn as well so
33:41that they have to have the ability to
33:44really create curriculum in their classroom,
33:46not to just be told all the time what to do.
33:51There need to be clear school
33:53goals and expectations,
33:54or the trusting,
33:55trusting and supportive supervision.
33:57All of us need someone perative to be
34:00a mentor to to check in with us about
34:03what we're doing and help us to move forward.
34:07Forward and meaningful,
34:09meaningful professional development
34:11because we are really never done learning.
34:15Next Um,
34:17and then the parents need things
34:20from the school as well,
34:22so they need to make we need to
34:25make sure that their partners
34:27with their children's teachers.
34:29The environment has Tuvaluan encourage
34:31parent involvement and there has
34:34to be an institutional emphasis
34:36on building community within the
34:38classroom throughout the school.
34:39An in the broader neighborhood.
34:42And this is just an example of
34:44how we communicate with parents
34:46and how we build community.
34:48This is activities for the day,
34:50and that's all the children in the classroom.
34:53It's it's really a sign in.
34:55It's a way of children signing
34:57themselves in the parents.
34:59You can see on the right have
35:01a book that they have to sign
35:04in the children do it with with
35:07the card with their names next.
35:10This is an example of not this year
35:15how parents come together an actually.
35:20Spend time in the school and
35:22are part of the community.
35:24You can see food also is
35:26quite important as we
35:27do that, but we believe in
35:29taking care of the children,
35:31taking care of their families and taking
35:34care of the teachers as well next.
35:37So I want to talk more about curriculum.
35:41Nancy did say some things that
35:44were really profound, I think,
35:47and when you will save some more.
35:50But what is it?
35:52Where does it come from?
35:54And what does it look like in action?
35:59Curriculum means different
36:00things to different people.
36:02Some of you are probably envisioning a
36:05thick teachers manual or mandates from
36:08the school system or state requirements,
36:10and probably you're thinking about academics.
36:13Before I showed these slides,
36:16I that I hope will explain more
36:19fully what curriculum means to me.
36:22I'd like you to consider this.
36:24The curriculum I'm describing is
36:27highly intellectual, but not academic.
36:29If that sounds a little confusing
36:32and I don't mean to be,
36:34let's try to bring it up later
36:36in our roundtable conversation,
36:38but perhaps the slides will
36:40best demonstrate what I mean.
36:42So again,
36:43curriculum is developmentally appropriate,
36:45stimulating, nurturing,
36:46play based, active,
36:48child centered and culturally informed,
36:50and I'm sure many of us have had
36:54the experience of what Confucius
36:57this has been attributed to.
37:00Confucius is saying here.
37:02I know certainly when I'm working with
37:05computers, if I see how to do something,
37:09I forget it immediately if.
37:12I hear it,
37:13I might remember,
37:14but I probably couldn't repeat
37:16the process and and do it.
37:19I actually have to do something
37:21to understand how it works,
37:23what the processes and to learn it,
37:26and so that's one of the ways
37:28that we think about the children,
37:31and we want them to be engaged
37:34and to be doing,
37:36because that really is how
37:38they understand next.
37:41Nancy talked about some of these theorists,
37:45and I've added a few more.
37:49So obviously curriculum has its roots
37:53in their work and their theories next.
37:58Do we in particular who stressed the
38:01importance of continuity of experience
38:04within a cooperative school community?
38:07He really, really was the person who
38:11articulated best learning by doing next.
38:15On an so curriculum really
38:19is everything that happens.
38:21In an educational environment.
38:24Um children and it's about children's
38:27inner life of feeling emotions,
38:30perceptions an the outer life of
38:33world events, people and things.
38:37Um, it's a series of interventions.
38:41Planned by a teacher in a community
38:44setting outside of the family next.
38:47Teachers plan these interventions
38:50and actually in in Reggio Amelia
38:55they call them provocations.
38:58A word that I really like.
39:01They plan them by providing
39:04choices and real materials,
39:06enabling children to consolidate
39:08understanding through messing
39:09about with real materials.
39:12The teachers interact with
39:14children to reinforce,
39:15validate,
39:16and extend their choices and discoveries,
39:19and giving children time to explore,
39:22ask questions,
39:23and wonder if it's not enough to have
39:27some children go into the block corner.
39:31Spend 20 minutes there and then
39:33tell them it's time to clean up.
39:36That's not enough time to really explore.
39:39Get to work,
39:40get to know what the other person
39:42might want to build as well.
39:45Negotiate and actually begin to
39:46get your construction underway.
39:48So if the teacher comes in in 20
39:51minutes and says clean up time,
39:53that is not an extended learning
39:56experience for children and we
39:58we really do need to give them
40:00the time to make sure.
40:02That they can consolidate their discoveries,
40:05and to really think about them next.
40:10Um? So here's a few pictures.
40:15This is actually the kindergarten
40:18classroom at Calvin Hill, and some
40:21children doing their own research next.
40:26And then the help of a teacher to find
40:30just the right book to do the research.
40:35They probably needed some support in
40:37finding just the right additional materials.
40:41Next you can see the role
40:44of the teacher there.
40:46Looking at the work that the child was
40:49doing and here's a child working on his own.
40:53He's got had a lot of time to make
40:56a marble track during the morning,
40:59and plenty of.
41:01Time and space actually to workout
41:05his theories in his creation next.
41:09Natural materials also very,
41:12very important next.
41:15Curriculum emerges from the shared
41:18experiences and interests of children
41:21and teachers. An IT develops overtime.
41:25We call this emergent curriculum.
41:29Um?
41:29And I I do want to hold up this this book,
41:36which is a very,
41:38very old book that is from 1970,
41:41actually called curriculum is what happens.
41:44That's exactly right.
41:45There's nothing new under the sun.
41:47I mean the ideas in that that
41:50book are the same ones,
41:51the same principles that we use.
41:54And another.
41:55Element of curriculum is that it
41:58should flow from a consciously
42:02divine defined belief system,
42:04not a set of regulations.
42:07Performance standards,
42:08testing materials,
42:09or a bag of tricks.
42:11And that the theory is embedded
42:14when Nancy asked you what kinds of
42:17theories you use in your teaching,
42:19this relates to that.
42:22Listening, careful observation,
42:23informed planning and communication
42:25are the tools we use to understand
42:29an extend children's learning and
42:31teaching is an intentional act.
42:33I love this. Line from your home.
42:37By Mary Oliver. She says pay attention.
42:41Be astonished. Tell about it.
42:43So that would be observing what
42:46children are doing.
42:48Really appreciating an an finding
42:50something new perhaps,
42:52and then documenting and sharing
42:55and telling about it next.
42:58There are some.
43:02Principles on the teachers hold
43:07when they're developing curriculum.
43:11The children are naturally curious,
43:13observant, and motivated.
43:15They're ready to learn.
43:17On young children thrive on
43:19continuity and meaningful connection
43:21between all parts of their world,
43:23especially home in school.
43:24So that that's the reason for the
43:27partnership with the parents and
43:28what they observe and discover is as
43:31important as what the teacher provides,
43:33so that very often curriculum is developed.
43:36An grows based on something that
43:38a child might have brought in that
43:40day on the way to school Alief,
43:43a stone,
43:43something that was really that
43:45really impressed the child and then.
43:47The teacher is paying attention
43:50and supporting some examination,
43:52some investigation and sharing
43:55in the curiosity.
43:56Nancy also talked about
43:58Regression 2 steps forward.
44:01Maybe in one step back children don't
44:04just keep going in One Direction
44:08and regression really is a normal
44:11part of what happens in classrooms
44:14and we have to be prepared.
44:17For that we an example that I have
44:20that a student actually brought
44:22to my attention at NAP time in
44:25the threes program,
44:26we had a very brilliant little girl who
44:29was very precocious and she could read.
44:31And she, uh, this student was
44:34attracted to her, but in fact what
44:36ended up happening was at nap time.
44:39She lay down on her cotton.
44:41She took out her pacifier and the
44:44student looked at me and said,
44:46what's that about and I said, well.
44:48Development doesn't proceed in every
44:50single domain at the same pace,
44:52so that was a good lesson for the student,
44:56but it is also something that we need
44:59to remember about children next.
45:02Um Nancy referred to this to that young
45:05children and their use of materials
45:08and understanding of experience.
45:10They moved from the constructive
45:12manipulated to this symbolic
45:14abstract and from random to planned.
45:17And so there's a series of.
45:20Actually.
45:21I images that I want to show you
45:26coming up now that go along with.
45:30Using different kinds of materials and the
45:33ways that the children are demonstrating.
45:38What they do on some of the activities
45:41are really connected to literacy.
45:44Probably all of them are,
45:47but perhaps not in such obvious ways.
45:50These activities engage children fully
45:53and help them manipulate, understand,
45:56remember an recreate their world.
45:58These symbolic processes require the
46:01same skills that underpin literacy.
46:03Children need experience with real
46:06materials and symbols to construct.
46:08And reconstruct meaning as they speak.
46:11Listen, draw, write,
46:13read and master the mechanics
46:16as well as the love of reading.
46:19So here are some examples.
46:23Next Next This is more of the random.
46:29I won't show you all the stages in between.
46:33This is a young 3 year old or.
46:37A 2 year old Ashley next.
46:40But from that random you can see
46:46children's real ability to get to
46:51symbolic an abstract work next.
46:55Not such as this next.
46:58Or that?
47:01Next I love this particular series because
47:05the teachers had planned an activity to
47:08take children to the green in New Haven.
47:11Centrally located downtown and
47:13because there was some construction
47:15going on down there and we thought
47:17the children would be interested.
47:19Probably in the vehicles.
47:21Maybe in something else.
47:22Well the children.
47:24Focused on something completely differently,
47:26so fix that picture in your mind.
47:30You will see literacy and reading and
47:34writing because the child a child
47:37made the label for what they did next.
47:41When they came back to school,
47:44they recreated the experience that they
47:47had symbolically an representational E.
47:49You'll see that what they really
47:52thought was most salient worthy
47:54pathways an it's not a a complete
47:57recreation replication if to recreation,
47:59not a replication of what they had seen.
48:03What was important to them and what
48:06they brought back now we could also
48:09call this social studies, but it really was.
48:13A part of their.
48:16Representational process next.
48:20In painting, we're going to move quickly.
48:23This is just the beginning.
48:26Exploration, obviously,
48:27reasonably random Ness.
48:29Some sort of random,
48:30not quite so much little bit,
48:33but if children have.
48:35A lot of experience with materials.
48:38They then can reproduce and represent
48:42their world in the following way next.
48:46Um, so children can gain the skill and the
48:52ability to really recreate their world next.
48:57Same thing happens in collage.
48:59This is just a kind of a
49:02random gluing project next.
49:05This is a little bit more elaborate and
49:08there are some words on there that a
49:11child really felt needed to be included.
49:13Next This is a representation
49:17of a science activity.
49:18This is some corn growing that 5
49:21year old actually used to recreate
49:24the experience nest.
49:26And we took, and we've taken other trips.
49:29There was a very cooperative Swan
49:31near the center who sat on the say on
49:35the nest next to the side of the road
49:38every single year for days and days
49:40and days until their eggs were hatched.
49:43And so the children went out many times.
49:46And this is a series you can see
49:48how individual and different
49:50all the children's work is,
49:52but they were representing an
49:54recreating their experience next.
49:56Next Next Yes.
50:02Next Same thing in object printing an
50:06there will go quickly through that they
50:11move from the random to the planned next.
50:17Just paint an objects next.
50:20This is representational.
50:22This was a person next.
50:26There's a series of.
50:30Cars next next.
50:34Obviously the children were working
50:37hard to create something that they
50:40had a picture in their mind of,
50:44so this is just bringing in the
50:47literacy piece where the children are
50:50working individually with Winnie.
50:53On their own books and their own words next.
51:00And obviously stories and sharing stories
51:04and sharing narratives as Linda said.
51:09Another important part of the
51:12children's experience and the
51:14teachers experience together next.
51:17So Nancy talked a lot about
51:21relationships and feelings.
51:23Ann,
51:24I think that's clear that we're
51:28really working on many things,
51:31not just academics next.
51:36And this probably says it
51:40all about how literacy grows.
51:45Develops, blooms, and next.
51:50But this is just to reiterate,
51:52teachers must be learners,
51:53researchers, thinkers,
51:54planners and collaborators.
51:56We must find depth meaning and joy
51:59in the teaching learning process
52:01and recognizing who we are and how
52:04we relate to the world around us.
52:06Makes a difference in our teaching and
52:08to the children and families who learn
52:11an live with us in our classrooms,
52:13in in our schools no next.
52:16Um, no. At no time.
52:19Has that been brought home to us
52:22more directly than in the time
52:24that we're living through now?
52:26How important we are to each other,
52:28even if its virtual and the ways
52:31that we have to relate to the
52:33world and to each other and how
52:36important and meaningful that is.
52:38So I'm going to stop there
52:41and turn this over to Winnie,
52:43who will be giving you more of
52:46the actual nitty gritty of what
52:49happens on a daily basis in in her
52:52classroom and in many classrooms.
53:00I just wanted to note a few things
53:02that I heard from you all and then
53:05move over quickly into some questions.
53:07I think Nancy close when you were
53:10talking about grounding practice in
53:11in the theories that you mentioned.
53:13I think two of the quotes
53:15you said tored the end I've.
53:17I've thought about you and
53:19planning this environment.
53:20I thought that is so wonderful
53:21and it pulls together everything.
53:23Everything that I might have learned
53:25from all of these theorists and
53:27all of these cognitive scientists
53:29bringing all that to bear.
53:30On this block center or you know,
53:33whatever it is I'm setting up.
53:35I love that.
53:36So thank you and then knowing in
53:37articulating your reasons for teaching,
53:40I think that's so important for all
53:42of us who work in early childhood.
53:44Whether we're with children everyday or
53:46sort of tangential to that and then to Carla.
53:49Furthering that grounded,
53:50you were talking about grounding
53:52a way of learning math.
53:54With the pizza example,
53:55which I think is something
53:57that everybody can relate to.
53:59And that's so important in making there.
54:01Making children's learning matter
54:02to them by grounding it the same
54:05way we ground our own practice.
54:07Grounding children's learning for them
54:08and then honoring and respecting and
54:10welcoming the Children's Home languages.
54:12I think we talk a lot about that,
54:15and it was really great to see
54:17that specific example of how you
54:19actually do that in your classroom.
54:21So thank you for that.
54:23The Mary Oliver quote the pay attention,
54:25be astonished, and tell about it.
54:27I'm going to try to use that
54:29frequently in my own practice.
54:31And then when you when you
54:33were doing your presentation,
54:34we don't have to make children learn.
54:36We just have to let them learn.
54:38I think that is something that
54:39we can never hear often enough,
54:41and I know sometimes you know when we're
54:43trying to work hard and do our best,
54:45we can lose, lose a grasp of that.
54:47So it's great to be reminded of that.
54:50And if they need a prop,
54:51they can make it.
54:52We got a lot of questions related to that,
54:55so I definitely want to dive
54:56into that and related to that,
54:58when you talked about the fact that children
55:00are creating narratives for themselves,
55:01that just brought me back to the.
55:03You know the mission of the mission.
55:06Statements of the Yellen Scholastic
55:08Collaborative involves the importance
55:09of story and that we're all finding
55:11our stories and we're creating our own
55:13stories so that it brought me back to that.
55:16I think that's a great
55:17takeaway for me from this.
55:19And then the fact that you took time
55:21to talk about the realities of the
55:23classroom right now was really helpful.
55:26So thank you.
55:27I think people enjoy hearing that.
55:28Expectations for learning to give to parents,
55:31I think is probably always important
55:33and especially now when parents
55:35are worried about the progress of
55:38their children are making or not
55:40making and then being a Co learner
55:42rather than a dispatcher.
55:44Disperser of information.
55:45Thank you. That was wonderful.
55:47So I want to dive into some of the
55:50questions that folks were asking
55:52in the chat and some of them.
55:55Were related to some things that that
55:57you all had said you talked about young
56:00children needing to thrive and continuity.
56:03You talked to several of you.
56:05All of you I think,
56:06talked about the idea of regression.
56:09That idea of two steps
56:10forward and one step back.
56:12I think everyone is keeping those things
56:15in mind during this time due to kovit.
56:18So a couple of the questions sort of related
56:21to covid were about the use of technology.
56:24One person asked,
56:25do Tekken virtual learning
56:27hinder childhood development?
56:28An I don't know who wants to take that first.
56:31If that's Nancy,
56:32if that's something you want to,
56:34maybe talk about first from your
56:36point of view, do those things.
56:38Do do technology and virtual learning
56:40hinder childhood development?
56:42I
56:43think it's not.
56:44You know, certainly wasn't a
56:46great situation for any child.
56:48You know, even a child who's older.
56:51I think it brought up for a lot of children.
56:56How much they miss their teachers,
56:58how much they miss their friends and can't
57:02be doing what they like to be doing.
57:05I think it depended on how well the
57:09teachers planned, what they were doing,
57:11that they made it developmentally.
57:13Appropriate not too long, not too confusing.
57:16And we also know that children do as well
57:19as the adults around them are doing.
57:22So if the parents can support
57:25what the teachers are doing,
57:27and I do think at Calvin Hill
57:29they you know this time around.
57:32Once they started they had they planned.
57:35What will we do if we go into lockdown
57:38again so they really made some thoughtful
57:41plans based on what they had learned?
57:44I mean.
57:44That was all new to.
57:46So based on what they learned in
57:49the spring and the summer to try to
57:53make you know if there needed to be
57:56a lock down to try to make it more
57:59interesting and helpful both to the
58:01parents that then would be helpful to
58:04the to the child that makes sense to
58:07me. Making if the parents
58:09are comfortable with it and
58:11treating them as a as a team,
58:14right individuals, right?
58:15Carla, do you have anything you
58:17want to add to that? Oh, I think we.
58:20I think we need to be a little bit
58:22forgiving at this point of everybody were
58:25all under an enormous amount of pressure.
58:28Parents and teachers.
58:29The teachers had too many teachers.
58:31Never used zoom.
58:32They had no idea what they were doing and
58:35there's been a tremendous amount of growth.
58:38Justin Peoples Technological
58:39understanding and skills under duress
58:41and maybe kicking and screaming,
58:42but you know, consider the alternative.
58:45I think if we didn't have technology.
58:47I don't know what we would be doing.
58:50There would be no contact there
58:52would really be no way of maintaining
58:55relationships and keeping learning going.
58:57I think the challenge is that we
58:59we really need to help teachers
59:01with what is appropriate.
59:03Rattan there, they're under the gun.
59:05Some of them are teaching children in
59:08classrooms and virtually at the same time.
59:10My daughter in law is doing that and
59:13she's tearing her hair out and she's
59:16actually pretty technologically savvy so.
59:18You know there are many,
59:20many challenges to this that we just
59:23haven't been able to anticipate,
59:26and we're learning all the time.
59:29I think the problem will be if children
59:32are on screens all day and there aren't
59:36other activities happening with you
59:39know with with outside and active play,
59:42right? That makes sense.
59:44I then one of the other questions
59:46I wanted to make sure we got two.
59:49Could be possibly related to the first.
59:51Have there been successful initiatives
59:53with regard to building a community
59:55within the school community and the
59:56reason why I'm thinking that might be
59:58related to the first in a way is that
01:00:01I think what you're talking about in
01:00:03terms of keeping children connected
01:00:04and keeping that learning going.
01:00:06It seems like building those connections
01:00:08is more important than ever,
01:00:10so whether you've been doing that,
01:00:12you've been in person since September, but.
01:00:14You were in person or or when you've
01:00:16had to think about being remote.
01:00:18What are some ways that you've been
01:00:20successful in building community during
01:00:22this time? I don't know when you do.
01:00:25You wanna take a crack at that?
01:00:27How you been sort of building
01:00:29that community with parents and
01:00:31families and keeping
01:00:32them engaged? Well,
01:00:32I think we we had our own sort of
01:00:35private Facebook and as Carlos said,
01:00:37I have very little tech skill and
01:00:39some of the other teachers too.
01:00:41And we were just totally
01:00:43thrown into the situation.
01:00:44But we knew that we had to do
01:00:46something so teachers were we would
01:00:48read stories and that was a way to
01:00:51connect and we would do an activity.
01:00:53And that would go out to all the
01:00:55families in the whole school.
01:00:57And then we started to do our own
01:00:59classrooms in addition to that we did
01:01:01our own zooms with our own classroom
01:01:03children and it was really difficult
01:01:05because some children didn't want to come.
01:01:08Or if they would come,
01:01:09they didn't want to talk
01:01:11and it was really hard.
01:01:12So we ended up just doing
01:01:14a casual conversation or we
01:01:16would say go outside today.
01:01:17See if you could find something
01:01:19in nature and bring it back.
01:01:21And that was sort of pose.
01:01:23The question and who would bring
01:01:24a rocker who found a flower?
01:01:26Or something like that and then
01:01:28that would spark the conversation
01:01:30and then we made many phone calls.
01:01:33Parents called us and we call them just
01:01:36to touch base. How are things going?
01:01:39So and so didn't show up.
01:01:41Today. Is everything alright?
01:01:42And we would do some private zooms
01:01:45with those kids who are really having
01:01:47a hard time being within a group so.
01:01:49As Carlos said,
01:01:51we learned from the six months
01:01:53that we had off and at that's
01:01:56where we prepare these bags and.
01:01:58Just in case of and then in fact we did.
01:02:01We did have to use them and now we
01:02:03take photographs every day and we
01:02:05write a little a little narrative.
01:02:08And then it's posted.
01:02:09We posted a email everyday so the
01:02:12parents get to see the joy that
01:02:14their children are really having in
01:02:16the room and it keeps us connected.
01:02:18That's great.
01:02:19We didn't want to lose that
01:02:21connection with the parents because
01:02:22they're feeling they can't come in.
01:02:24Yes,
01:02:24and they don't get to see an this way here.
01:02:28You know, they get to see.
01:02:30A tour of the room every day
01:02:32of what's happening.
01:02:33Thank
01:02:33you. That sounds like you're
01:02:34doing a great job. Thank you.
01:02:36We're almost out of time.
01:02:38I think we have time for one more question.
01:02:40I'm going to make this sort of the
01:02:43lightning round and I'm going to
01:02:45combine a couple different questions
01:02:46from the chat into this one.
01:02:48I think it was Carla.
01:02:49I remember his color when
01:02:51you talk to both of you,
01:02:53talked about the block corner and about
01:02:55not providing sort of too much pre made.
01:02:57Drops too many premium premade
01:02:59props for the block area to
01:03:01allow children to be creative.
01:03:02That got a lot of questions from the chat,
01:03:05so I'm wondering, you know,
01:03:06given that,
01:03:07given that idea that you want to
01:03:09empower children to make their own
01:03:11things and thinking about perhaps
01:03:13making connections with parents at
01:03:14home who can make things give me
01:03:16some ideas for props that you would
01:03:18put into the black room that would
01:03:21encourage children's creativity and
01:03:23help them to do some of their own
01:03:25creating and inventing in that in that area.
01:03:27What comes to mind?
01:03:28Have you seen examples of
01:03:30wonderful things children have
01:03:32made with materials you provided?
01:03:34Yeah,
01:03:34we have. Uh now it's a
01:03:36little bit different, right?
01:03:37Because we had to put a lot of things away.
01:03:41So what we're really relying on
01:03:42is more of the pencil and marker
01:03:45in cutting and then the children.
01:03:47If you use masking tape,
01:03:48masking tape comes off the
01:03:50blocks so children can today.
01:03:52They did that,
01:03:52in fact that a child made a Castle
01:03:55and she came over and said I need
01:03:57to make people and I said all right
01:04:00now the markers they each child has
01:04:03an individual box with markers,
01:04:04crayons, pencils.
01:04:05In their box and they take that into
01:04:08block area scissors tape and she
01:04:10fashioned many different people.
01:04:11And I'm not talking, you know,
01:04:14they were very representational.
01:04:15It's what she was really creating
01:04:17and she take them on and those became
01:04:20her people that she was really playing with.
01:04:23And I've seen kids.
01:04:24Do you know paper towel rolls that
01:04:27they put together to make things
01:04:29and then they turn into binoculars
01:04:31or spy glasses in the whole play
01:04:33changes into something very different.
01:04:35Before we would give them, you know,
01:04:38fabric and rocks and shells where they
01:04:41can do more decorating with the block.
01:04:44So that's another extension without
01:04:47having the animals and the cars
01:04:49alot of time the cars crash and
01:04:52that's what they really sort of
01:04:55want to do without forgetting about
01:04:57the roads or the tunnels or
01:05:00the bridge is so yeah,
01:05:02yeah it really is that the that
01:05:05it's the block building that
01:05:07drives the ideas for props.
01:05:09So children get excited about
01:05:11what they can add to their
01:05:14building once they've completed
01:05:16it. And if you say thank
01:05:19you for saying that Nancy,
01:05:21'cause they have to do the
01:05:23building first before they
01:05:25actually get out the Tameka prop.
01:05:27If you think about the concrete to the
01:05:30abstract for the very youngest children
01:05:32there are more props that we allow an
01:05:35we an we provisioned the classroom with
01:05:38because they can't imagine they actually
01:05:40aren't symbolically creating these things.
01:05:42But and then you know,
01:05:44we we do have props, some not many, but.
01:05:47Cars and airplanes and things because for
01:05:50younger children they can enhance the play.
01:05:52They can also take over and teachers
01:05:55really need to be mindful of that.
01:05:57But by the time the children get to
01:06:00kindergarten and they've had experience
01:06:02with glass, they they actually have can
01:06:04do a lot of symbolic representation.
01:06:07So I once had a conversation with
01:06:09a child who was he said, well,
01:06:12I, I've made this car but I need
01:06:15headlights places.
01:06:15Well how could you make them?
01:06:18He said, well,
01:06:19I guess I could get something
01:06:22round and an I could.
01:06:23I could trace it and then I could
01:06:26cut it out and color it yellow.
01:06:28An I I could get two of them and I
01:06:31could stick them on the front of the car.
01:06:35Well that isn't very.
01:06:36That's incredible problem solving
01:06:38and it was all in his head.
01:06:40So if you allow children to create
01:06:42what they need and you've given them
01:06:44the ability to do it and and the
01:06:47agency in the permission they can do.
01:06:50Yes, amazing planning.
01:06:50You don't have to give them the answers.
01:06:53That's great.
01:06:54Thank you so much that I think
01:06:56that's a perfect
01:06:57answer to all the block related
01:06:59questions we had in the chat.
01:07:01So thank you, and I know we've
01:07:03gone a few minutes overtime,
01:07:05but I think I think you'll
01:07:07agree it was worth it.
01:07:08I got so much out of this session with you,
01:07:12Nancy and Carla,
01:07:13and mini so appreciate your time.
01:07:15Really appreciate everyone joining us.
01:07:16I want to let you know that
01:07:18you will be receiving an.
01:07:20Email that will have a link to a
01:07:22recording of this web and R as well
01:07:24as a link to your certificate so you
01:07:27should be expecting those shortly
01:07:29and I just want to thank you all
01:07:31again from the bottom of my heart.
01:07:33I know everyone's really busy
01:07:34and stressed during this time,
01:07:36but I was really grateful that we were
01:07:38able to get together today and there's
01:07:40so many people were able to join us.
01:07:43Really appreciate it.
01:07:44Alright,
01:07:45enjoy the rest of your night everyone.
01:07:48And we'll see you next time.
01:07:51Thank you so much.