Dig Deeper to Learn With Children

Chapter 6Learning Together with Young Children

Are we viewing children as competent or as incompetent?◦ This has a lot to deal with how we interact with

children, what our expectations are, and our attitudes toward others.

Language of Learning

The Hundred Languages of Childrenby Loris Malaguzzi(translated by Lella Gandini)

The childis made of one hundred.The child hasa hundred languagesa hundred handsa hundred thoughtsa hundred ways of thinkingof playing, of speaking.

A hundred always a hundredways of listeningof marveling of lovinga hundred joysfor singing and understandinga hundred worldsto discovera hundred worldsto dream.

The child hasa hundred languages(and a hundred hundred hundred more)but they steal ninety-nine.The school and the cultureseparate the head from the body.

They tell the child:to think without handsto do without headto listen and not to speakto understand without joyto love and to marvelonly at Easter and Christmas.

They tell the child:to discover the world already thereand of the hundredthey steal ninety-nine.They tell the childthat work and playreality and fantasyscience and imaginationsky and earthreason and dreamare thingsthat do not belong together.

And thus they tell the childthat the hundred is not there.The child says:No way.The hundred is there.

Follow the lead of the child Try not to shoot down their ideas Allow for the excitement of their ideas to

come through

Improvisational Theater

Impacting Quality of Responses

Wait time Clarity Placement Calling on children in different ways Thought level

Wait Time Increasing wait time increases number

and quality of responses. Three second average 15 seconds is best

Clarity

Ask specific question, then stop talking.

Avoid Unclear Questions What about elephants?

Avoid Asking Series of Questions

What do tigers eat? Do they eat plants? Would you find one attacking another tiger to eat it?

Before reading—to comprehend specific information

During reading—to focus After reading—for general comprehension

Placement of Questions

Methods of Calling on Children Solitary response (Jim, what is the date?) Controlled response (What is the date,

Jim?) Uncontrolled response (What is the date?) Mass response (What is the date, class?)

Thought Level Literal

Interpretive

Application

Literal Read the lines.

“Does he love me?”

Interpretation Read between the lines

“Did he kiss me like he loves me?”

Improving Questioning Wait time Clarity Placement Calling on children Thought level

Application Read beyond the lines.

“Will he ask me to marry him?”—

Open Ended questions

Figure out what they are exploring and talking about, LISTEN carefully to what they are saying and not saying, try to view the situation from their point of view

Challenge Children to Go a Step Further in their Pursuits

Drama, drawing, songs, stories, buildings, play dough, clay, photography, (amazing what can be done with digital photography these days)

http://playsplus.com/video.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Whgm

mrLyBI&eurl

Help Children Represent Their Ideas with Multiple Materials

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGBNUYtt4no&feature=related

Surgery

Spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down!!

Tap into Children’s Love of Songs and Music

Draw on Children’s Deep Fascination with Drama and Magical Thinking

Harness Children’s Instinctive Drive to Use their Bodies

Build on Children’s Attention for the Natural World

Explore Children’s Theories for Deeper Learning

Reflect Children’s Ideas Back to them with Documentation