The difference between centers and provocations

two year olds put their houses on a map

During a meeting a few weeks ago a teacher asked the preschool staff what the difference was between 'centers' and 'provocations'. It seems to me that there are a lot of similarities between the 2 things. Provocations are materials or experiences that Teachers set out to provoke children's thinking. From what I've seen, centers are classroom areas that are set out to give children experience with certain developmentally appropriate learning activities.

So in a traditional classroom you might see a literacy center where children can practice certain writing activities, and in a Sabot classroom you will find writing materials, a variety of papers, things that make marks, envelopes, books and other tools and materials that can be used for writing. One mistake people sometimes make is to assume that the fact that the environment is set up differently and may look looser and less formal in a more progressive school means that teachers don't look for those moments when a child is ready to receive some information about forming letters or to support specific literacy skills.

But it seems to me there is a difference in control in centers vs. provocations. In a center the teacher has decided what will happen, and in the case of a provocation, the teacher provides some things and then watches what happens when the children come in contact with them...the teacher is not in control.

the children draw paths between the houses so they can visit each other

Does that sound right? Doesn' the difference come down to the image of the child -the way teachers can practice listening to the children through documentation, and the way they plan both the classroom environment and activities, with, and in response to the children? It's like what I wrote about the geese, and the farmer who thought about what geese need from their environment and then planned how he could create that on his farm. Provocations are provided to create a context where the child can explore and the teacher can listen and learn what to do next.

Some of the materials in our school may be the same as those found in a traditional early childhood classroom, but on a fundamental level, their purpose is different.

















here are some links to some articles about centers, some more progressively focused than others; www.pbs.org/teachers/earlychildhood/articles/centertime.html

www.communityplaythings.com/designingenvironments

www.trcabc.com/implementing-literacy-centers-in-the-early-childhood-classroom/

Winter Circle

Before the Winter break, there is a big circle where all of the classes gather to hear a story and then sing together. It's one of the traditions that has helped to create the culture of our school.

In the pre-school winter circle, we heard the story of Raven and sang songs.
HAPPY WINTER

Pre-school circle, photos by Walker

big people and great big people

Years ago we had a student named Anna in the preschool. I remember someone asking if they should call me big Anna and her little Anna. She told them that she was big, so that wouldn't work...maybe they could call her big Anna and me great big Anna. I liked that a lot.

Here are some pictures of some big people with some great big people around the school.

A helpful parent helps T repair his plane after it crashed.

reading buddies

O shows a plane to his reading buddy

Buddies still singing after the big winter circle

friendly greetings after the winter circle

It's nice to have family at school for big, big hugs

how awesome?

The boys came with a note that said "We want to make a fish for our Pirate play."
They set out to make some fish, and decided on a shark, a puffer fish, and a turtle. I helped cut a fish shape out of blue plastic, and helped the guys make some triangles for fins (the plastic and cardboard was hard to cut).

When the fish were taking shape, D said "That's shark awesome!"
I wondered aloud "Shark awesome? ("yeah") What is more awesome, shark awesome or Batman awesome?"
D said, without looking up from his coloring "Shark awesome."
Is shark awesome better than robot awesome?
R said "yeah", and T said "Yes. Look! (The shark) it's bigger than a PERSON!"

 D said "Dinosaurs used to be the biggest living animal in the world.
Did you know that, T?
Dinosaurs used to be, (most awesome) because they were alive, now they died.
Now sharks are the biggest, so it's shark awesome.

("But it used to be Dinosaur awesome.")

Now you know, too.

uncommonly beautiful

Here are some things people were working on in the studio today...

Airplane by kindergartners Kaiya, Drew and Nolan

House by Walker, 3

Big Ferris wheel by Annie, 5

Airplane by Kindergartners Dillon, Tom and Emerson

Snake House ( back and front) by Nora, 5

Snake House by Beverly 5

Substituting in the Forest Room

Last week I spent some time with the youngest children at school.
One child asked "You know what I can do?" and showed me a terrific spin.
Soon they were showing me all sorts of ways that they could move. Big fun!

They Have to Believe They're Free

On This American Life this weekend,there was a story about a man who raises geese in a new way. Eduardo Sousa shares the secret: the geese "have to feel like they're free". 


What fascinated me about this story is the difference between the way Mr. Sousa developed and then carried out his method on his farm in Spain, and the way another chef tried to implement that method here in the states. 


When the American chef invites Mr. Sousa to his New York farm to see his operation, Mr. Sousa is surprised to see things like a hatching room and incubators. He cautions the Americans not to touch the chicks, because their touch will communicate "love and domestication" rather than wildness. Mr. Sousa reminds them that the geese don't need high quality feed.  "They'll eat anything if they think that they're wild. But that's the key: they have to think, from the moment they're born, that they're just passing through, that they're not part of this movie," he says, gesturing at the admittedly cinematic fields."


The way that Eduardo Sousa thought through what it would take to raise geese so they feel wild was incredibly thorough. It seems that every nuance of food, nest, and even the tone of voice he took with them was thought through very carefully, always with "they have to feel like they're free" in mind. According to the story, these geese felt so happy that they would call to wild geese flying by, and convince them to join the flock on Eduardo's farm. It still hasn't translated so far to the US context.


This reminds me of what so often happens when a teacher tries to adopt a method, rather than taking the time to really think about the ideas behind it and to adapt those ideas to their own classroom. It takes time, it takes noticing and reflection, and a certain tolerance for failure to really learn a new way of teaching. It also takes a willingness to give up control of the classroom. Many teachers I have met are too afraid to risk giving up that tight control of the media, the schedule, and even of the goal of covering all of the material to really change what they do. They are scared that the children won't get all the facts they'll need, or that the Parents will get mad, or that the classroom will be a mess. So they do a little bit of the new thing hoping that will make a difference.


Here's the thing... whether your new idea is "they have to feel like they're free", or "children have multiple intelligences" or "4 year olds struggle for power", I think it's so important to slow down and be as thoughtful as you can. Listen to your inspiration carefully, read what they say, but make sure you think about the reasons why it's worth trying that at your school. Teaching with integrity requires a lot more than reading a guidebook or installing any piece of furniture. It is only in noticing and reflecting on your practice with your goals and intentions in mind that you can move toward the noble but maybe unattainable goal of perfecting your teaching.






here are links to stories about Mr. Sousa and the geese-


time magazine article