tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.comments2024-01-04T07:11:14.467-05:00Atelierista: stories from a studioAnna Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020564718454754566noreply@blogger.comBlogger575125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-35700162334866328672020-04-03T12:43:40.774-04:002020-04-03T12:43:40.774-04:00I want to hear more of your thoughts about what re...I want to hear more of your thoughts about what responses shut down inquiry and what responses can extend it or deepen the relationships to the work/people involved in the moment!<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14144386054838089715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-73160281754409164002020-03-26T22:38:15.389-04:002020-03-26T22:38:15.389-04:00I am atelierista for an international school in Pa...I am atelierista for an international school in Panama. We have been doing distance learning for two weeks now. The first thing I want to say is all you can do is what we can do. It's not going to be perfect and that's ok. I try to come up with artistic challenges that are as open ended as possible. I build on their past experiences in the earlier to help my students make connections and feel empowered in their new learning situation. For example, my first distance learning lesson referred back to an exploration we just finished about colour and monochromatic paintings. I reviewed what we discovered and gave them a new challenge: create a monochromatic costume from head to toe! I use short video clips which I record and put into a Google slide show with some tips/guidance for the parents. Best of luck to you and feel free to contact me if you'd like to talk.TAIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12817122618774227381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-3209723883465185142019-10-10T13:44:02.387-04:002019-10-10T13:44:02.387-04:00Anna,
I thought about what you said and it reminde...Anna,<br />I thought about what you said and it reminded me of some things Marina Mori said while we were at the NAREA summer conference. I quoted them below. - hoping you are having a good year at Sabot. <br />Nora<br /><br />"Those of you who work with young children, you know they also speak while drawing. This project, Mosaic of Marks, Words, and Materials, helps us figure out how we will study this. They tell stories while they draw, the stories shift and change. They do one thing and then another and another and then when you ask what they did, they tell you something completely different. It is not that they are changing just for fun, for the sake of changing things but because the marks they are making suggest different stories. As Malaguzzi said, the connection between the hand and the brain - they each affect each other. They communicate."<br /><br />"Making a mark is an encounter between two subjects - the thing that makes a mark and the one that receives a mark. This led to us working for a year, exploring the different things that make and receive a mark."<br /><br />One story Marina showed of a paper with long black marks on it of different sizes and darkness.: "If you just looked at the story, you would just see marks. But his girl chose soft, long paper and was drawing with black, making a strong mark. She said Dog! loudly for one mark. She made a medium mark and less strong Dog! and a soft mark and a quiet Dog!. If you just saw the marks, they would have no meaning. Teachers must observe and listen. Imagine if the teacher had not been there documenting. This girl made a relationship between the marks she made with the strength of the expression."Norahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12429809503864460881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-2601755020096411042018-06-11T19:59:27.780-04:002018-06-11T19:59:27.780-04:00Thanks for posting this Anna and reminding us to l...Thanks for posting this Anna and reminding us to listen to the children, especially when they say they are bored. Reading the blog and following the links have opened my eyes to rethinking about boredom and I can't wait to read more about strategies for making connections.Melanie Nanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14376366813311050789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-38276185594803478162018-03-01T23:25:23.127-05:002018-03-01T23:25:23.127-05:00Your students' work is really inspiring! I tea...Your students' work is really inspiring! I teach preschool, but I definitely think my students would love to engage in experimentation of this sort as our most recent of unit of study was trees. I love that your students created disguises to see whether or not the forest would make noises without people around. That's such an interesting way to test out a theory. Your students seem to be so creative and such critical thinkers. How do you promote that in your classroom?Dominique Godathttps://www.facebook.com/dominique.godatnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-76542894226999812772018-02-06T14:07:22.778-05:002018-02-06T14:07:22.778-05:00Anna, I think the teacher-research that you've...Anna, I think the teacher-research that you've been doing is very beneficial for your students. Your description of cognitive dissonance really got me thinking about how conflict and disagreements are problems that all of us run into during our daily lives, and I think it's great that you're incorporating healthy discussion and problem-solving skills into your curriculum. I really enjoyed the way you had your students create common rules and definitions for a game; I have employed that in my own practice, as well. While working as a camp counselor, I had my campers create a list of rules for our group that they all thought were reasonable, and all of them could meet. It was a great way for the kids to get directly involved in the way we wanted our group to function, and the results were very successful. I also really enjoyed the hats that you had the students design; I believe that direct experiences are the best way for students to be totally immersed in learning. <br /><br />-EmilyAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13243549239000982306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-14628716951890626612018-01-15T13:44:41.071-05:002018-01-15T13:44:41.071-05:00Greetings from Seattle, Washington, Anna! Kath Mur...Greetings from Seattle, Washington, Anna! Kath Murdoch made me aware of your blog and it really is beautiful, thoughtful, and inspiring. With your permission, I would love to share the site in my upcoming book on inquiry ("Experience Inquiry," Corwin Press). I look forward to hearing from and collaborating with you! Kimberly MitchellAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-23696742120808588512018-01-08T03:31:16.779-05:002018-01-08T03:31:16.779-05:00Hello Anna
My name is Kath Murdoch. I work in the...Hello Anna<br /><br />My name is Kath Murdoch. I work in the field of inquiry based learning in schools around the world. I love your blog and often recommend it to teachers. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, your spirit and the beauty of your children's learning. Your posts are always thought provoking, inspiring and affirming. I just read your most recent one and was struck by the lovely images of listening to trees. I am not sure of you will be able to listen to this podcast from where you are but in the hope that you can, I am forwarding you this link...such a beautiful conversation with a man who listens to trees as his life's work. Thought you might enjoy.... http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/conversations-david-haskell/8772954 <br />If it doesn't work...his name is David Haskell. Thank you again for sharing your inquiring mind with teachers everywhere. Kath Murdoch Kath Murdochhttp://www.kathmurdoch.com.aunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-15382733734333072902017-12-27T12:25:54.905-05:002017-12-27T12:25:54.905-05:00"Bored is when there are so many things to do..."Bored is when there are so many things to do and you want to do them all and you can't."<br />Wow! That's just what I've come to realize- bored might not be a feeling of nothing to do, but a feeling of not knowing what to choose. Thanks for reading and commenting!Anna Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10020564718454754566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-35711256067393982962017-12-27T12:13:21.508-05:002017-12-27T12:13:21.508-05:00Thank you for this post and the link to the visibl...Thank you for this post and the link to the visible thinking/thinking routines. I had a good discussion with my classroom community by asking them, "What does it mean to be bored?" I found that they had concepts that were wildly different from my own and from one another. It was enlightening for us all! My favorite response from a five year old was "Bored is when there are so many things to do and you want to do them all and you can't." Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-5908686091228322432017-11-05T10:31:40.585-05:002017-11-05T10:31:40.585-05:00Thanks for sharing the conversations of children. ...Thanks for sharing the conversations of children. Each time a teacher pulls out transcripts and shows me the depth to which children can think, and share their thinking, it strengthens my image of the child. I wish we educators could all sit in on every conversation--but this helps!Marty Gravetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05623922558157420487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-77845227155563895922017-09-21T11:28:00.763-04:002017-09-21T11:28:00.763-04:00Rei, you make a good point. It's so easy to fo...Rei, you make a good point. It's so easy to forget to be thoughtful about even the smallest details of the school environment. I really appreciate your attention here! Sadly, parents have become busier and no longer serve as stars at Sabot. It has changed the program a bit, but we are trying other ways of getting parents into the school. And thank you so much for reading the blog! It means more than you know. Anna Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10020564718454754566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-67084950309970963252017-09-21T11:23:27.199-04:002017-09-21T11:23:27.199-04:00p.s., I've read Nora Bateson now, and you were...p.s., I've read Nora Bateson now, and you were right! thanks so much!Anna Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10020564718454754566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-89551590235057776042017-09-21T11:22:29.110-04:002017-09-21T11:22:29.110-04:00Thanks so much for reading, and for your comments ...Thanks so much for reading, and for your comments here! This reflective practice of teaching lends itself to self doubt so easily, so it's to have a colleague (even one I don't know) who can confirm my direction, or the choices I've made. So again, thank you, anonymous!Anna Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10020564718454754566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-46163310339793389772017-09-21T10:45:00.208-04:002017-09-21T10:45:00.208-04:00Anna, reading your blog about the pretend play tha...Anna, reading your blog about the pretend play that your students were involved in was inspiring. I am studying early childhood education and I have come across many instances where I am watching and observing young children get quite involved and adventurous in their dramatic play. When you decided to extend the pretend play into something more complex, where the children created and became their superpower/hero, it was such an important and changing moment for the young learners as they found out more about who they are in this world and their identity. Although you started questioning and doubting yourself on whether what you are allowing is right, I think it is vital for us teachers to continue to give time for children to create their own ideas and expressions and form their own view of the world (right or wrong). I also admired your last statement, we should all get used to viewing the world in others perspectives. Especially in today's society, it is so important to keep an open mind and welcome anyone and everyone and try our very best to put ourselves in the individuals shoes and see what they see. Thank you for sharing this moment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-37485588950153541022017-08-28T14:08:49.940-04:002017-08-28T14:08:49.940-04:00Hi Anna!
A) I am reading all your blog posts in s...Hi Anna!<br /><br />A) I am reading all your blog posts in sequence from start to finish every day, and they are so enlightening - thank you! You are making my transition from elementary makerspaces to reggio preschools richer.<br /><br />B) Reading this post today, and in light of CVille, I can't help but notice the monitor is wearing a six pointed yellow star. May I suggest, if it has not been done so already in the many years since this post, that the star be changed to a five point star, or some other symbol. As the daughter of holocaust survivors, and given the current situation, a six pointed yellow star on someone's lapel brings up very strong feelings, which of course wasn't the intention!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-9661914857478570462017-03-07T23:34:03.218-05:002017-03-07T23:34:03.218-05:00New book now available: http://nareyeducationalcon...New book now available: http://nareyeducationalconsulting.nareyed.com/p/new.html<br />DRMJNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00002188255787611872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-31361022993534848882017-02-21T07:35:07.988-05:002017-02-21T07:35:07.988-05:00Thank you. The work you do is amazing and importan...Thank you. The work you do is amazing and important. So glad my black mamba ninja is at Sabot.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09125979842659619652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-84067694611192726372017-02-13T18:17:20.334-05:002017-02-13T18:17:20.334-05:00wow, thank you! it's nice to hear about the pr...wow, thank you! it's nice to hear about the project you're working with. i tend to think in terms of things being magic and the sun coming out of the moon is right up my alley. i will check out nora bateson- I've read some of her fathers work, but never her. thanks again for reading and for your reply! -annaAnna Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10020564718454754566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-11286453487308606992017-02-13T12:06:34.718-05:002017-02-13T12:06:34.718-05:00Anna, don't doubt yourself! If you were think...Anna, don't doubt yourself! If you were thinking in sets of certainty then I would be worried, but your uncertainty gives you the possibility to think in a different way, to see other perspectives so hold onto your uncertainty as a good thing. In doing what we do, we are not teaching falsehoods but enabling children to think, to express what they know, to communicate with the world around them. As you say, they are sophisticated thinkers able to both hold fact and fantasy simultaneously. Creative, metaphorical and complex thinkers. It is just that it is not always so easy for us adults to tune in... we have to let go some of ourselves to truly listen. <br /><br />I too am working with theories of power at the moment. I'm a kind of pedagogista working in the UK but with a visual arts background myself. The group of children have been talking about how the sun comes out of the moon and that each of them have powers that, for example, keep them up in the sky so they don't fall down. They talk too of good and bad powers and like you think this is a relational way of viewing themselves in relations to others and working with ideas of bad/good etc. But I have been challenged recently by the writings of Nora Bateson in her book "Small Arcs of Larger Circles: Framing Through Other Patterns" - she challenges this binary way of thinking and instead sees the world through and in systems of thinking, relationships and interdependencies. It has made me think about how I was sometimes seeing the children's work through 'binary eyes'. Maybe it's more complex than how I was seeing it... I have always talked about lines of inquiry but she talks about spectrums of possibility! Just thought, if you didn't't know her or her fathers work, you might want to look them up. Although not an education book, it ticks many of my boxes about thinking, nature, learning together and from each other... Carry on the great work, don't doubt yourself but live in that world of uncertainty. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-66965785437078373742017-02-13T09:25:32.749-05:002017-02-13T09:25:32.749-05:00"Let us get used to looking at the world thro..."Let us get used to looking at the world through the eyes of others." Words to live by in these troubled times. Thanks for this beautiful and thought-provoking blog. Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03918650748818833125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-86396929068244203912016-10-30T18:58:46.647-04:002016-10-30T18:58:46.647-04:00Beautiful, meaningful work! Empowering children to...Beautiful, meaningful work! Empowering children to change their community for the better. S.Steinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04472854045618903262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-21609253360265712252016-08-18T11:47:41.813-04:002016-08-18T11:47:41.813-04:00I love this project. And I, too, "think it...I love this project. And I, too, "think it's so interesting how these two ways of thinking about a crowd are equally important to the children." The way in which these children build understanding by combining academic or intellectual knowledge and social-emotional knowledge IS "a perfect metaphor for the way we learn!" Thanks, Anna!Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03918650748818833125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-33339037701976175662016-07-23T10:44:28.617-04:002016-07-23T10:44:28.617-04:00Your perspectives regarding this issue align with ...Your perspectives regarding this issue align with my own concerns. While some "Makerspaces" (for instance, the MAKESHOP at Pittsburgh's Children's Museum) demonstrate positive aspects of this movement, many others reflect the issues that you have pointed out. Lauren Britton's articles articulate this further--thanks for including quotes and links.DRMJNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00002188255787611872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233983995495203290.post-30812417352349557242016-05-30T22:53:34.606-04:002016-05-30T22:53:34.606-04:00http://craftsmanship.net/let-tinkerbell-tinker/
h...http://craftsmanship.net/let-tinkerbell-tinker/<br /><br />have you read this article yet?tree streethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17989326148685999300noreply@blogger.com