Atelierista: stories from a studio

Why do teachers at Sabot encourage the practice of observational drawing? People going down stairs As social constructivist educators we know that knowledge is created—that is, constructed —when human beings add new information to the understandings we already hold. Therefore it’s important that we be able to communicate ideas to each other. Sometimes verbal explanations are enough, but very often a visual representation helps us really see and hear another person and understand what they’re thinking. So in our classrooms, being able to draw and to interpret other people’s drawings is crucial to learning. As social beings, we rely on interaction, cooperation, and mutual exchange in order to understand the world; observational drawing is a powerful meaning-making tool both in the cognitive and emotional realm. An important element of this drawing-to-learn work is a commitment to draw as accurately as we can in order to record our observat...

Studio and Umbrella Project Update

What's been happening with the studio and umbrella project? Well in the preschool, Kindergartens, grades one and two, I have been listening as well as bringing materials and ideas as provocations to help the children think about movement. Some of the habits of mind good studio questions and provocations help develop are; Responding with Wonderment & Awe Engage & Persist Envision Express Observe Reflect Stretch & Explore Find Humor -can you find any of these habits of mind happening in the photos below? In the Garden room, children are thinking about things moving through doors or walls. I brought their attention to a way generations of garden room children have been moving things between rooms. Children have to be persistent because only things that are just the right size will pass through the holes. In the Rainbow Room, children tried using brads to make art that moves.Some children had never used a hole puncher. The studio is transfor...

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 t...

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All posts by Anna Golden, Atleierista @ Sabot. Let me know if you use anything from this blog, ok?

Observing and Making Theories

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