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Collaboration Protocol - Responding to Data

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Collaboration Protocol - Responding to Data

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Story Workshop: New Possibilities for Young Writers

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Story Workshop: New Possibilities for Young Writers

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Even our youngest students have lots of stories to tell, whether real or imagined. How can we create entry points for writing, so that all writers feel confident and motivated to share their stories? How can we establish a classroom community of beginning writers where equity, empathy, and compassion become part of the process and vital by-products of story writing?

Enter story workshop, a structure for early literacy that amplifies the relationship between play, art, and writing. Children develop ideas and stories through choices of art materials. By creating images through play, story workshop invites children to explore the amazingness (Nisa, age 10) of their ideas in a variety of art forms. Through their stories, Susan writes, students share the meaning they make of their experiences in the world. Children in every classroom environment feel empowered to transition from play to pencil as they add words to their stories.

Story Workshop includes an abundance of classroom videos, photos, and student samples that illustrate what is possible when children use words, colors, textures, shapes and all kinds of materials to create the stories they want to tell. Watch how students' imaginations soar, their love of writing blossoms, and their connections with one another become the focal point of your classroom.

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Story Workshop: New Possibilities for Young Writers

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Buy Story Workshop: New Possibilities for Young Writers by MacKay, Susan Harris (ISBN: 9780325120348) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

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Reading and Writing Workshop in International Schools FB Group

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Reading and Writing Workshop in International Schools FB Group

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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fay@erinkentconsulting.com

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@literacylala

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loving and caring environment
meaningful learning
choice and voice

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having fun

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Jeab- I promise love and a fun and safe environment to learn in.
Fourth- I promise to support their growth
zoe- I promise to love you and to develop your ownership of learning

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I promise to work to open up their world.
help them feel safe and enjoy school
be happy
listen for their goals and passions
listen and really see them and let them guide us
meet them where they are
to answer every question they may have

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Kate-to keep you safe love you and guide your learning and curiosity
Gift-to extend their knowledge

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Listening to them
Being safe
To extend what they've learned

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I gots the reassurance I have a solid foundation of EC beliefs and want to keep learning more.

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Zoe- Gots:I loved the reminder of the teacher roles. The language totally resonates with me.
Wants: to embed all of this more deeply in my practice

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I want to look more into types of play, provocations and listening.

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#got to learn a lot of the meaning of plays

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got a lot to think about regarding room set up and the beginning of our back to campus.

want more!

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Gots: I love how we got to share our values and how you help us to plan our environment and teaching based on our values.
Wants: I am excited to try this inquiry as a group. More sessions like this as our PD.

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Wants: To continue to explore my role as the creator of the environment as a third teacher

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Chana: I want to know more about Types of play.Thank you!

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Chana: I want to know more about Types of play.Thank you!

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Got to learn about teacher roles and aware of what I am still lack.

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I got the strategies to ask kids, using open ended questions. I want to learn more how to be supporter.

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I would like to learn more about PLAY and continue exploring how we as teachers can help our young learners to explore and stay curious in our classrooms.
Very nice quotes today!

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It reminds how important meaningful play is and how important of a teacher's role to support the children to reach their goals. I'm looking forwards to the next session. Thank you.

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want to learn more about class setting to support their learning

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want to learn more about class setting to support their learning

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How Light Can Blue Get? Documentation Example

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How Light Can Blue Get? Documentation Example

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The Ray of Light Atelier sprang from an inter-disciplinary group of architects, atelieristas, pedaogistas, physicists, teachers and educators. It is a place that welcomes children of all ages, teachers, cultural workers, and parents, with the intention of favouring an approach to reality that gives meaning and greater freedom to the scientific thinking innate in human beings, and which seeks enrichment.

Light and the phenomena of light are doors leading to discovery and knowledge of the world. They can be explored though the 'classical' range of visible light, which can be broken down into colours, but also through the invisible spectrum with, for example, infra-red and ultra-violet rays. There is particular investigation of the phenomena in which rays of light are disassembled, refracted, reflected, diffracted, propagated and emitted.

This idea led to the Illuminatories: contexts organised around a knowledge concept or problem, and offering different tools, materials, questions, encounters and access points. These do not guide investigators towards a single solution but make different journeys possible, and are particularly conducive to interaction and the construction of group learning.

Through the means of different languages - words, drawings, sounds, constructions, visual compositions - the Ray of Light Atelier offers an active approach to science, with which we can construct and verify hypotheses and theories. It is a place of research, dissemination and formative experience where the imagination, the fantastical, and the narrative form explanations and interpretations in organic ways with more scientific and rational processes.
IN DEPTH ANALYSIS
The Ray of Light atelier was created in 2005 by an interdisciplinary project group made up of architects, atelierista's, pedaogista's, physicists, teachers, and educators. That same year a first prototype of the atelier was presented at the Genoa Science Festival, and on 23 February 2006 it was shown in the exhibition-atelier space for the opening of the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre. Over the years the atelier has continued its reinvention, presenting constant changes in the spaces and what it offers.

It has returned twice to the Genoa Science festival, in 2006 and 2008, was shown in Udine in 2008/2009, at the Perugia Science Fest in 2009, Naples' City of Science in 2010, the Explora Museum in Rome in 2010/2011, and Bergamo Science

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The Ray of Light Atelier sprang from an inter-disciplinary group of architects, atelieristas, pedaogistas, physicists, teachers and educators. It is a place that welcomes children of all ages, teachers, cultural workers, and parents, with the intention of favouring an approach to reality that gives meaning and greater freedom to the scientific thinking innate in human beings, and which seeks enrichment.

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Environment as the Third Teacher: Characteristics & Principles

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Environment as the Third Teacher: Characteristics & Principles

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IS Bangkok EY Session 2 Our Environment Speaks

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GOTS: What was most helpful? What will you carry with you?

WANTS: What content would you like to dig into in upcoming sessions? What are you wondering?

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I loved talking about spaces in our classrooms. So many new ideas. Thank you for sharing all those photos of your learning spaces with us. I would like to know more about documentation and provocations and how we can display those effectively in our classrooms.

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Really appreciated the 6 lenses/consideration s to keep in mind when designing spaces.

Looking forward to the appreciative inquiry into the Piazza space and developing an action plan.

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I got some renewed inspiration on different studies and projects, and I'm hoping I can help the PreK team create documentation that is meaningful and communicates those personalized moments in time.

Wants - more on attending to the initiations and invitations of children - what that can look like within a day or a study - how to plan for questions that arise so every child feels heard. Thanks Fay!

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During we observe kids when they play, what questions, phrases or words should we ask and talk to kids to encourage and negotiate with them?

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I want to know some tricks and tips for how to do assessments and manage this 'messy play work'. any tools people use out there?

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I still want to look more into my own classroom environment, to make more 'liveable'

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Gots: The importance of flexibility and adaption with our spaces. I am excited to continue our work with this with my team.

Wants: More on: "If we do not tell about our experiences, we do not exist." I want to explore more on how to do this and also on how we reflect with students.

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I have seen so many ideas about classroom setup and activities provided for the children. I would like to know more about provocations.

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I want to make our piazza magical. We are at the beginning of a long journey and it is excited to see small and significant changes.

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I want to make our piazza magical. We are at the beginning of a long journey and it is excited to see small and significant changes.

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I got some ideas about how to create a calm, beautiful space to support student learning. I would like to learn more about teachers' roles. Thanks, Fay.:)

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Gots: Ideas to design spaces
Wants: Learn more about Documentation

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GOTS: What was most helpful? What will you carry with you?

WANTS: What content would you like to dig into in upcoming sessions? What are you wondering?

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I would love you to talk more about Bookmaking. Different ideas Writers workshop?

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I would love you to talk more about Bookmaking. Different ideas Writers workshop?

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We got the literacy provocation ideas. We want to know more about the examples of some activities to provide for children.

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Messaging Center: We loved your ideas about messaging in the classroom. We will set up a corner next week:)

Thank you and see you soon

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We like that you cover a lot of RE philosophies and would like to you continue touching on all these. We enjoy the child development that is embedded within your presentation.   We also want fruity drinks in our hands when we see you in January xxx.

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We like that you cover a lot of RE philosophies and would like to you continue touching on all these. We enjoy the child development that is embedded within your presentation.   We also want fruity drinks in our hands when we see you in January xxx.

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What materials do we offer to encourage symbolic expression?  This was a great question for me and our team will be going through the room looking for how we are doing with this.  

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What materials do we offer to encourage symbolic expression?  This was a great question for me and our team will be going through the room looking for how we are doing with this.  

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Messaging is also an area we want to extend.  We are brainstorming ways to develop more of this in our room.

Wants: I would like to look more at documentation -

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Gots: the importance of symbolic learning

Wants: a practice around talking about student work (photos) and brainstorming ideas for how to go about planning next steps-what are some protocols for teachers when they do this work as a team

Studying someone else's documentations and structuring our own documentations..some formats we can use as a team

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Learning Stories: Constructing Learner Identities in Early Education 

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Learning Stories: Constructing Learner Identities in Early Education 

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Margaret Carr (Author), Wendy Lee (Author)

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Learning Stories: Constructing Learner Identities in Early Education

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Buy Learning Stories: Constructing Learner Identities in Early Education 1 by Margaret Carr, Wendy Lee (ISBN: 9780857020932) from Amazon’s Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

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One of the questions I get asked frequently, is why do my tracing boards (and other tracing toys) not include a 'pen'.

The 'pen' being referred too, is a blank wooden stick to grasp and 'write over' tracing board letters. In a similar view, I have been asked if I will make a fashionable 'copy me' writing board. Copying boards involve the use of chalk or a whiteboard pen, where preschool children can repeatedly practice handwriting.

I often feel with these questions that there is a perception of tracing toys being ok, but children are in need of getting on with 'writing properly'. So, I want to look at the notion of needing a pen or pencil (or imitation like pen toy) in order to facilitate handwriting development optimally.

Safety and Research

A child's interest in and benefit from using tracing toys, starts much younger than often assumed. Children will typically engage with letters from age two onwards, especially their own names. This is why my tracing toys are CE certified from 12 months, so name boards and simple alphabet boards (with sign language) can be safely introduced to a play environment without concern.

Any small thin wooden pen tool is a potential play hazzard. Small parts shouldn't be introduced to children under the age of 36m due to the risk of choking. So introducing a pen-like a tool, would result in a child having to wait until the age of three to safely access the toy. However, safety is not the main reason for the 'missing pen' . I believe pen-like toys are actually a red herring.

Play Based Learning

Children prefer dough, fingerpaints, building blocks and threading activities for a long time before becoming really capable or interested in pen/ tool focused handwriting practice. This broader play-based learning, seen through the accumulation of refined fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, core body strength and postural control, really is creating the foundations handwriting sits upon.

How a child holds a pen is a learning process in itself. In terms of grasp, we see children moving through phases of palmar supinate, digital pronate, static tripod and eventually to a dynamic tripod grasp (at 4-6yrs). Children move through these phases gaining overall dexterity at their own pace too.

An x ray of a developed hand (around the age of 7) compared to an EYFS age child's hand is pretty informative. Also occupational therapists issue fantastic advice on how to develop handwriting in an age appropriate way matched to children's physical development. pic.twitter.com/DambEmTKLg
- Ruth Swailes #antiracist #consultant (@SwailesRuth) July 11, 2019

Ruth Swailes, a School Improvement Advisor recently shared insightful x-rays of a child hands at approximately 7 years old in comparison to x-rays from a 5 year old child during the Early Years Foundation Stage. It is the main photograph feature of this blog post.

In a discussion on Twitter, Ruth commented: "An x-ray of a developed hand (around the age of 7) compared to an EYFS age child's hand is pretty informative". As an image, she believes it prompts us to think about handwriting and handwriting development occurring 'in an age-appropriate way, matched to children's physical development."

"It's worth noting that it's not just the size of the child's hand which changes. The younger child has cartilage which will eventually become bone through the process of endocrinal ossification. This occurs around the ages of 6-8yrs."

Ruth's comments: "The physiology of young children's hands needs to be taken into consideration". Ruth points out hand maturation takes many years longer than assumed and that overall dexterity takes time. Handwriting practice starts AFTER the foundations have been thoroughly laid.

You can find the original thread here which is enlightening read: https://twitter.com/swailesruth/status/1149344734097264640?s=21.

I highly recommend a dig through and a resource shared by Ruth called 'Children, Young People and Families Occupational Therapy Team - Handwriting Development' by South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust.

It lists the play-based learning activities children will enjoy and the foundations of handwriting to start with. Many of which you will have seen illustrated on our feeds through tweezers, tongs, eyedroppers, craft activities involving lots of tracing and copying too: https://www.swft.nhs.uk/application/files/5614/5995/2571/handwriting_development.pdf

Another resource mentioned is : The Ultimate Guide to Mark Making in the Early Years, a book by internationally renowned teacher trainer Sue Cowley.

So to summerise, nurturing the whole body and not focusing in on the tool, the pen or pencil, allows children to grow into their capabilities. Pen like toys, too early, just limit safe play in toddlers and distract us of where the real work is happening in pre-schoolers: in play!

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Where is the Pen?! Nurturing Handwriting Through Play

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One of the questions I get asked frequently, is why do my tracing boards (and other tracing toys) not include a 'pen'. The 'pen' being referred too, is a blank wooden stick to grasp and 'write over' tracing board letters. In a similar view, I have been asked if I will make a fashionable 'copy me' writing board.

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NAEYC Emergent Writing Through Exploration

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NAEYC Emergent Writing Through Exploration

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Share your story.

As you're making, think....How do I feel? What skills am I leaning on? What am I discovering about myself as a storyteller and writer?

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It was a warm and windy day. I took my children to the park behind our building. They were so excited to play tag! When we got there, a giant monkey was hanging on a tree. We see monkeys every now and again here but not at the park! He was watching us, especially my youngest, who is a particularly small 8 year old. We felt a bit uneasy and decided to end our park date a bit early. As we were walking back to our building, the monkey was following us, swinging from tree to tree. When we got close to our entrance, we all waved at him. He didn't wave back but watched us with curiosity and I'm pretty sure we saw a little smile. I think he was just curious.

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We want to know more about literacy provocation.

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Got to learn that story telling isn't all about markers and crayons:)

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Got to learn that story telling isn't all about markers and crayons:)

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Gots: hand strengthening before finger strengthening and dexterity (will definitely keep in mind) - all the different ways we document stories and expression in our classroom - I loved your quote 'float inside of the talk' before they can live in the writing. I also liked hearing how Tanzania is doing story workshops. Wants: More about modeling/examples of books by 3 and 4 year olds

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Gots: hand strengthening before finger strengthening and dexterity (will definitely keep in mind) - all the different ways we document stories and expression in our classroom - I loved your quote 'float inside of the talk' before they can live in the writing. I also liked hearing how Tanzania is doing story workshops. Wants: More about modeling/examples of books by 3 and 4 year olds

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Gots: Story workshop structure and the importance of choices, preparations, invitations
Wants: Yep, I'd like some protocols for when we look at students' work and documentations.

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Thank you very much for the amazing ideas about the story telling.

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I love this session! Thank you so much Fay.
Gots: The ideas of how to set up the setting or the center to support students with their story.

Wants: I want to continue and learn more about Storytelling and Writing work shop.

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Thank you very much for sharing this good topic.

Gots: Sparked ideas for setting up and differentiating activities in the class.

Wants: Need tips or examples to support children in different types of learning.

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Gots

Loved the Pre writing readiness chat.  It reinforced some of what I am doing and motivated me to actually read the new book I have -  Story Making.

Wants,

Rethink my story making lessons.

I already model or try to model story writing each Thursday, and invite students to write a story of their own in our Mark Making area.  I would like to change how I am doing it and model telling the story first, using the natural objects that we bring in from outside everyday, or the loose parts we already have in the classroom.  Then I can show them how to write the story into a booklet. I like the idea of just telling stories first and then going to the book making.

I want to do more class books that children contribute to.

It will be great to hear their stories and then to ask that great question of yours, “Do you want to put that in a booklet?” I wonder, if they say, “no,” how it might work if I asked them if I could put their story in a booklet and if they would then help me tell the story?  Hmmmm. Have to think on that one.  If I modeled how simply it could be illustrated, maybe they would try it.

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Reggio Children |Loris Malaguzzi International Centre |Reggio Emilia Approach

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GOTS: What was most helpful? What will you carry with you?

WANTS: What content would you like to dig into in upcoming sessions? What are you wondering?

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This documentation about book making in PK-1 displayed by 3 GORGEOUS women

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We have a sample books we made together to use as reference.   Please note the beautiful lady in the corner.  