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Documentation Question: What is communication?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2019) defines "c ommunication" as:

A process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behaviour.

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There were 3 young children from the Nursery Room. One nearly 2 years of age and the other two approximately 18 months old.

The childcare centre is in Ballarat.  The traditional custodians of this region are the Wathaurung People. The name Ballarat comes from the 'Wathaurung Aboriginal name for the area, balla arat, meaning "resting place"'(Bain & Drew 2019, p.5).

The centre is situated in an urbanised area near a highway and a large roundabout. There is a consistent and steady flow of traffic throughout the day.

The yard has a number of gum trees surrounding the buildings with some non-native plants in and around the centre as well. The birds observed the most were crows and sparrows.

I imagine that there was possibly a lot of native animals, in particular kangaroos feeding on grassy areas, before this area was colonised. There may also have been a river, or a creek that ran through the place where the roundabout now stands. This area could have been a great source of food and leisure for the Wathaurung people, the native birds and the animals.

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THE MOMENT  was recorded on the 30th April 2019. There was no specific purpose for the learning experience, and this ordinary moment occurred during outside play. It took place in the afternoon around 4 pm. There were three young children from the Nursery Room hanging around a potted lemon tree.

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THE MOMENT  was recorded on the 30th April 2019. There was no specific purpose for the learning experience, and this ordinary moment occurred during outside play. It took place in the afternoon around 4 pm. There were three young children from the Nursery Room hanging around a potted lemon tree.

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Sienna, Emily and Alice are hanging out in the far end of the playground near the potted lemon tree. Sienna has a plastic cup in her hand and moves closer to the pot, she starts to pick the small white flowers that are in abundance at the base of the tree. She places the flowers into the cup.

Emily who is standing nearby, starts to pick flowers too and she quietly hands them to Sienna, who places them into the cup. Sienna and Emily are still collecting flowers when Alice comes along to join the collection process. Alice picks a flower and hands it to Sienna, who puts it in the cup along with the other flowers.

Emily and Alice move over to the nearby take and chairs. They sit down and Emily places some flowers onto the table.

Sienna continues collecting flowers.

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Reflect / Review

I was excited to see, how without sounds or any obvious movements, that Emily and Alice handed their flowers to Sienna, who accepted them quietly and kept on  with the collection process.

This made me realise just how much the children were able to communicate seamlessly without the use of formal language.

Carlina Rinaldi (cited in eds. Edwards, Gandini & Forman 2011, p. 234) talks about how listening needs to 'recognise the many languages, symbols and codes that people use in order to express themselves and communicate.' This moment is a good illustration of the other less obvious ways that children communicate.

I was surprised in some ways at just how much was conveyed in a short space of time. In relation to the pedagogy of listening, this moment in my view, captures the children listening to each others' body language.

It also made me wonder about the non-verbal cues, the energy  and emotion that the children were sensing when they were around the tree. Was the cup that Sienna held the main reason that Emily and Alice handed over their flowers? Or would they have done so anyway, sensing that Sienna was the collector? Perhaps they were listening to the movements of the hands, or all of the above.

Sienna was the oldest of the three and so this may also have given her a sort of silent leadership status or respect as well.

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The learning going on here touches on all the five outcomes listed in the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework [VEYLDF]  2016. The main focus outcome though I feel is Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators.

Looking specifically at the first paragraph that states:

Children communicate from birth. Most children are innately social, creative and motivated to exchange ideas, thoughts, questions and feelings. They begin by using gestures, movement, visual and non-verbal cues, sounds, languages and assisted communication to engage in the world and form relationships.

VEYLDF 2016, p. 22

The use of non-verbal cues and gestures is evident in the symbolic and purposeful way that Sienna held the plastic cup throughout the ordinary moment. Emily and Alice instinctively knew what the cup was for without any use of formal language or sound.

The Victorian Curriculum (2019) also touches on the use of gestures as part of Level B (pre- Foundation) in the English Outline.

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The other main outcome I feel is Outcome 2: Children are connected and contribute to their world.

This is highlighted in the statement that:

Children increasingly enjoy being in groups and contributing to family and social life from birth. Children who are strongly connected to their world participate in shared everyday routines, events and experiences...

VEYLDF 2016, p.19

This is demonstrated by the way that the three children worked and communicated together so effortlessly, with joy and in the moment. It was something they could partake in together and it seemed to be a very natural extension of their play outside.

There is also a sense of working with and an appreciation of the natural environment that is shown by the three young children. This respect and awareness of the local environment is also touched on in Outcome 5 of the VEYLDF.

In summary there are three main areas of the VEYLDF that are encompassed in this ordinary moment. They are the ability to communicate, to cooperate in groups, as well as building appreciation and awareness of the natural environment.

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Looking back at the original question: ‘What is communication?’

The dictionary definition mentioned at the beginning of this panel refers to the exchange of information via a common use of symbols, signs and behaviour.

What if, in the case of infants and toddlers, this exchange is not common?

Furthermore, what if infants and toddlers silently converse in ways that adults can no longer grasp so easily. This is highlighted by the following quote:

How much more challenging is seeing when the subject of our gaze is an infant or toddler who speaks a distinct corporeal language that has long been forgotten by the adult, and who draws from a sociocultural domain that is only partially glimpsed by the early childhood teacher or researcher? (White, cited by Fincham in Parnell & Iorio eds. 2015, p. 110)

This corporeal and non-verbal language was clearly displayed in this ordinary moment. It made me realise that I need to learn more about the less obvious languages used by this age group.

It is here that the pedagogy of listening as Rinaldi (cited in eds. Edwards, Gandini & Forman 2011, p. 234-235) points out that 'listening takes time' and it is 'not easy'.

This moment and the notion of communication, provoke and inspire me to set up learning experiences that invite quiet collaboration amongst infants and toddlers. I would aim to use various non-intrusive ways to record these moments. My overall objective would be to look past the obvious, and to delve into the more subtle layers of communication that I perceive may be occurring.

For example, I wondered just how pivotal the role of the cup was in this ordinary moment. However, I am an adult looking in on a child’s world. Perhaps the flowers, the rapport between the children, and the vibe of the moment were more important than the cup to Sienna, Emily and Alice. These are the sorts of questions I am interested in. I would also like share my insights with peers and mentors to hear what they have to offer as well. Hopefully, more documentation and conducive learning experiences, directed or spontaneous will allow me to do just that.

'When teachers make listening and documentation central to their practice, they transform themselves into researchers' (ibid, p. 244).

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Bain, S & Drew, L 2019, Best of Ballarat, Free Street Magazine June – July 2019 edn, Paper Crow, Ballarat VIC.

Department of Education and Training 2016, Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework [VEYLDF], viewed  8 June 2019,  <https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/edcare/veyldframework.pdf>.

Edwards, C, Gandini, L & Forman, G (eds.) 2011, The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Experience in Transformation, 3rd edn, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online 2019,  viewed 11 June 2019, <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communication>.

Parnell, W & Iorio, J.M (eds.) 2015, Disrupting Early Childhood Education Research: Imagining New Posibilities, Routledge, ProQuest Ebook Central, viewed 10 June 2019, < http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/detail.action?docID=4219220.>.

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2019, Victorian Curriculum Foundation – 10, viewed 22 May 2019,<https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/>.