ECE2006- Assessment 3:Digital Visual Journal by

MATERIAL ENCOUNTERS

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Encounters with materials in early childhood education emphasise understandings of materials such as papers, clay, loose parts/junk, light, and so on to express what happens when we think with materials and use them to early childhood development and classrooms. We ask what if people’ role is not as central as we believe in shaping materials? What if materials shape us as we shape them? What if we pay attention to the effects of things and to how things move together, not asking what an object or a thing or a material is, but what does a material do? (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2016).

Reggio Emilia approach paid close attention to materials and focused on how materials can take part in shaping ideas. In the Reggio Emelia approach, educators/teachers investigate how materials speak back to children in agentic ways, extending and broadening the important body of knowledge. Thinking with materials allows children and teachers to become able to alongside materials, listening to and caring for them, being with and being for things, exploring ecology and ethics of things (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2016).

Experimenting with these encounters require nudging ourselves to experience them differently. We do not find or looking for the meaning of these encounters. We are not concerned with their facts. We engage with each encounter as an event that requires its own questions, concerns and character. We dwell each encounter. We are situated in each encounter’s situatedness (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2016).

Through exploring the physical qualities of a specific medium, we begin to learn the language of art. How does it feel on our hand? How does it move across paper? How does it hold its shape? Through many encounters and engaged exploration, we become comfortable with this new art medium. We begin to think in terms of colour, texture, movement and sculptures image (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2016).

Piazza views art medium as learning the alphabet and he says, “It is through interactions between a child and a material that an alphabet can develop.” As children use paper, clay, loose parts, light and so on, different alphabets will develop from different materials. As children use their minds and hands to act on materials using gestures and tools, they begin to develop skills, experiences, strategies, rules and structure. According to Piazza, the key element in children’s encounters with art mediums is that children use their minds and hands, not just messing up, but thinking. They use gestures and materials that help them to develop their strategies and skills. For example, they become braid together the knowledge they develop with their hands-knowledge of texture, density, movement, shade, tone, contrast with the knowledge they develop by observing and reflecting on the properties of an art medium. They begin to use art mediums for self-expression (Pelo A 2010).

TEACHERS ROLE DURING ART EXPLORATION
We, as teachers, are researches and observers and use pedagogical documentation to better understand what is going on in our practice and to inform our planning. We can also use pedagogical documentation to support children’s learning and our ownPacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2015).

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What is Paper?

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According to Inglod (cited in Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2016), paper means one moves with the material in continuous motion, joining forces with it and responding to its inclinations. Ingold (cited in Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2016) states that we are participants in a world of active materials such as paper. Paper started to think in us as we started to think through it. We set up a new relation with the world, a relation correspondence. In this new relation, we attempted to respond with the world better, rather than collecting lots of information about the world. This correspondence opens possibilities of being taken by surprise. As papers move through time and with the world, it encounters other materials. Paper wove itself into our lifeworld, and when this happened, we were encouraged to dream with paper, or, to see things in the way paper lives in the world (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2016).

In the classroom, we gathered around the materials to investigate, negotiate, engage in conversations and share. The materials such as a variety of papers, brushes, pots of paints, crayons pulled us in. We began to treat these materials as active and participating. Through thinking with materials, we began to pay attention to forces and movements that allowed us to think through these questions; How do papers move through time and space? How do paper and the other materials move us, physically and emotionally? How does time move? How does air move? How do bodies move with papers? How do papers move with bodies?

When we were exploring papers, the textures of the variety of papers allowed us to think about different ideas, emotions and memories in the group. For instance:

Paper was flat and thin, and crunching paper shifted to a small ball. This movement allowed us to think through how these interactions shift in relation to time and spaces.
Paper was coloured and see-through, and the other paper was hard and long. These characters of the papers made me think about a light tower that I saw in the city.
Paper was thick and coloured, rolling the paper shifted to a long tube and made me think of a binocular.
Paper was long, rolled and sticky and using this paper became a challenge for me, because it was continuously sticking on my finger.
Paper was flat and smooth, and tipping my fingers into paints allowed paints to move on my hand. The paints felt cold and smooth and became part of my body. Flat paper made my fingers movement that covered with paint visible and seeing the patterns of my fingers movement on the paper made me feel happy.

Reflection: Throughout this week, we noticed that paper has possibilities. Thinking with paper allowed us to notice how things move together, how the material experimentations became a composition of bodies, materials, places, interacting, influencing, and working together. As we experiment and think with papers, we noticed that materials live, speak, gesture, call to us and remind memories, narrate stories, invite actions, and communicate ideas. They set things in motion, provoke questions and produce ideas. They also produce understandings by provoking human and nonhuman others (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2016). We also noticed that we as teachers should take these materials out for the children to explore through experimenting and think with them. Our role becomes to support children's exploration and play cycle.
In addition, when we allow children to experiment and think with paper materials in our practice, our practice becomes as emergent listening, opening itself up to the possibility of new ways of knowing and being, so something new and surprising can happen. Through listening, we as teachers can begin to think through how materials and bodies live entangled lives in classrooms and how they change each other through their mutual encounters (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2016).

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WEEK 1 ONLINE CONTENT: GUEST SPEAKER REFLECTION

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Artist Brendon has created works on paper, wood and various walls around Melbourne and Bendigo. He said different materials required him to experience them differently. For example, working with paper was different from working with wood because each of them had different forces and textures.

I had a question for Artist Brendan, and my question was "Do you plan what you will create?” He said that when he is creating his art pieces, he does not plan what he is going to draw or paint. He also said that even sometimes he has some ideas, but his ideas are changing as he works on his art pieces, therefore he continuously revisits his art pieces, and some of his art pieces take two years to finish.

We also asked him “What inspires you?” He said he is religious, and he mostly thinks about his religion.

Artists Brendan's visit allowed me to think through materials are not for collecting lots of information about the world and materials open possibilities of being taken by surprise. Also, I noticed that when we experiment with materials, we need time and space. Eisner states that taking the time to look closely and draw, paint or construct encourages thoughtfulness and revisiting an earlier representation allows for reflection (Artists At the Centre n.d.).

WEEK 1: FOCUSED MATERIAL IS PAPER

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HISTORY OF PAPER
Paper was invented almost 2,000 years ago by inventors in China. They first crafted cloth sheets to note their drawings and writings. Paper was first made in Lei-Yang, China by Ts'ai Lun. Ts'ai used hemp, mulberry bark, and shreds to make paper. He mixed them with water, mashed it into pulp, pressed out the liquid and hung the thin mat to dry in the sun. Over the next 800 years, people began to use paper for printing essential books, bibles, and legal documents. Today, paper is made from trees and recovered paper. Recycling became a part of papermaking, and paper mills use it to make new newspapers, notebook paper, paper grocery bags, boxes, envelopes, magazines, cartons, and other paper products (Paper Recycles 2019).

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WEEK 1 ONLINE CONTENT: COMMUNITY DAY REFLECTION

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When I was out in the community, I noticed that a variety of materials were used such as woods, clay, rocks, paints, plant leaves, papers, wires, recycled plastic bottles in art. Different materials were used in different ways based on the textures of the materials and the way they worked with the materials. I also noticed the materials were reflecting the people's emotions, thoughts and experiences. As Colebrook (cited in Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2016) states, art is about its affect, the sensible force or style through which it creates content. I as a teacher begin to think through art as integral aspects of children’s daily inquires, explorations and learning rather than teacher-directed activities or idealised examples of children’s creativity or inner worlds (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al 2016).
During my visit, Seeing how the materials allow people to work together and connect people with others and their community is surprised me. Also, I wondered who created these art pieces in the community, and I noticed that people from the community showed interest to experiment with materials and create their own artworks through working along with the artists.
I as a teacher view children are curious, competent, active participants and full of potential (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2015), therefore, visiting these community places with the children will allow the children to connect with their community and notice the possibility of moving toward and away from the art materials and attending to the relationship of art materials to their surroundings and inviting interaction for others (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al 2016).

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WEEK 2: FOCUSED MATERIAL IS JUNK/LOOSE PARTS

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WHAT IS JUNK?

Junk is things that are considered to be of no use or value, or low quality. The other meaning of junk is to throw out something because it does not work well or is worthless (Cambridge Dictionary 2019).

HISTORY OF JUNK ART

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure that is easily applied to the selected world of junk art (Widewalls 2018). Junk art shows us that art could be made out of anything, and by anything we mean materials that are for most of us considered as trash. When we question about the history of junk art, we come across with Duchamp. According to Duchamp, art is the context, and it could be made out of man-made objects. Stating his work as ‘readymade,' Duchamp named a urinal a Fountain, and so was the history of junk art born.In the 1950s, Junk art was considered as a movement. In 1961, explaining the sculptures, paintings, or mixed-media production made from scrap metal, broken-up machinery, objects pulled out of the rubbish, rags, wastepaper and other found resources. Junk art is often rejected by the public, but it praised by the public museums and art critics, and in the 20th century, junk art is considered as an essential movement that is both playful, imaginative and also a comment on our society and the mass production of ‘ things’ which the artists use and re-use, and help to slow down the overproduction (Widewalls 2018).

Reflection: Our experimentation with the junk materials/loose parts in the classroom, allowed us to think through the definitions of the junk and inspired us to think how these materials can support children's learning and development. During our exploration, we noticed that junk materials/loose parts are open-ended materials and these materials can be moved, carried, redesigned, combined, taken apart and put back together in a variety of ways and encourages free play. So, having junk materials/loose parts available in our play spaces will allow children to use these materials as they choose and create their own spaces to play in. These materials will play an essential role in our learning spaces because they support a various choice of creative construction, collaborative social play, and active problem-solving. Children can create whatever they can imagine. Children playing with junk materials/loose parts will be using more creativity and imagination and developing more skills and abilities than playing with most fixed toys (Kable J & Robertson J 2010).

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WEEK 2 ONLINE CONTENT: NGV VISIT

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As we walked at the art gallery, we looked at the art pieces closely and noticed that a variety of materials and colours are used by the artists. There were arts from woods, papers, glass, clay, metal, lights, fabrics and rocks. Every art piece was unique and expressing different ideas, values, cultures and emotions. Seeing the possibilities of materials made me feel excited. I wondered to know more about what type of materials the artists used and the meaning of their movements with the materials.

Reflection: We noticed that different materials provided different possibilities for the artists because every material had different textures, colours and sizes. We also noticed that every art piece was telling a story.

Giving children an opportunity to visit the NGV will allow them to learn about art. We as teachers can organise an excursion to this place, and have conversations about the artworks with the children by asking them questions such as what do you see in this art piece? What does it make you think or wonder about? What would be a good title for this artwork, and why? (Arlington Arts Centre 2016).

To engage children in storytelling, we can ask children; What words would you use to describe this artwork? How would you describe the lines and colours in this artwork? What things do you recognise in this artwork? What sounds would this artwork make if it could make a sound? We can ask them to pretend you are in the artwork – what does it feel like? Is it cold or hot? (Arlington Arts Centre 2016).

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Experimentation with junk materials allowed me to think ideas about a sea.

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WEEK 3: FOCUSED MATERIAL IS CLAY

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WHAT IS CLAY?

Clay is very fine elements of dirt which float in a river, then they press on each other and stick together, and sink to the bottom of the river. So, people who live in river hills, like early Chinese people, the Harappans, Egyptians or Sumerians, usually can find much clay.

Clay is soft when it is wet, and people can make any shapes they like, and then it dries hard fast. If we dry clay in the sun, we can make it soft again by placing it in a bucket of water and make it wait in it a week or two, but if we put clay pot or sculpture in a fire, or oven and bake it, then clay gets harder, and it will not get soft again even if we put it in water for a long time. This process is called firing (Carr K 2017).

HISTORY OF CLAY

People first began to fire clay in China and Japan about 14000 BC. They started by coating baskets with clay so that they could hold water better, and then they started making clay containers. Later, people in Iraq, Brazil, Mississippi, Peru and other places started to make pottery. Also, people in the ancient world began to build houses out of clay by making bricks and dry them in the sun and potters used fired clay to make dishes, plates, cups and pots. People from China and West Africa used clay to make statues and children made marbles, dolls, and toy animals out of clay. Today, many things are made out of plastic, but people in the ancient world made things out of clay (Carr K 2017).

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We created cat's journey animation with in the learning circle via using variety of materials papers, junk materials and clay.

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Adventure Playgrounds

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Class conversations within the group: Watching the video about Adventure Playgrounds allowed us to think through the importance of having junk/loose parts materials in our learning spaces and how we can inject some of these ideas into our practices.

In this space, children can be children and have abilities to choose their world and make choices through materials, verbalising and experiencing. Children can move around, explore, risk-taking and direct their own play. Our role as teachers become to support children's play cycle and focus on abling children's agency.

QUOTE: “In any environment, both the degree of inventiveness and creativity and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it.”
The Theory of Loose Parts, Simon Nicholson, 1971 (Puddletown Play Arts n.d)

The theory of loose parts was first recommended by Simon Nicholson in 1971, and over the years it began to influence child-play experts. Nicholson states that loose parts can be natural or man-made. and believed that loose parts will empower our creativity. In outdoor environments, we as teachers can provide loose parts for use in play for instance stones, sand, pebbles, fabric, twigs, woods, balls, buckets, baskets,! crates, boxes, logs, flowers, ropes, tyres, shells and seedpods (Kable J & Robertson J 2010).

PAPER ARTIST: Li Hongbo

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Li Hongbo is a Chinese artist who creates amazingly complex paper sculptures, drawing on a rich history of traditional folk art. Li Hongbo states that paper may be fragile, but it becomes incredibly strong and resilient when thousands of pieces come together. He also states that even though life may truly be as fragile as paper, there’s strength in numbers (CHEUNG S 2019).

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EXAMPLE OF JUNK ART

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(Widewalls 2018)

EXAMPLES OF JUNK ARTS

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(Widewalls 2018)

WEEK 3: CLASS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT CLAY MATERIAL

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This week, we were able to explore clay material. As we were exploring clay, we began to ask questions about clay; for example, what do we need to do to make clay move? What does clay do? What does not do? What does clay feel like when we hold it? How does clay react when we pick it up? What happens to clay when it dries?

Clay is multipurpose. It can move, sticks, melt, tears, sits, rises, shrinks, attaches and much more. Different textures and sizes of clay provided different experiences for us. Trying to have a piece of clay from the large block of clay was not that easy. One of my classmates suggested using a piece of string to have a piece, and we noticed that the string slice it quickly and that I found that idea very useful. When I began to play a piece of clay, I became able to make shapes out of clay, and I decided to make a sun and human figures.

Moving the dry clay on the table back and forth allowed us to notice that dry clay turns to dust, and when we put water on top of that, it turns back to clay. During our exploration, I also noticed that clay became part of our body.

Clay (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. 2016) is soil and soil requires nurturing; therefore, clay is more than art product for children’s use. Clay care requires thinking from the perspective of maintaining relations which involves the possibility of environmentalism, rather than thinking only clay’s potential benefits to children. We, as teachers, can organise excursions to local rivers or forests for the children to explore how clay acts and interacts in ecology.

EXAMPLE OF HOUSES MADE OUT OF CLAY BRICKS

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EXAMPLE OF TOY ANIMALS MADE OUT OF CLAY

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Reference List

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Arlington Arts Centre 2016, A GALLERY GUIDE: HOW TO WALK AND TALK ART, viewed on 10 November 2019

Cambridge Dictionary 2019, Junk, Cambridge University Press, viewed on 10 November 2019,

Carr K 2017, History of clay – History of Art, viewed on 17 November 2019 < https://quatr.us/art/clay-history-art.htm>

CHEUNG S 2019, Li Hongbo’s Incredible Stretchable Paper Sculptures, viewed on 16 November 2019 < https://theculturetrip.com/asia/china/articles/li-hongbo-s-stunning-stretchable-paper-sculptures/>

EDUCATION RESOURCE 2017, Light Play, viewed on 18 November 2019

Kable J & Robertson J 2010, THE THEORY OF LOOSE PARTS, viewed on 4 November 2019 < http://hfweb.co.uk/cpnl/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Loose_parts1.pdf>

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V., Kind, S. and Kocher, L.L., 2016, Encounters with materials in early childhood education, Routledge, viewed on 15 November 2019 < https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/reader.action?docID=4649662>

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V., Nxumalo, F., Kocher, L., Elliot, E. and Sanchez, A., 2015. Journeys: Reconceptualizing early childhood practices through pedagogical narration. University of Toronto Press, viewed on 18 November 2019 < https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/reader.action?docID=3295748>

Paper Recycles 2019, The History of Paper, viewed on 16 November 2019 < https://www.paperrecycles.org/about/the-history-of-paper>

Pelo, A 2016, The Language of Art: Inquiry-Based Studio Practices in Early Childhood Settings, Redleaf Press, La Vergne. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central, viewed on 18 November 2019< https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/detail.action?docID=4674378#>

Puddletown Play Arts n.d, Store, viewed on 8 November 2019 < https://playparts.net/>

Widewalls 2018, Junk Art of the 20th Century, viewed on 8 November 2019 < https://www.widewalls.ch/junk-art-history-artists-politics/>

WEEK 4: FOCUSED MATERIAL IS LIGHT

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WHAT IS LIGHT?
Light is a natural energy that makes people see things and makes things visible.
In our learning space, we discussed the differences of light from the other materials such as paper, clay and junk/loose parts. We noticed that we were not able to touch and feel light (EDUCATION RESOURCE 2017).

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REFLECTIONS OF THE MATERIALS THAT WE PLACED ON THE PROJECTOR LIGHTBOX

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Light allowed us to see the materials in a different way such as the materials' reflections on the roof. Light reflected the materials shapes, colours, and shadows on the roof.

HOW DOES LIGHT OFFER US A DIFFERENT WAY OF SEEING OR A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE?

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LIGHT-PLAY

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Light-play encourages collaborative play, creative experimentation and discovery-based learning. Through providing light-play in our learning space, children can investigate the properties of light and how light interacts with different materials (EDUCATION RESOURCE 2017).

When children explore light and its properties, they become able to explore numerous artistic and scientific theories as well as shadow, colour, texture and shape. Children can also consider concepts of sight and touch and forward this thinking with an investigation into the physical properties of materials. To support children to get the most out of light play, we as teachers can introduce some basic concepts, for example, light, translucent, shadow, form, colour-mixing, opaque, reflect, transparent through a variety of simple learning/play activities (EDUCATION RESOURCE 2017).

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Digital Visual Journa