EY Connect - Sept 2023 issue

Good morning! 😃

I'm continuing this monthly passion project of mine as I invite educators across ESF kindies to connect with ideas, resources, and of course, each other. It is my hope that the content will advance and inspire our thinking, and breathe new inquiries into your teaching practice. As always, if you read something that resonates with you, feel free to comment and extend the learning for the collective. If you're wondering how to implement some of the ideas or simply want a sounding board, reach out anytime, I'm always eager to have these conversations with you!

1 REFLECTION

At the beginning of every year with new staff, I always enjoy learning about their past teaching experiences, what wonderings they have, and what challenges we all share in the classroom. There are always commonalities in our mindsets and beliefs, but it's the differences that make learning from each other interesting. Perspective encourages us to rethink, unlearn, and relearn. 

On the first day of PYP induction, I asked the EAs (majority of whom are new to the IB) What do you think of when you hear "IB" or "PYP"? There were definitely lots of common threads, with popular answers being play and child-led. I followed up with the question What makes you think that? If we didn't already know before, the AI era now reinforces the fact that the answer in itself is not the goal, but rather, why and how did we reach such answers? 

As you interact with the children this week, I encourage you to extend conversations. When children tell us something (sometimes too confidently), nudge their thinking and ask them How do you know? What makes you think that?

Learning is a consequence of thinking - Cultures of Thinking in Action, Ron Ritchhart 

1 IDEA

I was reading Adam Grant's Think Again, and came across a 2020 study he cited:

🤯🤯 it literally made me pause and put down the book. Within inquiry-based learning, I've always come across material that encouraged teachers to help children see themselves as scientists/engineers/readers/writers because embodying identities is really impactful on learning. This study says that children possibly see these identities as incongruent to who they are, hence it doesn't strengthen their learning. Instead, when they "do science", engagement levels go up.

This made me think back to last year; I asked a group of K1s what they were doing, and they said "we're doing science!" and just grinning from ear to ear. Their class teacher shared with me how enthusiastic her class has been about science all year. 

In the spirit of thinking routines - I used to think labelling children as who they are (i.e. scientists) is best practice, now I think there are multiple ways to BE and DO that leads to effective learning!

1 RESOURCE

The website Wunderled has a lovely page of play invitations that include:

• "What could lead us to this play invitation" - very much aligned with PYP assessment practices in going beyond stand-alone activities. The planning of learning engagements always starts with making connections; what does the learning look like now? What are the children demonstrating/understanding? Where might we go from here? 
• Guiding questions that support play facilitation 
• A book recommendation to extend the play!

1 WELLBEING

We don't need a scientific study to tell us just how big of an impact sleep (or lack thereof) can have on our day. Yet, some of us struggle to fall asleep because the brain can't stop turning. Something that has helped me in the past is a body scan - at the core (no pun intended) it's simply being present and mindful to one thing at a time. If you're interested in trying it out:

13 minute body scan before sleep (for adults)
Rhyming body scan (for children) 

1 QUOTE

“Inquiry is a perspective on learning that celebrates surprise, thrives on doubt, and flourishes in tension” - Diane Parker

Until next time,

Brenda 

Currently reading:

The PD Book by Lori Cohen & Elena Aguilar

Think Again by Adam Grant