Saturday 26 October 2013

In the zone

Nothing compares to being totally immersed in the process of creating

At least, this is how I feel. Czikszentmihalyi called this process 'flow'. Sometimes when I'm at my keyboard singing, time ceases to exist and I don't want to stop, or if I'm writing poetry or songs, or decorating my room, or writing my blog. The adult world leaves so little time for total immersion. We're usually aware of the limits of time and the pressing obligations of adult life. Not so with children. They have the benefit of living mostly in the present. This is our opportunity to allow them to fully experience 'flow', wonder, joy and full immersion in the creative process.

This is what early childhood education should be all about. Timetables, routines and curriculum documents hinder 'flow'. The Reggio educators know this. Abundant materials are provided for children to explore. A variety of rooms are allocated to craft, music and movement, which means that children have uncluttered space for creativity and the opportunity to revisit and extend their work over a period of time. Packing away and sharing stifle creativity too.

The question is, what are we going to do about this? Just remember it. Keep it in mind. Allow yourself to experience 'flow' sometimes. Creativity is good for the soul. The process can be satisfying and the product can be satisfying. Don't think it has to be about one or the other. Try to remember to let the children go sometimes. Let them create whatever they want without hovering over them asking them what they're creating. It's so easy to want to control the outcome and document it.

Allowing children to experience 'flow' will enable them to develop self-images as creators. It will provide them with the motivation to keep creating, just because, just for their own joy and satisfaction. When this becomes a need in them, they will have the possibility of progressing as adult creators. Being in the zone means that their minds will stay alive with the possibilities that creative thinking and imagining produce.

This is so important for their future. Knowing the answers won't be enough in the workplaces of the future. Being able to create new questions will be the key. We want our children to succeed in the workplace and experience wellbeing in their personal lives. Enabling them to exist in the moment now, immersing their senses, developing their own theories, honouring their own perspectives, and creating their own outcomes will give them the skills that they will need to proceed through a challenging, changing future.

Aesthetics

What role do aesthetics have in children's creativity and learning?

I read something yesterday that I've never heard before and I found it fascinating. Vea Vecchi worked for years as an atelierista at one of the Reggio schools in Italy. I was reading a book she recently wrote in which she tells her stories about the Reggio arteliers and the practices that were founded on Magaluzzi's theories of early childhood education.

Vecchi speaks about her concern with the lack of attention that modern teachers pay to aesthetics in their learning environments. I've found that aesthetics is something people seem to either have acquired or not have acquired. It seems impossible to fake it. I've always been concerned with the way things look. I like to look at pretty things and feel a lot of satisfaction when I create them, so this is something that's always interested me.

The Reggio centres are constructed very differently to the centres here. Photos show large, white rooms with big, glass windows and doors, wide tables for producing artwork, and lots of plants and mirrors. They're not the typical children's spaces we're used to but they've been set-up specifically to cater for children's learning and creativity.

Vecchi said that aesthetic awareness is the ability to experience empathy with materials and objects, which results in the ability to arrange them together in seemingly unrelated ways. The interesting thing is, she believes aesthetic awareness not only enables children to create beautiful art, architecture and design, but it also enhances their learning in general.

Vecchi uses an example of children's exploration of leaves. The children will be given leaves to hold. They will examine them with magnifying glasses. They will observe the colours, textures and elements. They will represent their leaves in drawings, paintings and sculpture. The children will now have built intimate relationships with the leaves based on their appreciation of their beauty. This could in turn result in them developing a fascination with the entire plant world.

This is a subject worthy of a lot more thought. In the meantime it wouldn't hurt to create beautiful spaces for children to work in, arrange art materials in visually appealing ways, give children the opportunity to engage with the natural world, and surround them with shades of coloured paint, fabric, lights, shadows, images, photographs and pieces of music. I believe that I model aesthetics and creativity for my children at work, and I'm so proud of the artistic creations that they're developing on their own. There is always more to be done and now I'm inspired to construct more of my environment and learning experiences with this in mind.

Vecchi, V. (2010). Art and creativity in Reggio Emilia: Exploring the role and potential of ateliers in early childhood education.

Friday 4 October 2013

Flow: The path of least resistance

I think we're misunderstanding children's need for structure.

You've probably heard people say that children need structure. Unless you're a child psychologist and know something I don't know, I'll put up a good fight to convince you that you're wrong. I think we're using this statement to justify our need for structure. The children are being used as pawns in our need to control all aspects of our environments that are difficult to control. Children are the uncontrollable force (that is they're human). The population is in fact pretty well evenly split into those who prefer more structure and those who prefer less structure. Neither is to be ashamed of. And your workplace is not all about the children. You have an equal right to have your needs met.

Managing a group of children does not have to be about 'Hands on heads!', 'Everyone on the mat!', 'One, two, three', 'Line up!' This is about our fear that we won't be in control. Anyone who believes that another educator is more effective on the grounds that he or she displays this need for control is ignorant and wrong. That's not what we do now. Children shouldn't need to be controlled. Just take the path of least resistance. In early childhood education we look after the whole child. Child care is not only about preparation for school, it's also a substitute home environment for children whose parents need or choose to work. Because of this, I believe that it should be an education and care environment which is similar to the home, but has the added benefit of taking place in a social and community context.

Children's need for security and belonging doesn't require this type of structure. Security comes from knowing that the adults who care for you are always kind and fair, in knowing that you can count on them to meet your needs, in knowing that the environment is safe and well cared for, and in being part of a community that is built on expectations of respect. Being part of a community means we all matter, we all have ideas, we all contribute, and we all have some agency in determining how our day will flow. Yes, flow. The children know the routine, and yes it is generally consistent. They know that when they arrive in the morning they can choose the direction of their own learning. They know that when morning tea is over we can get ready to go outside. They know that when the trolley comes it will soon be lunchtime. They know that when I start to close the blinds, it means that they can decide whether they will move to the sleep side or the play side. If you think that children need to be ordered or transitioned into these routine activities during the day you are giving them far too little credit.

The way to maximise children's learning and overall wellbeing is to allow them to take some ownership of their environment, to fully exist, to be able to be in it. They should be able to fully engage with the environment and the materials in it without being suddenly yanked out of their play by hearing a bell ringing or 'Everyone on the mat!' How is deep sensory engagement, critical and creative thinking, problem-solving or self-expression going to happen with these constant interruptions? Children are intelligent. They will choose not to engage with meaningful, time-consuming learning experiences if they know that they will soon be interrupted. The result - behaviour management issues.

Being told that raising your voice more often, or being stricter with behaviour means that you are more effective is insulting. I would take it as a sign that my priorities need adjusting and that I need to be more conscious of providing a better quality learning environment. If your environment and your program are meeting the needs of everyone in your learning community these measures should almost become obsolete. You are the key factor here. You are the leader of your learning community in modelling the qualities of respect, of inquiry, and of engagement. You set up the environment and the children watch you re-set it with care. You expect that they will do the same. You model kindness and empathy. You listen. You learn with the children. You engage, you question, you show enthusiasm for the children's ideas. You share your ideas.

The path of least resistance means everyone can enjoy their day. It means you won't go home feeling guilty because you raised your voice, or forced a child to do something that upset him or her, or rushed the children into an activity that made them feel stressed and insecure. It doesn't mean that you're too easy going or relaxed. It means that you're a quality educator who has a deep understanding of children's needs on a holistic level, that you see them as individuals and essential contributors to your learning environment, and that your foremost concern is with providing them with the opportunity and support to maximise their learning, their wellbeing and their potential in all areas of their development.