Teaching With The Body In Mind

Mike emphasizes the importance of allowing for mistakes while children are learning social skills. There will be bumping and complaining, but also essential development. Tom recalls two children who happily squished close together to fill a tube at the sensory table. A blanket rule about squishing would have shut down that learning. Helping children tune in to one another is the goal.  

Joey is thinking about the role of the body in social learning and building social skills. Ross reminds us of the importance of making mistakes while we learn. Sometimes you have to spill the water on Mike to learn how much he doesn't like it. Tom is running late, so it's up to Mike to coin the phrase, "the body is a social tool." Tom finally arrives and gives his approval.

Ross circles back to a conversation about what sharing really means. Tom reminds us that when teachers strictly impose time limits or make decisions about when children must "share," they take away the chance for the children to define what is possible. When children are included in decision-making, we see more sharing and acts of kindness than we may have thought possible.

Tom reflects on a friendly game of cards with his grandson that became locked into a fight. When and why is it important to follow the rules when playing games with children? When do you play the "friends way" and when do you play the "rules way"?

Mike leads a discussion about the nonlinear nature of learning. As Ross explains, children's learning looks like a "Family Circle" cartoon, not a straight line.

In a continuation of last week's conversation about how children learn, Ross is thinking about how unprompted feedback can squash intrinsic motivation and discovery. The conversation flows from there. The group talks about the stages of the learning cycle, how play based teaching can sometimes gloss over these stages, the importance of attunement, and the impact of the timing of feedback.

Joey is triggered by a guest to her school wondering when the "learning" would happen. What could she say to this visitor if she could go back in time? Ross might turn the question around to help make the point that adults also need interest, excitement, and motivation to learn. Mike is reminded of a Lillian Katz quote which points out we are often wasting time for most of our students when we thi...

Joey wants to talk about racing and competition as she's been spending time with children who shout, "I'm first and you're not!" Is competitiveness and hierarchical ranking just part of typical development or does it reflect a system of values that we are modeling for children?  Mike and Tom share ideas for de-escalating when emotions run high at competitive moments. Tom is reminded of shoppers' b...

Ross is thinking about unhelpful help again. How much are we helping children and when does our help cause an interruption? Joey recalls a time when intervening to support a child's speech interrupted the flow of a conversation. Mike thinks about a child who likes to knock things down and the decision whether to intervene before someone's tower comes crashing down. Perhaps we need one more word th...

Joey notices that asking children to slow down on a "collecting walk" creates a strong sense of focus. Mike observes a child caring for a tiny ant for over a half hour. Ross's students give deep consideration to what items they want to keep on the "saving ledge." Setting parameters can help children pause to notice what is important and filter out what is less important.

Mike reminds us of the inevitable problems that come up each day. If we can remind ourselves of what's developmentally normal for young children, we may be able to catch ourselves before we start crying over that spilled milk. Ross is surprised by the depth of his feelings related to puddles of milk. Joey sometimes feels like crying over dried out markers. As we so often find, the chance to reflec...

Tom encourages us to consider the connection between physical play and literacy development. Where do children choose to read? In what position? Mike is thinking of how important physical connection is in building a love of reading. A love of books is built upon close physical connections with caregivers. Joey recalls how children actively engage with favorite books--grabbing at the pages and sitt...

Inspired by the 100th annivesary of Winnie the Pooh, Mike is thinking about the Tiggers of the world (and our classrooms). Can we enjoy our Tiggers or have we turned into judgemental Rabbits? How can we anticipate their presence and their needs? 

How do you notice and reflect on the things children do? Mike recently created a list to prompt reflection on "seven daily things, plus one." Tom recalls listening to a child at play and discovering that they had a knowledge of open pit mining. Ross looks back on photos to reflect on children's interests and abilities. Joey sings the class "anthem" to help children notice and reflect on their own...

Tom thinks simply telling families, "they had a good day," dispatches nothing. He challenges us to have a story to tell or a beautiful image of the child to share. Mike has observed how choosing photos to share with families offers teachers a chance to pause and reflect. Joey finds that broadly painting things as a "good day" washes over the challenges and hard work that are part of every school d...

Ross takes us on a deep dive into the art of teaching. How do we respond when children's big play tips into dysregulation that takes over the group? Tom talks about taking responsibility when we decide to stop play. Joey reminds us that helping children stay regulated requires us to also be regulated, which can be hard to do in a chaotic environment. Mike thinks of a bell curve depicting regulatio...

How does it feel when the bad guy shows up in play? The children are often eager to have the villain enter. Are we ready to welcome them? 

Our brains are wired to remember "that one time" that the bad thing happened. How can we use our negativity bias to power reflection instead of restriction? What about when "that one kid" did that thing? Does that mean we never offer it again? To anyone? 

Mike reflects on how the physical arrangement of a space can support children's ability to focus and build inhibitory control. Cold puddles on the floor are a terrible distraction when children are trying to get cozy with a book. Classroom design that helps children find focus also helps children be themselves. Mike and Ross riff on how providing focus does not mean that children's experiences are...

Last week's discussion about beauty in conflict has Ross thinking about the mess that can also accompany conflict and the value within it. Tom has observed that children are engaged in continuous non-verbal negotiation, which can get messy. Mike makes a musical connection between mess and creativity. Joey wonders if we can learn to prepare ourselves for the mess and always have the right "cleaning...

Squabbles over dinosuars, golden kitties or deeper issues are necessary and beautiful. When we rush in to solve children's conflicts, we make it all about us. Resolving conflict is an open-ended activity that can lead to creativity. Early childhood settings are a great place for learning to solve conflicts because they are usually low stakes.

We'll be back for real next week! Until then, one more from the archives: Ross is losing sleep after being too helpful. Did he take away a learning opportunity by attaching the wheels to a child's car? We offer help with the best of intentions, but perhaps our help sometimes undermines development. What kind of help do they need? (originally released June 2023)

Ease into the new year, with a relaxing conversation about hanging out. Tom asks the group to define hanging out--a social act of "being with" with no agenda, a relaxed feeling, open, and freeform. He wonders, is it worthwhile in the classroom? (Resounding YES) Ross points out that you don't have to set your plans aside to allow for moments to hang out, you can make space for both. Tom's wish is t...

As Joey was reminded while crawling through cattails, joining in to children's physical play can give us insight, understanding, and joy. Mike recently learned the tricky balance spots in a playground obstacle course. And we all remember how much fun the kids had when Tom "fell" off the balance beam. Ross cautions—yes, but it shouldn't become about us. When do we join into children's play and how...

After watching a toddler scoot to wave goodbye to a classmate, Mike reflects on how social relationships provide motivation for physical learning. Prosocial connection is a powerful internal motivator. When we lose sight of that, our judgements and interference can become an impediment to learning.