Young Children - May 2008 - (Page 50) children voted the next day, the majority said it should be called Student of the Day. Day 3: Should the Student of the Day sit in a noticeable place? This question resulted in a profusion of ideas. The children suggested in the middle of the circle on the rug, on the platform next to the rug, on a pillow in the middle of the circle, behind someone else, on their knees, on a chair, on a pillow on the platform. Through several discussions over the next two days, the children decided that each Student of the Day should decide where to sit. While I had struggled with the idea of letting each child decide this, now I knew it was a worthwhile risk to take. I concluded that if a child comes up with an off-the-wall choice, a classmate will surely raise the issue for discussion or if no one objects, the child will learn whether the choice is good or bad, based on whether he or she can see and be an active participant in the group activity. A choice is bad, then, only from the adult point of view. I realized that allowing the children to learn from their experiences is ultimately more important. The children’s response to change The children had no problems with the Student of the Day daily seat changes. Some sat right in the middle of everyone; some chose a chair above others, as they had done previously; others decided on the platform with a pillow, where, as they said, “I have a great view.” Additional activities emerged as the children’s interest in the topic was piqued by the initial Student of the Day discussions. One parent reported that her son wanted to bring in his favorite book, The Grouchy Ladybug, by Eric Carle, because “we are learning about being mean and being nice.” She was impressed that he chose to share a book instead of a toy and that he conAs teachers, we must nected his book be clear about the diswith the topics being discussed positions we want to in school. It was foster, such as confithe first time he had ever done dence, curiosity, and anything like that. respect for others. She wanted to know more about how the leadership topic had evolved. The Grouchy Ladybug provided a meaningful context for thinking about how people get along with each other and led the children to compare the leadership styles of Ladybug and Yertle the Turtle. As the children engaged in other activities, they continued to discuss leadership, referencing Yertle the Turtle. Because of their interest in catapults and castles, children brought in books on these topics. A number of leadership/ governing questions arose when the children had questions about castles and wondered, “Why are there kings and queens?” “What does royalty mean?” What did we learn? One child’s question about being special taught us several important things. It reminded us to always consider the child’s point of view. Developmentally appropriate practice is, after all, about the children and what is meaningful and relevant to them. Children have a natural capacity for questioning, reasoning, thinking, and decision making. Their natural propensity for making sense of their world leads children to draw conclusions about their experiences. Realizing this makes it even more important for us to be conscious of unintended messages we send by what we do or do not say and do. We began looking to the children for guidance in designing and implementing routines and realized that possibilities abound for continuing to study concepts of leadership and leaders and for integrating curricula naturally. DeVries and colleagues remind us that learning is “the result of efforts to make sense of the world” (2002, 2) and, as such, makes it important to offer children intellectually challenging learning experiences that let them figure out things, make decisions, and take initiative (Seefeldt 2005). Katz (1993) proposes that educational goals must include not only knowledge and skills but also the dispositions that will enable children to go on learning. As teachers, we must know the relevant content standards for the age group we teach and be clear about the dispositions we want to foster, such as confidence, curiosity, and respect for others. Young Children • May 2008 Courtesy of Dora W. Chen The Student of the Day seating choices changed daily. In this case, the seat on the pillow on the platform outside of the circle provided a great view. 50
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