Designing Environments that Engage
an exploration of possibilities
with Margie Carter

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Creating a Reflective Culture that Transforms Pedagogy
an exploration of possibilities
with Margie Carter

pdf 405kb

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Creating Photo Shows in PowerPoint
Jeanne Hunt

pdf 376kb

plus Contemporary Photo Album, Classic Photo Album

Margie Carter – Creating a reflective culture that transforms pedagogy

By Michelle Hughes

The warm and welcoming environment I arrived into was the perfect antidote to the cold and wet day outside. The hall had been beautifully prepared for us with individually decorated tables, displays and resources to look at.

Margie introduced herself and told us a bit about where she comes from. I really appreciated her sharing of this information and hearing of the links with the aboriginal people of her area.

Firstly we were encouraged to become students of our own teaching. Teachers are learners too and we need to constantly seek to improve on our own practices and ways of thinking. Part of this process involves regular critical reflection. By working closely with others in a collaborative way we can expand our perspectives, gain insight into different ways of thinking and challenge our own beliefs and practices.

Margie shared some examples of stories of children’s learning written by teachers who used a reflective and collaborative process to gain broader perspectives and understandings not only of the child’s learning but of their own learning. We then were given an opportunity to share our thoughts and perspectives within our groups at each table. It was very useful to take the time to share our knowledge with each other and to dialogue and reflect on our own practice, seeking “to co-create new knowledge through our collaboration”.

We can create a culture of inquiry with children by using a Thinking Lens for Reflection and Inquiry. The key elements of this process are: know yourself; examine the physical/social/emotional environment; find the details that capture your heart and mind; take the child’s point of view; collaborate with others to expand perspectives; reflect and take action.  Also, use a protocol of re-visiting activities and re-presenting ideas to ‘get smarter’ (that’s what they say in America). For infants and toddlers this can be done with photos. We were reminded to make documentation available to children.

Teachers were reminded to: continue to learn about ‘learning to be good teachers’; to move from individual representations towards collaborative representations; to provoke children’s thinking; to allow children to see themselves as teachers by making their learning visible.

After lunch we had the opportunity to experiment with and explore an object that we hadn’t seen before. This certainly created a buzz in the room and a sense of wonder and joy on people’s faces! What fun to interpret and discover new and different ways to utilise and manipulate an object. This was a great reminder for me of what it must be like for a child to discover and experiment with something that they have never seen before.

We can become theory makers too! We can contribute to a body of knowledge – in our own context through critical inquiry.  This informs us as we engage children’s thinking and their excitement about possibilities as they enter a process of inquiry too.  This distributes the power of knowledge.

Margie also encouraged us to look at learning stories not just as a portfolio entry but as a pedagogical tool to help us learn about learning

Something that stood out for me was the statement “a programme has intellectual vitality if the teachers’ individual and group interactions are mainly about what the children are learning, planning and thinking about, plus their interest in each other, and only minimally about the rules and routines”.

The chocolate bars at 3pm couldn’t have been timed better! To the REANZ team, thanks for the sugar boost and a well-organised day.

Margie Carter and REANZ certainly practice what they teach. On the Saturday of the recent REANZ ‘Provoking Encounters’ Seminar, with Margie Carter, in Auckland they ‘created a reflective culture that transformed my pedagogy’.

The environment for the ‘provocation’ had been set up in an aesthetically pleasing way.

Tables and chairs were set in groups with centre pieces on the tables designed for exploration and delight, using natural resources, fabrics and colours. I chose where I sat by the display on the tables and the people already seated.

Margie encouraged us to practice ‘learning communities’, to ask questions of ourselves and others, to create a culture of inquiry, and to explore and examine responses as individuals and teachers.

Among other topics Margie spoke of using a ‘thinking lense’, which is to be aware of what is engaging our hearts and minds, and to seek the child’s point of view and reflect critically on documentation.

We examined open-ended resources and were challenged to represent on paper how we thought they worked. This was to deepen the understanding of the process we put children through when they are asked to represent their ideas.

I came away from the encounter suitably provoked, with the message that the journey of learning is equally as important to cultivate for teachers as it is for children. It is a journey to be taken in a collaborative way within a learning community, one where an aesthetically pleasing environment can be a third teacher for adults as well as children.

To all those who attended the Seminars please post your experience in the reply below.

MARGIE CARTER has been a preschool and kindergarten teacher and a child care director. When she is not traveling to consult and speak, Margie works side by side with directors and teachers in early childhood programs. Margie has co-authored seven books, the most recent of which are Learning Together with Young Children, Designs for Living and Learning, and The Art of Awareness. She has produced a number of DVDs highlighting the growth of teachers in the U.S. drawing inspirations from the Schools of Reggio Emilia.

Designing Environments that Engage Children’s Minds

Thursday 1^st October. 6.15 – 9.00pm

Beyond room arrangements and aesthetics, we will consider the aspects of early learning environments that engage children in relationships, imaginative explorations, and the generation of theories. Margie will offer examples from teachers who invite children into discovery, inquiry, and problem solving with provocative materials and a programme culture that promotes an excitement about learning.

Centre Leaders: Creating a reflective culture that transforms pedagogy.

Saturday 3^rd October. 9.00 – 3.30pm

When an early education organisation creates a culture of thoughtful dialogue, teachers as well as children are intellectually engaged and excited about the teaching and learning process. Our day together will be structured with the elements of a reflective culture—working in communities of practice with critical friends to experience and examine the stories Margie brings from educators in her communities.