“We react to weather in relative rather than absolute fashion,” said Laurence S. Kalkstein, a professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami. “The uncommon is what bothers us.” (From the Washington Post article, Shriver or shrug: On a bitter cold day, a telling personality test)
But, I wondered, what if the “uncommon” polar vortex that changed the DC metro area could be transformed into a temporary wonderful, magical, and stunning curiosity? For the children and community of SWS, this small poetic gesture was offered. Frozen Sun catchers.
May you encounter the uncommon with all your senses May it fill you with wonder And joy May you pass it forward
having lots of practice using the sketch books in different ways (in museums to make memories, outdoor observational sketching, indoor self portraits),
and after discussing the qualities of artificial, living, and found natural objects.
I am mentioning this, because this process of modeling and working with children is based on the idea of learning called ZPD, or Zone of Proximal Development developed by Vygotsky.
To cite directly from Vygotsky, this most widely known concept of his theory represented “the distance between the actual level of development as determined by independent problem solving [without guided instruction] and the level of potential development as determined by problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers”.
“This is confusing.” Ava
I was able to show Ava some work from her peers’ sketchbooks. I also was able to scaffold, or ask questions to give her support. Here’s some diverse examples of the plans:
Using the sketchbooks and mark making to create symbolic representations, for a blueprint, for a fairy house.
The following week, children worked in groups of 2-3, combining their ideas to create one Fairy House.
In these small groups, children challenged each other to develop and build in a more complex manner. Ideas bounced off one another. More experimentation was observed, due to collaboration. Groups working next to other groups shared ideas.
“Theirs is more beautiful than ours!” Maximillian
A magnanimous attitude towards others developed.
The thesis behind this “zone” is that at a certain stage in development, children can solve a certain range of problems only when they are interacting with people and in cooperation with peers.
The Kindergarten children spent a few weeks with me, developing the thinking and skills to make a 3 dimensional clay sculpture of a Fairy.
The collaborative time spent figuring out how to do this was essential to internalizing how to do this.
When I decided they were ready to create and keep a sculpture to be fired, I witnessed children commenting, questioning and supporting peers who were struggling.
“You forgot the neck, that’s why the head is coming off.”
“Make a slab, like this to make a body.”
“How did you do the hair again?”
“Attach the hands to the body, or it will fall off.”
This theory of teaching and learning (ZPD) differs from children performing tasks in isolation. In isolation, a child’s success depends upon another child’s failure.
Environments such as SWS that focus on Mastery as opposed to Performance create a paradigm switch amongst children from “self” to “other.”
Peers are seen as assets as opposed to competition. Each child’s individual success is celebrated within the context of a group.
Claire, Emma Clare, and Ava’s Fairy House has the following text. They created the narrative together, with passion and excitement:
There’s a water fountain you can drink out of on the outside of the house. Inside the shell, there is fur. You open it up, and then there is water to drink. The little tree is for the fairies to lay on. The seed pod is a big slide. The fairies have blueberry and cherry blossoms in a bowl. We have water and cherries for each fairy kid in the home to have dinner. The shiny shell is the entrance. I love it!
Once the problem solving activities have been internalized, the problems initially solved under guidance and in cooperation with others will be tackled independently.
This teaching/learning approach takes thought, intention and preparation. It is most powerful when deconstructed & shared with the community. Much time must be alloted.
Despite all the work and time involved, a funny thing happens. An awakening of sorts. What emerges from the children is often as magical and illuminating as a fairy.
