Norah Colvin

Live Love Laugh Learn … Create the possibilities

Tag: early childhood

  • Going on a treasure hunt!

    we're going on a bear hunt

    A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of taking my two gorgeous grandchildren to a performance of Michael Rosen’s “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”. To say we enjoyed it would be an understatement. We had a rollicking good time.

    The performance involved a lot of audience participation including spraying the entire audience with water from the “deep cold river”; an event which left everyone slightly wet, screaming with anticipation and laughter, and genuinely having a wonderful time interacting with this fabulous text.

    We were already familiar with the text, of course, and had read it, recited it, acted it out and played a board game which has been made to accompany the text. None of this really prepared us for the delightful stage performance; but these pale in comparison with a telling by the master storyteller himself, Michael Rosen.

    Michael Rosen’s website is a veritable treasure chest with much to explore and delight.  From his home page you can visit his blog which he describes a as a place where he’ll

    “post up some thoughts and ideas – especially on literature in education, children’s literature in general, poetry, reading, writing, teaching and thoughts on current affairs.”

    You can also check out a full list of his publications. He’s very prolific!

    After attending the performance of “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” I shared with my grandchildren the video of Michael Rosen performing the story, which is also available from his home page. They loved it and we watched it “Again!”

    Then I showed them the video of Rosen performing his fabulous poem Chocolate Cake. We watched it four times! Artie, who is four (and a half) was joining in with the telling the second time, and by the fourth time was copying many of Michael’s actions as well as facial and vocal expressions. Artie laughed along with the story and excitedly called other members of the family to watch it with him.

    The next time Artie came to visit he was performing his own version, “Lollipop”, with similar actions and both facial and vocal expressions. His younger sister also had to have her turn telling the story. It was delightful and convinced me, though I needed no convincing, of the power of a great performer to turn children onto the fun of language, of playing with words, of performing, and of composing writing of their own. Creativity ignited!

    If you haven’t yet watched Michael perform Chocolate Cake, I urge you to do so. You are in for a treat. I’m certain you will not be able to watch it without a smile on your face.

    Michael is so passionate about making poetry come alive for children, he has made many videos on his website freely available to teachers for use in their classrooms.

    In his article “Teachers write to me saying, ‘What about poetry?’”, Michael begins by saying,

    The-best-thing-you-can

    He then goes on to present many fun ways of engaging children with poetry, none of which involve word study or comprehension exercises. He makes suggestions for performing, writing and talking about poems; and says that

    “The best and most important thing you can do with any poem that a child writes is either get it performed or ‘published.”

    and offers suggestions of how to do just that.

    Another thing he says in that article, which was the inspiration for the title of this post, is

    Treasure-what-each-child

    I couldn’t agree more.

    This is just a brief sample of the riches to be found on the Michael Rosen website. There are so many videos of Michael’s performances available that I have not yet watched them all. Please let me know your favourites and I will make sure I watch those too.

    Thanks Michael Rosen. We can learn so much from you while we are having fun!

  • The magic effect – why children need books

    Nor and Bec reading

     

     

    Children can be read to from the moment they are born, if not earlier. Preferably earlier!

    One of my favourite picture book authors and passionate advocate for reading to children is Mem Fox. I own, and have given as gifts, many of her wonderful books. I have attended her seminars and been mesmerised by her reading from her selection of stories. “Read more!” the adults beg. There are no children at these literacy seminars. This time it is a treat for only us: parents and teachers, literacy educators all.

    Currently Prince William, Kate and baby Prince George are visiting Australia. I was delighted to hear that they were given a gift of books by Australian authors, including some by Mem Fox. Over the years I have given many of Mem’s books as gifts; and kept just as many for myself!

     Reading magic

    One that I have given to many new or expectant parents, as I consider it a “must read”, is Mem’s book “Reading Magic – Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever”.

    I would love to quote the entire book for you, but it is better you read it for yourself. I will provide you with this quote from the foreword as a taster for the richness to be found inside.

    “It stands to reason that if we’re able to raise happier, brighter children by reading aloud to them, the well-being of the entire country will ramp up a notch. Children who realize in their first few weeks and months of life that listening to stories is the purest heaven; who understand that books are filled with delights, facts, fun, and food for thought; who fall in love with their parents, and their parents with them, while stores are being shared; and who are read aloud to for ten minutes a day in their first five years, usually learn to read quickly, happily and easily. And a whole lot of goodness follows for the entire community.”

    Mem's website

     

    Mem’s website, too, is a treasure trove just waiting to be explored by writers, teachers, parents, children and children-at-heart.

    You can listen to Mem read from her selection of books on the Current Read Aloud page. She reads three different books each month. Currently the books are Possum Magic, Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild! and Goodnight, Sleep Tight. Be quick to listen to these, though, as they will change at the end of the month. But never mind, there’ll be another three to enjoy next month!

    Mem even gives a read-aloud lesson! Now there’s no excuse! As she says,

    “. . . let’s get on and change the world, one page at a time.”

    Yes, Mem, let’s!

     

    What are your favourite read-aloud books? What did you enjoy as a child? What do you enjoy now?

  • Empowerment – the importance of having a voice

    In a previous series of posts I wrote about science inaccuracies in a picture book and questioned with whom lay the responsibility for providing young children with correct information.

    While this post builds upon those posts, it also takes a divergent path: the need for children to have a voice; to be empowered to ask questions, to state their needs and report wrongdoings.

    On a highly respected educational website Scholastic, with the by-line “Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life.”, in an article about Eric Carle author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, children are told that

    “Eric already knows that a caterpillar emerges from a chrysalis, not a cocoon! So don’t bother writing to tell him.”

    This seemingly innocuous statement may be easily overlooked but packs a powerful message.

    What does it tell children?

    The author has been told many times, already knows and isn’t going to do anything about it.

    The author is tired of being told he is wrong and doesn’t want to hear it any more.

    The author is “right” and not to be questioned. (The book, with its misinformation, is highly acclaimed by millions around the world. However if, in answering a question on a test, children were to write that a butterfly comes out of a cocoon, they would be marked wrong. Explain that to them.)

    For me the most insidious part of this message is

    He already knows, “so don’t bother writing to tell him”!!!!!!!!

    You can’t change it.

    You know it’s wrong, but you can’t change it, so don’t bother trying.

    Although many societies are now moving to eradicate it, child abuse is still far too common worldwide. Not only must the attitudes of societies change, but children must be empowered, they must be encouraged to speak up and they must be listened to: their voices must be heard.

    In a recent child abuse case that occurred at a Queensland primary school, the student protection officer reportedly said that she couldn’t understand why the children who had been sexually abused did not come forward.

    couldn't believe 1

    The accused had continued in his role as child protection contact for a year after the first complaint was made. The student protection officer found it hard to believe that her colleague was a paedophile;

    couldn't believe 2

    and still she says she doesn’t understand why the children didn’t come forward!

    Click here to read the complete article.

    It seems to me the children did come forward if the first (indicates there were more) complaint was made more than a year before anything was done about it.

    The children tried to say, but were not believed. The predator was believed and protected while the plight of the innocent victims was ignored. The report states that parents who complained about the abuse of their children were ostracised by the school community and made out to be the “bad guys”.

    Is it any wonder that, if not listened to and not believed, and if more is done to protect the offenders than the abused, the children become increasingly reluctant to tell?

    After the first children had come forward and not been listened to or believed, may not they have said to others, “There’s no point in saying. They already know. They won’t do anything about it?”

    Or what about the parents who were ostracised and made out to be the bad ones?

    Doesn’t it make the message very clear – you are powerless. Your voice won’t be heard. Your opinion doesn’t matter.

    Carry this message over into countless other situations and you have a population who is afraid to speak up, fearing the disdain of reproach, the embarrassment of being unvalued and the helplessness of one’s message being unheard.

    How many times have you felt you must remain silent for fear of ridicule, rejection, or worse?

    How many opportunities for creating a positive change have been missed because the task seemed insurmountable or the personal repercussions too unpleasant?

    When have you stepped up and made that change happen because you were not afraid to speak up or speak out when faced with an issue you felt strongly about?

    What changes can we make to empower children (and adults) everywhere?

    By the way, in that article on the Scholastic website, it is reported that Eric Carle believes that “the most important part of developing a book . . .is working with editors to revise it.”

    Would it make any difference to the magic of The Very Hungry Caterpillar if, after all these years, Eric Carle rewrote a corrected version with a butterfly emerging triumphantly from a chrysalis?

    What would that act tell all the countless children who have written to tell Eric about his mistake, and the many others who wanted to but were told there was no point?

    The Very Hungry Caterpillar

    Please share your thoughts.

    Related posts:

    Searching for meaning in a picture book — Part A

    Searching for purpose in a picture book – Part B

    Searching for truth in a picture book – Part C

    Finding power in a picture book – the main event

  • Finding power in a picture book – the main event

    Finding power in a picture book – the main event

    Teaching critical literacy through picture books

    This is the fourth is a series of posts about the role of picture books, especially The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

    The purpose of this post is to discuss the importance of critical literacy and the necessity to teach children to

    • think critically
    • not accept everything that is presented in text (oral, visual or print)
    • evaluate the source of the information and the intent of the author
    • match incoming information with prior knowledge,  and
    • question, question, question.

    In these previous posts

    Searching for meaning in a picture book – Part A

    Searching for purpose in a picture book – Part B

    Searching for truth in a picture book – Part C

    I suggested ways of including The Very Hungry Caterpillar in an early childhood classroom and discussed the responsibility that authors have in differentiating between fact and fiction in story books.

    In Searching for truth in a picture book – Part C I pointed out the inaccuracies in The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the pervasiveness of the misconceptions, if not totally attributable to the book, then at least in part. This is verified by Jacqui who, in 2011, wrote on the Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust website

    “When speaking to teachers I often find raised eyebrows when I explain that butterflies’ larvae do not make cocoons. The teachers refer to Eric Carle’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, where he refers to a ‘cocoon’.”

    Note that Jacqui refers specifically to this book, rather than to sources in general.

    As shown by Jacqui, though, it can be difficult, even for teachers without specialist entomological knowledge, to sort out fact from the fiction.

    These are two pieces of misinformation contained in the story:

    Misinformation 1:

    Caterpillars eat a lot of different food

    Fact

    Most caterpillars are fussy about their diet, some eating only one specific plant, others eating a variety of plant foods.

    Misinformation 2:

    Butterflies come out of a cocoon.

    Fact

    Butterflies emerge from a chrysalis.

    Moths come out of a cocoon.

    Watch these two videos:

    This one by Strang Entertainment shows the caterpillar becoming a chrysalis.

    This one shows a silkworm caterpillar spinning a cocoon (about 2 mins in).

    They are two very different processes.

    However a quick glance at these Google search results shows just how pervasive the misconceptions are:

    Cocoon to butterfly

    butterfly cocoons

    Even seemingly authoritative educational websites misinform. Look at the way these two websites promote themselves, and consider the misinformation they are peddling.

    The website Math & Reading Help

    Maths and Reading Help

    states that The Very Hungry Caterpillar is “factually accurate . . . teaches your child to understand this biological process … a butterfly. . .(is) a caterpillar that has emerged from its cocoon”

    Primary upd8 which promotes itself as “UKs most exciting science resource”

    primary upd8

    also suggests using The Very Hungry Caterpillar for teaching about the life cycle of a butterfly.

    primary upd8 knowledge

    If self-professed “authorities” can’t get it right, how are we laypeople meant to make sense of it. Suggestions like these reinforce the need for the skills of critical analysis to be developed.

    Unlike those above, I contend that this book has no place in the science curriculum. Its greatest value is as a tool for teaching critical literacy.

    When children have learned about the life stages of a butterfly and then listen to The Very Hungry Caterpillar, they are very quick to pounce on the inaccuracies and immediately want to write to the author and tell him of his mistake.

    When told that he already knows and that he isn’t going to change it, as confirmed in an interview reported on the Scholastic website, they are incredulous.

    “Why would he do that?” they ask.

    Why indeed.

    When told that he doesn’t care that it isn’t right, they are indignant.

    But herein lies its value:

    I am able to affirm their learning: they know more than Eric Carle; and, more importantly, I am able to reinforce with them that just because something is in print, doesn’t make it true.

    In addition, it is important for them to realise that misinformation does not occur only in picture books, nor only in this picture book. It is just as common in news media, as shown by this article from Brisbane’s Courier-Mail on December 7 2013

    Butterfly emergingtext for photographs

    Nor is misinformation restricted to caterpillars and butterflies.

    This article, again from the Courier-Mail, on January 26 2014 also contains inaccuracies:

    Deadly thirst for glidersFurry flyers text

    Squirrel gliders don’t fly, and they don’t have wings.

    Suggestions for teachers and parents:

    • point out inaccuracies and inconsistencies
    • encourage children to think about what they are reading and hearing and to evaluate it against what they know
    • support children to verify the source of the information and to check it against other more authoritative/reliable sources
    • help them to recognise that every author has a purpose and to identify that purpose
    • invite children to ask questions about what they are reading and to interrogate the content
    • encourage them to question, question, question.

    As demonstrated by the Google results shown above, there is a good deal of misinformation available, often cleverly disguised as fact. Being able to navigate one’s way through it is a very important skill.

    Eric Carle says “If we can accept giants tied down by dwarfs, genies in bottles, and knights who attack windmills, why can’t a caterpillar (sic) come out of a cocoon?”

    What do you think?

    Do picture book authors have a responsibility for informing their audience? Is a butterfly coming out of a cocoon in the same realm as giants tied down by dwarfs? Would we accept a child hatching out of an egg? What parts of a story should be based in reality and which parts can be imagined?

    “Why can’t a butterfly come out of a cocoon?” asks Eric.

    Well, Eric, they just don’t.

    Please share your thoughts.

  • Reading aloud – sharing stories

    Reading aloud – sharing stories

    I have always loved reading aloud to an audience, be it my own children, a class of children or, more recently, my grandchildren. I love the opportunity to escape into other characters and other worlds. I love to see the expressions on the children’s faces – anticipation, amusement, trepidation, relief, joy.  I love the sounds and rhythms of the language. I love the intricacies of story, poem and information.

    Reading stories aloud to children provides a great opportunity to establish a connection between author, reader and listener, a platform for sharing ideas, thoughts and dreams, an avenue for discussing ethical questions and implications of choices. These discussions may arise spontaneously and be child-initiated, or they may be pre-determined and teacher-lead as in philosophical discussions and bibliotherapy.

    Some parents find reading to their children a chore, something tedious that must be squeezed in around the day’s busyness. I am lucky. I never did.

    Some teachers find it difficult to make time for books in a content-driven classroom; but for me it was always priority.

    boy with books
    http://www.openclipart.org

    Some parents are delighted when their children start reading for it means the daily read-aloud ritual can cease. I never was. Well, I was delighted that they could read, but we kept on reading together.

    I read aloud with my children until they were almost teenagers. The books changed, but the joy of reading and sharing never did. During the teenage, and older, years we continued to discuss and share ideas about books we read and recommendations for reading. We still do: some for ourselves and some for the children, my grandchildren.

    Many of you reading this post take your ability to read and write for granted, as do I. But around the world many children do not have the opportunity to learn literacy skills. According to LitWorld more than 793 million people worldwide remain illiterate. About two-thirds of those are women.

    Like the people at Lit World, I believe that “the right to read and write belongs to all people”.

    I was delighted when I read about World Read Aloud Day on Gail Terp’s blog. I have been following Gail’s blog for a little while now. She titles her blog: “The Best Blog for Kids Who Hate to Read”. She says that one of her top goals is to connect children with books they love and her posts provide recommendations of great books to read to and with children, as well as to be read by children.

    In her post Read Alouds: Supporting Literacy One Book at a Time, Gail suggests 7 reasons for reading (picture books and other books) aloud:

        1. They are fun.
        2. They are motivating.
        3. They are easier to follow.
        4. They often introduce new vocabulary and expressions.
        5. They introduce a variety of writing styles, authors, and illustrators.
        6. They provide an excuse to stay close.
        7. They provide windows to complex subjects and ideas.

    Why not join in reading aloud on World Read Aloud Day this Wednesday, March 5.

    LitWorld, sponsors of the day, urge you to

    “imagine a world where everyone can read . . .”

    “World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology.

    By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their future: that they have the right to read, to write, and to share their words to change the world.”

    owl_books
    http://www.openclipart.org

    How will you celebrate and share World Read Aloud Day?

  • Happy birthday Dr Seuss!

    Happy birthday Dr Seuss!

    Theodor Seuss Geisel: March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991

    Picture1

    Today, March 2nd is the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr Seuss, author of over 40 children’s books.

    While several of the Dr Seuss books were published before I was born, and many others published during my childhood, I have no recollection of meeting them prior to my years as teacher and parent. Fortunately those two roles provided me ample opportunity to catch up on the delights that I had previously missed.

    Green Eggs and Ham

    I even apologised to Dr. Seuss in a previous post for leaning heavily on his book Green Eggs and Ham when writing about my relationship with exercise.  Click on Ode to Exercise to read my poem.

    You could celebrate his birthday by checking out the fun stuff and information on his author site seussville.com

    or pop over to Gail Terp’s Best Blog for Kids Who Hate to Read for lots of other suggestions:

    Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s Birthday with Books

    Dr. Seuss The Perfect Source for Literacy!

    Fun Dr Seuss games for the whole family

    How have the books of Dr. Seuss influenced your life?

    I invite you to share your thoughts.

  • “You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you.” (Rita Pierson)

    Affirmation, encouragement, praise . . .  

    “You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you.”

    Recently I came across this great TED talk by Rita Pierson “Every kid needs a champion”.

    Rita’s entire life centred around education. Her parents and her mother’s parents were teachers, and she was a teacher.

    She observed numerous teachers at work – some of the best and some of the worst – and believed that relationships are the key to learning.

    She said that

     “kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.”

    Rita spoke about having classes of students whose academic level was so low she wondered how she could “raise the self-esteem of a child and his academic achievement at the same time”.

    One year she told her students

    “You were chosen to be in my class because I am the best teacher and you are the best students, they put us together so we could show everybody else how to do it.”

    Affirmation, encouragement, praise . . .

    She talked about giving a student a +2 with a smiley face for getting 2 out 20 questions correct. She encouraged the student by saying

    “you’re on a roll . . . and when we review this, won’t you do better?”

    The student agreed “I can do better”.

    Affirmation, encouragement, praise . . .

    Rita told of her mother’s past students expressing their gratitude for the difference she made in their lives, saying

    “You made me feel like I was somebody, when I knew, at the bottom, I wasn’t. And I want you to just see what I’ve become.”

    Affirmation, encouragement, praise . . .

    She tells us that teachers won’t always like all the children they teach, but it’s important that the children never know it. Acting is part of the role description!

    She says that

    “Teaching and learning should bring joy. How powerful would our world be if we had kids who were not afraid to take risks, who were not afraid to think, and who had a champion? Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.”

    Affirmation, encouragement, praise . . .  

    Go ahead and listen to this inspirational talk. It will take less than 8 minutes listening time but its effect will be more lasting. It has already had more than 2 600 000 views. Why not add one more to the total. I’m certain you won’t regret it.

    I can find nothing to dispute in Rita’s talk. I’d like to underline every word and make it compulsory viewing for all aspiring and practising educators in any field.

    Affirmation, encouragement, praise . . .  helpful or harmful?

    What do you think?  Please share your thoughts below.

    Refer to these previous posts for discussions on self-esteem, affirmations and praise:

    Happy being me

    Affirmations: How good are they?

    Seeking praise – Stephen Grosz revisited

    Examining praise: Stephen Grosz – the third instalment (guest post by Anne Goodwin)

    I came across this talk on a great educational website edutopia. It was included in a Five-Minute Film Festival: Videos on Kindness, Empathy, and Connection. Check the others out. You may find something else to inspire you.

    Sadly Rita Pierson passed away in June 2013. I’m grateful that we may continue to share the strength of her wisdom through her appearance with TED.

    Click here to find out more about Rita and to read a tribute posted by Tedstaff.

    “You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you.” (Rita Pierson)

    Let’s make sure it’s the good stuff that learners everywhere are hearing!

  • Seeking praise – Stephen Grosz revisited

    Praise may be defined as an expression of approval or admiration.

    Who wouldn’t want that?

    If you write a blog, don’t you love it when others “like” a post, leave a positive comment, re-blog your article or link to it via theirs? I do. Aren’t these all expressions of approval or admiration?

    What about on Twitter when someone Re-tweets, favourites or replies positively to your comment, engaging you in conversation?

    Aren’t these also expressions of approval or admiration?

    I love to receive all these signs of encouragement and support that let me know that my efforts are appreciated and confirm that I am on the right track. If I did not receive any of this feedback I would feel quite isolated and consider my efforts to be fruitless and a waste of time. I would probably just give up.

    As a teacher I have always considered it of primary importance to create a happy and welcoming classroom environment in which children feel valued, affirmed and supported. Expressions of approval and admiration for behaviour, effort and achievement were generously given with the aim of encouraging the desired response, a happy child being foremost. I have written about this in previous posts, including:

    Happy being me

    Affirmations: How good are they?

    As a parent too I considered it important to affirm my children and display my approval and admiration for them. I still do, even now they are adults. The need for approval never ends. I know sometimes you just have to go out there and say what you know is right, even though others will disagree or ridicule you. I am not talking about those instances here.

    My strong belief in the power of affirmations and approval stems partly from the dearth of them in my childhood and school days. I have also mentioned this in a previous post: 

    Mouthing the words – the golem effect

    Recently I listened to a fabulous (audio)book, “The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves” by Stephen Grosz. I wrote about it in my previous post A book worth reading: Stephen Grosz “The Examined Life” saying that

    “What appeals to a reader about a book, or what a reader takes away from a book is as individual and personal as the reader. What is of most significant to one, may be of lesser importance, or even insignificant to another. “

    For me the chapter of most significance is chapter 3 “How praise can cause a loss of competence”.

    To say I was startled by the title would be an understatement. I was puzzled, intrigued and challenged. How could praise cause a loss of competence? Surely negative feedback or a lack of encouragement altogether would be major contributors to diminishing competence. Was everything I had believed and practiced wrong? (Oh no –there’s my need for approval and affirmation!)

    Grosz says that during the past decade studies into self-esteem have found that praising a child as “clever” may not only inhibit school achievement, it may cause under performance. He suggests children may react to praise by quitting. Why would you try to improve or do something new if you have already done something really well or are the “best”?

    Studies showed that children who were praised for effort, rather than for being clever, were more willing to try new approaches and were more resilient. Children who were praised for being clever, tended to worry more about failure and chose unchallenging tasks, tasks they knew they could achieve or had already achieved. Being told they were clever led to a loss in self-esteem and motivation and to increased anxiety. Some children who had been praised for being clever (rather than working hard), when confronted with a more difficult task and asked to comment on it, were so unhappy with the results they lied about them, exaggerating their achievements to others.

    Grosz questions whether we may lavish praise on our children nowadays in order to demonstrate that we are different from our parents who possibly used criticism, rather than praise, on us. I hinted at something similar earlier in this article.

    While admiring our children with words like “Good boy” or “Good girl” may temporarily lift our self-esteem by showing others what wonderful parents we are or how wonderful our children are, Grosz says, it isn’t doing much for a child’s sense of self. He says that in trying to be different from our parents we end up doing the same thing: doling out empty praise where an earlier generation doled out thoughtless criticism.

    Grosz says that if we offer this empty praise without thinking about the child’s individuality and needs we are effectively showing the child indifference.

    So what do we do?

    I think the emphasis here is on the empty praise. I think support, encouragement and positive feedback are all essential. Sure, knowing in yourself that you have done well is fine but a little recognition certainly helps too. I think the difference is in recognizing what has been achieved, the learning or progress made, and the effort it took, the message communicated in a story or painting and the techniques used; not a hollow “Well done”, “Good work” or “Good boy” but “Tell be about . . .”, “Why do you think that?” “How did you work it out?” “I like the way you . . .”

    As Grosz says, this is being attentive to the child, to what the child has done and how it has been done.

    To read more on this topic:

    Sian Griffiths interviewed Stephen Grosz and reported on the interview in the article “Praise her . . . and see her fail” which adds even more clarity to my precis above.

    Maria Popova delves into the messages of this same chapter in her article “Presence, Not Praise: How to Cultivate a Healthy Relationship with Achievement”

    Being attentive, being present, being really with someone, noticing what they have done and how they have done it – is it more precious than praise?

    In these days of constant distractions and must-dos to put all aside to be in the present with the child, friend or partner to talk, listen share and laugh, what better affirmation is there than that?

    What do you think?

    How has praise encouraged or discouraged you?   When has criticism hindered you?

    I’d love to hear your thoughts.

  • Must read: Neil Gaiman – “Reading and obligation”

    When I first stepped, rather tentatively, into the world of blogging and tweeting I had no idea of the pleasures I would find. I found a whole community of others who share my passion for education, learning, literacy and writing. I found a comfortable niche, discussion group, and a place for sharing ideas like I hadn’t for a long time. I’ve “come home” on the internet.

    In these few short months I have come across some bloggers with very powerful messages that I wish everyone could read and act upon in the ways described. What a wonderful world we would have!

    Over the coming months I will let you know about some  articles I consider  ‘must reads’.

    Please let me know of others you think I should also be reading!

    Thanks for sharing and supporting me on my learning journey thus far.

    The story has just begun!

    This first in the series is a lecture given by Neil Gaiman entitled “Reading and obligation”

    Neil Gaiman lecture in full: Reading and obligation

    Neil captivates me with his opening statement:

    “It’s important for people to tell you what side they are on and why, and whether they might be biased.”

    If you have read any other articles on my blog, you will know that I am biased; biased towards a child-centered, hands-on, creative and innovative approach to education. I believe that children are capable of far more than a structured didactic approach to schooling gives them credit for; and that big changes in the way education is delivered are necessary if we are to make best use of our most valuable resource – human potential.

    As a reader, writer and literacy educator I am biased towards approaches which foster a love of reading and writing. The pleasures to be gained from a literate existence are immeasurable. But more than that, being literate is not only personally empowering, it is a basic human right.

    Obviously the articles on my must read list will be those that share my biases.

    Please follow the link to watch the video or read the complete transcript of Neil’s lecture.

    I offer a few teasers below to incite your interest.

    “everything changes when we read”

    Wow! How powerful is that statement!

    “The simplest way to make sure that we raise literate children is to teach them to read, and to show them that reading is a pleasurable activity. And that means, at its simplest, finding books that they enjoy giving them access to those books and letting them read them.”

    “Fiction has two uses. Firstly, it’s a gateway drug to reading. . .

    And the second thing fiction does is to build empathy.”

    “Fiction can show you a different world. It can take you somewhere you’ve never been. Once you’ve visited other worlds, like those who ate fairy fruit, you can never be entirely content with the world that you grew up in. Discontent is a good thing: people can modify and improve their worlds, leave them better, leave them different.”

    Don’t you love that last statement? I do. If we are always “happy” with the way things are, why would we ever try to improve or change them? A little discontent can be a good thing!

    “We need to read and write, we need global citizens who can read comfortably, comprehend what they are reading, understand nuance, and make themselves understood.”

    Neil goes on to talk about our obligations as readers, writers and citizens of the world.

    He lists the following (read or listen for his explanation)

    • Read for pleasure
    • Support libraries
    • Read aloud to our children
    • To use the language
    • We writers – and especially writers for children, but all writers – have an obligation to our readers: it’s the obligation to write true things, especially important when we are creating tales of people who do not exist in places that never were – to understand that truth is not in what happens but what it tells us about who we are. Fiction is the lie that tells the truth (underlining is mine)
    • not to bore our readers
    • not to preach, not to lecture, not to force 
    • never, ever, under any circumstances, to write anything for children to read that we would not want to read ourselves.
    • to understand and to acknowledge that as writers for children we are doing important work,
    • to daydream We have an obligation to imagine. . . . individuals change their world over and over, individuals make the future, and they do it by imagining that things can be different.
    • to make things beautiful.
    • to tell our politicians what we want

    Neil reminds us that

    “Albert Einstein was asked once how we could make our children intelligent. His reply was both simple and wise.

    “If you want your children to be intelligent,” he said, “read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.“

    I couldn’t agree more.

    What about you? What do you think of Neil’s list of obligations? Are there any you would omit, or any you would add?

  • Mouthing the words – the golem effect

    Mouthing the words – the golem effect

    Singing is a wonderful gift. To be able to entertain oneself and others with no instrument other than one’s voice must give enormous pleasure.

    But I can only imagine the joy it must bring, for I am no singer.

    When I was at school and we were all lined up and squished in on the stairs performing for parents in our end-of-year concerts, I was told to mouth the words.

    www.openclipart.org
    http://www.openclipart.org

    Unlike the recommendation in the song written by Joe Raposo for Sesame Street and made famous by the Carpenters “Sing a Song”

    “Don´t worry that it´s not good enough for anyone else to hear.
    Just sing.
    Sing a song.”

    I was told to not sing, for it was not good enough for anyone else to hear. I accepted the verdict without question, as was expected of us at school, and mouthed the words.

    Of course, my school days were long over before Joe wrote his wonderful song, and maybe no one since then has been subjected to the same humiliation.

    Over the years various family members and friends have tried to be encouraging but their words have seemed hollow, for I “knew” the truth to be otherwise. One family member even told me that, when I “sang” nursery rhymes, I sounded just like Patsy Biscoe. But that’s not true. Patsy has a beautiful voice. You can listen to her here.

    Sometimes it is difficult to not sing along for music is so inviting, often almost demanding that one join in.

    In an early childhood classroom, music is a very important part of the day; and as an early childhood teacher, I incorporate music and singing into the program, always at the beginning and end of the day, and many times in between. I have blogged about this before here and here.

    Fortunately for me, and the students, music is so readily available on CD or the internet, that finding songs for the children to sing along with is no longer a problem.  I apologise here to all the students who have had to suffer my joining in and “singing” along with them though, when I couldn’t resist the temptation. I must admit that none of them ever complained when I joined in. But I have no idea what they went home and told their parents either!

    I believe strongly in the power of positive encouragement to improve children’s self-esteem, confidence, willingness to have a go, and learning outcomes.

    I also know that a negative attitude encourages children to have a negative attitude towards themselves and their abilities, decreases self-esteem, erodes confidence and creates anxiety and a fear of trying new things or of having a go.

    According to Wikipedia

    “The Pygmalion effect, or Rosenthal effect, is the phenomenon in which the greater the expectation placed upon people, the better they perform. The effect is named after the greek myth of Pygmalion.

    A corollary of the Pygmalion effect is the golem effect, in which low expectations lead to a decrease in performance. The Pygmalion effect and the golem effect are forms of self-fulfilling prophecy. People will take the belief they have of themselves (negative in this case) and attribute traits of the belief with themselves and their work. This will lead them to perform closer to these expectations that they set for themselves. Within sociology, the effect is often cited with regard to education and social class.”

    Surprisingly I had never thought of this in relation to my singing disability, until recently.

    Engaged in a Twitter discussion with Anne Goodwin (@Annecdotist) and Caroline Lodge (@lodge_c) I mentioned that I listen to audiobooks on my drive to work. Anne replied that she listens to music on long journeys, trying to “fix choral music in my head”.

    I replied, innocently enough, I thought:

    1

    To which they both responded with the type of “encouragement” I had heard many times before “Give it a go. Everyone can sing.”

    So I told them about being told to mouth the words, and I was both surprised and challenged by their responses:

    2

    3

    4

    I had never thought of my singing disability as a learned disability. I had always thought of it being a physiology issue and, later, perhaps a hearing issue.

    I am not very good at mimicking vocal (other than speech) sounds, or at identifying which note, of two given notes, is the higher or lower. I did enrol in a brain training program which included aural exercises involving recognition of higher or lower pitch. While I did make some improvement, my scores weren’t high (I could tell that high/low difference).

    The comments of Anne and Caroline made me think about this:

    What came first: the singing disability or the disability teaching?

    Could I have learned, if given the opportunity, to sing a least a few bars in tune? Could I still be taught?

    It has sometimes crossed my mind that singing lessons could be an interesting experiment.

    Anne and Caroline are both encouraging, and Caroline commented:

    6

    I do love music and perhaps, one day, I will go for it and find out the truth about my singing ability.

    Perhaps I will learn to sing and fulfill the dream “to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony”.

    But for now, the experiment will have to wait, I have other things to learn.

    What do you think?

    Do you consider yourself a singer?

    Can everyone learn to sing?

    Is it a human right?

    Could my singing ability really be a “golem effect”?

    What disability have you learned, if any?

    As a parent or teacher, how do you ensure your children do not suffer from a learned disability?

    You can read more from Anne or Caroline by clicking on their names.