December 2011 Issue

ECEBC Caledonia Branch Executive

Chair PersonChristine Jackson

Co-Chair PersonCheryl Emerson

TreasurerMegan Larsen Brooks

SecretaryRobyn Brianne Dodd

MembershipsTammy Christie

Social CommitteeGrace YuLyndsay Ruth

Newsletter/Web page|Ann Marie Leung

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Happy Winterish Days!

Remember to check out our website often for changes and upcoming events!

Our website’s address is: http://ecebccaledoniabranch.weebly.comIt is updated regularly, so check it out and check it often!

Navigate through the Newsletter with ease:

Page 1 Website link

Page 3 Upcoming Meeting

Pages 4-20 News - Images of Learning Project

Pages 21-22 News- Rough and Tumble Play

Pages 23-34 Rough and Tumble Play Article

Pages 35-37 Events

Page 38 Humour

Page 39 Debbie MacNeil’s message

Page 40 Membership Corner

Page 41-43 Resources

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Upcoming Meeting

NEXT MEETING: SAVE THE DATE!

Tuesday, May 22nd

POTLUCK Dinner…bring a dish, bring a chair, and bring a friend!

Help us welcome the CNC ECE students into the field.

Fun and games, a little business and a new location!

Lyndsay will be hosting this meeting in her backyard! Time and address will be sent via email at a later date.

News – Images of Learning Project

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“Claiming My Voice” Communities of Innovation and Leadership Project Presented a free workshop called “Enriching Your Practice with Pedagogical Narration & Reflective Practice and Rethinking Environments” on February 11th. Check out our ECEBC website for more photos of the event!

News – Images of Learning Project

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We were featured on the Images of Learning Project’s website too…here is what they had to say about that day:

http://imagesoflearningproject.com/info/prince-george

Prince George

By Danielle, on February 17th, 2012

 This past weekend Kim and I traveled to Prince George. It was a fantastic trip and we were so well taken care of by the ECE community there. They drove us around, arranged for dinner plans and took us shopping for supplies our presentation.

We were thrilled to have dinner with members of the 2011 Leadership cohort Meaghan and Lyndsay. We were excited to hear how their project was going. They shared where they were at with their project, what successes they have had, what challenges they faced and their next steps. Kim and I shared some stories of our own learning with building the exhibit and things we learned through our journey with the Leadership Initiatives.

The following day Lyndsay was kind enough to pick us up from our hotel and drive us to the venue where we would facilitate workshops for the day. We busily

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got to work putting together provocations for the Educators participating in the days workshops.

(PHOTO: provocations and materials that greeted educators. These were all purchased at a dollar store in their community. Again things we found at the dollar store. I would love to see these materials on a projector.)

We presented our workshop Images of Learning Project: Using Pedagogical Narrations and Reflective Practice to enrich your practice. Participants engaged in lively dialogue about rules, ordinary moments and loose parts. The dialogue continued into lunch as we sat with the lovely Educators of Prince George and shared stories from the floor.

The afternoon we focused on Materials and environments. We challenged the participants to a “Play Fire Challenge” We gave groups of four five minutes to create an invitation for the children. It was fun watching them create these wonderful provocations.

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Educators rushing to materials table.

 

Putting together a provocation.

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Beautiful provocations were created as you can see. Wonderful dialogue occured and plans for the future were made. We had such a great time with the educators of Prince George and we hope that we are able to go back soon.

A big thank you to Christine and Cheryl for taking such good care of us and for inviting us into their community.

Danielle Davis

Danielle is an Early Childhood Educator, blogger, self-admitted ECE geek, Mother and project coordinator for The Images of Learning Project. These days she juggles emails, conference calls and blogging with diaper changes and chasing one year olds. She looks forward to the day where she can once again finish her morning coffee.

http://imagesoflearningproject.com/info/

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News – Images of Learning Project

What others thought about the day:

Pedagogical Narration and Images of Design by Sarah Wedel

Think about one rule that you have in your classroom. Why is that rule there? What would happen if you took out that rule? Is that rule necessary? These are some questions I am pondering since I attended two workshops presented by Kim Atkinson and Danielle Davis- Pedagogical Narration and Reflective Practice and Rethinking Environments.

One topic that spoke to me was that of centre rules. They spoke about how we should think about who the rule is there for. Is the rule in place so that we feel comfortable? Or, is it there for the children or the parents? This interested me because I always thought, these are the rules and we are going to follow them. I did not really think about whom they were there for or what would happen if we took them away. What is the worst that would happen if you took away the rule that children can only go down the slide? Sure there might be a couple collisions or slips, but the world will not end. If you take away the rules that are not necessary then it makes it so you do not have to be policing the children all of the time.

Another topic was that of equipment and supply catalogues. Kim and Danielle suggested we put them away and go to our local dollar stores! There are so many interesting and inexpensive materials that we can purchase from the dollar store to make a provocation for the children. After the workshop I observed children at a provocation table created from material purchased at the dollar store. The children seemed to really enjoy the experience. They were at the table for over forty- five minutes manipulating and creating the materials in ways that I would never have thought of. I was so excited that they reminded me that we don’t need to buy expensive materials out of a catalogue for the children to have a rich learning experience.

Kim and Danielle also spoke about how we should think about children as creators of culture right now instead of thinking of them as future culture citizens.

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Meaning that instead of trying to get our children ready to be creators of culture in the future we should realize that they already are creators of culture. Children have many thoughts and ideas but often they are not heard because we do not realize how smart and capable they are. That is something that made me think YES! I’ve never thought about that before! I learned so many things from this workshop and had many affirmations for what I have learned in the Early Childhood Education program thus far.

I had an amazing time at this workshop and highly recommend that if you have a chance to attend one of Kim and Danielle’s workshops that you go! They had great information and were very easy to listen to. It was a great learning experience for me!

News – Images of Learning Project

What others thought about the day:

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This was an amazing day, with great reminders to put away the expensive catalogs we drool over and get real stuff available from our local dollar store to give children real life experiences.

Pedagogical narrations are not the scary antidotal we all say we don't have time for but ordinary observations that we all see on a day to day basis. they make our job more interesting and make us more aware of why most of us do find the learning of childhood a wondrous thing every day.

If you weren't at the workshops you missed out on a fun day with inspiring information and even free stuff to put the wonder and excitement back in your centre. A big thank you to Kim and Danielle for sharing with us. also thank you to the girls who arranged for this quality workshop for us.

Kathy ReedOutreach Strong Start Facilitator SD57

News – Images of Learning Project

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What others thought about the day:Images of Learning Workshop

After attending the Pedagogical Narration workshop by Kim Atkinson and Danielle Davis I became very excited about provocations and the use of simple, natural, open-ended materials. The ladies shared their experience with these materials and gave us a CD of photos that encapsulated natural, warm, creative environments inspired by Reggio Emilia.

Later at my practicum placement my mentor and I went through the photos. We discussed which ideas we had already put into place at the centre and which ones we would like to use. The workshop and photos provoked a change in the gym area and the playroom. In the gym we created an inviting space using silks, pillows, sheets, a full length mirror, and a wood climber. We used beige and white sheets to cover the primary coloured mats in the gym. We also changed the toys in our play area exchanging multi-coloured close ended materials with bits of willow tree, a doll tree house, small birds, tree stump circles, forest animal finger puppets, seashells, and mirrors. Proud of our work we took many pictures of the spaces as well as dragged passing co-workers in to see our creation. Thankfully they are a lovely group who was very pleased to give us nothing but positive feedback.

The workshop threw fuel on our already fiery imaginations pushing us to spread our ideas throughout the centre and curriculum. Having shared the workshop with my mentor enabled us to share a common experience that we could later collaborate on and compare notes. The idea of attending workshops together is exciting because of the change in dynamics. We get to know each other outside of the centre in a relaxed setting and sparks endless conversation of the new knowledge.

Danielle and Kim presented their ideas and materials wonderfully by presenting physical material for us to explore and discuss. I appreciate the time they took to come up from their warm and green home in Victoria to our frosty wonderland in Prince George.

I hope to see them here again and would love to attend their workshop among others with my mentor, and would encourage future students to do the same.

Cheers,

Shelley-Anne Bengert, ECE Student.

News – Images of Learning Project

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What others thought about the day:

Images of Learning/Environment Workshop

In the month of February we had the pleasure of welcoming Danielle Davis and Kim Atkinson, members of the first leadership cohort, to our community to do a full day workshop on the Images of Learning project as well as an afternoon session on environments. We were able to have a wonderful dinner with them the night before as they shared their experiences with the leadership initiative and where they were at now. We were able to ask questions and engaged in some meaningful discussions as to where we saw our community project going. The workshops were informative, interactive, practical, and fun!

Here are some photos and captions to capture some of my learning from the weekend

I realized that as child care programs we are often engaging in very meaningful conversation on a daily basis with the children that lead to emergent curriculum planning. The problem for me has always been that I recognize this way later in the process. The workshop was a great reminder to me to remember to engage in this process earlier to ensure to capture and share the entire story.

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A child’s chocolate almond which they indicated looked like a moose poop. This emerged into a great conversation on where to find moose poop and a potential fieldtrip to a moose poop area in the future.

Materials can be used in many ways. For example, turning a shelf over such as the one in this picture provides a new play space that is inviting and at the children’s level.

Natural materials can be inviting and generally an inexpensive way to make your environment feel more like home.

In our centre we have had many discussions on the “Image of the child,” and what they are capable of. It has open to door to letting go of some of the “rules” that we have and we have looked at the amount of rules/limits that we sometimes

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In setting up these provocations we noticed that the children have been more creative, imaginative and open to hearing each other’s ideas on how the materials could be used.

In less than a half hour these tubes were utilized in over 15 different ways all around our classroom

unknowingly or subconsciously place on children. This workshop has also tied in nicely with a recent “Rough and Tumble” play workshop presented in our community. I am excited to see changes starting in our own centre as well as conversations happening in the community as a result of this workshop.

Thank you Danielle and Kim we hope that you will be able to share your passion, enthusiasm and knowledge of Early Childhood Education in our community again.

Also a special thanks to Christine Jackson, Cheryl Emerson, and the rest of the Communities of Innovation Leadership team for making this workshop possible.

~ Lyndsay Spencer

News – Images of Learning Project

What others thought about the day:

“Whenever I attend a refreshing workshop like this one, I feel regret for those who did not attend. Pedagogical narrations are those everyday moments that we capture and use to plan emergent curriculum. I have been inspired to add more everyday things to my

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centre that promote authentic real life play and my plan it to tone down the bright colours with a more natural looking palette, reflective of a child’s home, and lessen the harsh fluorescent lighting in the classroom.

It was reassuring to know that changes do not happen overnight, but are an ongoing process, so we don’t need to feel stressed out, but instead create a plan over a period of years to create these appealing environments.

I appreciated the dollar store items and am looking forward to see what the children do with the items I took away with me.

Thank you to the organizers of this event. It was one of the best workshops I have attended in years!” ~Betty Cavanaugh

News – Images of Learning Project

What others thought about the day:

“I was so glad that I was able to attend the afternoon workshop! I immediately felt welcomed into the room with the displays that were set up on the tables - so inviting! I took my few chosen pieces to work on Monday and set up a little area on my desk Now my desk is inviting! And welcoming!!! Thank you so much

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for organizing this. I am already seeing evidence of this learning in some of the centres that I have been visiting this week, pretty exciting!!!!”

~ Laurel Patterson

News – Images of Learning Project

What others thought about the day:

“This workshop was FANTASTIC!! I love the passion Kim and Danielle have for their work and their ideas are wonderful. The afternoon session gave me some great ideas on a vision I have been working on in my head. I went straight to the dollar store after the workshop to pick up a few items to add to my provocations collection. I set up a

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Valentine provocation the next day at preschool which the children seem to be enjoying. Thank you to all who put the workshop together”

~ Melanie Schroeder

News – Rough and Tumble Play Workshop

 

My name is Carrie Smiley and I am taking my Early Childhood Education through

the College of New Caledonia. On February 18, 2012 I attended Michelle

Tannock’s workshop on “Young Children’s Rough and Tumble Play,” and

“Promoting Kindness in Young Children.” I thoroughly enjoyed this workshop. I

left feeling energized and motivated. Being in a field that is dominated mainly by

women it was eye opening to hear Michelle talk about how educators often shut

down rough and tumble play; not for the children but for our own comfort levels.

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It really hit home for me when Michelle talked about “Dude Compassion.” This

refers to the way a man shows compassion compared to the way a woman shows

compassion. A woman goes to extremes to be compassionate, but for men it is

much simpler; and may not even look like compassion to women. It got me to

thinking about our classrooms; countless times I have seen educators (including

myself) expect a young boy to follow through. Maybe that is not what the boy

needs or how he shows compassion. I’m left wondering how we make sure that

everyone is compassionate within their own comfort levels but still have the

follow through and closure needed for some individuals. I was interested that

rough and tumble play is a dad’s sport, and that even if mothers rough and

tumble play with their child it will never be the same as a male playing rough and

tumbling with the children. Michelle also introduced the Kind Intentions Program

(KIP) which encourages children to see the kindness in others. I was motivated by

this idea, and am presenting a project with my class of adults to see how it works

with an older demographic. I am interested to find out if the adults will have the

same drive the children did or if it will take more encouragement for them to

follow through with the activity. Michelle talked about the tried and true method

of space versus place. Recalling my fondest childhood memories, they were all

outdoors; I want today’s children to have similar fond memories created within

their natural environment. I think as educators we really need to focus on the

benefits of the child and how we can pull them away from their technological

lives, even for a few hours.

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Rough and Tumble Play

From Policing to Participation: Overturning the Rules and Creating Amiable Classrooms Carol Anne Wien Four early childhood educators and two professors took part in the discussions that form the basis for this article: Karyn Callaghan, Bobbie Jo Gramigna, Brenda Gardiner, Laurie Jeandron, and Melita Veinotte. This article was published in the January 2004 issue of Young Children, the journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (Vol 59, No 1, pp 34 - 40).

We were playing outside after a rainy day, and there was a huge mud puddle the size of a large table and of course a rule about no playing in the mud. Children get dirty. The children played around the perimeter of the puddle, digging with shovels

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and throwing rocks in and watching them splash. Then some started tapping their toes in the water. Wethought, Well that’s okay, they’re wearing boots.. Then they were up to their ankles in water. We were really hesitant, but thought, What’s the big deal? It’s only mud... But then we were anxious: .They are going to be really dirty, what will the parents say?Before we knew it, they were jumping off the bench into the mud puddle, tumbling over each other. They were covered in mud. We were all standing back, kind of white knuckling it and thinking, .Oh should we let them?. We decided yes, and went to get the camera.How did the staff of three child care centers transform their work lives from continuous policing and correction of young children to a pedagogy in which they and the children participate together in constructing richly lived events? How were they able to let children engage in such wild activities as playing in a fresh mud puddle? Their experience shows that,contrary to common sense, aggression, accidents, and the stress of constantly enforcing rules are all reduced and transformed when many rules are eliminated by staff in a collaborative process.The process of re-examining and then removing multiple rules for children’s behavior permitted fuller participation in the life of the centers and led to an overall transformation of power relationships: both teachers and children gained more power to affect what happened in the programs. While re-examining the rules was not the only thoughtful process undertaken bythe teachers, it seemed to be especially powerful in opening up practice toward more expansive living. Simultaneously, teachers re-examined the physical environment (organization of time and space) and the ways these contributed to a stressful atmosphere that generated aggression. AsKaryn Callaghan comments, .The whole question of letting go of power just flies in the face of [established] practice..

The children and families served

The three centers are all non-profit sites --- one with 63 children on a university campus, one (42 children) in a workplace setting, and the other (32 children) in a high school. In the latter eight children have special needs and another 16 are considered to have general developmentaldelays. All three centers are inclusive settings with resource-teacher consultants for children with special needs. Staff are qualified early childhood educators, and the centers accept early 2 childhood education students in practicum placements. As an example of diversity, in one center

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40 percent of the families served use English as a second language in their homes, with 10 percent being newly arrived immigrants. Cultures and languages of the families include Mandarin and its dialects, as well as Spanish and Portuguese. The centers serve many single parentfamilies and families with two parents on shift work.

Established practice in the centers

In all three centers the established, conventional practice was rule based, yet staff felt they had few rules and no problems as a result. Safety for young children was the highest priority, with rules often designed to prevent harm to children. However, in creating the rules the educators did not consider the possibility that harm might come to the children and teachers in other ways as a consequence of these rules. Callaghan noted, .Safety, you can justify any rule with safety..Another justification was government requirements, that is, the authority of the official regulating body. Sometimes these regulations were real; sometimes they were assumed to exist by the teachers but in fact did not. Teacher anxiety over responsibility for young children’s lives is clear. Rules proliferated out of fear for the safety of their young and vulnerable charges.Bobbie-Jo described how her center had been .very structured.. For example, .we had pictures of three faces defining how many children were permitted in a location, and children were not allowed to take toys [from one play area to another]." Brenda, at another center, said, You always had to go down the slide feet first, and you always had to sit up going down theslide." Laurie noted that in the center serving many children with special needs, staff were stopping things from happening all day long... For instance, only four children were allowed in the water play area, so any additional children who tried to join the play would be redirected toanother activity.With tightly defined spaces for every activity, teachers acted as traffic officers, directing children to available spots. The time segments for activities were brief, play spaces rigorously defined, and play areas small and tight. In one center, for instance, two separate playrooms each had precisely the same interest areas, all of them small.To give an idea of the tone at the centers during their rule-governed regimes, here is a partial list of what children could and could not do. One center discovered they had 26 rules for outdoor play, including this sampling:No swinging from the slide.No crashing riding toys.Only run in one direction.

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No sitting on balls.No using big brooms.No banging on shed.No licking the door.Another center found that it had many indoor rules, including such specifics as the order for eating lunch items, and other rules such as:No blowing on food.No other toys used with play dough.No toys traveling around the room from area to area.Sit in the same seat for lunch every day.When I asked the educators to define a rule in such practice, Melita said:"Something necessary to keep control.""And control is conceived as?"Several teachers responded, "Children obeying, children doing as they are told."Brenda added, "It was a comfort for teachers to know there was a rule in place and everything would run smoothly.""Ah, you believed that this control would in fact work! [chorus of yes] But in fact it didn’t, because people were policing all the time!"The amount of energy teachers spent on enforcing the rules to govern the children was immense and highly stressful. Laurie said, .The energy the staff were expending on policing the center, redirecting children, and giving time-out was just so draining.. She described the block area at her center:Children would go in, and things would start flying, blocks would get knocked over, kids would get pushed, and there would be yelling and screaming. Half the time you would not want the block center open because you couldn.t deal with it. It was so loud. That whole half of the room would get really crazy. The noise level would go up, and then children would start bouncing off each other and teachers would start pulling out their hair. You could make a comedy movie of it.

Reexamining the rules

How did changes to practice begin? Callaghan offered workshops for the early childhood community in which the match between values and practices was challenged. Influenced by interpretations of the Reggio Emilia approach (Malaguzzi 1996; Cadwell 1997; Hendrick 1997;Edwards, Gandini, & Forman 1998), she invited teachers to explore their images of children, and she gently questioned some scenarios observed in the community, such asChildren told what position to lie in on their sleep cots.No toys allowed from home.

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Weekly themes planned for the entire year without considering children’s interests.Callaghan asked, .If we believe that children are unique and to be respected, and yet are making children finish all the food on their plates before they get to have a drink, or there are designated times when they can go to the washroom, then what must the view really be?. The notion of a regulated child forced to follow prescribed institutional scripts for living had not occurred to those attending the workshop.The invitation to consider the contrast between the rule-based scenarios seen in their centers and the lovely images of children to which the teachers gave lip service prompted Bobbie Jo to challenge teachers at her center to rethink their rules. This process was difficult. When they tried to discuss their rules as a group, individuals reacted so strongly to one another’s rules, laughing and making faces, that they had to make a rule not to be judgmental about rules. The teachers described so many rules that the group could not deal with all of them in one session.A decision to have a second meeting with a focus on one area only…outdoor play allowed the staff to note 26 teacher-generated rules for children’s play. This was many more than they thought they had, but these rules had never been written down. Bobbie Jo noted, Individually we had only a few rules, but when you put all those rules together, for a child therewere a lot of different rules because staff had different expectations." Collaboratively, the teachers decided on three criteria for a rule: Did [the behavior targeted by the rule] harm the child? Did it harm others? Did it damage property? With the criteria in mind, the group began to examine the rules. Someone noticed that play areas were closed when parents picked up children. Did this rule meet the criteria? No. The teachers asked,So why do we have that area closed?Applying the criteria to their rules opened up a process of discarding rules. On the outdoor playground, for example, the 26 rules were reduced to five:Riding toys stay off the climber.Riding toys are for riding.Sand in the sandbox.Safe bike riding.Hockey sticks stay down.Bobbie Jo provided an example of the process of questioning that could lead to rule reduction. One day a child brought in a new action figure and told Bobbie Jo about it. A teacher interrupted, saying:That needs to go in his cubby..Wait a minute. Why?Because it’s not his show-and-tell day..

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Let’s put this in adult perspective. Suppose on the weekend you got engaged. You come in with your engagement ring and want to show everybody, and I say to you, .Whoa, whoa, it.s not your day. But you can put that in your locker... It’s the same thing..OK, he can keep it in here [the class], as long as he shares it with everybody.I can go along with that as long as I can have a turn with your jewelry when you’re done."Bobbie Jo argued that there are many toys to share in centers but .not everything is for sharing. If it’s not OK for me to borrow another adult’s jewelry, watch, or sweater, I don’t think it’s OK for us to expect children to share their things."Teachers worried that welcoming play materials from home would not work, and they called Bobbie Jo to come and see how upset children were the first few times such toys were brought into class. Gradually, it became easier to permit items from home to be part of classroom life. Melita said, It really reduced stress. You are not in power struggles with children. Brenda added that .parents really appreciate it too, not having to struggle over telling a child to leave a precious item behind. Children’s self-investment in their belongings shows an attachment to their identity and separating from something that contributes to identity is emotionally difficult.Two months after the initial workshop, Bobbie Jo, the first to stimulate a re-examination of rules in her center, presented the experience at a local teacher network meeting. After handing out a list of new and reduced rules, Bobbie Jo said, .They thought it was completely crazy: Theysaid, .I would like to see you come and do that at our center!.. Removing rules seemed counterintuitive.Laurie said of her center, .We started to abandon the rules and then understood their impact on both children and teachers. We had been dealing with .behavior on a regular basis.We were stopping things from happening all day long. We asked ourselves, Why are we doing this? Why are only four children allowed in water play? How is that promoting children’s development?"The teachers began allowing as many children as wished to come to the water play area, and found that the focus of the teachers became one of negotiating and developing children’s social skills for entering play. The teachers made the water table more accessible, pulling it awayfrom the wall so children could crowd all around it. The playdough table too went from having three places to many places. The staff focus became giving children the skills to learn to enter the situation, such as problem-solving how to find another place to play.Overall, the teachers in all three centers found that eliminating rules reduced stress. In addition, Callaghan was struck by the process of negotiating rules when

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incidents arose, with teachers asking each other, What do you think about this? Children were invited to join the discussions when teachers asked, .Do we need a rule about this? Of interest is the fact that the changes and their consequences were consistent across the three centers and that the changes appeared quickly, over months, not years.

Changes in the physical environments

Reducing the rules in a setting, and experiencing positive change as a result, also led to explorations of the organization of the physical environment. Laurie described how the aforementioned block area in her center was reorganized and enlarged (from 4 by 6 feet to 10 by 20 feet) with much better results for the children. Teachers also found ways to permit block structures to remain standing, rather than insisting on tidying up each day, so children could return later and continue building. This meant redesigning the layout for cots at naptime but teachers did this, now that their priority was children’s activity rather than adult convenience.The impact of the change astonished the teachers. Laurie noted:The mania in the block area just started to die down. Children began to interact in a much nicer way. There was less fighting because there was more room.Children were not bumping into each other.There were more materials available. There were fewer rules about whatyou could and couldn.t do, and therefore the teachers, instead of having to stand over the children and police them, could go in and participate. They could build with the children. They could draw, take photographs, go get other materials.There was a lot more spontaneous interaction..Surprisingly, it was also much quieter. In addition, teachers in this center found the incidence of accidents and aggression decreasing. A government requirement calls for all centers to complete accident reports for any injuries. One year, among 12 children there were 42 injury incidents.33 accidental and 9 due to aggression (hitting, spitting, biting, tripping, and so forth). The next year, after the center had reduced their rules, incidentswere reduced considerably among the same 12 children, with aggressive acts down by 50 percent. Total incidents were 25, of which 21 were due to accidents, four to aggression.While many factors affect accident rates, the teachers. perception was that the reduction resulted from changes in pedagogy. This was both remarkable to them

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and corroborated their sense that the changes they made resulted in much more positive environments for children. The entire emotional tone of their center is more positive.Many things were happening simultaneously. The examination of rules, teachers’ surprise at their numbers, and the subsequent reduction created new degrees of freedom for both children and teachers to act spontaneously. This process stood out as momentous in its impact onchanging practice. Other changes included a softening of the environment, such as creating conversation areas, adding Monet prints and flowers to bathrooms, and inviting parents to contribute family photos. Brenda said, .I love the fact that each of the three centers is different..

Consequences of changes in pedagogy for the children

The biggest effect of rule reduction was that settings became quieter and calmer with less fuss about enforcing minor rules. With less monitoring to do and calmer children, staff could participate more fully, engaging with children in their activities. The teachers developed greaterinterest in following the children’s lead, such as permitting them to interact fully and vigorously with a mud puddle in springtime.Brenda made a videotape showing children deeply engaged in block play, woodworking, playing with Legos, and dramatic play in the loft. Half an hour into the video children are still playing in the same areas. Laurie commented, .when children made their own choices, the timespent at activities increased.. Concentration spans for self-initiated activity became long and sustained.The children began to generate their own rules and to involve themselves in self governing, a process Vygotsky long ago showed as necessary to the development of will power (1976; [1930.1935] 1978). For example, at Bobbie Jo’s center a group of boys made a space for hockey on the small playground, with rules about how to swing the hockey stick ("Not off theground"). They made a net and demarcated their area with pylons. Such opportunities to generate rules for group activities make people feel they belong to the social group. Feelings of belonging are essential to any notion of community, and to the commitment of members to that community.

From rule-driven, clock-driven practice to values-based, responsive pedagogy

The teachers felt several things happened simultaneously. As they let go and gave more control to the children, the children learned that the adults thought of them as

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capable. By reorganizing the environments into more expansive spaces and reducing the number of rules, staff began to see new possibilities for practice. Several teachers joked about their previousfocus on time and efficiency: .I remember always looking at the clock, thinking, OK, let’s go, let’s go [laughing]; how many kids can you get to pee in five minutes?.Previously, children were lucky if they had 15 or 20 minutes in an area. It was often 20 minutes of play, 5 minutes of tidying up, 5 minutes of transition, and then play in a new area. A teacher noted, .Time was a rule." Time was a rule that could not be broken. Time as a productionschedule, and teachers as keepers of the schedule (Wien 1995), produced policing to maintain the schedule. With the changes in stance, practice was more relaxed, less clock driven.Callaghan saw teachers taking ownership of their practice. They wondered, "What do I like? and what’s driving me crazy?. and saw possibilities for changing to practices that they preferred, chose, and assessed for themselves. We might say the teachers removed themselvesfrom the established scripts for institutional routine and were inventing practice to fit their own contexts.All the teachers found that the changes reduced stress. The energy of policing, correcting, and giving timeout was exhausting for teachers; it created negative energy, tearing at the emotional well-being of staff and children. Laurie said, .That energy is now turned intofacilitating social interaction among children, exploring their interests, and actually talking to children.. With staff chatting with and observing children more, the children are receiving more positive attention" and according to the teachers "there are fewer behavior problems to dealwith..The teachers have noticed increased calm among the children and a sense of emotional satisfaction. For example, after the vigorous mud-puddle play, the wet and dirty children had to be cleaned up, their clothes washed and dried before parents arrived. Melita said: It was the calmest, most easygoing change and cleanup ever. I couldn.t believe it. Theysat and helped each other. It was amazing, and we noticed that as we were right in the middle of it.

Resistance to change

All the teachers note the role of resistance in the process of change. Laurie said, .When I entered practice in 1984 or .85, I was very much a controlling sort of

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teacher. I was very consistent, [thinking] this is the fastest, most convenient way we could get it all done.. She added that after the radical change in her practice, it was interesting to look back on the way shehad been. The teachers agreed that it is difficult to think there are better ways to function as early childhood educators.Bobbie Jo commented that when she began as supervisor, one teacher said, .You.re that Reggio girl, and don.t think for a minute you are going to do that here!. Whatever interpretations people make of the term Reggio, advocates of the Reggio approach note that they first create their practice out of whatever provocations stimulate a sense of ownership and participation in their own teaching. .Of course we.re not going to force you to do anything,. Bobbie Jo responded to the teacher and proceeded to talk with staff about their view of children and what they wished to see in the center. She described how an especially resistant staff person was lateroverheard telling visiting teachers the results of following the children’s lead: .I can.t believe what a difference this has made. I am no longer stressed when I go home..

Teachers taking ownership of their teaching practice

What happened and how did it happen? From the teacher educator’s perspective, Callaghan believes a crucial moment in changing practice was beginning with teachers. Images of children. .To start with the view of the child is pivotal.. Making this positive image of children explicit permits a conscious investigation of whether the pedagogy of teachers supportstheir images of children. When teachers see mismatches between their newly explicit image of what children can do and their teaching practices, they begin to see openings for doing something differently that better honors their values.Once the re-examination of established practice had begun, possibilities for teachers participation in creating their own pedagogy opened up. Teachers asked, what’s possible?. Or Do you think we could_____? Bobbie Jo notes that .the adults are doing exactly what we aredoing with the children. We are asking the children what are the possibilities on this? What can happen? Make your theories. Let’s try it out. Let’s revisit that..What has happened is a change in teacher stance. There is a new disposition to think in terms of possibilities, to invent in response to context.an aspect of good constructivist teaching(Forman 2002). Laurie commented that this change requires redefining what it means to be a good teacher and that expectations for job performance also have to change.

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These teachers are no longer .keepers of the routine. (Wien, 1995), programming according to the production schedule, but partners with children. If teachers take control of their own practice, and of assessing the match between their values and their pedagogy, then teaching becomes not a job performed to someone else’s criteria, but instead living in responsiveness to children and families and sharing a broad sense of possibilities about all the ways to participate together. Something about the change is profoundly democratic, if democracy is conceived as full creative participation of all members of the community. Conclusion

The emotional tone of the three centers has changed from one of surveillance in order to enforce the rules and schedule to one of positive, even joyful participation. There is a release of energy, a .raising of wind horse. (to borrow a phrase of the Shambhala Buddhists) . a new, positive energy. Callaghan says, .You can taste it when you walk into a center. You just feel there is this life there.. Bobbie Jo adds, .You can feel it, the energy rising; it is just so exciting.. Vecchi (2002, 56) reminds us of Gregory Bateson.s phrase .the pulsing of life. as one element relates to another and both change in response. Part of what makes rising energy soexciting is that the changes are occurring collaboratively for the group. Callaghan describes the changes as occurring "within the context of a real community of learners. We were coming together regularly and sharing these stories, bringing in documentation, bringing these lists of rules, and there was a fabulous sharing in the community."There are now three more centers in their second year of reorganizing their practice, and ten others have joined the project to begin this work. In her former practice, Brenda noted that, she .couldn.t wait to get out at the end of the day, whereas .working this [new] way is likebeing on vacation..

References

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Cadwell, L. 1997. Bringing Reggio Emilia home: An innovative approach to early childhoodeducation. New York: Teachers College Press.Edwards, C., L. Gandini, & G. Forman, eds. 1998. The hundred languages of children: TheReggio Emilia approach to early childhood education . Advanced reflections. Rev. ed.Greenwich. CT: Ablex.Forman, G. 2002. Constructivist teaching. Presentation at the conference of the CanadianAssociation for Young Children, Montreal.Hendrick, J., ed. 1997. First steps toward teaching the Reggio way. Upper Saddle River, NJ:Prentice Hall.Malaguzzi, L. ed. 1996. The hundred languages of children: Narrative of the possible. Catalogueto the exhibit. Reggio Emilia, Italy: Reggio Children.Vecchi, V. 2002. Theater curtain. Reggio Emilia, Italy: Reggio Children.Vygotsky, L. 1976. The role of play in development. In Play.Its role in development andevolution, eds J. Bruner, A. Jolly, & K. Sylva. New York: Penguin.Vygotsky, L.S. [1930.1935] 1978. Mind in society: The development of higher psychologicalprocesses, eds. and trans. M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Wien, C.A. 1995. Developmentally appropriate practice in .real life.: Stories of teacherpractical knowledge. New York: Teachers College Press.This research was supported by the Hamilton Community Foundation. For more information onthe Artists at the Centre Project, visit www.artistsatthecentre.ca.

Events

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Our Leadership Group - Lyndsay, Grace and Megan will host a multi-media art show!

Dates and places to be announced!

June - We will host a discussion on the article From Policing to Participation: Overturning the Rules and Creating Amiable Classrooms!

(Date and location to be announced) We hope to create some lively discussion around rules and our image of children (or yours!).

Events

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ECEBC is very pleased to present its 41st annual conference, “Playing it Forward: Discovering the Wonder and Value of Authentic Play” from May 3 to 5, 2012 at the Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport in Richmond, BC. Please join us for this opportunity for professional development and networking.

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DEADLINE – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012

To take advantage of significant savings on conference fees, registration forms and payment must be received by the ECEBC office by Wednesday, April 4 at 5:00 p.m. If paying by cheque, only original cheques will be accepted for payment - facsimiles of cheques will not be accepted. Registration and/or payment received after April 4 will be subject to regular conference rates.

ACCOMMODATION – DON’T FORGET TO BOOK YOUR HOTEL ROOM BY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012Don’t forget to book your hotel room if you are registering for the conference, as rooms and suites are available to ECEBC delegates at a reduced conference rate until Wednesday, April 4. Reservations after April 4 will be subject to room availability and at the best available rates. When making reservations, please identify yourself as part of the Early Childhood Educators of BC group.

TRAVEL BURSARY APPLICATION DEADLINE – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012The ECEBC Board of Directors has earmarked $10,000 from Endowment Funds to be used to help reduce the cost of delegate travel to ECEBC’s annual conference in May 2012. The amounts disbursed to conference delegates in each geographical area will vary according to regional travel costs.

To apply for the ECEBC Conference Travel Bursary, please fill out the application form in the conference brochure and return it to the ECEBC office by Wednesday, April 4, 2012. Due to limited funds, not all applicants will receive bursary funding. Approved applicants will be contacted by email by Friday, April 13, 2012. Please note that approved applicants must submit all travel receipts in order to receive bursary fund cheques.

CONFERENCE GALA – “EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION GOES TO THE BEACH!!!!”, HOSTED BY SMITHERS EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORSWe invite you to this special evening of fine food, friendship, and fun. Continuing with the fun

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of last year’s gala, a delicious dinner will be served and ECEBC awards will be presented. After dinner, get ready to party on the dance floor! This year’s gala theme is “Early Childhood Education Goes to the Beach!!!!” Think sun and fun. Where would you go for a sunny vacation? Costumes are encouraged. Anything goes as we celebrate the hot spots at Gala. Join us for a fun event including contests, games, dancing and prizes.

Our popular onsite photo booth will be back by demand with fabulous photographer Shawn Nygren. Donations will go towards ECEBC’s Let’s Talk About Touching (LTAT) program.

Tickets can be purchased through the ECEBC office, or when you register for conference online.

For more information, please go to www.ecebc.ca to download the Conference 2012 brochure. If you have any questions regarding the 2012 Conference, please contact Yasmin Irani at 604.709.6063, ext. 1 or membership@ecebc.ca. We look forward to seeing you in May!

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Humour

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And now a word from Debbie MacNeil…

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This is a comic strip sent in by Debbie:

Membership Corner

Membership & Benefits

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To be a member of the local branch you must be a member in good standing provincially.

Local Benefits:

Be a part of a dynamic group of likeminded people working together to support  the advancement of early childhood education and care in your own community

A newsletter featuring provincial updates, a centre spotlight, resources, and upcoming training opportunities and events 

Opportunity to network with colleagues Local training at a members only rate Full access to the website

  Provincial Benefits:

 Know that you are continuing to support the advancement of early childhood education and care

Strengthen ECEBC’s ability to continue to provide educational opportunities, publications and resources to educators across the province

Receive 4 issues of the Early Childhood Educator Journal each year Have the opportunity to belong to your local ECEBC branch Automatically become a member of the Canadian Child Care Federation and receive 2

paper and 2 electronic issues of Interaction Receive significantly reduced prices for our annual Provincial Conference held in May Receive ECEBC’s Code of Ethics

Become a provincial member of ECEBC

Please bring fees to the next meeting and Ann Marie will aid you in membership enquiries. Renewal membership $15.00 New Full Member $25.00Student $10Associate $20

Resources

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Resources

Body Flipbook http://www.firstpalette.com

Make a wacky body flipbook that doubles as a word play acitivity. Draw all kinds of interesting people and later mix and match their body parts to come up with changing characters.

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Materials

A4 or Letter size paper Crayons or colored pencils Scissors Stapler

Steps

1. Print out 3 or more copies of this body flipbook template.

2.

Use crayons, colored pencils or markers to draw a character on each body template. You can make a boy or girl, or create interesting people such as a clown, cowboy, princess, policeman, astronaut, hula dancer, scuba diver or ballerina. You can even draw your favorite cartoon character, a scary monster, or your own imaginary creation.

3. Cut each body picture along the 2 horizontal dotted lines. Remember to stop cutting once you reach the vertical line margin.

4. Gather the pages together. You may add colored paper as a front and back cover.

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5. Staple the pages together.

6. You can decorate the front cover by drawing or coloring on it. You may put your name on it or add some stickers.

7.

Play with the body flip book you've just made. Mix and match the body parts by turning the upper, middle and bottom flaps of each page. The odd mix of body parts can create new and funny characters. By combining a cowboy's head, a clown's torso and a swimmer's legs, I've come up wtih a "swimming cowboy clown"!

8. A princess' head, a clown's torso, and a hula dancer's body makes a "hula dancing clown princess".

9. Mix and match and create more funny characters and give them your own play of words. How would you name this picture?

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