Empowered by Play » teaching and learning

LEGO Friends vs. LEGO Education: What’s the lesson here?

Geralyn — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:26:35 +0000

“Those aren’t real LEGO minifigs!” my son said, as he watched a commercial for the new LEGO Friends line. “What do you mean?” I asked. “They aren’t real minifigures. That’s not what LEGOs look like!” His brother shook his head in literal disbelief as he watched. “I know a lot of girls who would not like those LEGOs,” he said somberly when the commercial was through.

After reading so much online about LEGO Friends, I had decided to show my sons the commercial on YouTube. We don’t have TV, so they didn’t know much about the line – even though they are avid LEGO fans. My sons build with LEGOs everyday. Everyday. They build with their cousins whenever they can. Tomorrow we will be at our local library for the LEGO “Build and Learn Together” Club. There girls and boys build and learn together – using a wide range of multi-colored LEGO bricks.

My sons aren’t the only ones who think LEGO Friends is a bad idea. Objections have been raised all over the Internet, and I thank Marketing, Media and Childhood for capturing the essence of many of these comments – check out this Lego Friends Roundup. There are at least two petitions to the LEGO company - one petition by New Moon Girls, and one by the founders of the SPARK Movement. And you can read LEGO Group’s tepid response released yesterday.

Last night Nancy Gruver, founder of New Moon Girls hosted a #GirlsNow Tweet chat to talk about the LEGO Friends. Lots of food for thought. Some of my favorite tweets were:

Nancy_newmoon: My big question for Lego is how does the Friends set ‘Inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow’ ? #girlsnow

Nancy_newmoon: The emphasis in the Friends set is on girls’ appearance and girls’ possessions – not on what they can imagine & build. #girlsnow

DrRobyn: Do you think girls would have rejected LEGOs if they included astronauts, farmers, CEOs, and researchers as roles for figures? #girlsnow

SPARKmovement: LEGO needs to meet with a diverse group of girls, parents AND researchers who can explain why this line is dangerous #girlsnow

peggyorenstein: RT @rchains: @empoweredbyplay @pinkstinksuk “pink” marks girls as the sex class. raised to be looked at & judged, not create. #girlsnow

During the Tweet chat, what really hit home for me is the disparity between the mass-marketed LEGO sets and the LEGO Education division. I’ve talked with LEGO Education reps at conferences, and have heard from them that there is no connection between LEGO Education and the LEGOs you see in toy stores and on TV. LEGO Education actually does a great job including girls in their STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) products and curricula. On the LEGO Education website, you will see girls building, problem solving and creating – alongside their male peers. Female science teachers give testimonials alongside their male counterparts. The LEGO sets themselves are gender neutral and even the cartoon LEGO characters Jack and Jill represent both genders. LEGO Education isn’t perfect, but in terms of messages regarding gender as it relates to science, math, technology, problem solving and creativity it is miles ahead of what we see from LEGO in the stores and on TV.

Of course it all comes down to the mighty dollar, and LEGO Friends is all about that. LEGO saw an opportunity and went for it. And make money, they will. That’s because not all parents are upset. Many parents are thrilled to have an alternative to Bratz dolls and Monster High dolls. And when you compare LEGO Friends to the vamped up Bratz and Monster High, you can see how LEGO Friends will appeal to some parents. Still, I am personally disappointed with LEGO. On one hand, they have a young girl dressed up as an astronaut to advertise their LEGO Bricks in Space program (in conjunction with NASA) and on the other hand they have automatically switched their female LEGO Club magazine subscribers to the newly launched pastel “LEGO Club Girls” – a magazine heavy on the purple and pink and light on building instructions. Here is more on that from the unhappy UK blogger who writes “Lego Club membership – are you a girl, or are you normal?”

I’ll be writing my own letter to the LEGO group about the disparity between their divisions and my latest disappointment with them. Meanwhile, I’ll be trying to explain it all to my sons as I struggle myself to try to figure out – what is the lesson here?

What is the Big Deal About Blocks?

Geralyn — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:02:10 +0000

“What is the big deal about blocks?” Melitsa Aliva asked me this question earlier this week. We were recording a podcast for her show, Raising Playful Tots , based in the UK. Blocks have been a longtime favorite of mine, and I have been advocating even more for block play as the pushy digital world steals more and more authentic experiences from the hands of our children. You may have heard about the study released on Tuesday by Common Sense Media, reporting that “half (52%) of all 0- to 8-year-olds have access to a new mobile device, such as a smartphone, video iPod, or iPad/tablet”. If only the same were true for blocks!

Blocks are as relevant as they have ever been – perhaps more now than ever – offering a wide range of positive experiences for children of all ages. Socialization, creativity, problem solving, language development, cause and effect, math and science, motor development – these are all vital skills that are deeply enhanced through block play.

I’ve recently been hearing early childhood educators refer to their Smart Boards and iPads as being “hands on” tools. They are not. Knocking over a virtual tower is not the same kinesthetic experience as knocking down a real block tower. Touching a worm on a screen is not the same thing as holding a wiggling worm in your hand. Not even close. It worries me when early childhood professionals describe their teacher-directed Smart Board literacy lessons as “engaging students holistically.” They are not.

The most developmentally appropriate technology we have for preschoolers and kindergartners have been our tried and true technologies such as crayons, balls and blocks. Add nature, and you have all the materials you need. And as one preschool teacher once commented on this blog:

“I have always been against computers in early childhood classrooms and feel we need to fight to keep them out. Every argument I have heard for them is an argument I see against them. To ‘You can listen to bird calls on them’ , I say ‘go outside and listen to the birds’. To ‘There is a wonderful counting program kids can use to learn numbers and counting skills’, I say ‘Take your child outside and count acorns.’ Thanks for bringing this to our attention and I for one will never have a computer in my early childhood classroom.”

The other wonderful thing about blocks (and nature!) is that they will not be obsolete in a year or two. Invest in a good set of blocks and your child (and grandchildren) will play with them for years and years to come. Blocks are never the same toy twice – as children invent and reinvent each time they play. And as children grow, their block play evolves and becomes more elaborate. Add a few simple accessories – such as pine cones or ping-pong balls, and a whole new range of experiences will open up for the child.

For schools with tight budgets, blocks and professional development opportunities about the power of block play are sound investments. When I read about the school district in Auburn, Maine spending $200,000 on iPads for all their incoming kindergarten students, I was shocked and saddened. What will the children be missing in order to make the time and money available for this digital push? How quickly will those iPads become passe? How much support will the teachers receive?

For folks who think that bringing the digital world to younger and younger children is the key to 21st Century learning – there just isn’t evidence to bear that out. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics just upheld their long standing position for no screen-time for children under the age of two. Children are social and sensory learners – they learn better from interacting with actual people and playing with the world around them – than from screens.

High-tech employers such as Cal Tech’s Jet Propulsion lab now actually ask potential employees how he or she played as a child. They look for folks who played with clocks and took them apart to see how they worked; people who built things; who had authentic, playful experiences and have become the creative problem-solvers and innovators that this company needs. You can read more about this in Dr. Stuart Brown’s wonderful book Play, How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul. We can also look to Mitchel Resnick, director of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT’s Media Lab. He knows that traditional kindergarten classrooms provide the key experiences for creating and working collaboratively – so much so he has modeled his lab after a traditional kindergarten classroom. Furthermore, his playful programming language Scratch is used by 8 – 16 year olds. He did not design it for the early childhood world. And when using Scratch, these older children are creators rather than consumers of technology.

Blocks come a range of sizes and are made from a range of materials. For the youngest explorers, my favorite is the Mini Unit Block set designed by Community Playthings for one-year-olds and up. I use these blocks in my workshops, and adults love them as well. If space provides, a full set of unit blocks is wonderful for preschoolers and school age children. Hollow wooden blocks allow children to build structures large and strong enough to climb on and climb into. Excellent!

KEVA planks, which I’ve written about in the past, are also engaging for children of all ages – including adults. (See KEVA planks post below.) If you are a LEGO fan, and I know there are many of you out there, stick to the open-ended sets, such as the LEGO Creator kits which can be made into a range of things. Steer clear of the television and movie character sets, which can be limiting to the child’s creativity. (Even as I write this, my own sons are lobbying hard for some Star Wars LEGO sets for Christmas – so believe me, I know how hard this one is to follow!)

Really, the key here is playing with moveable parts and loose pieces. The simpler the toy, the more that will come from inside the child. Can your child take apart your iPhone to see how it works and use the pieces to create something new? It can’t happen that way. As she plays, is she learning how to ask her own questions, develop her own theories, and test them out? Is your son diligently creating something unique which builds on what he discovered yesterday and incorporates a friend’s new idea? Is your child learning to value her own ability to invent, create, innovate and entertain? These are questions that can help guide you as you make choices for the children in your life. I urge you to consider blocks.

Here are some great block resources:

The Block Book by Elizabeth Hirsh,ed.

Foundations of Block Play (video)

KEVA Planks

Block Play; Collage issue from January 2005 from Community Playthings

And here are some related blog posts:

Live Your Life

Radical Preschool

KEVA Planks – Creating Fun for Everyone

Victories Worth Celebrating!

A special thanks to teacher Laurel McConville and Mission Hill School, Roxbury MA for many of the pictures used in this blog post! And stay tuned for details about how and when you can hear the blocks podcat from Raising Playful Tots.

Real versus virtual…drawing hearts

Geralyn — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:37:48 +0000

Drawing hearts is important work for many young children. Hearts aren’t too easy to draw, either. It takes practice to draw a passable, if not perfect heart, but the motivation is often high. I have watched the scenario unfold time and again in the early childhood classroom. One child (often a girl with an older sibling) will sit at the table and begin drawing pages of seemingly effortless hearts. She will make pictures for her family, friends and teachers – adorned with colorful hearts and perhaps the phrase “I LOVE YOU” (spelled phonetically or traditionally). Inevitably, a peer will witness this awesome event and long to be able to draw hearts and send similar loving notes to friends and family. “How do you make a heart?” the child will ask the friend. “Can you show me?”

Thereupon the expert heart-drawer will be called to coach the inquiring friend about how this heart-drawing thing works. There will be some initial frustration – but through trial and error, peer-coaching and deep motivation, the art of heart-drawing will be passed to the new child. The excitement will spread as others join in…coaching and critiquing each other as the thrill of heart-making catches like wildfire. Now loving notes are made by many children for many loved ones over many days.

This process is particularly dear to my heart, as receiving daily love notes was one of the best parts of being an early childhood teacher. I simply loved getting the notes throughout the day – and relived the joy each night at home as I emptied my pockets – only to rediscover the day’s love notes (along with random paperclips, pattern blocks and acorns).

So, it was with a heavy heart (yes) that I watched a recent iPad drawing app demonstration. In the video, we see a young girl making pictures on an iPad. Colorful hearts, which she “stamps” on the screen, cover her “drawing”. You see, I’ve begun asking proponents of technology in the early childhood classrooms to share with me the best examples of what they see as developmentally appropriate practice. This video was offered as an example, and in it we get a quick glimpse of the child drawing one lovely, awkward heart with her finger. When asked what she likes best, however, we aren’t surprised to hear her say, “I like the heart stamps.”

What’s the problem, then? For me the problem lies in how effortlessly the perfectly formed hearts cover the screen. They are all uniform in size and shape. Gone is the trial and error as a child truly gets a sense of the “heart-ness” of a shape as a child figures out: How do you get that symmetry? What works? What doesn’t? How can I get better?

Even using an actual stamp pad, or heart stencil, as many children do, leads to variations in the result. What happens if you press hard? Press lightly? Unevenly? What if your hand slips? How do all these affect the heart? It seems to me, tools such as actual markers, paper, stamp pads, stencils, scissors, etc… give children a wide berth for learning and exploring and making mistakes. Perhaps they build up resiliency and tenacity as they go through the process of trial and error to reach their self-imposed goal.

This iPad app, it seems to me, skips all of those important steps. It is so seductive and irresistible – with little effort from the child, hundreds of perfectly-shaped hearts pour onto the screen. It is an example of the quick and easy “gotta have it – and gotta have it now” mentality that is shaping our future generations. I wonder if a child who can make these perfect hearts with the iPad will now be less inclined to mess-around in the mucky and mistake-making (yet satisfying and community-building) process of heart-drawing.

Or, perhaps I am just being selfish. I’d much rather receive beautifully imperfect child-made love notes, one where the personal touch and quirkiness of each child is in evidence, then a page of perfectly shaped hearts where clearly the computer had more control over the final product than the child did. But that’s just me.

As I’ve stated before, I am all for assistive technology. Who isn’t? Assistive technology helps children and adults overcome communication hurdles and other disabilities, and I am all for older students and adults using technology as a tool. I do it everyday. But what I am NOT for is rushing our young children past real experiences – experiences which help them figure out who they are, what they are good at, and how they fit in the world. Using your own hands and mind to learn how to draw hearts and make one-of-a-kind loving notes for others is definitely a worthwhile pursuit.

Real versus virtual…kayaks, cows and worms

Geralyn — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:34:52 +0000

The other day my family and I were lucky enough to spend time swimming in a lovely pond. Our friends have a small kayak that was the perfect size for my seven year old sons to try out. It was magnificent – watching as they each took a turn paddling about the pond. After just a few moments of experimenting with the oar, and making adjustments, each boy was able to master the basic technique. They took turns, maneuvering about the pond, turning as needed and getting more adept at each turn. They had so much fun and felt happy, exhilarated and competent. They can not wait to return and try it again.

The uplifting experience with the kayak on the pond was in sharp contrast to the virtual kayaking the boys had tried about a week earlier. This time, we were visiting another set of friends. The boys had great time swimming in the backyard pool for hours. After a while, though, one of them asked to play the Wii. It isn’t something my boys get to do very often, so they were excited. One of the games they tried was Wii Kayaking. And my goodness, when I say the mood changed at this happy gathering, the mood CHANGED at this happy gathering. Neither of my sons could get the hang of kayaking with the remote control. When someone tried to show how to do it, my sons wouldn’t be coached. They weren’t open to getting help, they didn’t want to let go of the remote and risk losing their turn. One of my sons actually started crying, stomping has feet and yelling in frustration. It was an unattractive side of him, and I wasn’t happy. For him, the experience left him feeling inadequate, disappointed and extremely frustrated. The stress level in the room was high – much different from the relaxed atmosphere we’d had outside at the pool.

Real versus virtual. It has been a recurring theme this summer. Back in June, a friend of mine told me a story about a presentation he attended. The subject was technology in the early childhood classroom. One of the presenters shared an anecdote to help underscore how fabulous our new handheld, digital technology is.

The story goes something like this: One day, a young toddler was running around the kitchen table holding an iPad. The child was saying, “Mommy: cow!” and his mother was able to quickly search and pull up a picture of a cow- and how wonderful it was that the child was able to see a real cow!

Did you catch that? A real cow. Actually, no, that wasn’t a real cow. A real cow is a gorgeous and often smelly creature. It has smooth hair, a rough tongue, hard hooves and a tail that swats whatever might be in the way. What is especially distressing about the “real cow” story is that the presentation was given by the folks who are crafting the new National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) position statement on technology and young children. It appears that they are so head-over-heels in love with digital technology, and so immersed in the virtual world, that a digital picture of a cow on a small hand-held device has now become a “real cow”. The current draft of the position statement includes this statement: Early childhood programs have an obligation to use technology to bridge the digital divide. As I read that I cringe and can’t help but wonder… As we slide along the slippery slope between what is real and what is virtual, how will this affect our brain development? Our relationships with each other? Our relationship with nature?

How long until kayaking on an actual pond -with breezes blowing and frogs croaking – becomes a thing of the past? And what will we lose along the way?

In the Orion Magazine (September/October 2007) article Unplugged Schools, Lowell Monke wrote:

“The health of our children’s inner lives, their civic engagement, and their relationship with nature all would be improved if schools turned down the thermostat on that technologically overheated aspect of American culture. Schools dedicated to that task—we might call them ‘unplugged schools’—would identify the values associated with technological culture and design curricula and an environment focused on strengthening the human values at the other end of the scale.

“The most obvious thing schools can do in this regard is give children experiences with the real things toward which symbols are only dim pointers. Unless emotionally connected to some direct experience with the world, symbols reach kids as merely arbitrary bits of data. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but to a second grader who has held a squiggly nightcrawler in her hand, even the printed symbol “worm” resonates with far deeper meaning than a thousand pictures or a dozen Discovery Channel videos.”

I love that passage, because he states so beautifully what I often think about. I feel the visceral connection that second grader has to the printed symbol “worm” and am thankful. I want my children, and my students, to have as many authentic experiences as possible before they are submerged in that virtual world.

(By the way, this is a picture of a real cow. This cow lives at The Farm School, in Athol, Massachusetts, and I took the photo on our annual trip with my students from Mission Hill School. Every student visits the farm every year, and the older students sleep over for a few nights. On the farm, they feed real cows, hold real chickens, cut real fire wood with real saws and experience a multitude of authentic experiences.)

Here are some related blog posts:

Is your baby’s iPad drool-proof?

“Me want daddy iPad!”

Radical Preschool

Save Our Schools – A Great Beginning

Geralyn — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:47:13 +0000

My head is still spinning. On Sunday evening I returned from Washington, DC and the Save Our Schools Rally. More than just a rally, it was four days of connecting with other educators, parents, students and activists who are ready to take a giant step towards reclaiming the “public” in public schools.

In my mind I keep replaying moments – both big and small – and feel hopeful that we’re onto something here. Something really big. Something that will help bring attention to the harmful effects that corporate “reform” is having on students, teachers and communities. And give a voice to students who, for a decade, have been shut out of enriching and engaging curriculum and forced into single-purpose, short-sighted, test-driven curriculum. This is a movement to bring curriculum control into local school communities. It is a call for equitable funding, and for our country to recognize that poverty affects life and learning. Jonathan Kozol told us that the poorest districts spend $6,000 per pupil, while the richest districts spend $30,000 per pupil. Ouch! And as Deborah Meier (pictured above) pointed out, we are about even with Mexico in terms of our poverty rates – Mexico! We are looking for equitable funding across public schools AND community support services.

In DC were heard powerful words from Jonothan Kozol, Deborah Meier, Diane Ravitch, Pedro Noguera, Linda Darling- Hammond and Matt Damon. We also heard important words from parent Karran Harper-Royal, an SOS organizer and leader from Parents Across America; along with John Kuhn, an inspiring superintendent from Texas; and Taylor Mali, a teacher-poet. I sang along as we were treated to a gorgeous rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing; and more – much more! So much, that I didn’t get every speaker’s name. However…one thing is for sure, everywhere you looked in the sweltering heat of the midday sun, parents, students, teachers and concerned citizens joined together to help change the national narrative.

This isn’t about preserving the status quo, because the status quo isn’t anywhere near good enough. I am not out to defend chronically ineffective teachers or historically shoddy schools. I am for making the public school system the best it can be for EVERY student – and for involving local communities in the process.

For sure it isn’t the end. And for sure it was a great beginning. In many ways, it made me wish I was a public school teacher once again, at the very democratic Mission Hill School in Roxbury, MA, which I am proud to have been a part of from the beginning. There, I was a teacher and union member – sharing responsibility and decision making with our founding principal, Deborah Meier, and the other classroom teachers. While in DC, I was thrilled to hear the ways in which the Boston Teachers Union has been a place where teacher activism has flourished. Again, for sure this isn’t the end – and for sure it is a great beginning.

And how does it all relate to Empowered by Play?

To quote Matt Damon: “I had incredible teachers. As I look at my life today, the things I value most about myself— my imagination, my love of acting, my passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity— all come from how I was parented and taught. And none of these qualities that I’ve just mentioned— none of these qualities that I prize so deeply, that have brought me so much joy, that have brought me so much professional success— none of these qualities that make me who I am… can be tested.”

That’s so right. The qualities we value most – in the children of yesterday, today and tomorrow – qualities such as imagination and curiosity – can never be measured through a standardized test. These are the qualities that are getting squeezed out of today’s schools, and this has to stop.

Some related links of interest: The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman by Real Reform Studios (This is an amazing movie made by full-time teachers – using their own money. No big budget – but a real big message.)

Jon Stewart’s message to the teachers at the SOS March (Hopefully next time he will speak to the issues – but I am thankful for the support he is already showing.)

Save Our Schools Leaders Craft Next Steps from Education Week

Empowered by Play’s SOS March album on Facebook

The text of Matt Damon’s speech posted on Rethinking Schools’ website NOT Waiting for Superman

Words of Wisdom from Dr. Lilian Katz

Geralyn — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:09:20 +0000

“We are doing earlier and earlier to children what we shouldn’t do later.” These words of wisdom were offered by Lilian Katz – in reference to the current trend of aligning curriculum and programs in an effort to prepare children for the next step in their education. I had to applaud. In that one sentence, Dr. Katz summed up a good deal about how early childhood education (and education in general) in this country has gotten off track.

Dr. Katz is an international leader in early childhood education who, for decades, has lectured and taught all over the world. She shared her ideas through an inspiring keynote address to hundreds of early childhood professionals gathered in Providence, RI last Sunday for NAEYC’s Professional Development Institute. Her words of wisdom, delivered with honesty, humility and humor, help preserve what is good for young children – in the face of all that is now working against young children. I can’t hope to capture all her pearls of wisdom from that morning, but I hope to paint a picture of some of the themes.

“Curriculum,” Dr. Katz explained, “should help children make deeper and fuller understanding of their own experience.” Going outside the classroom – and observing what is right there – that is where meaningful learning happens. From maple leaves to industrial parks, Dr. Katz gave examples of early childhood experiences that tapped into children’s natural capacity for interest, and provided opportunities for children to draw from observation – to look closely and represent on paper what is really there – as in the Reggio Emilia approach.

She cautioned, “please do not confuse excitement with learning,” adding, “You can be addicted to excitement and that is a dangerous thing.” These words rang true, and conjured up for me images of children excited by electronic gadgets that promise to teach. There is often excitement about the latest gadget/website/app, but the excitement quickly wanes and the child is left looking for the next exciting gadget…looking for something outside himself to stimulate something inside – rather than pondering his own questions, and investigating the real world around him.

Dr. Katz also shared her concerns about television, and worries about its impact on young children. She cited the practice of other countries’ aim to protect children from developmentally inappropriate images and news stories, by saving adult content until after 10:00 p.m. She wonders why haven’t we taken similar steps in the United States.

She urged teachers of young children to have “continuous contingent interactions” with young children, explaining that recent brain research has shown how neurological connections happen when children engage in extended, meaningful conversations – back and forth exchanges where one person’s response is contingent on what the other has to say.

She also offered some of her ideas about experiences that children should often have – and encouraged those of us in the audience to go back and talk with colleagues to make our own list. Some (but not all) of her experiences for children included:

being intellectually engaged and challenged
applying developing skills in meaningful ways
confidence in their own intellectual powers and questions
extended conversations and interactions with adults and peers
asking questions, making predictions and hypotheses
sustained involvement with worthwhile topics (projects children come back to for days and weeks)
feeling of belonging to community and school

I loved her list and could feel that others in the room agreed with her. My hope is that all of us in that room find ways to share her wisdom and keep her ideas alive for current and future generations of children and teachers, who are being told over and over again, that a Race to the Top is what is best for children. These experiences that Dr. Katz is talking about can not be found in scripted curricula that rushes from one disconnected topic to the next. They can be found in authentic experiences, emergent curriculum. These experiences take time and allow for investigations and conversations.

I end with one more of her wonderful nuggets: “Curriculum is not delivered. Milk is delivered.” Nice! Thanks to NAEYC for the opportunity to hear Dr. Katz’s words of wisdom.

Inspired by Teachers

Geralyn — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:35:26 +0000

Wow! There is busy . . . and then there is BUSY! This has been a BUSY few weeks. Wonderful, though. Beginning with the powerful Rally to Save Public Education in Cambridge, MA (see previous post); continuing with a wonderful visit to my former school, Mission Hill School in Roxbury, MA; then a quick trip to Jamaica for the wedding of a dear friend who happens to be an amazing early childhood educator; and ending with an inspiring early childhood conference here in my own backyard (well, not literally, but close) . . . this has been an whirlwind of inspiring and powerful moments.

Today, as I head to Providence, RI for the NAEYC Professional Development Institute, I force myself to take a few minutes to reflect on all that has inspired me in the last few weeks and all that I am thankful for.

First of all, I am inspired by teachers who work hard, on their own time, to reflect deeply on their practice. Teachers who share their ideas, questions, student work and joy with others. On Saturday, June 4th, a beautiful spring weekend, our Hudson Valley Writing Project conference, Democracy, Literacy and Play: Hearing Children’s Voices was filled with just these kinds of amazing early childhood educators. Dedication doesn’t even begin to describe what I felt and saw on that memorable day.

I am thankful for all the time I was able to spend over the last week or so, with my friend and mentor, Deborah Meier. Debbie came to our conference as the keynote speaker, and joined me in presenting an afternoon session. It was such fun and reminded me of how much I miss talking with her and sharing ideas about education and life. I also saw Deb at the Rally to Save Education and on my visit to Mission Hill School. (Debbie is the founding principal at this K-8 Boston Public School.) I am somewhat exhausted from all the traveling, presenting, talking and working – and Deb is 80 years old and going strong. Now if that isn’t inspiring, I don’t know what is.

I am thankful that my sons were able to join me for the rally in Cambridge, MA and the visit to Mission Hill School (and I am thankful that they didn’t join me for the quick trip to Jamaica!). At the rally, the boys joined in on the chants and held their sign proudly. They knew that as Arne Duncan was getting special recognition at Harvard Graduation, we were using our voices to raise awareness about the harmful effects of Race to the Top, high-stakes testing and more. The boys especially liked singing our version of John Lennon’s classic… “All we are saying, is give all kids a chance.”

The next day at Mission Hill School, and the trip to Jamaica with friends and colleagues, helped recapture for me the special spark that Mission Hill has. There aren’t many progressive, playful public schools still in existence, and Mission Hill is one of those places. Authentic learning and authentic assessments in a democratic community where everyone has a voice. In the midst of harmful, top-down mandates from politicians who were never educators, Mission Hill School is a reminder to all of us about what is possible.

I am inspired by the leaders in education – teachers of teachers – who spoke at the rally and are standing up for what is developmentally and educationally appropriate. Along with Deb Meier, we heard Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Diane Levin, Eleanor Duckworth and Alfie Kohn (what a list!!!). Click here to read Deb’s remarks from the Rally to Save Public Education -which she has posted on her website. Local parents and teachers also spoke out – I didn’t catch everyone’s name but I heard their messages loud and clear. I invite you to read more about the rally – including pictures and video – on the Citizens for Public Schools website. And I urge you to consider joining the Save Our Schools Rally and March in Washington, D.C. on July 30th.

For me, many of these moments were playful, even as I see them as part of my work. I am thankful for that. I am also thankful for the purely playful moments throughout those busy days: Discovering a wonderful playground in Cambridge, MA. Swinging on a hammock in Treasure Beach, Jamaica. Dancing in the rain. Enjoying a campfire with family. Playing Othello with my son. Watching my husband and sons soak each other mercilessly with water balloons. And eating delicious strawberries picked from the patch in our own back yard.

Even when things are BUSY, I am determined to keep play central to our lives.

Is your baby’s iPad drool-proof?

Geralyn — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:37:28 +0000

We were sitting around our campfire Saturday evening when my son said, “I’m glad we did this instead of watching TV.” I smiled and added, “Me, too.” It was our first campfire in many months, and we had a great time talking, laughing, watching the beautiful blaze, and toasting a few marshmallows.

The lure of the screen is always there – and finding ways to stay present in the actual world can be a challenge. We know that preschoolers spend 32 hours a week outside of school engaged in screens (Zimmerman, Christakis and Meltzoff, 2007). That is one of the reasons it was disheartening to hear about the school district in Auburn, Maine that is spending $200,000 to give every incoming kindergartner an iPad. The Superintendent Tom Morrill is quoted as saying, “What we’re seeing is that this is an essential tool — even more important than a book. It’s a learning tool they need to have.” Wow, more important than a book. Morrill is excited about new apps that are being developed for the iPad, so I wonder: where is the evidence that children will actually learn anything with them? (You can click below to watch the CNN story about the iPads for kindergartners, but be warned: a commercial will play before the news story begins.)

$200,000 is a lot of money. What would you spend it on? I would hire more assistant teachers to read one-on-one and in small groups. These real-live grown ups could form relationships with the kindergartners and help the teachers find just the right book to spark the individual interests of each student. And, I would definitely spend some money on blocks. Unit blocks, mini unit blocks, large hollow blocks – you name it – I’d get them into the kindergarten classrooms. Because, you know what? A set of unit blocks lasts a lifetime. The unit blocks can be used to teach children in all areas of the curriculum. Don’t believe it? Take a look the chart below from The Block Book, edited by Elisabeth Hirsch, a wonderful resource for supporting quality block play. (You should be able to click on the photo to enlarge it enough to read the words.)

I know that when new technology is rolled out, there is not always the technical support or time for professional development for on how to incorporate this technology into the daily curriculum. Teachers are often left to their own devices – such as finding a willing and able colleague to help along the way. Inevitably, when technology snafus arise – and they always arise – there is no tech person to call, or there is a long wait to get the help they need. And I wonder, in two years time, when the iPads are passe and new technology comes along, what then?

Time in the classroom is short. What will the iPads replace for these kindergartners? Socializing? Learning to read facial cues? Manipulating real-world materials? Time with real books? These are necessary endeavors which are already threatened. Rushing young children into the digital, virtual world is misguided at best and potentially harmful. I know plenty of grownups who never touched a computer until college age, and now as adults they use computers as tools in their everyday work. In terms of the digital divide in young children’s lives (the gap between who has access, and who doesn’t, and what they are consuming for their “digital diet”), I worry more about access to quality play opportunities, both in school and after school, and access to safe, accessible local playgrounds.

If any of these ideas ring true for you, and you’d like to do something to help keep young children grounded in real-world play and playful learning, I urge you to take some time today to read the latest draft of the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s position statement Technology in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8. There is a brief open comment period until May 31st*. I am confounded by the current draft, which continually calls for “developmentally appropriate practices” and acknowledges many of the potential down-sides, yet still advocates strongly for digital technology and interactive media in early childhood settings. I had to laugh (or I would’ve cried) when reading their recommendations for infants and toddlers. “Technology tools that infants and toddlers might use must be safe, sturdy and not easily damaged. Just as toddlers tend to chew on their books, children under 2 are very likely to chew on technology tools.” Is this really the direction we are heading in? Make sure your baby’s iPad is chew/drool-proof?

*Update 12:00 p.m. 5/10/2011: Thanks to Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood for requesting that NAEYC extend the comment period – the deadline is now May 31st. (Formally May 13th.)

“Me Want Daddy iPad”

Geralyn — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:48:21 +0000

Is it just me or does the iPad seem to be on everyone’s mind these days? This morning on NPR’s Morning Edition, the iPad was described as “widely popular”. Yesterday in the NY Times, the article Math that Moves: Schools Embrace the iPad, looked at the advantages of using iPads in the classroom. It seems that many educators are falling for the light weight and portable size, the large touch screen, the wealth of apps and the “coolness” factor. I’ve also heard from educators that the battery-life is fantastic. You can go the whole school day without recharging. I suppose that is an advantage if you are using an iPad at school.

I’m not an expert on iPads, for sure. I don’t own one, and have only played around with them a couple of times. Maybe – just maybe – they might be a great tool for older elementary, middle school or high school students. I can’t say for sure. Maybe they are great for differentiating instruction, as some of the folks in the NY Times article claim, but I have big doubts. I worry whenever a computer replaces a human teacher. Call me old fashioned, but human interaction is a BIG part of how I learn and how I know lots of kids learn.

What I do know, however, is that when I see clusters of kindergartners or preschoolers clamoring to get a view of an iPad, I cringe. I worry when I see them huddle on the rug and looking down at a screen to play a game, instead of looking at each others’ faces. I know that learning how to interpret emotions in yourself and others is a big part of being in kindergarten. It’s really hard to do that, if not impossible, if you spend your time looking at a screen. I know that the actual world is way more important than the virtual world for little ones who are learning about cause and effect and problem solving. I also know that a love of books comes from the social and emotional connections of snuggling with a friend and turning pages, and talking with a teacher about the books he loves, and hearing interactive stories from live human beings who never quite tell the story the same way each time. Reading Winnie-the-Pooh on an iPad just doesn’t have the same tactile and emotional appeal. (I can see the advantage – way down the line. I have an adult friend with allergies. She loves books but hates the mold and dust. She likes the digital option. I get that. But can you really cultivate that love of books digitally?)

Knowing that screen time is habituating, it worries me that children even younger than kindergarteners are spending time with the iPad screen. In fact, I heard a story about a mom who brought her older toddler in for preschool screening. One of the questions that parents had to answer: “Does your child put three or four words together?’ If the parent answers “yes” to this question, they are asked to give an example. One mom said yes, that her child does put words together, and her example was, “Me want Daddy iPad”. So there it is – perhaps the first sentence this little one has put together on his own. “Me want Daddy iPad”. That really worries me. There is a time and a place for the virtual world - and early childhood isn’t it.

Note: For more information about the research on young children and screens, check out this letter written by the folks at Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and Alliance for Childhood, and signed by 80 or so early childhood experts. The letter was sent to NAEYC and the committee on re-drafting their Technology and Young Children Position Statement. It is chock-full of relevant information and research.

Play Memories

Geralyn — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:29:31 +0000

The other night I was with a great group of teachers for our local “National Writing Project” Early Literacy Study Group. Each month we start our meeting with a writing prompt. This one was so much fun, I thought I’d share it:

“Draw a map of a childhood place where you liked to play. Label your map briefly. Use your map to guide your writing about a treasured play memory.”

We had about 15 minutes to draw the map and then write. I drew a picture of the suburban Massachusetts neighborhood where I lived from 9 months of age until I was 7 or 8. I have so many great memories, here is part of what I wrote:

Freedom. Freedom to explore. Freedom to make choices and sometimes get hurt. We traveled through backyards and through woods. Inventing new games and improving on old ones. Almost always outside. Riding bikes on the street that wasn’t too busy. The parents were inside and didn’t bother us too much. We knew where to get them when someone got hurt. (Twice that I remember.)

Feeling happy usually. Guilty sometimes – like when I tried a big kid’s cigarette down by the water where we went fishing, or when we played “King of the Hill” on the piles of construction gravel we were forbidden to play on.

But mostly happy and alive.

Almost everyone in the group wrote about playing outdoors – about the freedom to explore and about big groups of kids playing together. Urban, suburban and rural kids alike – we had similar freedoms. Everyone had wonderful play memories and drawing the map helped to literally draw the memories out of us. Forgotten sounds, feelings and people came flooding back to as we sketched and wrote our reflections.

It made us wonder about the kids of today and what their “play maps” will look like when they are grown up. What will they remember? We talked about the lure of video games and screens, and the fear that permeates our days, and how hard it is for parents to let their kids explore the way we did.

We also wondered…how is this affecting young teachers whose schema for play has been formed by their own scheduled play dates, adult-directed play, video games and minimal school-time play? How can they begin to imagine the richness of play if they didn’t experience it themselves? How does this affect their teaching?

Lots of questions to ponder, for sure. And it all connected so perfectly with the ideas Lenore “Free-Range Kids” Skenazy was speaking about last Friday at the Early Year’s Institute. (see previous post)

Consider trying the “play map” prompt above. You may be amazed at the memories you uncover. What do you think your children’s play map will look like 30 years down the road when they think of a treasured play memory?

For a related post check out: Raising Free-Range kids