Journey Of Possibilities Conference – July 4-5

Forgive me for being overly philosophical for a bit, I’m trying to make some sense of the flurry of information I received at this conference!  I promise I won’t continue on this way!

Although geared primarily towards Preschool and Kindergarten teachers, this conference offered many observations for teachers (and parents) to think about.  Our Wednesday evening with Lilian Katz centered mainly around looking at various projects that the children in Emilio Reggia school have been involved in.  The explanation of the project approach and the power of the graphic language (looking at something and then representing it) was inspiring.  It does make you wonder…. “How do I put this into practice in my classroom?”  And then, immediately…“Is it even possible?”  It was a tad overwhelming!

However, less overwhelming was the call to focus on developing ‘dispositional goals’ in our children.  Simply put, we can grow the disposition in children to inquire, to learn, to notice and to investigate.  As adults we can try to make life-long learning a part of the way our children approach the world.  Simple lessons like teaching them to let the teacher know where they are in their learning and asking questions like: “I get this part, but….” or “Could you show me this again?” as well as giving the children information such as: “Anytime you want to do ‘x’ it’s a good idea to do ‘y”’ can shift focus from the teacher imparting knowledge to the mutual search for a deeper understanding.  “Children need to know what it feels like to understand something in depth or they will not develop the disposition to search for understanding.”

Of course, these are not new concepts to anyone who is a parent or a teacher.  We all have experienced those joyful moments when it all seems to ‘come together’ or the ‘lightbulb goes on’.   (And I never agree with the random purging of anything good just because it is no longer fashionable)  I guess the goal is to keep on trying new things, to embrace the complexity that is learning (at any age) and “to focus on what is is in front of me and do it with all my might!”