Self-Directed, Engaged Learning

I remember arriving in Seattle over a decade ago. It was during another recession and I was a recent college graduate, naïve, determined, maybe a little entitled, probably annoying and incredibly independent. I found a job, but was lonely, unfulfilled, lost.

I went to see a counselor, hoping to get some advice, but instead walked away with just one question. I was told to imagine my little girl self, standing at the foot of a mountain and to ask, “What does that little girl need?”

Come again? Aside from visualizing someone holding my hand, I couldn’t really answer. Feeling frustrated and even more alone I went back to work.

Galinsky puts into words what that little girl, really what any little girl or boy, needs.

Young children are hungry to learn, and they are hungry to learn from you. They need someone to take an interest in what THEY are interested in. To provide the structure needed for them to discover their own worlds, safely and securely. They need to be lovingly prodded, encouraged to stretch, connect, repeat and learn.

We are social, emotional AND intellectual beings. Children learn best when they are able to own their own experiences and have the opportunity to talk it out with someone they trust. When their efforts are encouraged, more self-directed, engaged learning ensues.

Thinking back to my visit with the counselor, my answer to her question wasn’t entirely wrong. That little girl did need someone, maybe not someone to hold her hand, but definitely someone to offer encouragement, support and a safe place to explore. We all do.

Galinsky asserts that “learning is more effective when you use what you need to know actively.” As an early learning community we need to know how to support self-directed learning and to engage in it ourselves. We invite you to share YOUR experience with us at this year’s 36^th annual conference in Vancouver, WA, October 18-20 as we further explore Reflection, Relationships and Renewal.

Jan Burrell

WAEYC Programs Manager

Taking on Challenges

Thanks to member, Jennifer Karshna, for summarizing Chapter 6: Taking on Challenges. Now it’s even easier to join in WAEYC's monthly, virtual book club!

What does taking on a challenge mean to you?

For Galinsky, challenge is about managing stress. Mind in the Making’s sixth chapter, Taking on Challenges, describes stress and its effect on people.

Each person handles stress in their own, unique way. Researcher Megan Gunnar from the University of Minnesota studied the biology of stress and how it affects the body. When we perceive a threat, a message is sent to the brain to decide if it is serious. If the answer is yes, a message goes to the nervous system and creates a physical reaction. You are probably familiar with what happens: breathing, heart rate, blood pressure increase. The stress hormone, cortisol, is released which activates your body to physically respond to the danger. The significance of this is that resources are pulled “away from things that have to do with growth and repair—immune system and physical growth….” Once the danger has passed, your body returns to its normal state of growth and repair.

Galinsky asserts that while stress can have negative impacts, it is also a part of life. Some stress is caused by “everyday challenges.” With support, children learn to effectively cope with this type of stress. For the more serious situations that cause stress, there are two important “factors that matter”. One is the length of time the stress is experienced. The other is the importance of a supportive adult to help a child cope with the stress. In early childhood education we often talk about the importance of relationships. This is a good example of how positive relationships with adults can have a significant impact on a child.

According to Galinsky the other “factors that matter” are temperament and how adults themselves manage stressful situations. It is the adults’ ability to help children learn to manage their own stress that plays an important role in a child’s ability to develop the skills necessary for coping with challenges.

While all these factors influence stress and how children learn to handle it, the way children see themselves can also help them manage stress and challenging situations. Galinsky calls it a “Mindset that Matters.” Referencing research by Carol Dweck of Stanford University, Galinsky articulates two different mindsets.  Some children seem to enjoy challenges and see solving problems as rewarding. This is referred to as a “growth mindset.” Others are more performance-oriented, and have a view of themselves as less able to take on challenges. This is seen as a “fixed mindset.” As you can imagine from the words “growth” and “fixed” this way of thinking can have quite an effect on coping with stress and challenge!

Each of us has our own ideas and feelings about what “challenge” means. I hope you will join the webinar Tuesday, March 20 as we explore and share these additional ideas!

Critical Reflections

Thanks to Janet Staub for sharing additional resources and reflections on Chapter 5: Critical Thinking!

The alarm woke me at 6:00 AM. I made a breakfast of eggs, mustard greens, scallions and coffee with soy milk. (Choices based on my latest review of nutritional approaches. Was that Paleo or South Beach?) I ate it while reviewing and answering my email. I rejected a temptation to buy a cheap flight to Las Vegas, but I did get hooked at looking at other air fare options for a later trip to visit my daughter in San Francisco! I resisted an urge to buy an ice ax and snow shovel at an incredible price since the last time I went snow camping was in 1974. I chose words delicately, as I wrote an email asking difficult questions, hoping to minimize the reader’s defensiveness. Yes, by 8:30 AM I had engaged in lots of critical thinking. All this BEFORE I chose to listen to Amy Goodman’s webcast of Democracy Now, democracynow.org or Dr.Cornell West and Tavis Smiley’s show smileyandwest.com/radio.html, two of my personal favorites for critical analysis of world events. Decision making, the implementation of critical thinking, colors our moment-to-moment existence. No wonder Ellen Galinsky highlights this skill in her book, Mind in the Making.

Let’s put some critical thinking into action while discussing the chapter. Let’s use Galinsky’s book to help us in our “ongoing search for valid and reliable knowledge to guide our beliefs and actions” (Galinsky’s definition of critical thinking, p. 204). What issues does Galinsky address? What is her hypothesis, and what information does she use to prove or disprove it? What are her conclusions? And, do we, as Critical Thinkers, have any critique of her claims?

Galinsky posits that knowing when children develop specific evaluative strategies will help us know how to extend their opportunities for development of critical thinking. She spends most of the chapter sharing examples of experiments that demonstrate children’s abilities. Galinsky presents convincing evidence that critical thinking is a natural developmental process that can be stimulated and strengthened by teachers and parents.

WHAT’S VALID AND RELIABLE KNOWLEDGE?

We early childhood educators aren’t surprised to read that 100% of four year olds and 88% of five year olds can be “tricked” into believing that a machine turns toys, photos, and even stuffed animals into something real (toy keys become real keys). We adults continue to struggle with what is true. From big ideas like Weapons of Mass Destruction and Climate Change to small illusions like “there’s this one simple trick to losing 10 pounds this week”, we human beings wrestle with assessing what is true. With our big hopes for the next generation, we want the children we care for to be forewarned, and be better at it than we are. We want them to know how to detect falsehoods, when to trust wholeheartedly, and when not to take NO for an answer. We want our children to know that the first answer is not the final answer.

Download the full article to read more Critical Reflections.

Janet Staub is a parent educator at Skagit Valley College. In addition, she facilitates a variety of home-based, play-based, and classroom learning opportunities for children and their adults. She is a recent graduate of the University of Washington School of Nursing’s certificate program in Infant Mental Health. Prior to her move to Whidbey Island, she worked with the City of Seattle’s Child Development programs for over 20 years. She can be reached at janet.staub@gmail.com.

The Seeds of Critical Thinking

Thanks to member Susan Lynch-Ritchie for sharing her thoughtful outline of Chapter 5: Critical Thinking with us!

In Mind in the Making, Ellen Galinsky describes a sequence of emerging skills that children need for optimal cognitive growth and shares how we can support their development. She takes us on a journey through stories of current research and personal experiences to show how each emerging skill grows out of that which came before.

In the beginning Ellen emphasizes the importance of fostering focus, engagement, absorption, and concentration in our babies and young children along with their ability to control their responses to the world without undue anxiety. We follow their eyes, join in their delights, wipe away their tears and the brain gears up. It starts storing data...memories. And it begins to arrange and rearrange those memories in a myriad of connections, unique to each child, fluidly programming itself in a way we could never do for them. And we become witnesses to the astounding, phenomenal blossoming of our own species. Most of us realize that we could never teach a child everything they actually teach themselves. We’d surely succumb to extreme levels of exhaustion!

Yet we are more than witnesses. We are support—must be support...involved in intentional support to help children develop potentials. This is a distinctive message from Ellen Galinsky. She cites research describing remarkable inborn senses and potentialities possessed by our babies and young children for learning about the world: people sense, language sense, space sense, and number sense. Yet these senses need deliberate nurturing. For instance, extra talk with children (pg. 145) makes a difference in their academic success more than socioeconomic status and ethnic background. Limits exist on what children can learn on their own at particular ages.

For me, Ellen’s message brings to mind Vygotsky’s concepts regarding zones of proximal development (the distance between the most difficult task a child can do alone and the most difficult task a child can do with help) and scaffolding (giving help to a child on the edge of learning a new concept, whether it be from an adult or another child).

We know our species takes years to mature in relation to other creatures. Our babies are young for a long time. We’re not primarily creatures of instinct, knowing how to fly upon emergence from a chrysalis, but are creatures of culture with much to learn about how to function within society. Although neurologically gifted and primed to learn in remarkable ways our children need thoughtful scaffolding to become optimally functional within the complexities of modern culture. (And, I might add, more trained teachers in our elementary classrooms beyond what is now considered appropriate adult /child ratios.)

On the road from focus and self control in order to pursue knowledge... to perceiving the frames of mind of others to reach social awareness... to learning to speak and communicate to involve others... to making connections among innumerable experiences for insight and understanding... our children also need to develop the ability to think critically in order to learn what’s valid and reliable to guide their actions and beliefs.

Chapter 5 is a discussion on Critical Thinking... putting it all together to climb mountains without falling. It’s about encouraging a higher-order skill among the executive functions of the brain, disengaging automatic pilot and using all-of-one’s mind to reach pinnacles of thought. I’ve picked out a few things from Chapter 5 to highlight and share with you. First, defining critical thinking...

Downlad the full article to learn more about Chapter 5: Critical Thinking!

Susan Lynch-Ritchie, M. Ed is a graduate of the Erik Erikson Institute in Chicago, a former University Instructor and Lab Teacher at Northern Illinois University, founding director of the Child Care Center at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, and has been an instructor and parent educator. She is currently a Family Home Child Care provider with an all-day preschool program.

Mind in the Making: Connections

Connections…such a simple word for such a complex idea. As Ellen Galinsky points out in Chapter 4, the ability to make connections is an essential life skill. One of the newer learning theories, connectivism, rests on this idea.  In fact, one of the fundamental principles of this theory states that the “ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill” (Siemens, 2004). Since connections are at the heart of this chapter, I created a mind map to share the connections I made while reading. This is similar to curriculum web that many of you use to lesson plan. I started with chapter 4 and then put key ideas from the reading in the inner layer and wrote connections to other readings, theorists, classroom ideas, instructional strategies, and personal experiences in the outer layer.

Click Here For Larger View of Map

As part of my son’s homework, he is asked to note a connection each night after he completes his daily reading. There are three options: text to text, text to self, or text to world. As you are reading through Mind in the Making, I encourage you to look for these connections.  And as you are reading books with children in your classrooms, I challenge you to help them make these connections as well by asking questions such as:

• What other books have you read about_______( this subject)?
• When was a time that you felt the same way as ________(the character in the story)?
• Where have you seen _______(something from the book)?

Galinsky shares the story of Philip (pp. 158-9) to explain how sorting is the beginning of making connections. At the start of the quarter in my math/science class, I have the students collect items from outside and sort them to illustrate this point.

     So, go find 10 random items now…….

     Go on, I’ll wait…..

     Now, sort them into two groups.

     Yes, I really want you to actually do it.

     What categories did you use for this sort?

     Great! Do it again using different categories….

     Again….

     Again…

     Again.

In my class, we fill up two white boards of categories and can still come up with others that we haven’t used yet. These objects can be linked in so many different ways and one of our jobs as teachers is to help children make these connections. We can give them categories and ask them to sort. But we learn so much more about their view of the world when we ask them to group the items and then have them explain their groupings to us.

Piaget also stressed the importance of understanding the relationships between objects. There are four tasks used to build connections: classification (sorting into groups), seriation (putting in order by attribute), temporal relations (putting in order by time sequence, think ordinal numbers: first, second, third…), and spatial relations (an awareness of space, think prepositions: on, under, over, beside). Children should have opportunities to develop their skills in all four of these areas. In a unit on pumpkins, students might:

• Sort the pumpkins a group of small pumpkins and a group of large pumpkins (classification)
• Put the pumpkins in a row from the smoothest skin to the bumpiest (seriation)
• Put the pumpkins into a sequence according the stages of its lifecycle: seed, flower, green pumpkin, orange pumpkin (temporal relations)
• Scoop the seeds out from the inside of the pumpkin (spatial relations)

As you are planning your curriculum, be sure you include opportunities for children to make connections in all four of these ways.

I’ll share more of the connections that I made during the webinar on January 17th and will ask you to share some of yours. See you then!

Blog post written by:  Krissy Kim
Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education,
Pierce College

Early Learning, A Contender In The Race To The Top Of Society And Government Priorities

I consider it an honor and privilege to serve as Senate Majority Leader in a state that has increased its commitment to early learning over the last decade.

Through the tireless education and outreach by people like Mind in the Making author, Ellen Galinsky, early learning efforts are a main contender in the race to the top of society and government priorities.

In Chapter 3, Communicating, Galinsky writes:

Think of interactions during those first months and years as forming the foundation of children’s skill in communicating. The way we talk, the expressions on our faces and in our eyes, what we look at, even our gestures are the basis upon which learning to communicate is built (113).

Galinsky makes clear, parents and primary caregivers are kids’ first and best teachers. This is absolutely the case, but sometimes we all need help to be our best. Our state has responded with policies to help parents and kids reach their brightest potential.

Quality Rating Improvement System

Galinsky highlights that quality preschools make a difference in literacy and overall child development (130). Yet child care quality varies considerably around Washington. The Washington Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) is our state’s voluntary program for helping licensed child care providers offer high-quality care.

For two years, child care providers in five communities around the state participated in the development of Washington’s QRIS. An evaluation of the model showed promising results. With one-on-one coaching and funding support, the quality of care increases quickly. Based on feedback from participants and lessons learned from the field test, the Dept. of Early Learning (DEL) is now refining the QRIS standards, and will expand the voluntary program statewide in mid-2012, within available resources.

Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program

Galinsky writes about the importance of helping at risk families and kids. (126) Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) is Washington’s pre-kindergarten program serving low-income and at-risk three and four year-olds and their families. The Legislature created ECEAP in 1985, to expand the benefits of the federal Head Start preschool program to more children. ECEAP focuses on preparing children for success in school and life through three interactive components — preschool education, health services coordination, and intensive family support and parent involvement.

Preschool workgroup (SB 6759)

Galinsky stresses there are many ways to encourage literacy and communication skills (132). The Legislature is currently examining opportunities and barriers to at least two options for a comprehensive voluntary program of early learning — as a part of the state definition of basic education, or as an entitlement program executed by statute or constitutional amendment.

This is our state’s chance to look at what a “voluntary program of early learning” should look like in Washington to help ensure school-readiness for all children, and how we would fund it.

In Summary

Turning to the words of Galinksy:

Children are born engaged in learning. With our help they will remain engaged. Communication skills extend their learning by giving them the tools not only to learn from others, but to share what they’ve learned with others. What better gift can we give them than the ability to send their messages into the world? (156).

I am proud of Washington’s early learning efforts. We must take the advice of Galinsky and other early learning advocates by supporting world-class, developmentally and culturally appropriate early learning opportunities for all of Washington's youngest learners and families. This includes, but is not limited to essential communication skills, so each child enters kindergarten with a solid foundation for success in school and life.

Senator Lisa Brown

3rd District Spokane

Mind in the Making: Communicating

Ellen Galinsky’s chapter on “Communicating” in Mind in the Making touches the many fascinating ways that humans learn to communicate, from inside the womb all the way through infancy and childhood. Communication beyond mere spoken language, as Galinksy explains, is a mélange of pitch, tone, facial and hand movements and other nuanced expressions. She guides us on how to help our young ones sharpen their language skills and become effective communicators.

 

No matter your age, social position or vocation, communication is essential. I believe there are two crucial parts to communication: being able to make distinctions and break things down so others can understand you; and, more important than anything else, listening. To master communication one needs a firm grasp of the spoken and written word. As Galinsky explains, when she asked businesses, “Tell me the general skills and competencies you look for in new hires that often fall below your expectations,” the two main concerns were “spoken communication skills and written communication skills.” It is our job as parents, educators, community leaders and policymakers to create an educational environment that nurtures communication skills so these discrepancies no longer arise. 

 

I had many opportunities throughout my schooling to read, write and speak many languages and to travel the world, which has enriched my ability to communicate. Soon after I was born my father, a college professor, moved us to Paris for a couple years to conduct research for his next book, so as an infant and toddler I was immersed in French language and culture. Back in the United States, beginning in 4th grade, I rediscovered my French tongue and accent and it awoke in me a hunger for all languages. From middle school on I learned every language I could: Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, German, French – and English, of course. In studying these other languages I also learned about diverse cultures and geography. The more I understood my place and my culture in relation to the rest of the world, the better I felt I could communicate. This has helped me immensely in every facet of my life.

 

As parents, my wife and I try to create every opportunity in our household for our children to learn and to be creative. When I read Ellen Galinsky’s suggestions for promoting communication with our children, I thought of our home. Our house is never quiet - there is always a LOT of talking going on! It’s also important to note that my wife and I ask the kids to tell us how they are feeling – especially when they are acting out. Not only does that help us to understand if they are having difficulty, but it helps the kids to identify and sort out their feelings and to articulate them.

My family enjoys reading just as much – 4-year-old Felix is already reading Thomas the Train books and 8-year-old Vivian is plowing through Harry Potter, Nancy Drew Mysteries and Little House on the Prairie. We often all climb into bed together and take turns reading to each other – what a treat!

Family dinner time is important and every night we sit together, all around the same table. It is a great time to talk, to laugh, to catch up on the day and to teach and learn. We don’t have a TV, so screen time is replaced by more interaction and play. Ellen Galinsky suggests giving children “access to many forms of media communication.” The time my children DON’T spend in front of the TV is often spent painting, drawing, dancing, singing, playing the piano or reading – of course!

As a policymaker I have made it a priority to ensure that kids are healthy and ready for school. As we all know, when kids arrive in kindergarten without the social and emotional skills to be ready to learn, they are already at a severe disadvantage. Preschool plays a key role in this preparation and I’m focusing a lot of my legislative energy to promote greater access to high-quality preschool.

I am encouraged by our state’s high-quality early learning programs: ECEAP and Headstart. However, I lament that there are more than 4,000 children on waiting lists for these programs. In 2010 I sponsored and led the Legislature to pass House Bill 2731, which makes preschool an entitlement for all 3- and 4-year-olds by 2019. In addition, I am part of an Early Learning Technical Workgroup that for the last two years has been creating a plan to expand Washington’s preschool programs to all parents who want it for their kids. I am very excited about making quality early learning available and affordable to all!

In the Legislature I am also working to encourage rich and meaningful learning experiences in the home. A child’s home environment is even more important than the quality of the school experience. There are terrific programs in our state that couldn’t sustain themselves without state partnership in funding. Some of these programs include Reach Out and Read, whereby pediatricians support and encourage early exposure to books in infants and young children; and United Way’s Parent-Child Home program, in which a trained volunteer of the same language and cultural background of the family brings a book or toy to the child and teaches the parents and children alike.

I agree with Ellen Galinsky about the importance of imparting communication skills to our children so they can become competent and independent adults. With supportive homes, strong and healthy parent-child relationships and access to high-quality early learning programs, we can help our children to be engaged learners, effective communicators and successful in life.

Representative Roger Goodman
45th District