March 30-April 3, 2020

4/3/2020

The 100 Languages
in a New Season of Learning

And we're back...well, "back together"...and at a distance. What a week we had as we resumed school while continuing to be in our own homes! This time certainly comes with its challenges as we learn new ways of doing and being. However, we are also discovering surprising joys, delights, and perspectives in this new way of being together.

When approaching our work with children through the lens of the Reggio philosophy we often think about the 100 languages of children. As Malaguzzi said, "The child has a hundred languages..." and so it only makes sense that as we begin to use new tools, new resources, and new ways of communicating with one another that we will discover more about the children's languages: how they learn and communicate what they know. This has been true this week!

On Tuesday we began our time together in Zoom. Children had different approaches and responses to the platform: some excitement, shyness, awe and delight, as well as others who opted out of what could feel like an overwhelming experience. Some of these reactions to the experience were similar to what we see of children during our in-person meetings and some were different. For instance, Evelyn, who shares in our in-person meetings was even more confident sharing her story over Zoom. She delighted in seeing her face "on the big screen" and took time to greet herself as well as share with all of us!

On Wednesday, Jack helped Jill and I test out an idea for small groups inspired by his house design made prior to break. His desire for a smaller group interaction helped us discover new ways and languages to broaden our reach with the children and to continue to follow their threads of learning. Now we are learning more ways to use live-streaming small groups as well as video to support various approaches to learning!

Another discovery happened over Seesaw this week. Joslin shared a story of something she discovered over Spring Break:

Ellie responded with a personal audio comment back to Joslin. This new tool of recording one's voice in the privacy of home, perhaps, amplifies some children's voices! Ellie clearly articulated her thoughts and feelings, making and showing connection between her experience and that of Jossie. 

We have been excited to discover these new ways of being together and the ways new languages are stretching our own learning, viewpoints, and understanding about children's experiences. It is exciting to see the ways it can enhance our relationships even when we may feel so far away from one another.

We encourage you to continue to explore these new tools and languages with us...and share your stories and observations about what you are learning too. We embrace the adventure with you! 