Open Discussion Forum

Do you know of a great resource on why and how to facilitate child-led Reflection Meetings?

------------------------------
Barbette Sharp
founder/director
del Sol School
Manhattan Beach CA
------------------------------

Alise shafer Ivey of the pedagogical institute of LA has a great ted talk where she demonstrates a conversation with 4 year olds. I like the sections on "good questions" and "conversations" from Bringing Reggio Home by Cadwell.  This has been an ongoing conversation at my school- how to respond to children and ask good questions that supports real thinking and wondering together.  It's a rare and beautiful thing to cultivate!  I have found it is best done in small groups (4-5 children) first. It takes quite awhile to build up to a whole class in a way that is a true reflection with time for thinking and listening and documenting the children's ideas and opinions (not just getting language samples).  It also helps to build a reflective practice with teachers to support the culture of "we are not looking for the right answer".  There are many good inspiring practices in the vein of "the pedagogy of listening" that guide us.

------------------------------
Carol Murray
Bard Nursery School
Red Hook NY
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-23-2019 01:20 AM
From: Barbette Sharp
Subject: Reflection meeting resources

Do you know of a great resource on why and how to facilitate child-led Reflection Meetings?

------------------------------
Barbette Sharp
founder/director
del Sol School
Manhattan Beach CA
------------------------------

Thank you for pointing me to Alise's TED TALK. I'm excited to listen to it. 
I'm also hoping for a book recommendation or an article on facilitating daily Reflection Mtgs (child led) at end of the children's school session. I searched google, NAEYC store, and Amazon.com without success.

------------------------------
Barbette Sharp
founder/director
del Sol School
Manhattan Beach CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-24-2019 06:56 AM
From: Carol Murray
Subject: Reflection meeting resources

Alise shafer Ivey of the pedagogical institute of LA has a great ted talk where she demonstrates a conversation with 4 year olds. I like the sections on "good questions" and "conversations" from Bringing Reggio Home by Cadwell.  This has been an ongoing conversation at my school- how to respond to children and ask good questions that supports real thinking and wondering together.  It's a rare and beautiful thing to cultivate!  I have found it is best done in small groups (4-5 children) first. It takes quite awhile to build up to a whole class in a way that is a true reflection with time for thinking and listening and documenting the children's ideas and opinions (not just getting language samples).  It also helps to build a reflective practice with teachers to support the culture of "we are not looking for the right answer".  There are many good inspiring practices in the vein of "the pedagogy of listening" that guide us.

------------------------------
Carol Murray
Bard Nursery School
Red Hook NY

Original Message:
Sent: 05-23-2019 01:20 AM
From: Barbette Sharp
Subject: Reflection meeting resources

Do you know of a great resource on why and how to facilitate child-led Reflection Meetings?

------------------------------
Barbette Sharp
founder/director
del Sol School
Manhattan Beach CA
------------------------------

I have spent much time thinking about the type of questions to ask children to enable them to deepen and elaborate on their thinking. I am not sure exactly what type of reflection you are hoping to achieve, but the Young Scientist Series by Ingrid Chalufour and Karen Worth spends a good deal of time helping teachers to develop and be deliberate about the kind of questions they ask. There are several examples in these books of thought provoking open ended questions around science topics. 
One of the challenges with young children is that questions have to be concrete enough and have to give them a way to frame their thinking but open ended enough to give them freedom to follow their own thought process. I often begin my queries with "I wonder....."

------------------------------
Hilary Laing
Teacher
Orono Discovery Center
Orono MN
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-24-2019 12:03 PM
From: Barbette Sharp
Subject: Reflection meeting resources

Thank you for pointing me to Alise's TED TALK. I'm excited to listen to it.
I'm also hoping for a book recommendation or an article on facilitating daily Reflection Mtgs (child led) at end of the children's school session. I searched google, NAEYC store, and Amazon.com without success.

------------------------------
Barbette Sharp
founder/director
del Sol School
Manhattan Beach CA

Original Message:
Sent: 05-24-2019 06:56 AM
From: Carol Murray
Subject: Reflection meeting resources

Alise shafer Ivey of the pedagogical institute of LA has a great ted talk where she demonstrates a conversation with 4 year olds. I like the sections on "good questions" and "conversations" from Bringing Reggio Home by Cadwell.  This has been an ongoing conversation at my school- how to respond to children and ask good questions that supports real thinking and wondering together.  It's a rare and beautiful thing to cultivate!  I have found it is best done in small groups (4-5 children) first. It takes quite awhile to build up to a whole class in a way that is a true reflection with time for thinking and listening and documenting the children's ideas and opinions (not just getting language samples).  It also helps to build a reflective practice with teachers to support the culture of "we are not looking for the right answer".  There are many good inspiring practices in the vein of "the pedagogy of listening" that guide us.

------------------------------
Carol Murray
Bard Nursery School
Red Hook NY

Original Message:
Sent: 05-23-2019 01:20 AM
From: Barbette Sharp
Subject: Reflection meeting resources

Do you know of a great resource on why and how to facilitate child-led Reflection Meetings?

------------------------------
Barbette Sharp
founder/director
del Sol School
Manhattan Beach CA
------------------------------

Thank you so much, Hillary. I will check that books out :)

------------------------------
Barbette Sharp
founder/director
del Sol School
Manhattan Beach CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-27-2019 11:53 AM
From: Hilary Laing
Subject: Reflection meeting resources

I have spent much time thinking about the type of questions to ask children to enable them to deepen and elaborate on their thinking. I am not sure exactly what type of reflection you are hoping to achieve, but the Young Scientist Series by Ingrid Chalufour and Karen Worth spends a good deal of time helping teachers to develop and be deliberate about the kind of questions they ask. There are several examples in these books of thought provoking open ended questions around science topics.
One of the challenges with young children is that questions have to be concrete enough and have to give them a way to frame their thinking but open ended enough to give them freedom to follow their own thought process. I often begin my queries with "I wonder....."

------------------------------
Hilary Laing
Teacher
Orono Discovery Center
Orono MN

Original Message:
Sent: 05-24-2019 12:03 PM
From: Barbette Sharp
Subject: Reflection meeting resources

Thank you for pointing me to Alise's TED TALK. I'm excited to listen to it.
I'm also hoping for a book recommendation or an article on facilitating daily Reflection Mtgs (child led) at end of the children's school session. I searched google, NAEYC store, and Amazon.com without success.

------------------------------
Barbette Sharp
founder/director
del Sol School
Manhattan Beach CA

Original Message:
Sent: 05-24-2019 06:56 AM
From: Carol Murray
Subject: Reflection meeting resources

Alise shafer Ivey of the pedagogical institute of LA has a great ted talk where she demonstrates a conversation with 4 year olds. I like the sections on "good questions" and "conversations" from Bringing Reggio Home by Cadwell.  This has been an ongoing conversation at my school- how to respond to children and ask good questions that supports real thinking and wondering together.  It's a rare and beautiful thing to cultivate!  I have found it is best done in small groups (4-5 children) first. It takes quite awhile to build up to a whole class in a way that is a true reflection with time for thinking and listening and documenting the children's ideas and opinions (not just getting language samples).  It also helps to build a reflective practice with teachers to support the culture of "we are not looking for the right answer".  There are many good inspiring practices in the vein of "the pedagogy of listening" that guide us.

------------------------------
Carol Murray
Bard Nursery School
Red Hook NY

Original Message:
Sent: 05-23-2019 01:20 AM
From: Barbette Sharp
Subject: Reflection meeting resources

Do you know of a great resource on why and how to facilitate child-led Reflection Meetings?

------------------------------
Barbette Sharp
founder/director
del Sol School
Manhattan Beach CA
------------------------------

Hi, 

I have found the book Reflection in Communities of Practice: A wordbook for Early Childhood Educators by Deb Curtis, Debbie Lebo, Wendy Cividanes and Margie Carter to be a great resource, there are also workshops at the end of the book that you can use to support teachers during Staff meetings.  

Suzanne Regan
Childcare Aware 
Nashua NH

------------------------------
Suzanne Regan
Training and TA Specialist
Southern New Hampshire Services
Nashua NH
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-23-2019 01:20 AM
From: Barbette Sharp
Subject: Reflection meeting resources

Do you know of a great resource on why and how to facilitate child-led Reflection Meetings?

------------------------------
Barbette Sharp
founder/director
del Sol School
Manhattan Beach CA
------------------------------