is this a credit card? hendrick: these children are having a wonderful time playing... ice cream cone. yep, i like ice cream cones. yes, but also learning-- learning how to think, to reason, to absorb ideas and process information, to recognize and solve problems. for the whole child, especially at this age, learning isn't work. it's a joy, a pleasure, and something to look forward to every day. woman: why does his nose go up and down? woman: where else have we seen tadpoles? child: there's grass in there. hendrick: this is especially true as more and more teachers combine the more conventional and traditional styles of teaching with the new and creative learning techniques-- techniques that emerge when the educator teaches by collaboration

rather than by instruction. woman: is it dark in there? hello. i'm joanne hendrick, author of the whole child and your guide to this video series. in this program, we're going to look at what we call cognitive development and what we can do to enhance our children's ability to think, reason, remember information, and solve problems. we'll observe children in a number of different programs-- head start, family day-care homes, university schools, and private child-care centers--

and we'll listen to their teachers as they describe some of the methods they use to enhance their children's learning. what's in there? what is that? [bell jingling] what is it? what is it? is it a sponge? hendrick: the foundations of learning begin right here because children begin to learn right from the start. the most important thing i believe we can teach our children, no matter what their age, is that they are valued. hi. hi. hi, sweetie. oh, no! ♪ one wheel's off, and the axle's broken ♪ ♪ one wheel's off, the axle's broken ♪ ♪ one wheel's off, the axle's broken ♪ ♪ now we can't ride phillip, how can we fix it? with a, um, wrench. how does a wrench work? show me. whoosh. can you guys do that? hendrick: unless children have this basic sense of self-worth, i believe it's unrealistic to expect them to open themselves to

and embrace the challenge of learning and problem solving. the more traditional and conventional way to teach children is by providing lots of facts and information, often originating from books, work sheets, and flashcards. this is how we learned, how we were taught to recognize letters, numbers, and to find out how the world works. traditionally, these cognitive skills were then woven into themes selected by our teachers, who then conscientiously and carefully planned in advance everything they wanted us to learn. [children talking indistinctly] woman: do creepy-crawly bugs live at your pond? children: no. woman: no? are you sure? children: no. [children talking indistinctly] woman: for sure for sure? child: yeah. woman: ok. i like what you're building. hendrick: but now, in more and more classrooms around the country, like this one, we're seeing teachers engaging in a much more interesting and interactive style of instruction

often referred to as emergent learning. tadpoles. yes. one of my friends yesterday--eddie-- brought in some tadpoles, and he found these in a neighbor's pool. why do you think we just sang the speckled frog song? child: because there was tadpoles. woman: because there was tadpoles? second child: the tadpoles turn into frogs. because the tadpoles turn into frogs. good thinking. hendrick: in this more interactive and collaborative approach, the teacher and children seek out answers together. the teacher continues to make plans, but adjusts them as she pays attention to the children and finds out what is particularly interesting to them. she's also constantly looking for problems to present to the children so they can propose their own solutions-- their solutions, not hers. woman: what about-- yes, natalie? child: i have tadpoles at home. if you want to see it alive, i'll be able to bring one to school.

that would be great. hendrick: for example, perhaps the children are raising a baby rabbit. the teacher might ask them for ways they can make him comfortable and healthy. do they think he's lonely? what could we do about that? what could we use for a larger cage? the children's solutions to such problems will unfold gradually and often spontaneously in response to the teacher's questions. child: no. he's growing bigger. woman: why is he growing bigger? because he's eating. second child: look how big he is. third child: but funny bunny's more bigger than that. woman: he is big. and he's going to grow bigger. what are we going to have to do about the cage? we have to give him a bigger cage. how are we going to get him a bigger cage? go to the pet store and get him a bigger cage. could we build one ourselves? yeah. what would we build it out of? we'll get a big-- as big as the whole world. a big box,

and then we'll put it on the bottom, and then we'll make something strong here of lines. and a top roof. and then put some chips in there and funny bunny's food and his water. then put funny bunny in there. do you think he'd be happy in there? yeah. hendrick: sometimes, instead of just telling her their ideas, they can even show what they mean, perhaps drawing what they have in mind or helping to make a model of their idea. of course, it's all right to include more traditional approaches, too, such as finding out some facts about rabbits. you could even write the name as a label for the cage. i'm discovering the whole teacher is someone who combines both traditional and emergent approaches in order to present a truly balanced curriculum for the children. one project that emerged in the classroom that i was in came about when i was observing two children sitting at the water table.

and they had just recently found some toothbrushes over in the art area that had been set out, and they were playing with some plastic whales that were at the table. and so i walked over, and i sat down. i said, "what's going on?" this child, whose name was alex, said, "they're swimming and brushing their teeth," and he's showing me the whale. and so, you know, i had, in a sense, the classroom that was set and the environment was set up by the teachers. and so, in a sense, there was thoughtful planning put into what's going to be happening in the classroom, but at the same time, there's an openness about what the kids are interested in, what they're doing, that will allow you to focus in on their interests. at this point in time, i thought this was an interesting idea. so i started asking them some questions about what's going on, what they're doing, so as to get a sense of what they're thinking about initially

so that we could talk about what the other teachers in the classroom-- where to go from this point. child: i'm seeing all of the colors. you're seeing all of the colors in the ocean. see that? i see there. where? show me again. where? i see green and red. you see green and red? me, too. do you see brown? no. hendrick: of course, no matter which techniques you decide to use, inevitably you will encounter some parents or family members who think you aren't doing enough fast enough, who want to accelerate the pace of their child's cognitive learning. woman: oh, let's see. let's see. that sounds exciting. oh. [child speaks indistinctly] oh, there's a little ant right there. there's a whole bunch of them. i wonder if they're going home to their family? be gentle. gentle. be gentle. that's right. they're going up. they're going up the tree.

they're scared. wow. you think they're scared? what's scaring them, cosmo? i'm scaring them. oh, you scared them? how could you make them so they're not scared? hendrick: it's very important to keep the families informed about all the thinking skills the children are using in order to reassure them the children are really learning something. woman: i see one right here. find another one. woman: so if we made a bigger cage, we'd have to make something with cracks in it so he'd get air? child: yep. hendrick: for example, the teacher should point out how the children are learning mathematics by measuring the rabbit's growth and estimating how big a cage he's going to need. woman: so what would you make this cage out of-- the top part? child: um, metal. thin pieces of metal. i had a parent last year. i had had her child for two years, and i would say, "come into the classroom," you know. and she said, "well, they just play all day, you know.

why should i just come to see them play?" and i said, "well, you know, you should come in and actually see how they play. they take turns. they share. they're learning so many things just from being here." and she had a special-need child, and i say, "you know, she actually needs you to be here." and i said, "why don't you just try volunteering one day? "just come into the classroom and just put yourself in your child's place for one day." so i did get her to come in for a day, and we gave her a star for today, and we made a big issue out of it like, "nicole's mother came to school with her today," and last year, she volunteered nearly every day. you know, she was one of my, you know, best parents for volunteering. woman: and we have a lot of pictures for you guys to see. second woman: oh, good. hendrick: let's encourage family members to visit our classrooms, to look at the experience boards, to read their newsletters, and to come to slide shows illustrating the children's adventures.

these are all excellent ways to keep the family informed about how valuable this kind of learning can be. when a child's family is informed and pleased with what is happening, they often contribute suggestions of their own to further enrich their child's education. a key component to teaching in the emergent style is to listen to the children's questions and think of ways for them to seek out and discover their own answers. i think it's important to give children choices because it makes them decision-makers. they learn to make their own decisions. they decide what they want to do in the day's time. and i really-- i seriously believe when they grow older, it stays with them, and they will always make decisions and not have to look to others to make decisions for them. woman: is it there? is it there, veledio?

child: i'll try it. woman: boy, dante, that's a good job. you're spreading it all over. hendrick: just take a look at all the exploring and investigation and research that's taking place in this classroom. not only are these children figuring things out for themselves, they're also feeling good about themselves. child: one. woman: you added your one, so we need to pass this over to sidney. sidney, are you ready? woman: let's see what you can do with it now. boy, look at it. it's not powder anymore. what is it? hendrick: how do you think that works? what do you think the connection is between being successful at learning and feeling good about oneself? woman: ...here for sidney. here's a piece over here for crystalline-- a very special piece. hendrick: once again, it all comes back to self-worth,

the foundation of learning. we know from our own experiences growing up and even as adults, that no matter how old we are, there's nothing like mastery over a problem, challenge, or a difficult question. when we know what we're doing, we feel capable, confident, in control, and yes, even at this young age, empowered. and so i just started asking them some questions, and the first question i asked was, "do animals brush their own teeth?" and so we got into this discussion about how we take care of our teeth and how animals take care of their teeth, and it was interesting to hear his ideas about how animals do get their teeth taken care of 'cause he has his ideas about the dentist and about brushing his teeth, and some of it overlapped into the whale world, where he is convinced that, you know, animals-- that whales get their teeth brushed, actually, by humans who go out and pull them up with a fishing pole.

but here was an opportunity for me, then, to go to the other teachers in the classroom and say, "these are some of the things that alex was talking about. "he's talking about the dentist. "he's talking about how animals get their teeth taken care of. "he's talking about teeth. he's talking about all sorts of different things." this was a conversation that lasted maybe 15 minutes, and other kids were there and gave their ideas about the dentist also. they were having a discussion about-- one child thought that they drill your teeth if you have something in it, and the other disagreed and said, "well, they just make you hold something in your mouth for a few minutes, and then you spit it out." and so here's another opportunity, where they have different theories about what's going on in the world, that they can exchange some ideas, and maybe we can go have a concrete experience-- maybe going to the dentist or something or having someone come in-- to expand on their ideas, which is really important, in a sense--

which is different than a more traditional, conventional classroom, where you have a predetermined set of plans or lessons that you want to stick to. of course, children can't teach themselves everything and find their own solutions to all their problems. using the emergent approach does not mean letting the children do whatever they want. as teachers and parents, we're still the primary source of children's early education, and that's not going to change. it remains our responsibility to assess the children's ideas and plan ways to develop them. woman: what do you think it smells like? ooh, that smel like seaweed. hendrick: not all learning takes place in the classroom. what do you think is going on on this field trip that is helping make these children so receptive to learning new things? child: it smells nasty. woman: it's nasty? woman: can you see them? what did that snake feel like when you touched him? look. he's going to crawl back under the water bowl, i think.

hendrick: field trips like this one are excellent opportunities to learn because they encourage and stimulate the child's sense of wonder and curiosity. child: oh! it's a rock! woman: it's a rock. see? hendrick: one way to maximize the effectiveness of field trips like these is for us to emphasize hands-on experiences and not spend all our time simply telling and showing. woman: do you think they hide in the plants? hendrick: instead, allow plenty of time for the children to make their own observations and ask their own questions. it's a turtle. i know it's a turtle... hendrick: write these down and explore them later, when you return to school, and see for yourself how your curriculum and teaching plans emerge before your very eyes. child: right here. woman: will he bite me if i touch him? child: yes. woman: yes. ouch. hendrick: of course, this doesn't only apply to out-of-class excursions.

inside or outside the classroom, we should also leave time for the child's own view, questions, and interpretation of what he experiences. we took a walking field trip during the fall and walked through a nearby community. before we went, we talked about some of the things we would look for. we brought in a few things to give children a prior experience so they'd know what it was and went out on this walk. and they would point out different colors of leaves. they'd look for a squirrel. they looked for pumpkins-- that kind of thing-- and then the teachers took the pictures that they found. and when we came back, they were able-- we then used those pictures to make a book, and they were able to give us the language to write the book because they had actually experienced it. we gave them a little bit of prior experience before we went, and then we went out into the field and took this trip.

we looked at lots of things, took pictures, came back and talked about it, and they were able to give us the language to go along with the pictures for our own book. woman: 1. 2... hendrick: look at all the learning that's going on in this classroom. do you see how both teacher and child are actively engaged in learning together? woman: is that enough? child. no. how many more do you think we need? we need as many as we have to-- to do it. i need this. it's a big one. you're going to fill that up, too? yeah. i put this on top of here. put it on top? yeah. ok. be careful. hendrick: as interests emerge from that collaboration, the curriculum gradually takes shape. but does this mean we should be disengaged or uninvolved in our children's learning? not at all. woman: now what are you going to do? [child responds indistinctly]

whoa! hendrick: notice how this teacher isn't sitting on the sidelines waiting patiently for the children to do whatever they feel like doing. child: maybe like this. woman: let's see. i bet-- will it go around when it's in the cup? hendrick: the truly emergent curriculum requires, even demands, the attentive and active engagement of teachers to lend a sense of support, purpose, and, above all, direction down the pathway of children's learning. i use my classroom. i use the various learning areas. i use the colors, the posters, the prints, the art work, and i use them, you know-- "tell me what it is that you like," you know. and right now, power rangers are all the rage. i know the power rangers, ok? so we could start talking about power rangers, which leads into talking about colors, which leads into talking about respect and teamwork. so it's--and each child is unique, you know. some still like the barbie dolls. i know barbie, you know. i was just at the historical museum the other day,

so i picked up on a lot of new toys that we can talk about or extend on or, "did you know your mother used to play with this game?" so they usually give me what they need. they give it to--they let me know when they come in. "i like this. i like cake. i like pie. i don't want to come to school today because i'm bored." and my response is, "well, you know what? "the time to tell your parent "that you don't want to come to school "is when you get up in the morning, "because once you're in my classroom, you're mine. "and we're going to have fun today, so come on in here. let's go." woman: do you have to make the hole bigger or smaller to make your finger fit? child: make it bigger. second child: we can make this one bigger. hendrick: but where do we begin? how do we start teaching in this new and exciting emergent fashion? there are many books on the subject, but here are a few of the basic ideas. first of all, it's important for us to understand how valuable it is

for children to come up with their own ideas, figure out answers for themselves, and try a variety of their own solutions until they find one that works for them. woman: i think clare put something in there this morning. you found a little piece of a what? child: carrot. why do you think bunnies like carrots? 'cause they're really tasty. hendrick: besides paying attention to their questions, we need to ask them questions, too, and wait for their answers-- their answers, not ours. traditionally, we're used to asking our questions and expecting facts or information as the answer-- for example, "what did we talk about yesterday?" or, "which is the round one?" or, "i wonder who's wearing red socks today?" but the emergent approach requires that we ask questions in ways that provoke children into thinking for themselves and which elicit an original idea or solution from the child-- for example, questions that begin,

"how do you think we could...?" or, "what do you suppose would happen if...?" we call these kinds of questions open-ended questions because we can't anticipate or know what the answer will turn out to be, and often there's more than one "right" answer. woman: do you think these two parts go together? child: yes. what do you think those are parts of? turtle. uh-huh. a colorful turtle. it's a very colorful turtle. hendrick: once we ask our thought-provoking, open-ended question, it's so important to wait and listen to the children's own answers and listen with genuine respect for their ideas. notice how this teacher asks the child the question. woman: hmm. i'm noticing it's harder to roll. why do you think it's harder to roll that one? hendrick: as you can see, this emergent approach to teaching requires more time, patience, and ingenuity than traditional information questions require.

of course, no matter what kind of questions we ask or teaching style we use, and despite our best efforts, some of our children are simply not going to be able to learn at the rate we'd like them to. it happens in every classroom, and we must always notice these difficulties. it may be due to a hearing or vision problem. emotional disturbance is another possibility. child: yay! and developmental delays are yet another reason for learning slowly. when we speak about special-needs children and their cognitive development, we have to understand that there are stages that children go through. they learn one thing first and then the next thing, and sometimes children go through this process a little bit more slowly or a little bit more quickly, but the bottom line is the same for all children. you need to listen to them, see where they are, and take them there to the next step. with children who are learning a little bit more slowly, you're going to have to break those steps into a little bit smaller pieces so that they can get it in a way to benefit themselves,

but these stages are the same. hendrick: when children are not doing as well as expected and are struggling with learning, it's time to consult our colleagues and talk to the child's family about the possibility of seeking outside intervention or help. help is available, and the sooner such children obtain it, the sooner thecan begin to overcome their difficulties. child: look at what he's doing. he's taking a bath. he's taking a bath. hendrick: whether we combine both traditional and emergent approaches in our classrooms or prefer one over the other, our goal is to always respect children's developmental processes and try to inspire, enhance, and challenge their intellect without pressuring them to achieve skills beyond their reach. the important thing to remember is that no one can teach a child how to learn. all we can do is build a safe and creative environment for learning,

where questions are asked freely, answers are discovered openly, and each new problem is solved not only with knowledge and insight, but solved together. i'm joanne hendrick. see you next time on the whole child. not fit through it. no, no, no. they just--they-- if they don't have-- like, all--all pets don't have hands, so they use their whiskers to feel stuff that's hard, soft, or fragile. captioning performed by the national captioning institute, inc. they use their whiskers for two things-- to feel stuff that's hard or soft or feel stuff-- the sides. if the whiskers touch the sides, then they can't fit through it. they use their whiskers for two things,

just like funny bunny can't fit through these... funding for this program was provided by...

is this a credit card? hendrick: these children are having a wonderful time playing... ice cream cone. yep, i like ice cream cones. yes, but also learning-- learning how to think, to reason, to absorb ideas and process information, to recognize and solve problems. for the whole child, especially at this age, learning isn't work. it's a joy, a pleasure, and something to look forward to every day. woman: why does his nose go up and down? woman: where else have we seen tadpoles? child: there's grass in there. hendrick: this is especially true as more and more teachers combine the more conventional and traditional styles of teaching with the new and creative learning techniques-- techniques that emerge when the educator teaches by collaboration

rather than by instruction. woman: is it dark in there? hello. i'm joanne hendrick, author of the whole child and your guide to this video series. in this program, we're going to look at what we call cognitive development and what we can do to enhance our children's ability to think, reason, remember information, and solve problems. we'll observe children in a number of different programs-- head start, family day-care homes, university schools, and private child-care centers--

and we'll listen to their teachers as they describe some of the methods they use to enhance their children's learning. what's in there? what is that? [bell jingling] what is it? what is it? is it a sponge? hendrick: the foundations of learning begin right here because children begin to learn right from the start. the most important thing i believe we can teach our children, no matter what their age, is that they are valued. hi. hi. hi, sweetie. oh, no! ♪ one wheel's off, and the axle's broken ♪ ♪ one wheel's off, the axle's broken ♪ ♪ one wheel's off, the axle's broken ♪ ♪ now we can't ride phillip, how can we fix it? with a, um, wrench. how does a wrench work? show me. whoosh. can you guys do that? hendrick: unless children have this basic sense of self-worth, i believe it's unrealistic to expect them to open themselves to

and embrace the challenge of learning and problem solving. the more traditional and conventional way to teach children is by providing lots of facts and information, often originating from books, work sheets, and flashcards. this is how we learned, how we were taught to recognize letters, numbers, and to find out how the world works. traditionally, these cognitive skills were then woven into themes selected by our teachers, who then conscientiously and carefully planned in advance everything they wanted us to learn. [children talking indistinctly] woman: do creepy-crawly bugs live at your pond? children: no. woman: no? are you sure? children: no. [children talking indistinctly] woman: for sure for sure? child: yeah. woman: ok. i like what you're building. hendrick: but now, in more and more classrooms around the country, like this one, we're seeing teachers engaging in a much more interesting and interactive style of instruction

often referred to as emergent learning. tadpoles. yes. one of my friends yesterday--eddie-- brought in some tadpoles, and he found these in a neighbor's pool. why do you think we just sang the speckled frog song? child: because there was tadpoles. woman: because there was tadpoles? second child: the tadpoles turn into frogs. because the tadpoles turn into frogs. good thinking. hendrick: in this more interactive and collaborative approach, the teacher and children seek out answers together. the teacher continues to make plans, but adjusts them as she pays attention to the children and finds out what is particularly interesting to them. she's also constantly looking for problems to present to the children so they can propose their own solutions-- their solutions, not hers. woman: what about-- yes, natalie? child: i have tadpoles at home. if you want to see it alive, i'll be able to bring one to school.

that would be great. hendrick: for example, perhaps the children are raising a baby rabbit. the teacher might ask them for ways they can make him comfortable and healthy. do they think he's lonely? what could we do about that? what could we use for a larger cage? the children's solutions to such problems will unfold gradually and often spontaneously in response to the teacher's questions. child: no. he's growing bigger. woman: why is he growing bigger? because he's eating. second child: look how big he is. third child: but funny bunny's more bigger than that. woman: he is big. and he's going to grow bigger. what are we going to have to do about the cage? we have to give him a bigger cage. how are we going to get him a bigger cage? go to the pet store and get him a bigger cage. could we build one ourselves? yeah. what would we build it out of? we'll get a big-- as big as the whole world. a big box,

and then we'll put it on the bottom, and then we'll make something strong here of lines. and a top roof. and then put some chips in there and funny bunny's food and his water. then put funny bunny in there. do you think he'd be happy in there? yeah. hendrick: sometimes, instead of just telling her their ideas, they can even show what they mean, perhaps drawing what they have in mind or helping to make a model of their idea. of course, it's all right to include more traditional approaches, too, such as finding out some facts about rabbits. you could even write the name as a label for the cage. i'm discovering the whole teacher is someone who combines both traditional and emergent approaches in order to present a truly balanced curriculum for the children. one project that emerged in the classroom that i was in came about when i was observing two children sitting at the water table.

and they had just recently found some toothbrushes over in the art area that had been set out, and they were playing with some plastic whales that were at the table. and so i walked over, and i sat down. i said, "what's going on?" this child, whose name was alex, said, "they're swimming and brushing their teeth," and he's showing me the whale. and so, you know, i had, in a sense, the classroom that was set and the environment was set up by the teachers. and so, in a sense, there was thoughtful planning put into what's going to be happening in the classroom, but at the same time, there's an openness about what the kids are interested in, what they're doing, that will allow you to focus in on their interests. at this point in time, i thought this was an interesting idea. so i started asking them some questions about what's going on, what they're doing, so as to get a sense of what they're thinking about initially

so that we could talk about what the other teachers in the classroom-- where to go from this point. child: i'm seeing all of the colors. you're seeing all of the colors in the ocean. see that? i see there. where? show me again. where? i see green and red. you see green and red? me, too. do you see brown? no. hendrick: of course, no matter which techniques you decide to use, inevitably you will encounter some parents or family members who think you aren't doing enough fast enough, who want to accelerate the pace of their child's cognitive learning. woman: oh, let's see. let's see. that sounds exciting. oh. [child speaks indistinctly] oh, there's a little ant right there. there's a whole bunch of them. i wonder if they're going home to their family? be gentle. gentle. be gentle. that's right. they're going up. they're going up the tree.

they're scared. wow. you think they're scared? what's scaring them, cosmo? i'm scaring them. oh, you scared them? how could you make them so they're not scared? hendrick: it's very important to keep the families informed about all the thinking skills the children are using in order to reassure them the children are really learning something. woman: i see one right here. find another one. woman: so if we made a bigger cage, we'd have to make something with cracks in it so he'd get air? child: yep. hendrick: for example, the teacher should point out how the children are learning mathematics by measuring the rabbit's growth and estimating how big a cage he's going to need. woman: so what would you make this cage out of-- the top part? child: um, metal. thin pieces of metal. i had a parent last year. i had had her child for two years, and i would say, "come into the classroom," you know. and she said, "well, they just play all day, you know.

why should i just come to see them play?" and i said, "well, you know, you should come in and actually see how they play. they take turns. they share. they're learning so many things just from being here." and she had a special-need child, and i say, "you know, she actually needs you to be here." and i said, "why don't you just try volunteering one day? "just come into the classroom and just put yourself in your child's place for one day." so i did get her to come in for a day, and we gave her a star for today, and we made a big issue out of it like, "nicole's mother came to school with her today," and last year, she volunteered nearly every day. you know, she was one of my, you know, best parents for volunteering. woman: and we have a lot of pictures for you guys to see. second woman: oh, good. hendrick: let's encourage family members to visit our classrooms, to look at the experience boards, to read their newsletters, and to come to slide shows illustrating the children's adventures.

these are all excellent ways to keep the family informed about how valuable this kind of learning can be. when a child's family is informed and pleased with what is happening, they often contribute suggestions of their own to further enrich their child's education. a key component to teaching in the emergent style is to listen to the children's questions and think of ways for them to seek out and discover their own answers. i think it's important to give children choices because it makes them decision-makers. they learn to make their own decisions. they decide what they want to do in the day's time. and i really-- i seriously believe when they grow older, it stays with them, and they will always make decisions and not have to look to others to make decisions for them. woman: is it there? is it there, veledio?

child: i'll try it. woman: boy, dante, that's a good job. you're spreading it all over. hendrick: just take a look at all the exploring and investigation and research that's taking place in this classroom. not only are these children figuring things out for themselves, they're also feeling good about themselves. child: one. woman: you added your one, so we need to pass this over to sidney. sidney, are you ready? woman: let's see what you can do with it now. boy, look at it. it's not powder anymore. what is it? hendrick: how do you think that works? what do you think the connection is between being successful at learning and feeling good about oneself? woman: ...here for sidney. here's a piece over here for crystalline-- a very special piece. hendrick: once again, it all comes back to self-worth,

the foundation of learning. we know from our own experiences growing up and even as adults, that no matter how old we are, there's nothing like mastery over a problem, challenge, or a difficult question. when we know what we're doing, we feel capable, confident, in control, and yes, even at this young age, empowered. and so i just started asking them some questions, and the first question i asked was, "do animals brush their own teeth?" and so we got into this discussion about how we take care of our teeth and how animals take care of their teeth, and it was interesting to hear his ideas about how animals do get their teeth taken care of 'cause he has his ideas about the dentist and about brushing his teeth, and some of it overlapped into the whale world, where he is convinced that, you know, animals-- that whales get their teeth brushed, actually, by humans who go out and pull them up with a fishing pole.

but here was an opportunity for me, then, to go to the other teachers in the classroom and say, "these are some of the things that alex was talking about. "he's talking about the dentist. "he's talking about how animals get their teeth taken care of. "he's talking about teeth. he's talking about all sorts of different things." this was a conversation that lasted maybe 15 minutes, and other kids were there and gave their ideas about the dentist also. they were having a discussion about-- one child thought that they drill your teeth if you have something in it, and the other disagreed and said, "well, they just make you hold something in your mouth for a few minutes, and then you spit it out." and so here's another opportunity, where they have different theories about what's going on in the world, that they can exchange some ideas, and maybe we can go have a concrete experience-- maybe going to the dentist or something or having someone come in-- to expand on their ideas, which is really important, in a sense--

which is different than a more traditional, conventional classroom, where you have a predetermined set of plans or lessons that you want to stick to. of course, children can't teach themselves everything and find their own solutions to all their problems. using the emergent approach does not mean letting the children do whatever they want. as teachers and parents, we're still the primary source of children's early education, and that's not going to change. it remains our responsibility to assess the children's ideas and plan ways to develop them. woman: what do you think it smells like? ooh, that smel like seaweed. hendrick: not all learning takes place in the classroom. what do you think is going on on this field trip that is helping make these children so receptive to learning new things? child: it smells nasty. woman: it's nasty? woman: can you see them? what did that snake feel like when you touched him? look. he's going to crawl back under the water bowl, i think.

hendrick: field trips like this one are excellent opportunities to learn because they encourage and stimulate the child's sense of wonder and curiosity. child: oh! it's a rock! woman: it's a rock. see? hendrick: one way to maximize the effectiveness of field trips like these is for us to emphasize hands-on experiences and not spend all our time simply telling and showing. woman: do you think they hide in the plants? hendrick: instead, allow plenty of time for the children to make their own observations and ask their own questions. it's a turtle. i know it's a turtle... hendrick: write these down and explore them later, when you return to school, and see for yourself how your curriculum and teaching plans emerge before your very eyes. child: right here. woman: will he bite me if i touch him? child: yes. woman: yes. ouch. hendrick: of course, this doesn't only apply to out-of-class excursions.

inside or outside the classroom, we should also leave time for the child's own view, questions, and interpretation of what he experiences. we took a walking field trip during the fall and walked through a nearby community. before we went, we talked about some of the things we would look for. we brought in a few things to give children a prior experience so they'd know what it was and went out on this walk. and they would point out different colors of leaves. they'd look for a squirrel. they looked for pumpkins-- that kind of thing-- and then the teachers took the pictures that they found. and when we came back, they were able-- we then used those pictures to make a book, and they were able to give us the language to write the book because they had actually experienced it. we gave them a little bit of prior experience before we went, and then we went out into the field and took this trip.

we looked at lots of things, took pictures, came back and talked about it, and they were able to give us the language to go along with the pictures for our own book. woman: 1. 2... hendrick: look at all the learning that's going on in this classroom. do you see how both teacher and child are actively engaged in learning together? woman: is that enough? child. no. how many more do you think we need? we need as many as we have to-- to do it. i need this. it's a big one. you're going to fill that up, too? yeah. i put this on top of here. put it on top? yeah. ok. be careful. hendrick: as interests emerge from that collaboration, the curriculum gradually takes shape. but does this mean we should be disengaged or uninvolved in our children's learning? not at all. woman: now what are you going to do? [child responds indistinctly]

whoa! hendrick: notice how this teacher isn't sitting on the sidelines waiting patiently for the children to do whatever they feel like doing. child: maybe like this. woman: let's see. i bet-- will it go around when it's in the cup? hendrick: the truly emergent curriculum requires, even demands, the attentive and active engagement of teachers to lend a sense of support, purpose, and, above all, direction down the pathway of children's learning. i use my classroom. i use the various learning areas. i use the colors, the posters, the prints, the art work, and i use them, you know-- "tell me what it is that you like," you know. and right now, power rangers are all the rage. i know the power rangers, ok? so we could start talking about power rangers, which leads into talking about colors, which leads into talking about respect and teamwork. so it's--and each child is unique, you know. some still like the barbie dolls. i know barbie, you know. i was just at the historical museum the other day,

so i picked up on a lot of new toys that we can talk about or extend on or, "did you know your mother used to play with this game?" so they usually give me what they need. they give it to--they let me know when they come in. "i like this. i like cake. i like pie. i don't want to come to school today because i'm bored." and my response is, "well, you know what? "the time to tell your parent "that you don't want to come to school "is when you get up in the morning, "because once you're in my classroom, you're mine. "and we're going to have fun today, so come on in here. let's go." woman: do you have to make the hole bigger or smaller to make your finger fit? child: make it bigger. second child: we can make this one bigger. hendrick: but where do we begin? how do we start teaching in this new and exciting emergent fashion? there are many books on the subject, but here are a few of the basic ideas. first of all, it's important for us to understand how valuable it is

for children to come up with their own ideas, figure out answers for themselves, and try a variety of their own solutions until they find one that works for them. woman: i think clare put something in there this morning. you found a little piece of a what? child: carrot. why do you think bunnies like carrots? 'cause they're really tasty. hendrick: besides paying attention to their questions, we need to ask them questions, too, and wait for their answers-- their answers, not ours. traditionally, we're used to asking our questions and expecting facts or information as the answer-- for example, "what did we talk about yesterday?" or, "which is the round one?" or, "i wonder who's wearing red socks today?" but the emergent approach requires that we ask questions in ways that provoke children into thinking for themselves and which elicit an original idea or solution from the child-- for example, questions that begin,

"how do you think we could...?" or, "what do you suppose would happen if...?" we call these kinds of questions open-ended questions because we can't anticipate or know what the answer will turn out to be, and often there's more than one "right" answer. woman: do you think these two parts go together? child: yes. what do you think those are parts of? turtle. uh-huh. a colorful turtle. it's a very colorful turtle. hendrick: once we ask our thought-provoking, open-ended question, it's so important to wait and listen to the children's own answers and listen with genuine respect for their ideas. notice how this teacher asks the child the question. woman: hmm. i'm noticing it's harder to roll. why do you think it's harder to roll that one? hendrick: as you can see, this emergent approach to teaching requires more time, patience, and ingenuity than traditional information questions require.

of course, no matter what kind of questions we ask or teaching style we use, and despite our best efforts, some of our children are simply not going to be able to learn at the rate we'd like them to. it happens in every classroom, and we must always notice these difficulties. it may be due to a hearing or vision problem. emotional disturbance is another possibility. child: yay! and developmental delays are yet another reason for learning slowly. when we speak about special-needs children and their cognitive development, we have to understand that there are stages that children go through. they learn one thing first and then the next thing, and sometimes children go through this process a little bit more slowly or a little bit more quickly, but the bottom line is the same for all children. you need to listen to them, see where they are, and take them there to the next step. with children who are learning a little bit more slowly, you're going to have to break those steps into a little bit smaller pieces so that they can get it in a way to benefit themselves,

but these stages are the same. hendrick: when children are not doing as well as expected and are struggling with learning, it's time to consult our colleagues and talk to the child's family about the possibility of seeking outside intervention or help. help is available, and the sooner such children obtain it, the sooner thecan begin to overcome their difficulties. child: look at what he's doing. he's taking a bath. he's taking a bath. hendrick: whether we combine both traditional and emergent approaches in our classrooms or prefer one over the other, our goal is to always respect children's developmental processes and try to inspire, enhance, and challenge their intellect without pressuring them to achieve skills beyond their reach. the important thing to remember is that no one can teach a child how to learn. all we can do is build a safe and creative environment for learning,

where questions are asked freely, answers are discovered openly, and each new problem is solved not only with knowledge and insight, but solved together. i'm joanne hendrick. see you next time on the whole child. not fit through it. no, no, no. they just--they-- if they don't have-- like, all--all pets don't have hands, so they use their whiskers to feel stuff that's hard, soft, or fragile. captioning performed by the national captioning institute, inc. they use their whiskers for two things-- to feel stuff that's hard or soft or feel stuff-- the sides. if the whiskers touch the sides, then they can't fit through it. they use their whiskers for two things,

just like funny bunny can't fit through these... funding for this program was provided by...