The Secrets of Wire: Play, Reflection and Relationships with Risk
As my colleagues and I continued to think together about our big idea of transformation and some of our research questions, we wondered what materials…
Tag: arts
A response to the “Governing Cancer of Our Time”
Our focus for this year’s Summer Symposium is Play, the Arts, and Education for Democracy. Setting that theme guides our attention throughout the year. How…
Putting Himself in the Dot
K was engaged at the light table. He seemed unaware of what was happening around him. His full attention was on his creation. He had…
Pressing the Reset Button
As teachers we are continuously reflecting upon promoting healthy and productive classroom cultures. In designing experiences for children, we consider what we know about optimal…
Seeing Ourselves in Clay
As you know from our recent blog post that included our letter of intention to families, the Primary Community is focusing on research into the…
In This Tree Lives Hope
In the Magnolia Classroom community, the children have been focused on developing and learning to appreciate their connection to the natural world. They are practicing strategies…
Why we don’t do art in school (and why we should)
This post by Susan Harris MacKay first appeared on the Living in Dialogue blog. In these times, when the demolition of a place as historic…
Thinking With Charcoal
Opal School third graders have been exploring charcoal as a language — a tool for thinking and expression. We began by asking: What can this…
Constructing new ideas through dialog and the arts
During a recent Opal School Mentorship Program gathering, a group was discussing the quality of conversation they hear in Opal School classrooms. They were intrigued by the…
It Starts with a Seed
As teacher-researchers, we feel strongly about nurturing children’s connection to nature through playing, making, and sharing. Stories are one way we play and share with…