Pedagogical Listening to Reconnect with Children
As I began my third practicum in the Juniper Room, I quickly reconnected with the children despite having been away for several months. Through careful observation and listening, I was able to interact with them and regain that familiar sense of connection. I recorded several interesting moments, trying to truly listen to the children, understand them, and “live well together with them” (BC ELF, 2019).
“Educators work with a pedagogy of listening to notice the many ways children express themselves, recognizing that intentional, open listening is the basis of a reciprocal relationship” (Rinaldi, 2001, p. 80; BC ELF, 2019, p. 71).
Scene 1: An Ice Cream Stand
A and F have build a ice cream stand out of plastic blocks/chairs. They put some rocks on the top of the block, pretending those were ice creams. Another two children came to grab the rocks without asking. A and F shouted: No!!!
I instructed the other two children, “You can ask may I have some ice cream please?”
The other two children asked, “ May I have some ice cream please?” A and F happily handed them some rocks. Then the four children played together.
“Some ice cream please~”
”More ice cream please!”
“Some juice please!”
Scene 2: We Are Having Babies
Two children came to me and said: “We are having babies!”
They put balls into the T-shirt and made themselves look pregnant. One of the two children is a boy. I was amused and asked him, “You are having a baby too?” He replied to me firmly, “A baby boy and a baby girl.”
The two children holding their balls inside the T-shirt walked towards other corner. They stopped by the fence because they spotted two small balls lying on the next yard. They asked me for the balls. As a practicum student, I was not sure whether it was allowed to go to next yard to get the balls. I instructed them to ask their educator who was standing nearby. Luckily the educator opened the gate and fetched the balls for them. Each of them had one more baby in their T-shirt which made them just like a general back from the battle field.
Scene 3: You Made Me Mad!
N and M are as the same as several months ago, being close friends and always playing together.
That day, N and M were playing in the yard, not far from me. Suddenly, I heard a moment of quarrels. M walked ahead angrily, and N caught up with her, saying in frustration, “You won so many times, I was so mad!”
At first, I was about to step in and ask what had happened. But after hearing M’s words, I couldn’t help but smile and decided not to intervene. Adults often feel the same way too, except we are usually not as brave in telling the other person directly.
Scene 4: What Is 4:30?
Educator S checked with me what time I would be off, and I replied, “4:30!”
J was next to me, and he asked, “ What is 4:30?”
And I answered, “ 4:30 is my off time. I gonna go home at 4:30.”
But J insisted, “What is 4:30?”
I came to realized he was asking the serious question about time concept. So I showed him my watch, it read 4:17. Then we observed together, one minute later, the watch showed 4:18, then 4:19.
I asked，“what is after 4:19?”
J said, “4:20?”
I answered, “Exactly!”
J was excited, he kept counting to 4:30!