INSTRCUCTIONS FOR EXPLORING PRINT CULTURE

Historically, Native Americans took on the identity of wild animals to increase their personal power and ability. Your job, today, is to investigate characteristics of mountain lions as a means to begin to think about the ways that we are represented (and the ways we represent) ourselves as Nittany Lions.

Nittany Lion (some search terms that might be helpful)

·      Mountain lion

·      Cougar

·      Panther

·      Puma

·      Felis Concolor

Today we are going to do some explorations of Mountain Lions by finding sources that we can use in our classroom. Think of it this way…if you were going to do a project on Nittany Lions with young children, we would want to have lots of stuff to look at. We would want to have books in our classroom. We want our books to be appropriate for young children so we want to make sure that our books have lots of pictures.

Each team should locate 8 different pieces of print material from the library These print materials can be fiction and nonfiction. You may choose picture/ juvenile books, informational books, art/photography books, comic books, magazines etc..

Try to stretch your idea beyond “traditional materials”. If you have never done an advanced search on The Cat, have a go at it:

Go to the cat

o   Advance search

o   Material type

With your team, spend some time with the material that you located. As you look through the material, think about how mountain lions are represented in the material. Look closely at the pictures. Talk about what you see. Do you all notice the same things? What draws you to different materials? Are there some that you like more than others? Why?

Use your field notebooks to record important information. For example, you might want to keep a list of characteristics that are emerging from your explorations (these will be important for later projects),  you might want to sketch something, keep track of an important title or author (and note why you want to remember this author).

Now that you have spent some time with your material, choose 3 to bring back to class. Think about why you are choosing the 3 materials. Ask yourselves: what makes this a good resource to build understanding about lions? NOTE: These 3 materials should be appropriate for use in an early childhood classroom (a 300 page fictional novel is not an appropriate choice for an ECE classroom). These resources should, in some way, demonstrate different characteristics/aspects of “lions”.

Don’t forget to document (it will be helpful to have one of you work as the documenter).  As a documenter, you may want to think about some of the following questions:

·      What are your teammates curious about? What are they trying to figure out?

·      What knowledge are they drawing on?

·      How are your teammates building on each other’s ideas and perspectives?

Documenter’s notes should describe interactions between teammates. As much as possible, try to record a few direct quotes.

·      Did your teammates talk to each other?

·      What did they say?

·      How did you become part of the conversation?

PRINT CULTURE, THE BODY AND REPRESENTATIONS OF (THE) LIONS

Our previous planning process had revealed a group interest of investigating ideas of how the Nittany Lion represented us and how we (as members of PSU) are represented by the Nittany Lion. Wikipedia notes that mascots are used to represent groups with common public identities. Often, mascots reflect desired qualities that can personify competitive spirits. Another connection to our work with representations comes from traditions of American Indians for whom animal totems are intricately woven together with spiritual paths. Animals totems, in this tradition, are symbolic objects that allow people to get in touch with specific qualities found within the animal which the person needs, connects with, or feels a deep affinity toward.  The connection to American Indian lore may very well serve as the bases for the term “Nittany” lion, http://www.mtnittany.org/Lore-Nita-nee-Juniata-Maiden.htm, and as such, serves as the basis for much of our inquiry.

As a means of thinking about the idea of representation, it seemed appropriate to think about the qualities of lions (mountain lions and nittany lions) to begin to open up connections between us, and our school mascot.  In order to do so, the students went on a library search to investigate print materials.  The idea was for students to find a variety of different print materials related to lions, and consider how lions were represented in those materials. In other words, what can we learn about mountain lions from looking at different kinds of print material? More importantly, if we are not yet able to read words, what do we learn about mountain lions from looking at print material? How do young children use print material as a way to make meaning?

Working in teams, the students set out to find books. Immediately, it became apparent that many of them were not fluent in using the library. As a result, the students found themselves learning about how to use the library within the contexts of a purposeful driven activity. Working together, the students utilized the expertise of their teammates to work through library search engines and combed the stacks for their books. Picture books were a main source of material (likely a result of being in the education library and the proximity of this type of material). 

A line of flight…. While looking at books, students discovered new areas of inquiry. For example, Hali, Sam, Audrey and someone found a book that included curriculum ideas to study lions. Looking at a “find the lion” map search generated questions about where, in the US, mountain lions lived. Looking at the map, I asked, “does this map represent where you can find mountain lions in the US?  Do they really live in Florida?”  A quick google search provided the answer…yes, in fact they do, but they are endangered. Populations of mountain lions, who require isolated and undisturbed game-rich wilderness, have diminished as humans have encroached in their habitat. 

When we returned to the classroom, books in hand, we spent some time thinking about how the lions were represented in the books. The solitary life of the mountain lion was challenged by a children’s picture book (found by Danielle) that provided anthropomorphic features to tell the story of a family of lions. These lions were portrayed similarly to human families…living and playing together in harmony with other species of animals. 

Students were asked to think about the ways that the lions were represented and then asked to create a list of characteristics that describe mountain lions. We used these words to create a series of body sculptures.

·      fierce

·      smart

·      prou

·      furry

·      predator

·      sleek/ sly/ sneaky

·      loud

·      scary

·      majestic

·      strong

·      fast

·      cute

·      protective

·      talented

·      dangerous

·      friendly

·      hungry

·      social (?)

·      changing

·      fearless

·      ferocious

·      hunters

·      respected

·      endangered

At first, it seemed difficult for the students to take the bodywork seriously. There were lots of giggles and even more wandering eyes to check how other classmates were forming their bodies.  For some, allowing their body to do the work came easy while, for others, it was more difficult to release the reliance on language. Thinking through what the word meant, and how to make the body look slowed the process of sculpting (for some) leaving a few students looking around to decide what what they “should” do.

A final group sculpture allowed each student to find their individual voice within the space of community. As the facilitator, I chose the term “majestic” to create the group sculpture.

The discussion after revealed some interesting ways that making meaning with our bodies allowed for students to try on an identity of “majestic” and to consider how our combined efforts facilitated communal, public identities that are embedded within our singular components. Additionally, our discussion opened up spaces for students to consider the social nature of language, the fluidity of meaning, and the ways that knowledge is build through cumulative experiences that do not, necessarily, follow neat and linear patterns.

Audrey: I think that’s another thing, like how they were talking about two different meanings. Like if you go, and you were in class and your teacher, you say, I don’t know what blah, blah, blah word is and your teacher says “oh well, look it up, there’s a dictionary over there” but like, a dictionary definition is going to be like, a fact but what we all came up with was something completely different but they all stood for something majestic. And when we started adding stuff to, it was even more majestic. Like somebody might have an idea to, like, take it this way. It still stood for and represented majestic. 

Kris: yes, it makes that boundary of meaning more fluid, yes? It allows all of us to have our own piece of meaning and it doesn’t have to mean…well this means this and this means this. Now this means this AND this AND this AND this…all of equally valid meanings

Jess: I think like, going off what she said…we don’t think of ourselves as majestic as individuals but when we put us together and tried to put ourselves like that, we felt more like that. Like with the stadium thing you talked about. Like when I go there I don’t think of it as majestic but then when you put the team in there and everyone around and everything that goes on…  so I just think its neat how each one of us doesn’t feel majestic but you put us all together and we are. 

Kris: Together we add layers…we start to add layers of meaning and move things in new directions.

Jaime: It’s the same idea about beauty… if you go in the dictionary, it will tell you something but I think that something is beautiful doesn’t mean that everyone thinks that is beautiful. Any word is in the eye of beholder.

 

Instructions for Project Planning

Step one:

Brainstorm a list of topics related to the Nittany Lion through the creation of topic webs. You will break into groups of 5. Each group will create an initial topic webs. Each group will be given a pack of post-it notes to record a list of potential ideas that are related to the topic.  Your list could include

·      Your interests for a topic

·      Potential interests for others (students) about the topic

·      Problems or needs that you want to address

·      Questions

·      Concepts

·      Local/ world events that relate to the topic

·      Places/ people that might be related

·      Other things that might connect us to the idea (television, film, books)

Basically, your additional brainstorming will include anything and everything that you can think of that relate to your topic.

Step 2:

You will merge the small groups into two subgroups and merge your thinking into a comprehensive visual web. Organize your post it notes to consider what kinds of similar threads you have found and think about what kinds of topics emerged and what subtopics might be included with that. Create a visual web (see page 94 in Katz and Chard)

Step 3:

Create a few overarching questions (3-5) that could potentially guide the investigation into the topic (this would be a “content question, in the space of a classroom, this kind of question would guide your plans as a teacher, rather than posing it as a question for students to answer).  In other words, look at your graphic web….

·      what kinds of things do you want to know about the Nittany Lion that emerged from the creation of your web?

·      Example, my question is: in what ways does the Nittany Lion represent the attitudes, abilities, and possibilities of Penn State and/or Penn State students?

Step 4

With your combined group, (if you haven’t all ready done so) make a list of potential ways to explore the topics that you have come up with. AT this point, think of everything but books and other forms of traditional print literature. Think of

·      Places you could go that would add depth and complexity to the idea

·      People that might be a good resource that you could talk to

·      Art projects that might be a way to engage thinking

·      Music, TV, or movies (real or fictional) that might provide some insight into your thinking

·      Ways that you could use your body to get at some of the information.

Step 5

Share visual maps with whole class.

CHOOSING AND PLANNING A PROJECT

Katz and Chard (2000) stress the importance of choosing a topic as a major consideration for project work.  They note

"In some classes, the diversity of the incoming pupils' experiences might be so great that it would be beneficial to begin the year with a topic the teacher is reasonably certain is familiar to all children. A sense of community in the class is more likely to develop when all the children have sufficient experience related to the topic to be able to participate in a discussion with some confidence, and to be able to recognize and relate their own relevant experiences" (p.86). For the ECE 497 students, coming up with a project All ready embedded in the Penn State community and  traditions that surround that membership, the Nittany Lion seemed an obvious choice. The idea of Penn State Proud is easily reflected in the student body in their commitment to scholarship and of course, in their devotion to the Penn State football team.

In terms of thinking about young learners, it is important to consider how we might go about choosing a topic for project work with our students. 

Questions: 

• What are some potential topics that might spark the interests of young children? 
• How (and where can we locate ideas about the lives of young children that might help to inform us of potential topics for a project?  

 
Following the model outlined in Engaging Children's Minds: The Project Approach, students separated into two groups of 5 and two groups of 4. They were provided with a post-it notes, markers, and 2 large sheets of paper.

The students went to work immediately. The process of brainstorming allowed students to think through ideas collectively, to share their own experiences, and attend to nuances. 

A question about representation provided an opportunity for Kyle and Beth to think about what it means to represent and to be represented…

“How does the Nittany Lion represent us? “

“Wait, don’t we all ready have that question?”

“No, we have how do we represent the Nittany Lion?”

“Aren’t they the same question?”

“NO! They are two TOTALLY different questions!"

The familiarity with the topic and the expertise of different students helped to propel their ideas.  For example, Caitlin and Jess have great connections because of their participation in dance team/ cheerleading (respectively) and these connections showed themselves in their choices for guest speakers. Audrey has experience with photo-mosaics and suggested that we use images to make a mosaic of the Penn State Lion. Kyle opened up thinking about sequencing lessons by suggesting that we use a project on representation as the basis for our mosaic, nesting individual representation into a larger concept of community representation.

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"During phase one, the teacher helps the children to build a shared perspective on the topic and to formulate a set of question that will guide their investigation" (Katz and Chard, p.70).

Once the students had completed their graphic organizers, they were instructed to consider some overarching questions and to also consider non-print modes of inquiry. As a means of expanding the student’s ability to think outside traditional modes of knowledge production, I instructed them to consider activities that might be appropriate for young children. This suggestion opened up lines of thinking that expanded the use of modalities. We were not only thinking as teachers, but also as learners of the topic.  We merged into a large group discussion that allowed us to share questions and modalities of thinking to explore those questions. As a group, we considered how they overlapped and might be combined. A final list of questions was formulated. 

 

Why are we the Nittany Lions and how does it represent us?

How do we, as Penn Stater's, represent ourselves as Nittany Lions?

What is the significance of the general history of the Nittany Lion and PSU?

What are similarities and differences between real lions and "nittany lions"?

How do people, past and present, shape what the Nittany Lion means today?

How have the responsibilities and traditions of the lion mascot developed over time?

The students articulated that they found the process fairly easy, no real difficulties. They were able to note that there is always a balance between possibility and practicality and that there are limitations to what we might be able to accomplish within the given parameters of a classroom.

There were some small disagreements about final formulations of questions. Caitlin suggested a final question “How have the responsibilities and traditions of the lion mascot developed over time?” Kyle felt as if this was a sub-question to one of the other overarching questions. Caitlin and Danielle stood their ground to explain how it was different. And Beth was skeptical on using Lion Amabassadors as guest speakers, wondering what they could bring to the project that would be interesting. Although the lion ambassadors could provide us with great historical information, would it be interesting to sit in a classroom and listen to them? I tried to point out that this is an important thing to remember when planning projects for young children (and ourselves).

As the facilitator, probably the hardest part of the process (for me) is the discomfort of disagreement. I do not want students to feel “shut down” in the process and I want people to realize that every idea is worthy of being put on the table. I wish I had posed some questions about how we can work through dis/agreement , how we can listen to ideas with openness, and how we can agree  on solutions that prioritize the community as a whole. These seem like important processes for developing collaborations between teachers…and collaborations between teachers and students.  After all, not every idea, every activity, and every speaker is going to make it into the final draft of the project but the process itself can provide valuable tools for learning how to listen carefully and find value in each idea.

 

 

We never get a second chance at a first impression

The first day of class was, in my humble opinion, a great success. I could not have been happier with the willingness of the students to open up and reveal a bit of who they are...not only with me, but also with each other.

question: What are the ways that learning is fostered by community?  How does understanding build when ideas are openly shared?

The first day of class is so important. Even after teaching for years, I am always nervous when I enter a classroom.  We begin building a community of learners on the very first day of class, we give students a first glimpse of what we think is important, and we create a climate for learning. Getting to know the students I am going to be working with is always my first goal. I know that it takes alot of time, but giving everyone a chance to talk and share is time well spent.

I opened our class by asking everyone to talk about something that they were curious about. I was hoping that this type of introduction would start us off by demonstrating the power of our following our own interests and what happens when we allow our curiosity to guide our learning. It was great. There were lots of amazing things that the students shared.
Caitlin can wiggle her nose (and does so when she is intently concentrating) and Laura just got her first kayak. Audrey reviewed the lyrics of Kanye West because she heard that he professed his love for Kim Kardashian in them. Beth introduced us to plarn...and Kyle pointed out that people use plarn to make "bags out of bags?" Jaime and her brother made a mess in the kitchen trying to figure out if liquid really would shoot out of a blender. Kortney plays soccer and discovered that female soccer players get more concussions than male soccer players because men have stronger necks and Megan is curious about whether or not holistic medicine works. Sam, a girl after my own heart, loves TV marathons and wonders who ever thought that drinking milk from a cow was a good idea. Sarah, loves historical mysteries (though she hasn't seen Brad Metzger's Decoded...and she should). Haili thinks babies are fascinating and Stephanie is curious about twins. Becca got to go on a great vacation to Puerto Vallarta but still she wonders if time shares are really worth it. Both Kyle and Jess are curious about cats and dogs... what do they know, and are dogs really all that smart? And Danielle's own experiences in theatre propel her curiosity about children's imagination. I suppose Taylor sums it all up by noting that she is curious about what makes people interested in certain things....

The greatest thing about this beginning to our class is the way that each student's interest sparked interest from the others. I wish I knew everyone's names so I could talk more specifically about these connections...in fact, I wish I had a tidy little map that showed the connections. More than one student chimed in over the Kanye West story and several students had been on vacations involving time shares. Caitlin was able to tell us about differences between the milk production between goats and cows. It was, an amazing display of social learning, and of the ways that we construct knowledge about things from a variety of sources.

After we spent some time getting to know each other we watched the video (To make a portrait of a Lion). I asked them to talk about what they noticed...

• Children's potential through discovery
• a variety of activity happening at the same time
• interactions between teachers and children (and specifically, that the adults stayed back from the direct involvement with the chidlren)
• a range of learning spaces (in and out of the school)
• amazing collaboration between children 
• documentation that highlighted the expressiveness of the children
• sustained attention
• working in and through different media

This was such a fabulous list of observations... I can't help but wonder how the list may have been different if we hadn't first got ourselves thinking about what makes us curious. I also can't help but think about our lists and how our own curiosities propel acts of discovery.