HEAR, Think, Wonder...

Lately, as I watch videos of our babies in the classroom -- working, interacting, enjoying their environment -- I have been thinking about how our "See, Think, Wonder" protocol helps us to delve deeper in our understanding of what may be happening during a particular moment. We teachers use this protocol as we write learning stories about a moment or moments that spark our interest and curiosity, and while studying videos together, and we invite you to see, think, and wonder about our documentation.

Sometimes, while watching a video together, we use the "see" prompt to objectively point out what we notice not only with our eyes, but with our ears as well.

I started to think about the power of different forms of communication and expression our babies exhibit. When we look at them, we can see their facial expressions, actions, and body language and use these to hypothesize what they may be feeling or thinking...they may show they are tired by rubbing their eyes or putting their head on the carpet...they might express interest in what a peer is working on by turning their head to face them and opening their eyes wide...they can show they trust their caregivers by touching our faces or laying their head on our shoulders.

What about the things we can hear our babies doing? When we spend time with babies or watch a video, we can often hear sounds to accompany what we see...but what if we only focused on the sounds? I decided to take "video" (really "audio") in the classroom and listen and invite all of you to listen as well.

Can we construct meaning in a different way by only hearing and not seeing what our babies are doing?

What do you HEAR, THINK, and WONDER when you listen to this recording?

Thank you for participating in this experiment together with us -- I look forward to your interpretations!

With care,
Christina (with Amara, Dilcia, and Susie)