Make Their Mark: Documenting & Displaying Children's Voices, Artwork, Learning and Ideas. (1)

When I'm visiting an Education and Care Setting I am often drawn to the visibility of learning including the displays of artwork. I love to have discussions with educators about the way they showcase their practices and often this leads to a conversation about the intention and pedagogy. 

I ask questions such as 'what led you to this project?' or 'did all the children participate in this experience?'. 'what did this child say about their drawing?'

This leads to some great dialogue about how the learning can be visible in a meaningful way.

A little story of this involves a team who were unsure how to display artwork for babies and they told me that they don't because it looks like 'scribble'. I'm so delighted they told me that because we were able to unpack the challenges and come up with new strategies. The next time I visited, the children's artwork was displayed in a meaningful way (exactly as it was) and was accompanied by a photo of the child making their mark. Another exciting part was that the educators felt confident to talk with families about the children's artwork and to display it proudly. 

This session will explore:

Documenting children's voices – This starts with listening deeply. I hear you asking the question and the answer is 'Yes, we will cover how to document the voices of non-verbal children'. 

Displaying children's artwork – This begins with an intention and pedagogy based on process vs product. 

Listening to and noticing children's voices – This starts with knowing how to notice moments for capturing and knowing how to capture them with respect.

We will unpack many concepts and I will share some real examples with you. 

Please also feel free to bring some examples of what you are currently doing, all your questions AND your willingness to learn and be open-minded. 

Can't wait to see you and laugh with you! My sessions always have lots of fun and laughter. 

Michelle  Walsh 

Feel free to call or email for more information. 0422104756 or michellewalshconsultancy@outlook.com