Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/ideas-for-training-staff-learning-from-vivian-paley/5013114/
In the past few months, I've fallen in love with Vivian Paley all over again. For years, I have read and used her books for my own development and that of the teachers I work with. But it was only recently that I heard Paley speak in person and had the opportunity to hear a bit of the behind-the-scenes story of her own development. This conversation confirmed that the approach I have been taking and advocating for can lead to thoughtful, responsive teachers in our child care programs.As I go back and look over Paley's ten books of marvelous stories about her teaching and the insights she has gained from the children and their families, it's hard to imagine a better model for reflective teaching. Paley gives us an amazing array of stories which reveal how children think and go about their learning. To me, these are as useful, if not more so, as any child development or ages and stages articles we might offer our teachers. Paley shows us the power of storytelling in the learning process, not only for children but for adults as well.
In describing how her approach to teaching evolved, Paley says that in her early days ...