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Some pre-NAEYC conference thoughts about science, play, and spirituality

Published by BBarnett on October 31, 2016

On November 4,  I will be participating in a joint interest forum workshop at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) conference in Los Angeles. The idea for the workshop was born out of a forum meeting last year in Orlando, at the 2015 conference.  I had just come from the first integrated forum workshops in which the Young Children’s Spirituality interest forum, the Play, Policy, and Practice interest forum, the Nature interest forum, and the Peace interest forum came together to discuss how these topics work together to benefit young children.  I happen to be sitting next to two members of the Science forum; and it so happens that I teach an online, play-based course for Champlain’s graduate program in early childhood education, titled Math and Science for Young Children!

So, all excited about the success of the integrated workshop, I began a discussion with these two lovely women from the Science interest forum which led to an invitation to come together in 2016.  Today, I am both excited and a bit nervous about how it will all evolve.  I see that some of the educators I am working with come with an agenda of “what children should learn through their play?”,  thus believing that guiding questions should be offered,  questions like  “what happens to the water when it is left out?”.  Others of us believe in the value of the experience of play itself. I am very grateful that the Science interest forum has embraced the idea of spirituality. For me, the partnership lies in the production of wonderment, awe, and joy in learning. When a child makes a new discovery, new joy and new inquiry are sparked.  The spiritual embryo is once again ignited.  Such moments remain the force to knowing and becoming that Montessori spoke of.  This is what I hope to share at this year’s workshop.

Also at this year’s conference, I will be teaming up with Jennifer Mata McMahon from DePaul University, and Michael Haslip from Drexel College.  We have designed a research study that grew out of last year’s NAEYC presentation and the need to know what educators are doing in their classrooms to support children’s spiritual nourishment.  During this workshop, participants will be completing the survey, followed by a comparison and discussions of our findings to their answers.  I look forward to seeing how this all unfolds.

Posted in Blog | Tagged professional development

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I want to thank you for sharing your very special wisdom and life experiences with our staff. Everyone enjoyed it tremendously. I look forward to more collaborations.
Lori L. BernsteinDirector of
Early Childhood & School Age Activities
Shaw JCC of Akron
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Deb is the first person I contact with any questions about how very young children learn concepts. Her in-depth knowledge and experience is always a source of guidance for me and my work in science education.
Marlene Hilkowitz, STEM Preservice Teacher Development
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We loved Deb Schein! Her sessions were well organized; she knows her subject deeply and facilitated a cross-cultural environment that encouraged everyone to learn and feel capable to implement their learning in the classroom.
Education director / workshop participant, 2014 Roots of Nature early childhood education conference
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I am 9 weeks away from finishing my music therapy internship. I still have the nature items I collected at that Shabbaton on my dresser – your workshop was so inspiring in helping me decide to go forward with this [career]. Music therapy is a good fit for me and I hope you are finding your work similarly rewarding.
Beth Friedman-Romell
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Thank you for your wonderful presentation at the BJE event. I enjoyed listening to you and felt incredibly inspired by you. I too believe that as teachers we are facilitators and the moment we understand that, we open an entire realm of possibilities for our children.
Farnaz Hazany, MS, MFTI
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Thank you Deb for your leadership and persistence in bringing our interest forums together and pioneering this nifty collaboration! It was your vision that made it happen. It is really a wonderfully colorful illustration of how folks and interest forums with varying perspectives can work together and share unifying moments, such as where science, play and spirituality flow together.
Walter, 2017 NAEYC conference participant
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I am so glad that you will be the Jewish support person for the JCC. Your passion and expertise will be so inspiring for the staff and children.
Jennifer SlatteryDirector of Early Childhood ProgramsBeth Shalom, Pittsburgh
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On my upcoming book, Inspiring Wonder, Awe, and Empathy – Spiritual Development for Young Children: Deb Schein has successfully unpacked the meaning of spirituality for young children in this incredibly compelling and well written treatise that will engage early childhood educators, parents, and leaders in the field. Through her personal narrative, which is skillfully woven throughout the text, this gifted educator takes the reader on a journey to explore the many facets of spiritual developmen… Read more
Dr. David Brody, Assistant Professor, Efrata College of Education, Jerusalem
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Very interesting and refreshing to learn about the developmental growth of children from a spiritual point of view. Thank you!
Attendee, 2015 BJE Early Childhood Institute
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I had been looking forward to your course since beginning my Master’s degree one year ago. Through thought-provoking questions, informative articles, and enlightening discussions, you’ve really challenged me to think about my position as an infant-toddler professional in new ways. And you’ve changed the way I see infant development and learning. Thank you so much for making this course such a valuable part of my education and of my ongoing work.  I will be reflecting on your guidance for a lon… Read more
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