Looking Through

An investigation from a 2-year-old class

Initial Observations

At the beginning of the year, as the children integrated into one of our 2-year-old classrooms, our teachers noticed a pattern of play, and our daily photo documentation further helped identify this trend.

These observations and the questions they provoked began a semester-long investigation, which teachers lovingly called “Looking Through.”

For the duration of the semester, the 2-year-olds explored their own perspectives of the world around them as they integrated into the classroom environment, an entirely different setting from that which they came, having spent many months home with their families.

The children repeatedly used rainbow blocks In their play, approaching others and proudly declaring things like:

“I see you!”

“I see yellow!”

When a teacher one day prompted, “What color did you turn the world?” this too became a frequent expression...

“I turned the world blue!”

A Shift In Perspective

As the interest in looking through the rainbow blocks began to blossom, curious minds began to inquire about other objects, picking up items such as a wooden block or colored tile in the hopes of similar results.

Magnifying glasses presented the children with the opportunity not only to “look through,” but to change their perspectives of what they saw.

“I’m looking through my window...”

Objects were not the only things through which the children spent time looking. The interior window between our classrooms became a source of fascination for our friends. In order to foster this point of interest, teachers introduced the children to a new song during Morning Meeting:

I’m looking through my window,

And I see my friend [INSERT FRIEND’S NAME!].

Window Provocations

The children were drawn to a new way of seeing between the classrooms, expanding their experiences and curiosity into the TCS community. Giving children the autonomy to create a new way of "looking through" allowed the children to take ownership over their classroom and empowered them to move the investigation further by themselves.

Teachers attached contact paper to the window between our classrooms and provided colorful pieces of tissue paper for the children to stick on themselves.

To further engage the children, teachers invited friends to explore provocations directly associated with the window.

Windows from Home

Families were invited to participate in a collaboration with the class, sending pictures of the children’s views from their own windows in their own homes. The images were printed and hung on the classroom wall, draped by a small curtain which the children could lift to reveal the photo beneath.

The documentation served to create a home-to-school connection for our 2’s and made the school space even more their own.

Learnings

The purpose of all experiences in a social-constructivist environment is ultimately to "know" one another. Our own points of view, as individuals entering school with unique knowledge and identity, and the expanding interest in seeing the world through new perspectives, fosters compassion and empathy, community building, and collaboration.

By "Looking Through" the world in so many different ways, the children had the opportunity to collect new and expanding knowledge of their environment, to create connections between school and home life, and to experience wonder together.

What can we look through next?