Vivian Paley finds a way to make teacher inquiry the driving force, the philosophy in her classroom on a daily basis. The fact that it isn’t just something she does from time to time is, in my opinion, the most important feature of her process of inquiry. This may seem too broad so let me continue. I’m currently reading a book for another class called Sparks of Genius: The 13 Thinking Tools of the World’s Most Creative People. Several times throughout the book, or what I’ve read so far, they’ll mention the idea that the more you practice and learn a tool the more aware you become of that particular tool, as if your senses open up. I believe this is whats happening for Paley. She records classroom sessions, she transcribes, and she writes about what has transpired in her classroom, to the best of my knowledge on a daily basis. She, as I said, has made teacher inquiry the driving force of her classroom; because she is “practicing” inquiry on a daily basis her senses have been opened to what she should pay attention to and how she should make sense of it. I believe the process has probably become quite easy for her, like riding a bike, thus making her skilled at practitioner inquiry.
The entire book The Girl With the Brown Crayon is a testament to that. Based on what she has experienced with Reney and Frederick, and then with Tico, Paley decides to continue this experience in a year-long study of Leo Leonni. She could have easily moved on with her year and forgotten about Frederick and Tico but her dedication to discovering more about what these fables could lead her to was important and in the end well worth it. It’s her dedication that I believe allows her to “read far beyond the world of her students.” She knows what she wants to get from school because of her previous inquiry and therefore can move forward with better direction.
Paley wouldn’t be as successful in dedicating so much time to her inquiry if it weren’t for taking the time to write and process what has happened. This is an important characteristic to her process. In “Must Teachers Also Be Writers” Paley discusses her thoughts about the art of writing. She writes about a particular story mentioning the fact that she wouldn’t have caught the interconnections if she weren’t in the habit of writing down what students say. Although she goes beyond just capturing what they say, she also journals about it which is another feature that is important and I will come to that in a moment. She believes that talking isn’t enough; that “only as we write down our thoughts and observations may we question and argue with ourselves about the things we do and say”. Without saying much, I believe this actually says a lot about what she believes is her purpose when it comes to her way of inquiry. She wants to make sure that the way she is doing things and the things she is saying is the right fit for her students, they are at the center of everything she does. She figures this out by arguing with herself about what she hears on her tapes. She figures this out by listening to the reaction and conversations of the students that stem from what she does and says. Most importantly though, it tells us the value she places on inquiry, she takes the time to listen to the daily dialogue and process what she hears.
In the chapter titled “Wings” in The Girl with the Brown Crayon we see an example of her journaling, another valuable feature. In this example I think her journaling actually shows even more about her way of inquiry. Not only is Paley processing the conversation that arose from discussing Tico, but she also starts to plan future lessons by having a conversation with herself about what has happened and where it could potentially lead. Her writing leads her to the library where she picks up another Leo Lionni book and reads about Cornelius. Just as she questioned Leo Lionni’s intentions with other characters she does the same with Cornelius and she wonders what her students thoughts might be. Suddenly, she arrives at the idea of having a year based around Leo Lionni. If it hadn’t been for her process of inquiry she might never have gotten there, just as her ability to immerse herself in her inquiry allowed her to follow this idea. Her writing is just another piece to her inquiry immersion. Without these pieces to her process she wouldn’t be able to understand more about what she wants from her classroom.
The entire book The Girl With the Brown Crayon is a testament to that. Based on what she has experienced with Reney and Frederick, and then with Tico, Paley decides to continue this experience in a year-long study of Leo Leonni. She could have easily moved on with her year and forgotten about Frederick and Tico but her dedication to discovering more about what these fables could lead her to was important and in the end well worth it. It’s her dedication that I believe allows her to “read far beyond the world of her students.” She knows what she wants to get from school because of her previous inquiry and therefore can move forward with better direction.
Paley wouldn’t be as successful in dedicating so much time to her inquiry if it weren’t for taking the time to write and process what has happened. This is an important characteristic to her process. In “Must Teachers Also Be Writers” Paley discusses her thoughts about the art of writing. She writes about a particular story mentioning the fact that she wouldn’t have caught the interconnections if she weren’t in the habit of writing down what students say. Although she goes beyond just capturing what they say, she also journals about it which is another feature that is important and I will come to that in a moment. She believes that talking isn’t enough; that “only as we write down our thoughts and observations may we question and argue with ourselves about the things we do and say”. Without saying much, I believe this actually says a lot about what she believes is her purpose when it comes to her way of inquiry. She wants to make sure that the way she is doing things and the things she is saying is the right fit for her students, they are at the center of everything she does. She figures this out by arguing with herself about what she hears on her tapes. She figures this out by listening to the reaction and conversations of the students that stem from what she does and says. Most importantly though, it tells us the value she places on inquiry, she takes the time to listen to the daily dialogue and process what she hears.
In the chapter titled “Wings” in The Girl with the Brown Crayon we see an example of her journaling, another valuable feature. In this example I think her journaling actually shows even more about her way of inquiry. Not only is Paley processing the conversation that arose from discussing Tico, but she also starts to plan future lessons by having a conversation with herself about what has happened and where it could potentially lead. Her writing leads her to the library where she picks up another Leo Lionni book and reads about Cornelius. Just as she questioned Leo Lionni’s intentions with other characters she does the same with Cornelius and she wonders what her students thoughts might be. Suddenly, she arrives at the idea of having a year based around Leo Lionni. If it hadn’t been for her process of inquiry she might never have gotten there, just as her ability to immerse herself in her inquiry allowed her to follow this idea. Her writing is just another piece to her inquiry immersion. Without these pieces to her process she wouldn’t be able to understand more about what she wants from her classroom.