Winter Staff Development Day: Classroom Design, Creating Environments for Children and Art Workshops

Teachers participating in a drumming workshop.

By Lindsay Damiano, Teacher 

“Is ability the main way we get to know a child? Rather than their characteristics, passions, strengths, loves?” 

Guest presenter Todd Wanerman posed these questions to the Bing staff at the staff development day on Feb. 22. The day included a thought-provoking discussion of dis/ability in the early child­hood classroom context, community-building art and music activities and continued efforts toward accreditation.

In the first part of the program, Wanerman spoke about accessibility and getting to know children holistically. Before turning toward teacher education, he had worked with children for more than 20 years at The Little School in San Francisco, where he helped develop their unique practitioner-based approach to inclusion. Wanerman is also the author of Including One, Including All: A Guide to Relationship-Based Early Childhood Inclusion (with Leslie Roffman and Cassandra Britton) and From Handprints to Hypotheses: Using the Project Approach with Toddlers and Twos.

Wanerman’s presentation, “Beyond Challenging: How Inclusive Practices Can Support an Equitable and Effective Program,” prompted a discussion about the variety of needs and abilities of the children in our own classrooms. Fortunately, Bing’s strengths-based approach to understanding children supports teachers in getting to know children far beyond their abilities or perceived “disabilities.” Wanerman encouraged teachers to consider how each child responds to the stimulus load of the classroom, as a stimulus should have learning value or at least a thoughtful intention with the community of learners in mind. 

Wanerman also led an exploration of the concept of intentional classroom spaces. We asked ourselves how we might change our classroom settings so they earnestly welcome each child. Every day at Bing, teachers strive to help children make positive connections with one another within a “yes environment.” Instead of establishing and enforcing rules for how materials must be used, teachers are open to the children’s ideas. This allows children to guide how a material might be used; by changing the premise of what the environment or material is for, we change children’s relationships to the space and allow it to become fundamentally theirs. 

Wanerman also shared with us what he called The Lesson of the Apple Skin, which further illustrates designing environments accessible for all children in the early childhood context. If a child at a snack table expresses that she does not like the outside of the apple, a teacher can take her statement to mean a variety of things. If the teacher came from a deficit model, the child might be seen as unwilling to try new things or as experiencing sensory processing differences. If the teacher came from a position of seeking to understand the whole child, the teacher might ask about her family’s eating preferences: Maybe they cut the skin off apples at home, or maybe a sibling has an allergy, so they seldom eat apples. Maybe the child comes from a community that doesn’t eat many apples, instead preferring the native fruits of their ancestors, which the teacher might ask her about. Showing genuine curiosity about the child’s statement not only gives the teacher the opportunity to learn about her but also expresses interest and commitment to meeting her needs. Additionally, the teacher might learn that a handful of other children at the snack table don’t like apple skins either. When teachers prioritize creating a sense of universal belonging instead of helping children fit a determined mold, they create classrooms that inspire and empower all learners. 

Teachers participating in making neurographic art.

In the afternoon, teachers and staff enjoyed creative music and art workshops led by DRUMMM Rhythmic Events, an Oakland-based organization. Half of the staff took part in a 40-minute music session led by a music therapist, while the other half took part in a 40-minute art session led by an art therapist. At the end of the sessions, the groups switched places. In the music session, the facilitator provided a range of drums and percussion instruments as we practiced beats, melodies, songs and rhythmic activities under her skilled guidance. The art group made use of watercolors, colored pencils, and pens as the facilitator led us through a neurographic art experience. Neurographic art encourages the artist to draw freeform lines as they work with the facilitator to produce a unique piece of art. The activities were designed to inspire, reduce stress, teach new techniques, express our feelings and provide a creative opportunity to come together as a staff. 

Finally, our day included conversations and efforts toward renewing our NAEYC accreditation, which you can read more about on page 8.

Through Wanerman’s thought-provoking presentation and DRUMMM’s workshops, Bing teachers considered important concepts in early childhood education and enjoyed an immersive art experience at the winter staff development day.