Interview with Jane Katch

The Educators Award Committee of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International awards and Educators Award each year for a book written by a woman that has the potential to influence education. Jane Katch's book Far Away from the Tigers recevied Honorable Mention for 2012. This interview conducted by committee member, Dr. Joye Sterret, May 28, 2012 via email was posted in the closed network to members. With Jane Katch's and Dr. Joye Sterrett's permission, I'm sharing this discussion for all educators.  In your book, Far Away from the Tigers, your approach to education seemed to be to have the children learn by play and exploration and by guided questions from you.  Please elaborate on your philosophy for teaching young children. Jane Katch:  Lev Vygotsky, the famous Russian child psychologist, wrote that “In play, a child is always above his average age, above his daily behavior; in play, it is as though he were a head taller than himself.”  In watching young children for over thirty years, I have found this to be true.  Children in play learn social skills, learn to construct knowledge for themselves, and learn to stretch their language skills.  I believe that as their teacher, I can help them to learn these skills by providing an environment that encourages creative play and by having conversations with them which help them make new discoveries.  I can provide literacy activities, such as the story telling and the story acting I describe in my books, (which was invented by Vivian Paley) which help them understand what they need to explain in order to have others understand them and also help them to listen carefully to the stories told by their peers.  When children talk about what goes well and what does not go well in social interactions, they sit longer and listen more carefully than at any other time.  These conversations expand their ability to understand the point of view of another person, explain their own opinion clearly, and come to a compromise.  I believe that this is critically important in our world today.  What do you learn by observing young children at play and what are a few of the things you try to teach them? Jane Katch:  While they are playing, I watch to see what is going well and what is a problem to them. Then when we meet as a group, usually at snack time, we talk about what happened.  If there has been a conflict that was not resolved, I like to find out both sides of the problem and present them equally.  (Sometimes it is challenging for me to see both sides of the conflict —for instance, I might say, “So John, you had that block and you had planned to put it on the building of the roof for a chimney and you really wanted to do that.  And Suzy, you really, really, needed that kind of block and there weren't any more like that so you thought the only way you could get what you needed was if you grabbed it out of his hands, right?”  Then everyone in the class brainstorms ways that problem could be solved until the two sides find an idea they both can feel good about.  It usually is something I never thought of before.  So everyone is listening to the problem, trying to understand both points of view, and many kids come up with solutions.  I think this ability to explain ideas, listen to the ideas expressed by others, and come up with solutions is probably the most important thing I teach.  Once they are used to it, the kids amaze me with their problem-solving skills.  Please tell us how your classroom is structured for working with young children. Jane Katch:  In a full day kindergarten, we have time for free play every day, when the kids can choose what they want to play.  Blocks, dramatic play, sand, and water are essential!  They play for at least forty-five minutes every morning.  We also have large group times, small group times, and quiet time every day.  We do math and literacy in those periods.  We have two recesses, a half hour each, twice a day—and we go out in all but the worst weather.  I know this is a very broad question, but what should parents and grandparents do to raise well-adjusted children? Is there an attitude or approach to child rearing you can describe? Jane Katch:  I think that two things are very important for young children and both parents and grandparents can make a big difference by building them into their kids' lives—play and books.  By play, I mean really free play, so kids can learn what they love to do, what they don't like, how to solve problems, and what to do when they are bored!  I also think that reading to kids is essential so they can have the motivation to become readers themselves.  Research has shown that grandparents can be particularly helpful with this. You have written several books about teaching children. How do you organize your writing life? For example, do you keep extensive notes on daily interactions with the children? Jane Katch:  When I write, I always choose a question I want to understand better--something that puzzles me.  I don't like to write about what I already understand.  I use my writing to look deeply at a problem that puzzles me.  Then I begin to tape conversations and play in the classroom that come up around that subject.  I might put the tape recorder in the dramatic play area or in the block area so I can hear more carefully what is taking place there.  I also tape our group discussions.  I do that because I know I can't remember them word for word—and the kids always say things I never would have thought of.  That's what makes it so interesting to me!

New Mexico in April

During the last weeks of April, I ventured to Albuquerque, New Mexico as the Society representative to the 78th state organization convention. I shared a remarkable experience with the members attending convention. I arrived early and Carmen Tapia, past state organization president, picked me up at the airport and took me sightseeing prior to the executive board meeting. We went to lunch at a quaint French restaurant and then rode the tram to the peak of the Sandia Mountains. Late in the afternoon we arrived at the hotel, checked in, had a short time to refresh and then attended the executive board meeting.

On Saturday the convention continued with the general business meeting, break out sessions, luncheon for celebrating honors and accomplishments and the dinner banquet complete with local entertainment from Mariachi Herencia from Atrisco Hertiage Academy High School.

Sunday morning held breakfast, the necrology service and one more executive board meeting. Members in New Mexico were gracious and welcoming and made my trip most enjoyable. On Sunday I departed to visit more of New Mexico. I drove to Santa Fe  to spend a couple of days learning about the historic square and seeing the incredible country side. My hotel room has an awesome sunset view and I took lots of pictures.

 In June I travel to Oklahoma as the Society representative and I am so looking forward to enjoying another group of great members.

Tech savy educators

I came across a blog entry from David Warlick this morning that reviewed the ISTE affiliate conference in North Carolina, NCTIES. David has attended this conference for many years and I've followed his work for the same many years. I've been fortunate to hear him speak on an occasion or two. He was clearly impressed with the sophistication of young educators attending this year's conference as he describes,

    "...Another thing that impressed me was the technical sophistication of most of the attendees. They were  imaginative, tech-savvy educators, who were open to new ways of using their skills and their tech to create new learning experiences for their learners.  It was exciting." 
   

Just reading this account is exciting as we move forward in supporting education, making progress and encouraging young educators to be creative in spite of those tests students must take, in spite of all the extras required of teachers today and in spite the challenges that comes with working with students. What a privilege to see these examples though David's eyes.

As members of DKG, should we seek out this shining examples as potential members? Could some of those attending the NCTIES be members? Membership matters and it is up to current members to seek and find women of high caliber who have begun to show the potential for excellence in education and become acquainted. The international convention in NYC in July will be an excellent time to become more involved, connect with others, increase your own technology skills and introduce a young member to the benefits and opportunities of the Society. I hope to see you in NYC this summer.

Using Social Media

Social media is a communication tool that has become ubiquitous. From smart phones to new portable tablets, like the iPad, the use of social media apps is more convenient than ever. Twitter is a micro-blogging site that provides real-time news immediately, often as it happens. For example, Time Magazine posts daily almost every hour. CNN shows posts from 4 minutes ago to 15 minutes to an hour ago. By following a news media Twitter feed, you are always in the know. If you are interested in someone famous, most often they have a Twitter feed. I'm hooked on the HBO series, A Game of Thrones, written by George R.R. Martin. This morning as I'm working on my blog, a tweet popped up keeping me up-to-date on the next season of the series. I've read the books and can hardly wait for the next season starting in April.

There's another title I like and the movie comes out in March, The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins. Written for preteens and adolescents, this is a futuristic look at another kind of society. There are 3 titles to this series. There's a Twitter feed for this that includes the URL for a quick preview. It will be a bit graphic.  I just re tweeted this posting as I was writing this post. To re tweet means to share something you read on another tweet with your circles.
Here's the URL - http://www.thehungergamesmovie.com/index2.html

My profile icon on Twitter.

Now, you can keep up with your DKG friends using Twitter. The four administrators and the international president have a Twitter feed. You can probably find some local friends there as well. Go to twitter.com and sign up for a free account. You create your own user name and password (email address is a good user name but use something you will remember). After you have an account, find an app for Twitter on your smart phone or tablet. Set up the app with the same information you used in creating your account. On many smart phones today, you can find the app and create the account right on the phone. My Twitter ID is @lseller. Follow me. My friends here at headquarters are @corleaplowman (Corlea Plowman), @nitarscott (Nita Scott), @phyllisinaustin (Phyllis Hicky) and @jensips (DR. Jensi Souders). Join us as we share news of convention and other Society happenings.

During the convention I'll be using the hash tag #dkgcon.  A hash tag in a post enables a conversation to be grouped together so that all those following can see everything being said about a particular event. For those planning to attend the 2012 International Convention, look for the meet and greet session for Twitter. We will gather say hello and be able to stay connected with new faces at the convention by using Twitter. I can hardly wait.