Feasting on Ideas: Reflections on the 2008 ChildLight USA Conference - by Sandy Moore

Have you ever gone to some fantastic buffet restaurant and stood perplexed in front of all the amazing and diverse dishes, feeling somewhat intimidated with all the choices? I must admit that at first glance of the ChildLight USA conference schedule I felt somewhat overwhelmed at the depth and richness of the topics and workshops available to partake in. Truly this was a feast spread before us, but the food all looked so good and so tempting how was one ever to choose between the various forms of nourishment available? I felt a little like a kid in a candy shop! Here I was in a CM educators' paradise and I was paralyzed to know where to begin!

My first choice of breakout session, “Education is a Discipline” (all about habit formation) launched me into a fantastic few days of inspiration, learning, fellowship and reflection. It was not long before I realized that no choice was a bad one...each discussion, each plenary session, and even the informal meal time chats were opportunities to be inspired and make connections, to be affirmed in my vocation as a home educator and my calling as a mom. Of course I did not understand every definition, idea, or concept presented and at times I had to laugh at myself wishing I had my dictionary in tow to look up some heady term like epistemology or pedagogy. But for the most part I was in my element, a land of plenty, flowing with milk and honey.

One particular session I have been reflecting upon since returning home was the session entitled “On Parallel Tracks: Mason and Vygotsky” by Tammy Glaser. I almost skipped this session as it fell on the last morning and I was feeling rather sleepy (having indulged in more than one late night chat session). I was also feeling rather cranky about having to wrap my brain around the many unfamiliar terms I had glanced at in the session summary of our handbook. Words like "scaffolding”, “parallel tracks”, “zones of proximal development”, and “Vygotsky" (who the heck was he anyway?) seemed to dampen my enthusiasm for attending this lecture, but at the last moment I sauntered into the hall figuring I had come this far and even if I picked up a couple of good points it would be better than having to pack my suitcase (which is what I would have done otherwise).

It turned out to be the pivotal lecture of the whole conference for me and I almost missed it! You know it reminds me of the times when I ask my dear husband to get some condiment or other from the fridge and he stands there with the door open looking puzzled: “I just can’t find it,” or, “It’s not here,” the familiar refrain followed by my typical, “What then is this?” as I lift the desired item from right in front of his nose.

For some reason I hadn’t seen it before but this lecture, and the points outlined within it, had the effect of turning on the lights for me. From Behaviourism to Relationships… that’s it! That is what all of my efforts at creating an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life are all about. And now Tammy Glaser was able to show me real, practical ways to actually put this into action. Scaffolded learning went from being a vague undefined mysterious concept to a solid framework of real-time tools that I can use "today" to help my young learners engage in the educational process in an emotionally healthy way. Terms like Dialog, Shared Understanding, Joint Problem solving, the Zone, and Self Regulation suddenly took on new meaning for me. These are not just abstract ideas but the keys to unlocking a healthy educational life that does not depend on the behaviouristic techniques of drill, reward, and punishment. Now this was something I really needed to hear and really needed to absorb. Oh, yes, these ideas are not new to my thinking but the implementation strategy has always been rather vague for me: How do we actually move from Behaviourism to Relationships? How do we know we are really doing this? Which techniques are best? I needed someone to lay them out side by side like Tammy did and point the way. This is the essence of our efforts as CM educators: building an educational process that is vibrant and living without external pressures and artificial expectations.

I feel equipped now and much more confident...sort of like my kitchen cabinets have all been cleaned and organized and I am ready to try out some new recipes. Indeed the educational life is like a feast and these ideas have been nourishment to my soul. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to taste and I will continue to digest this food for many weeks to come. As always a good meal is better shared and I can't wait to hear how others have been nourished as well.

( Editorial note: We look forward to a series of reflections on the ChildLight USA CM Conference in Boiling Springs, NC. Thank you, Sandy Moore, for pulling together the first post. We invite all you you to come back again later to see the other posts as they are added.)