Early Childhood Education students and local educators commit to offering ‘clay every day’ as part of a year-long investigation into the study of Borders, Bridges, and Intersections: The Geography of Early Childhood and the Arts with Dr. Gigi Schroeder Yu. The 2019-2020 Collaborative Educators Institute (CEI) sessions focus on an in-depth study of the languages of clay and music. Clay and music are both found in all cultures, throughout time and across geographical locations. Clay and music have been used by many groups of people as integral aspects of daily lives and as languages to express ideas, thoughts, and emotions. The work of the CEI is inspired by contemporary and historical artists. During the October 5th session, participants connected with clay and learned more about interpreting the traces of ceramics past with Dr. Doss Powell, Jr., PVCC’s Bioarcheologist and Forensics Science faculty.
In future sessions, participants will develop their own interpretations of the properties, functions, and possibilities of working with clay and music through hands-on experiences. There will also be opportunities for field trips to archeology and musical museums to enrich studies. Additionally, participants will study young children’s encounters of clay and music as whole body, sensorial, expressive, and representational modes of inquiry. A focus will be on the important role documentation (photographs, video recordings, written observations, children’s works and words) plays in interpreting the encounters and interactions between clay, music, children, and teachers. Participants will consider how these interactions can be used to develop plans for creating similar experiences for their work with children and families.