The Art of Awareness Assignment
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Grant MacEwan University *
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ECCS110
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Arts Humanities
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Jan 9, 2024
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Art of Awareness Assignment
Claire Ramos
Macewan University
ECCS 125: Integration Seminar
Noah Kenneally
November 1, 2023
1
Reflect on the quote at the beginning of the chapter. Complete the “Reflect on the Quote”
questions from the text (include the quote in your response).
“If you have a child of two or three, or can borrow one, let her give you beginning lessons in
looking. It takes just a few minutes. Ask the child to come from the front of the house to the back
and closely observe her small journey. It will be full of pauses, circling, touching and pricking up
in order to smell, shake, taste, rub and scrape. The child’s eyes won't leave the ground, and every
piece of paper, every scrap, every object along the way will be a new discovery. It does not
matter if this is familiar territory–the same house, the same rug and chair. To the child, the
journey of this particular day, with its special light and sound, has never been made before. So
the child treats the situation with the open curiosity and attention that it deserves.”
What is your reaction to this quote?
To me this quote means that children are always so curious and have so many thoughts
and wonders of how they view the world around them. Children take in the beauty of everything
around them no matter where they are. They do not need to be worried about the hardships of life
just yet and it is a wonderful thing to watch them be so focused on the little things. As an adult I
wish myself and others would do this more as well. We are simply in auto-pilot everyday, and
perhaps if we took at least a few minutes each day to take in the beauty of this world, it would
make things feel a little bit lighter around us.
Do you have any recent experience that you can relate to?
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A recent experience of mine that I can relate to, is whenever my family and I visit back
home in Athabasca and just notice every new detail with the town. Although I have lived there
for almost 10 years, every time I visit I feel as though something is always changing. It may
only be a new booth in the farmers market, or a new cross walk. It is not always something as
large as a new building. Watching these things change and being away from Edmonton is almost
like escaping reality for me. It is like a small vacation where I can relax and focus on the little
things around me. This truly does make me feel joyful and a little bit lighter. It is returning back
to my childhood where I grew up and I can be a kid again, even if it is for only one weekend.
What is something that you have learned or been reminded of by a child that you wouldn’t
have noticed if the child hadn’t shown or told you?
As educators we can learn so much from children's curiosity throughout the day. I feel as
though children view the world differently as adults, their minds have so many different
questions and wonders that can inspire us adults to appreciate the little things in life. Sometimes
children have questions for me that I am not able to answer because it would be a very intricate
question that is being asked. The same goes for being a parent, my son who is 4 years old asks
me questions every day and shares his thoughts with me that I may be unfamiliar with. One night
I was reading my son a bedtime story about space and he said “ Did you know Mars has rovers in
it?” I was completely shocked when I heard this coming from him because I wasn't aware of that
information at all and I was so curious where he had learned or seen it from. Another one
example is when we were practicing numbers my son randomly brought up “ Did you know
11+11=22” I was also surprised with this because we haven’t gotten that far into adding bigger
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3
numbers. Children have so many valuable lessons that they can teach us, they show the
importance of curiosity and wonders throughout our everyday lives.
Describe one ‘Art of Awareness’ activity that you completed. What did you learn about
yourself through this experience?
Looking back at a childhood memory it reminds me of how simple the world was. I was
more carefree, relaxed, and curious. One specific memory occurred to me while reading this part.
I was about 7 or 8 years old and whenever it would heavily rain,the roads back in the Philippines
would get flooded. My siblings, cousins and I took this opportunity to go outside and play and
swim in the water. I remember just feeling super happy in that moment by being surrounded with
the people I love. I learned that anything can be made into something fun if you are surrounded
by the right people. Now I try to have friends who make life enjoyable, and I try to do the same
for them. I also learned I am an outgoing person. If there are things that I want to do that some
people might be afraid of for example, I simply go do them. It helps to have friends along the
way with me, but regardless I always do the things I want to do in life.
Describe one ‘Observation Practice’ activity that you completed. What did you learn about
a child or children through this experience?
“Hello, Shadow!” This observation I learned that although Adam doesn't use many words
he still has ways of telling people what he is noticing and trying to understand. Adam's
exploration of the mud puddle suggests a curiosity and interest in the sensory aspects of his
environment. His use of hand movements to pat the dirt and create a dust cloud indicates a
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hands-on approach to learning about the world.The moment when Adam stops and focuses on
his own shadow reveals cognitive and perceptual development. His recognition of the shadow
and the subsequent greeting with a friendly wave show an understanding of self and others. This
interaction with the shadow suggests the beginning of symbolic thinking and an awareness of the
relationship between his actions and their visual representations.Overall, this observation
highlights Adam's sensory-motor exploration, cognitive development, and early social
understanding. It provides a glimpse into how he actively engages with his surroundings, learns
through hands-on experiences, and starts to grasp abstract concepts like shadows and
self-recognition.
Choose one of the ‘More Things To Do’ activities. Describe and reflect on your experience.
What was significant in relation to the focus of the chapter?
“Spinning Fini” reading this learning story has opened my eyes. Often us educators wanna step
in and help a child right away rather than watching them solve the problem and learn from it.
Children can learn so much from problem solving, it is important that we allow them to solve
problems during their experience to help them learn and process problems themselves. The
reflection of the educator at the end of the story is significant. The educator acknowledges the
tendency to interfere in children's play and expresses a realization that waiting and observing can
lead to unexpected and meaningful learning moments. As well as how Fini has the ability to
process and figure out how to make the basket spin, involving problem solving.
5
Read the Observing with an Anti-bias and Equity Lens story, and answer the
accompanying questions. What was an Aha! Moment or a significant learning that you had
while answering these questions?
Jason's consistent patterns in his behavior are that each day he goes through the same
routines when he gets to school. He always greets everyone by their first and last name and he
then checks all the doors in the room to see if any of them is open. He also turns the lights on
when he notices the lights are off and after he completes these tasks he goes to the block area.
Jason is good at building intricate and elaborate block structures, showcasing a high level of skill
and creativity in this particular activity. By Jason excelling with this creativity, other children
recognize his talent and often seek his assistance in building block structures. Jason seems to
enjoy the order of his routines when he arrives in the center as well as his engagement in the
block area and how content he is to try and stay there as long as he can. From the observation, I
would say Jason’s interactions are limited, he doesn't have many close friendships and he doesn't
get involved in activities with others. Although social interactions are limited, children in the
room often seek him for help with building blocks and he positively responds to their requests.
An “Aha” moment is the way children are a part of social settings in different or odd ways, even
if their behavior seems more solitary. In Jason’s case, even though he is a part of consistent daily
routines and stays with his solitary tendencies, there is also a prime social factor at play.The way
children seek Jason’s help and look up to his block structures emphasizes the social interaction
which is different from the usual modes of connection. It shows the importance of being in a
group setting. Jason’s skills in block building serve as a bridge for other children to connect with
him and admire his techniques. This shows the importance of recognizing that children have
different ways of socializing and showing off their unique talents. It encourages adults to look
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past common and simple behaviors and recognize the children's strengths. Overall, every child
brings something different and special to their group which allows them to form meaningful
relationships and connections.
Summarize and highlight significant insights and or changes made in your practice as a
result of this study session? Make connections to the ideas and suggestions made by the
authors in Chapter 1.
As the role of an educator it is highly important to approach observations in an
open-ended- way. Educators must view children as competent creators of their own
understanding. This study session has opened my eyes and has brought me awareness on what I
can bring in when working with children. Children approach the world with clear eyes and a
refreshing perspective, learning these art of awareness has helped me approach the world as
children do. These sessions have helped me gain an awareness of child development, an
adaptation to changing needs, and enhanced teaching skills. Educators like myself need to stay
aware of the latest research in child development in order to have the best approach of teaching
the children's needs. Needs of the children are always changing and we must adapt our teaching
styles in order to effectively teach them. Continuous learning about teaching styles for educators
helps them broaden their teaching skills, management skills, and assessment techniques. This
ultimately improves the way educators teach the children as well as improves their quality of
learning.