Earth Language Approach
The Earth Language Approach provides open, supportive and mutually respectful learning environments to nurture young students' development of ecological thinking as they engage in the process of sense-making that defines the early years of human development.
Natural World
The Natural World is the connector for children and adults to learn together the embodied and cognitive balancing acts for practicing the original Democracy of Mother Earth. There are an infinite number of parts within the Natural World that are guides for learning democracy.
process
The process is for children and adults in a classroom to investigate a relationship with a part that they find curious, or perhaps, the part identifies these particular humans to be curious, either way a relationship begins of taking an interest in each other to know more.
patterns
The parts of a whole that are Mother Earth's Democracy are infinite and contain operative patterns of relationships. It is in these patterns where human beings play an important role for sustaining the democratic balancing act for all non-living and living beings. How humans interpret, consider, reason, perceive, and communicate their knowledge of repeating parts forms a community's organization and ability to sustain their patterns of livelihood.
perception, organize, sustain
An example of perception, organize, sustain is the importance of Water. Do all humans perceive their essential connection with this part, water, as "Water is Life"? It seems simple and obvious: If there is no water, there are no humans. Life is only as we know it if Water is a part of Democracy of Mother Earth. Humans are only a part of Democracy of Mother Earth if we are in respectful, caring relationships with Water.
time
The heart of the Reggio Emilia Approach is in the use of pedagogical documentation. The process creates an expansive time capsule that contains artifacts for engagement, reflection, and analysis. In 2008 I began to document my approach to teaching and learning with Earth Language. My purpose in documenting was not with the goal to develop an approach. The act came out of a desire to share that young children know what they need to learn to participate in society, they know how to acquire this knowledge, and in so doing children are teachers to adults. The messages from children are that we need to take time to learn with Mother Earth.
touch points
There are two sections on the website that use pedagogical documentation to illuminate the growth of the Earth Language Approach. These two sections combined are considered the touch points for Democracy of Mother Earth "DOME". The teaching and learning that occurs within the DOME is dependent on the experiences and perspectives of the connecting parts: the teachers, students, families, and Natural World context.
metaphor
The Metaphor section explains the importance of selecting a guiding metaphor to frame the year of teaching and learning with young children.
parts of a whole
The Parts of a Whole section contains the activities and lessons that resulted from using specific metaphors.
wind tree 2014