Suzanne Axelsson

Interaction Imagination

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    Sagan om Hållbarhet
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 23 jan. 2020
    • 11 min.

    Sagan om Hållbarhet

    This post can be read in English here Ovanstående bild av Tim Pugh som skapa konst i naturen, med naturen - men också all skräp som han hitta Hållbarhet är en del av den svenska förskoleplanen ... den är också en viktig del av vår delade framtid på vår planet ... bilder av Wall:e får jag ibland när jag tänker på hållbarhet och hur vi konsumerar ... Jag inkluderar trailern för dem som aldrig har sett filmen (eller vill titta igen) om hur mänskligheten lämnade jorden för att de
    257 visningar0 kommentarer
    The Story of eating together...
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 3 dec. 2019
    • 12 min.

    The Story of eating together...

    18 months ago I engaged in a dialogue in an Australian group about whether or not children should stay at the lunch table when they had finished eating... there were a lot of people saying no , they should not, and also a lot saying yes, they should... I am more of a "well it depends kind of person..." this was my reply... "it really does depend... if the child is a fast eater and the others are all terribly slow eaters maybe yes but if the child is avoiding eating to go d
    355 visningar0 kommentarer
    Malaguzzi Inspired...
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 21 nov. 2019
    • 6 min.

    Malaguzzi Inspired...

    Just over three years ago I was invited to Toronto, Canada to participate in the Rhythm of Learning "The Rhythm of Learning in Nature is an opportunity offered by the York Region Nature Collaborative for like-minded educators to come together in place to experience nature, outdoor play, Reggio-inspiration and forest school practices. The week follows an emergent curriculum framework, as we will invite both facilitators and participants to decide the direction of the work and
    155 visningar0 kommentarer
    To plan or not to plan... play-based learning
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 6 nov. 2019
    • 4 min.

    To plan or not to plan... play-based learning

    I am a huge believer in the power of play. I think it is one of the strongest languages children have to communicate with and make sense of the world around them... it is of course not the only language available to them to explore and interact with the world. Being inspired by Malaguzzi brings with it the reflections of a hundred languages... the many ways to learn, play, listen, interact and engage... For me play-based learning is not a hands-off approach. It is hands on
    1 539 visningar0 kommentarer
    The here and now educator
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 21 okt. 2019
    • 3 min.

    The here and now educator

    I feel that often as educators we are often looking into the future too much... planning the direction, needing to know where we are going, rather than focussing on where we are now... Sure, as educators we do need to know where we are going, so that we can prepare ourselves for the needs of the children... its like looking for the best route, or the weather forecast to be able to make the best decisions about what clothes to wear and what equipment is need to deal with the
    104 visningar0 kommentarer
    Outdoor Inspiration from "I Ur och Skur"
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 10 sep. 2019
    • 8 min.

    Outdoor Inspiration from "I Ur och Skur"

    (på svenska efter alla bilder) In October 2018 I visited two "I Ur och Skur" preschools on Lidingö, just outside Stockholm City. I Ur och Skur means directly in hour and shower (UR is an old word for clock, or a word outside, or original as urskog means virgin forest (original untouched forest) - it can also be translated as the saying Rain or Shine - as in "come rain or shine" = no matter what. And that is the ethos of this approach... that the play and learning can be outs
    140 visningar0 kommentarer
    Why "Together Art"... Varför "Tillsammans konst"
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 8 aug. 2019
    • 22 min.

    Why "Together Art"... Varför "Tillsammans konst"

    (blå text är på svenska) I have always liked collaborative art... of working together... I find that often the focus is on the individual, which is an essential part of working as an educator... to see each individual child and to enable them to reach their potential... but individuals live, work and play in groups, so they need to work out how to be themselves in not just one group, but in a variety of groups and social situations. Together art gives children the opportuni
    586 visningar0 kommentarer
    The Story of.... the messy classroom
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 12 juli 2019
    • 12 min.

    The Story of.... the messy classroom

    Just over a year ago I read the following statement about tidy and organised classrooms, and while I agree with some of it, I do not see the story of tidy v messy classrooms in the binary way... Every "clean" classroom I've ever experienced in my observations (and in my time teaching) is not the product of well-behaved students. It's the product of a naggy teacher. Children learn to equate the absence of clutter as "neat", "clean", and "organized". We tend to forget that orga
    1 104 visningar0 kommentarer
    Collaboration between adults and children
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 9 juli 2019
    • 10 min.

    Collaboration between adults and children

    So how comfortable are you adding to the work of others...? here is what some teachers wrote down at one of the workshops at Boulder Journey School in the summer of 2013... I appreciated having a blueprint or framework to build from/on the work inspired me it was an interesting concept to add to someone elses work/art - feeling like you were misrepresenting their idea it makes me feel uncomfortable adding to or modifying someone elses work. Collaborating makes me feel more
    293 visningar0 kommentarer
    The Story of... "excellent sheep"
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 4 juli 2019
    • 8 min.

    The Story of... "excellent sheep"

    I often write that preschool/school is an institution - with its walls around - and how we need to be jumping up to see over the wall... to see what other possibilities there are rather than just protecting what is within. I want to tear these walls down and create something new... something that some schools are already doing and are starting to to do. How often is learning seen as something that happens within the walls in a specific way... there is a push for learning t
    122 visningar0 kommentarer
    To help or not to help...
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 18 juni 2019
    • 5 min.

    To help or not to help...

    To help or not to help. This is a post I first wrote in 2013, but I still find it is relevant to share again... We strive to support the children to be competent, to be confident in their abilities and to be problem solvers. So every now and again I feel quite frustrated (and do my utmost to hide that frustration) when children say "I can't..." without even attempting. On Mondays we have "children's choice" - the children get to choose whether they are inside or outside d
    240 visningar0 kommentarer
    Structure for Freedom
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 20 maj 2019
    • 7 min.

    Structure for Freedom

    Over the years I have worked in places that have had dysfunctional groups as well as groups that have played well together. I have often reflected over what makes a group work. How do we support a functional group? How do we give children the freedom to play? I define a dysfunctional group as stressed, focussed on the problems of maybe one, two or more children disrupting play for whatever reasons so that play does not flow as usual. It made me realise just how much struc
    134 visningar0 kommentarer
    The Story of Communication
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 20 mars 2019
    • 6 min.

    The Story of Communication

    Before we can start with the children there is a need to start with ourselves... as educators. So this post will focus on that before moving onto the children and learning... How do WE communicate? To create a safe space... Knowledge... to explore ideas... learning... etc Do we speak in different ways depending on who we are talking to - age, gender etc... and why do we do this? Is it appropriate? When we communicate are we leaving enough space for others to communi
    589 visningar0 kommentarer
    Malaguzzi's Three Children
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 28 feb. 2019
    • 9 min.

    Malaguzzi's Three Children

    The following text is taken from the book "Boken om pedagogerna" under redaktion av Anna Forsell (2008) (5th edition) (Finns på svenska after bilderna) (The Book of the Pedagogues, edited by Anna Forsell) Malaguzzi's three children. In his lectures Malaguzzi used to always take up his view of children and knowledge by presenting three simple images of the child and pitching them against each other (Loris Malaguzzi, lecture May 1992) 1. The sleeping and poor child - an empty
    1 556 visningar0 kommentarer
    Observations - easier said than done
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 21 feb. 2019
    • 6 min.

    Observations - easier said than done

    One of the questions I have often been asked is - how do teachers do observations... as most teachers talk about that the teaching is based on their observations of the children. Most of the preschools I visited with educators from Palestine we only visited for a short time, so that made it hard for us to observe the educators observing the children... and the preschools we visited for a longer period of time said that they were not doing any activities with the children yet
    262 visningar0 kommentarer
    Just as you are...
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 3 feb. 2019
    • 4 min.

    Just as you are...

    I was sent this image yesterday and it started a whole series of thoughts... I mean I get it... why people want to associate Greta Thunberg with Pippi Longstocking. Being Swedish, being a child, being female and daring to make a stand for what she believes in shows her strength. Pippi is the strongest girl in the world. But is this really a good thing? I mean Pippi did what she wanted, she did not want to learn to read and write - and she had to have her letters from her fath
    37 visningar0 kommentarer
    What is Love?
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 28 jan. 2019
    • 4 min.

    What is Love?

    Valentine's Day is one of those (many) traditions that I wonder why it is celebrated in early year's settings... It is a tradition connected to romantic and sexual love - which I think is not the most suitable topic for the very young... But there is no getting away from it... there are hearts and the mention of love all over the place... I also reflect about all the activities that appear online just before Valentines day... a whole array of pink, and hearts and love... B
    662 visningar0 kommentarer
    Children need platforms not pedestals
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 27 jan. 2019
    • 8 min.

    Children need platforms not pedestals

    I truly believe in the competence of children, but also understand the importance of being supportive so that we do not let them get out of their depth. For me the competence is about what they can do now. What they are capable of, and that they have experiences and knowledge than can contribute to expanding our own adult experiences and knowledge. There is mutual learning. I am very aware that as an adult I have accumulated more experiences, collected more knowledge and amas
    430 visningar0 kommentarer
    The Political Nature of Childhood
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 17 jan. 2019
    • 9 min.

    The Political Nature of Childhood

    Tomorrow I will take a small group of children to meet Greta Thunberg and the others protesting outside the government building here in Stockholm, my daughter being one of those others. The teenagers are on a school-strike as a way of getting their opinion across to politicians about the climate situation and the need to address it seriously... The 3-5 year olds that I will be taking are going to go there to find out why they are standing there and also to see that children d
    55 visningar0 kommentarer
    The Story of... otherism
    Suzanne Axelsson
    • 13 jan. 2019
    • 8 min.

    The Story of... otherism

    There is a sense of great sorrow and frustration within me at the moment as I try to deal with what is happening in my family and what is happening around the world. On Friday (in August 2018) my son started medicating for his ADHD - he has a diagnosis of autism/ADHD and t it has been a constant uphill battle with the school system to try and create a learning environment that encourages him to learn... something that we have not yet achieved. He is constantly seen as a probl
    284 visningar0 kommentarer
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    Interaction Imagination

    © 2017 Suzanne Axelsson. Interaction Imagination. Stockholm, Sweden.
    suzanne@interactionimagination.com 

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