Self-Activity: Children’s Own Plans & Projects Norm Friesen July 27-28, 2011

Bildsamkeit/Activity as Future- Oriented Tasks and expectations are future oriented. We know from socialization research that a person’s ability to anticipate the future, imagine the shape of future events, and base his current actions on such predictions is essential to have in place for one’s ability to learn.

Pedagogical activity has the form of an “experiment” that is directed through hypotheses, & open to the future of the child. The hypothesis is a necessary com-ponent in this activity... it serves as the image the educator has of what the child is ready to do, or more generally of the child’s Bildsamkeit. Present Future Adult Child

Bildsamkeit/Activity as Future- Oriented If such a hypothesis is not constantly open to the possibility of correction in pedagogical engagement – in other words, if it petrifies so that it actually bars the way to new experiences with the child – the open experiment of pedagogical activity becomes a closed ritual For the sake of the child, not the adult

Video from “the kids are alright”

Others discussing Self-Activity Froebel: Each successive individual...must pass through all preceding phases of human development and culture, and this should not be done in the way of dead imitation or mere copying, but in the way of living, spontaneous self-activity. Dewey: self-activity is nothing less than “the primary root of all educative activity;” “the foundation-stones of educational method”

John Dewey, Self activity the self is not something ready- made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action... In fact, self and interest are two names for the same fact; the kind and amount of interest actively taken in a thing reveals and measures the quality of selfhood which exists. Bear in mind that interest means the active or moving identity of the self with a certain object...

Mollenhauer „A parent or educator who encourages a child to self-activity need not come across as a highly active person themselves, or as explicitly engaged in pursuits that aim to achieve a particular effect. All the parent/educator need do is be reasonably attentive to the difference between what is possible and what is real for the child. Hence the cardinal virtues of such a pedagogue are attentiveness, being a good listener, and a patient observer.“

Video Clip:

Bildsamkeit vs. Self-Activity Speaking, about language Related to something unspeakable in the child Constitution, not assimilable, natality Has to do with how the child can be formed “the child articulates a disposition” Activity, about doing and engaging Based on the child acting on his/her own Let the “vigour of the child’s soul unfold” This occurs through the adult’s attitude of encouragement & giving “space,” calling

Self-Activity: “The person... is neither completely suffered nor completely constructed; [s/he]...is always the surpassed result of the...operations by which we continually try to assimilate the nonassimilable—primarily our childhood” world Self or Subject...who is becoming rational (conscious/reflective) Adults provide opportunity for childs own activity to address the child’s project or interest