Multi-Dimensional Research: A Lyla Story

1. Multi-Dimensional Research: A Lyla Story As the teachers and children have settled into a new school year, certain shifts have occurred. Upon welcoming a new group of infants into the community, we have watched new routines be established, different roles be taken on, and new relationships blossom. New stories have emerged, while familiar stories grow deeper. Lyla’s work around baby doll care is one story that has expanded since the start of the new year. • Lyla entered our classroom as a six month old, just over a year ago. As a young infant, she was cared for by teachers and peers. • As she grew older, Lyla developed her own curiosity about younger infants. Her curiosity was supported by the teachers belief that she was competent to interact safely with children younger than herself. Lyla’s curiosity was reciprocated by her younger peers who studied her in return. • This year Lyla’s curiosity has developed into purposeful research, as she closely observes the care giving cycles carried out by the teachers. She pays close attention to the infants, studying the way they communicate, play, and contribute to their shared community.

2. Another dimension of Lyla’s research is revealed through her work with baby dolls. Lyla carries out her own care giving cycles, tells stories, and brings others into her research as she works with the dolls each day. As co-researchers we wonder, how will Lyla’s learning progress? What impact will her research have on her classmates? How did Lyla’s experience in a mixed age community last year create a foundation for her current learning?