These are three things I especially love about Marte Meo

Marte Meo Journey 2019
By Bev Harrison

What an amazing opportunity it was to have the luxury of sharing 6 sessions of professional learning on the same topic, with the whole staff team.

There are 3 main things that I have especially loved about Marte Meo, although it was all great learning, and something I would value having many more hours to learn about.

1. The child’s development at the centre, and a strengths based approach. How refreshing to focus on an approach that works for, and supports all children, no matter where they are in their journey. To have these simple strategies, that we can use everyday, and see immediate benefits for every child. To see examples of how successful this approach is for supporting children’s self registration and self regulation, and how effective it can be for dysregulated behaviours. I LOVE that Marte Meo style is to “support and activate development rather than compensate for behaviours.”
    
2. To have a “terminology” to name these good practices that we use everyday with children, and to have the time and support to develop a consistent pedagogy and language amongst the whole staff team.
   
   Whilst I feel like I have been using a range of these techniques for many years, it has been so helpful to take the time to validate this, to name this and to reflect on the importance of this in an increasingly complex set of circumstances and demands in the kindergarten curriculum. It has been so beneficial for our whole team to be able to view our practices through this lens, and share this journey with each other, and collaborate around Marte Meo techniques that will support individual children’s journeys. I am remembering to “tune in to the individual – what does this child in this moment, need next from me?”
    
3. I have particularly been fascinated with learning about the linking up strategies. We have many children who benefit from support with language skills, group entry and play skills. I have always found it challenging to support children to gain confidence and skills to join in social play. We have used role modelling, puppets, role play and organised games. The week we learnt about uplifting social information for linking up, I was excited to get back to kindy and try this out, thinking to myself “surely something this simple can’t be the answer!) Well, the first time I tried it that week with a child who has English as an additional dialect, I was amazed to see that after 2 exchanges of uplifting social information, she was happily playing with the other child for the rest of the day! I am now looking for opportunities all the time to link children up. I am still a little awkward with it, but have been so encouraged by the growing confidence I have seen and the social play that is happening for children.

One of the questions and reflections this Professional learning has raised for me is about questioning !! It has certainly caused me to be more aware of how often I am using questioning, and with whom, and in what situations. I certainly believe that questioning still has its place in the early language development of children, and in learning conversational exchange. I am more mindful now of children’s development, and reserving questioning for wondering aloud with children who are ready to be challenges in their thinking, and to ask a few open questions in conversation with those children who have the confidence to recount and share experiences. Marte Meo learning has given us much food for thought and discussion as a team in this area, and we will continue to be mindful, to reflect, and to learn together as we practice our skills. I am regularly reminding myself “following initiatives activates calm, instead of stress.”

What’s next in the journey?

For my own learning, I am going to continue reviewing my notes periodically, and commit to gradually increasing my repertoire of Marte Meo strategies that I use. I am looking forward to reviewing more of the “play skills” and  “starting school” skills lists and working with our team to weave the practice and language in to our daily play and documentation.

For our centre – we will be incorporating the use of Marte Meo practices to support oral language development as an annual improvement priority goal for 2020. I would also like to explore ways of sharing this information with our families in an intentional way across the year.

For our Partnership – to maintain the momentum, and to support one another’s continuing growth by planning some twilight sessions during 2020 for educators to gather, share and encourage one another in the journey.

Thank you so much Joy, for your amazing generosity in presenting this course so flexibly, and for demonstrating Marte Meo in your own actions, presentations and strengths based approach to OUR learning and development. I have appreciated your knowledge, wisdom and experience.