The Wonderful Drama of Near and Far
in Seed Dispersal and in Ourselves
By Lori Colavito, Southampton Elementary School

With the start of a new school year, I want teachers to know about an exciting, integrated approach to education called the Aesthetic Realism Teaching Method! For 19 years, I have seen this method bring out a child's ability to learn and end the anger and apathy that has teachers and parents concerned for the safety and effectiveness of our schools.

     Eli Siegel (1902-1978), American philosopher and educator, founder of Aesthetic Realism, explained that the purpose of education is “to like the world through knowing it.” This principle shows the relation of every child to the subject he or she is studying: “The world, art, and self explain each other: each is the aesthetic oneness of opposites.”

     The following is an early childhood lesson. The essential concepts and results, including character education, are valuable for teachers and students of all grade levels.

NEAR AND FAR — IN SEED DISPERSAL AND OURSELVES

During Autumn, when leaves were turning shades of brown and as acorns were falling down, my students began to learn about seed dispersal, and how a tree begins as a small seed. I explained that seed dispersal is when a seed travels from near (where it initially falls or is formed) to far (where it will end up and have enough space, sunlight and soil to grow). Through the course of this lesson, I saw a way in which “near and far” as opposites could aid in my students’ understanding themselves and their relations with one another.

     When I first met these children, many were excited to find new friends, learn the alphabet, work with building blocks, and discover different parts of the school building. Others, however, were disengaged and introverted (some children crawled around the room during lessons, while others simply lay down on the floor and closed their eyes). The children were conflicted between being interested in the world around them and frustrated and overwhelmed by its newness. This conflict—between interest and disdain—can breed contempt. “Contempt,” Aesthetic Realism explains, “is the greatest interference to learning.”

     As we studied a lesson on seed dispersal, I wanted the children to see a positive relation between what is near and far. As part of the lesson, I showed the class various seeds ranging from acorns, milkweed and black locust pods, pinecones, rosehips, berries, burrs, to a coconut. The children liked touching these and seeing how they were similar and different. They liked hearing the liquid sound of milk moving inside the coconut and the rattling of small hard seeds inside the black locust pod. I explained while each seed looks different, they all have the potential of growing into a tree or bush. Each seed is “built” by nature—with its specific shape—to best make the trip to its new home.

HOW DO SEEDS MOVE?

I asked, “How does nature move seeds from the tree, near where it fell, to far away?” Daniella said, “The wind.” Sarita added, “A seed falls in the water, then the water moves it away.” Bryan explained, “By people. They move seeds with their hands or by going on a bus, train or taxi. Then a person takes it out of their pocket and plants it.” I asked, “Are there any other ways a seed can be moved to a new home where it can grow?” Yelena answered, “Animals.” Omar said, “Bears and raccoons.” Ahmed said, “Reindeers,” and David added, “By chipmunks and squirrels.” “Yes,” I said, “these are the four ways seeds disperse—by wind, water, animals and people.” The children were so excited, learning about the different ways that seeds move that they wanted to do a little play—becoming the different seeds and the different elements that help them travel.

     Looking at the milkweed pod, children suggested blowing it. We worked together as a big gust of wind, sending many fluffy seeds into the air. With great pleasure and curiosity, they watched seeds casually fly and gently fall. Seeing the coconut, they were amazed that a seed could be so large! They learned how certain factors—wind, water and animals—enable all the seeds to disperse.

     As we sat with approximately 50 acorns, several burrs, pinecones, a coconut, some berries and milkweed seeds scattered all over the room, there were both interest and calm. All the children shared seeds, and waited for their turn without grabbing or pushing.

THEY CAME FROM NEAR & FAR

I asked, “Do you think we have a job like the seed, to put together the opposites of near and far? Can we have both in our minds?” For example, I asked, “What place in the world is far away?” Sarita said, “Alaska and Sri Lanka. My mother is from Alaska and my father is from Sri Lanka.” “If Sarita’s parents came from these faraway countries,” I asked, “and ate food from the earth in those places, does that mean that Alaska and Sri Lanka went into making Sarita who is sitting here right next to us? Does that mean Sarita, herself, puts together the opposites of near and far?” The children were surprised and happy to see that each one of them represents the world both near and far. They excitedly shared the many different places their families came from: Turkey, Guyana, Bhutan, Africa, Hungary, New York, Egypt, Puerto Rico, Malta, Germany, Louisiana, Russia, and Honduras.

     I told them that sometimes we can even be “near” a person but feel “far away” from them, because we see their feelings as different from our own, rather than relating to them.

     From this lesson, we were inspired to learn about the countries the children came from, and began subsequent lessons about their native lands.

     They began teaching one another how to say words in their native languages. They were eager to learn about different cultures and excited to learn how to read. The children in the class left kindergarten pleased with themselves and excited with their newfound self-expression.

The Aesthetic Realism Teaching Method shows that every fact in the curriculum is a rich beginning point for teachers to see, with their students, how the world in its diversity has a structure that can offer clarity into everyday life. It is a method that can help education flourish!    ♦

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