I see the moon and the
moon sees me…
Reflective Practice and Parent-Child
Mother Goose
Joan Quagliana
ABSTRACT
I see the moon and the moon sees me—reflective practice and Parent-Child Mother
Goose®
The Parent-Child Mother Goose® Program (P-CMG) is a supported playgroup model
using song, rhyme, finger play and storytelling to enhance the bond between parents
and young children. It began in Toronto, Canada in 1986 and in Australia in 2003. This
popular program runs in Melbourne, country Victoria as well as the ACT. I work with
families in the program as well as training others to run programs throughout
Australia.
To date, research has centred on outcomes for children and families, but not on the
qualities needed in a P-CMG teacher. Using artmaking, collecting keywords and
symbol work, my research is based on an art installation which depicts the experience
of a family in the group.
Drawing from painting, journaling and songwriting, I present an autoethnography of
the process of investigating the practice and values involved in being a P-CMG teacher.
Seven voices emerged from this process, using input from stakeholders to amplify and
clarify the voices. These voices could help inform present discussion regarding
establishing both identification of best practice and methods of mentoring in the
newly established P-CMG regional office in Australia.
My autoethnography also shows how families interact with each of these seven voices,
ending by identifying the progress of the P-CMG program and how the seven voices
can aid its future development.
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
I hereby declare
1. This research paper comprises my original work except where
indicated in the preface.
2. Due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other
material used.
Name: Joan Quagliana
Signature:
Date: 11 June, 2011
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank all of the people who have supported me on my Mother Goose
journey so far; firstly Knox City Council that has supported the program by dreaming it
into being and providing the hard work to make the dream a reality. Next, I want to
thank the Parent-Child Mother Goose Program (P-CMGP) in Canada that trained me
and supported us to set up a training program here in Australia. I also want to thank
my co-trainers who have broadened my experience of training. In addition, I want to
acknowledge the guidance of the “Inc”—the regional Parent-Child Mother Goose
advisory group for their support and interest.
Mainly, I want to thank my co-researchers: co-workers, parents in our P-CMGP here at
Knox, teachers and child care staff and friends I got a lot more out of it than you did,
but thanks for all your interest and encouragement.
Finally, thanks to MIECAT staff and students, and especially to our supervision and
mutual support groups. The staff have contributed mightily to whatever growth has
happened for me, but the intersubjectivity of working together has made it real.
June, 2011 Melbourne
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXPLANATORY NOTES ABOUT THE RESEARCH .............................................................................. 6 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 7 MIECAT VALUES .......................................................................................................................... 21
Starting with experience ........................................................................................................ 21 Being multimodal ................................................................................................................... 21 Valuing emergence ................................................................................................................ 24 Intersubjectivity ..................................................................................................................... 24 A personal note on co-creation and intersubjectivity ........................................................... 27
OTHER METHODOLOGICAL INFLUENCES .................................................................................... 28 PROCEDURES FOR THE RESEARCH .............................................................................................. 30
End of year presentation........................................................................................................ 37 Summary of research ............................................................................................................. 41 Voices with which to dialogue ............................................................................................... 43 Groups with which to inquire ................................................................................................ 44 Special concerns in researching with parents and families—issues of co-research .............. 45
RESEARCH METHODS .................................................................................................................. 46 Research with parents ........................................................................................................... 46
Part 1 ................................................................................................................................. 46 Part 2 ................................................................................................................................. 49
Other research methods ........................................................................................................ 51 Using the goose outline ......................................................................................................... 52 Toward the seven voices ........................................................................................................ 53 Coloured hexagons................................................................................................................. 54 The last phase of the research ............................................................................................... 56 The belly of the turtle ............................................................................................................ 59 Intersubjective responses ...................................................................................................... 62 Marrying the two sets of data ................................................................................................ 64
THE SEVEN VOICES ...................................................................................................................... 65 Firebird ................................................................................................................................... 66 Golden .................................................................................................................................... 68 Moon/Mother ........................................................................................................................ 70 Drover/Trail Boss .................................................................................................................... 72 Wise Woman/Storyteller ....................................................................................................... 74 Visionary ................................................................................................................................. 76 Fellow Traveller ...................................................................................................................... 78
THE REST OF THE TURTLE ............................................................................................................ 80 The legs of the turtle .............................................................................................................. 81 The tail of the turtle ............................................................................................................... 82
CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................. 84 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................ 85 APPENDICES: side trips ................................................................................................................ 86
A: Siobhan steps out ............................................................................................................. 88 B: Tortuga’s journey .............................................................................................................. 91 C: Research documents ....................................................................................................... 105
I see the moon and the moon sees me…
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EXPLANATORY NOTES ABOUT THE RESEARCH
This research is offered not only as fulfilling a requirement for the MA in Creative Arts
Therapy but also as a reflection on my practice as a teacher and trainer in the Parent-
Child Mother Goose Program (P-CMGP). For a description of the PCMGP see p 9. In
this research the metaphor is a constant tool; some metaphors are understood within
the PCMG community, while others developed during the research. Here is a short
explanation of some of them:
Weaving the web (or net):
Creating, maintaining and expanding connections between the group members are
important parts of the work we do in P-CMG. Weaving helps describe this active
process of bringing families together using the principles of the PCMGP.
The web: The web or net itself became a metaphor for intersubjectivity (see p 24).
The hexagon: Starting from a central hexagon, this web is woven by fitting other
hexagons around it. Hexagons fit together snugly and expand in an oval pattern. This
reflects the PC group formed around the central idea of PC principles.
The turtle: Put 7 hexagons together and you have a turtle’s back or shell. The research
pointed me towards a description of voices or ways of being as a P-CMG teacher using
the metaphor of the turtle.
In the introduction to this inquiry I will begin with another metaphor, that of a journey
through time. It ties together many instances through history of weaving the web,
including those in a PCMG group.
I see the moon and the moon sees me…
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INTRODUCTION
Climb aboard the time machine with me and travel back to ancient Turkey—to Çatal
Hüyük in 6000 BCE where we can be part of a full moon ritual. Journey with me into a
network of limestone caves until we find the ritual space. People are seated in a circle,
waiting for a woman to begin the ritual. Children wander in and out of the group as
they choose, often spending some time on a parent’s lap before setting off to explore.
The woman charged with presiding over the ritual does not lead so much as hold the
space so that the people can all find their voice to connect with the Mother. She helps
the group invoke the energy of the moon, to connect with Her and with each other.
Take the time machine on another journey. Again a woman holds the space, this time
for herself and other women. It is the dark moon, the bleeding time, and the women
honour the changes in their bodies by celebration, separation and introspection. Again
they sit in a circle, sing, consult the oracle, meditate and share food, conversation and
laughter. The time machine this time was set for 12 July, 2010 and the place was
suburban Melbourne here neo-pagan women come together for a Moon Lodge in Box
Hill.
Go back in time again, to a longhouse of the Seneca tribe, part of the League of the
Iroquois. No tipis here, for the snow falls and the wind blows cold for almost half of
the year. It is the dead of winter and there is little game to hunt. The deer hide that
was tanned in the autumn is ready to be made into garments; cooking pots need to be
repaired and even the lacrosse nets need to be restrung. The people stay near the fire
that burns to keep them warm—they know the phase of the moon by reckoning, since
the sky is clouded over most of the time. Days are short, and during the long nights
the storytellers practice their best tales—explaining the mysteries of the world and
teaching the children how to live in harmony with the Earth.
The next journey is to an old church hall in urban Toronto in Canada in autumn of
1986. Two women lead this circle of women, each bringing a baby to sit on their lap.
I see the moon and the moon sees me…
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Holding the space this time means leading the women in song, rhyme and story. They
strive to deepen the connections between the women and their children using the
words of the songs and rhymes, but more importantly through the creation of shared
emotional experience. They seem to invoke the Hopi goddess Spider Woman, who is
credited with creating Mother Moon; they are weaving a safe space like that of Çatal
Hüyük or Box Hill of sharing, allowing and reflecting together. We are witnessing the
creation of the very first Parent-Child Mother Goose (P-CMG) Program.
They teach a song:
I see the moon and the moon sees me
Down through the leaves of the old oak tree
Please let the moon that shines on me
Shine on the ones I love
Over the mountains, over the seas
Back where my heart is longing to be
Please let the moon that shines on me
Shine on the ones I love.
As the moon revealed her light in Çatal Hüyük and her dark side at the Moon Lodge, so
too did she invite the women in this P-CMG program to a space of reflection, sharing
and laughter. The mothers touch the baby’s face as they bring them in to greet the
moon with a rhyme:
The moon is round as round can be
Two eyes, a nose and a mouth, like me!
Like the net of stars that are the seven sisters, the Pleiades, sitting in the night sky
above Çatal Hüyük or the web that Hopi Spider Woman weaves in the Moon Lodge, or
the tale that the storytellers weave around the fire in the Seneca longhouse, the
Parent-Child Mother Goose teachers are weaving a web of connection—between
parent and child as well as between each parent, child and teacher. They weave new
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connections or synapses in the child’s brain through the interactive learning which is
taking place.
I invite you on one more journey in the time machine—to last Wednesday (or even
next Wednesday) where we meet the Knox Parent-Child Mother Goose Program.
Every Wednesday morning in term time, about 10 families come together with our two
teachers and a program assistant to share space, experience, music, stories and
laughter (along with a snack) in this phenomenon which continues to be called the
Parent-Child Mother Goose Program
I invite you to continue the journey with me. I have yet to go to Çatal Hüyük, but
revelled in the Moon Lodge in Box Hill and I was born on the land where the Seneca
longhouse once stood. I was lucky enough to go on a journey of reflection and
discovery with some of the wise women who started the P-CMG Program in Toronto. I
want to take you with me on the journey backward and forward—back to how P-CMG
began (and what it is and is trying to achieve), then forward to its place in Australia in
2011 (and how it adapted to the Australian landscape along the way), as well as some
crystal gazing into where it might go in the future.
In particular, I have taken the invocation of the moon literally, and focused on the idea
of reflective practice and the P-CMG teacher as a way of looking at the program—what
happens when a group of (mainly) women and their infant children come together to
share song, rhyme and story. What are the qualities and even underlying values that a
teacher brings to a PCMG program which can best support the families in her group?
What makes an effective PCMG teacher?
I am taking the opportunity to tell this story as my MA research at the Melbourne
Institute of Experiential and Creative Arts Therapy (MIECAT) using some aspects of the
MIECAT form of inquiry.
It seems appropriate to inquire into an experiential program using a post-modern,
qualitative framework. This inquiry takes the form of an autoethnography—a
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collection of reflections on my roles as a P-CMG teacher and trainer. It takes place
using the MIECAT form of inquiry, answering three key questions in relationship to my
role as teacher and trainer of the Mother Goose program
What do I think I know?
How did I come to know it?
What might I do with what I have come to know?
This was done through using procedures such as description, amplification,
reduction…. (see p 47-60 for further explanation of these procedures).
I recognise that I am part of the story to be told, so I choose an autoethnography to tell
the tale. A more complete description of autoethnography, can be found on p. 28).
I am looking at the many facets of this program that I have yet to describe through my
journals, poems, installations and art pieces as a starting point. This begins the auto
portion of the autoethnography. But ethnographic investigation also takes the form of
an inquiry with others who can provide different points of view on qualities of an
effective P-CMG teacher.
A word about language is in order. After years of endeavouring to use gender inclusive
language (even conventions such as s/he, people instead of men and to staff a booth or
display rather than to man it) I have opted for the more accurate approach of referring
to P-CMG teachers as she or her, and referring to parents in the same way. Most of
the PCMG teachers and many of the parents are female. Most of the organisers and
all of the present board members are female, so not only the group members but
those who have constructed its organization feel to me to be best described using
female pronouns.
But it is not just words that I offer you on this journey. Just like the worshippers in
Çatal Hüyük and the people of the longhouse, words are only part of what is brought
to the circle. Songs and images, stories and myths helped connect the people to the
Moon, the Earth and the Mother; I bring these art forms to tell some of my story. For
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thinking is only one way of entering the space, and a weak way at that—knowing
through an image, a poem, a song, a story or a painting can strengthen and deepen
your understandings, so I offer all to you now.
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The Web of Community (and Connection)
So, in each of these situations people sat in circles and used rhyme, narrative, song and
storytelling to connect them. It is the jewelled net (or web) of connection.
in the caves in Anatolia
in the suburban house at Box Hill
around the winter fire on the Southern shore of Lake Ontario
on the floor in a church hall in Toronto (the Northern shore of Lake Ontario)
on the floor in an early parenting centre in Knox in suburban Melbourne
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Whether it was 6000 BCE or last month or 1500 A D or next week, the connection that
all these people weave together has the same sort of pattern. The pattern is also
reflected in the stars in the constellation of Pleiades, the Seven Sisters or the Jewelled
Net (Leeming & Page, 1994) and the rhythm and connection of reciting a rhyme or
telling a story in a group.
Look at the pattern—start anywhere. I created the large blue hexagons to represent
members of a community that arrange themselves in a sort of web—their sides
parallel each other, blossoming out from a central place or converging from the edges
toward the interior. They don’t quite touch, but the small golden hexagons provide
the link that holds them together. This hexagonal web, made of individuals but
connecting together like a web to become stronger, is another way to depict the P-
CMGP as is the description in the final words of a song:
“…the circle extends to the stars and goes on forever.” (Rule, 2007)
I then began to look at the components of this web. If together they formed a
community, what might their individual voices be? The voices and the ideas behind
them were part of my inquiry at the beginning of my MA. They are described in more
detail on p 16. I investigated the voices as a way of describing qualities of teaching or
being with others. At times we embody one quality, sometimes more than one. Most
of us have one or two qualities that are less explored. I then began to represent each
of the 7 ways of being I explored as states in a country. What follows is the “mud
map” of what I have named the “New Turtle Nation”--the country which describes
these voices or ways of being a P-CMG teacher (and later Early Childhood Educator). A
mud map as every country Victorian knows, is a rough sketch of how to find a rural
location. (For more of the turtle’s adventures, see Tortuga’s Journey, Appendix B.)
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Yes, it is a turtle! The map is on its back. And now that you have an idea of the shape
of the land, let me name the regions. Remember that each region is my understanding
of a quality or voice of being a Parent-Child Mother Goose Teacher. The seven ways of
being that we are visiting are:
So this is the “political” map, with the boundaries and names attached. .It retains the
shape of the net or web. I then composed this chart to describe what my research was
revealing about each of the voices of a P-CMG teacher. It formed part of an article I
wrote about my research for the P-CMG community (Quagliana, 2010). I used this
chart with P-CMG teachers and early childhood educators to validate, amplify and
clarify these voices or ways of being as relevant and useful to reflection of what it
means to be a teacher—how (and who) are we when we teach. See pp 54ff for
specifics.
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Seven Voices of a Parent-Child Mother Goose® Teacher
Firebird is the one who lights the spark towards children’s learning and
family support. Revels in the wonder of a child’s discovery, and
actively looks for ways to make it happen.
Golden Girl stays “in the moment” with children and can be fully
present to them. She is a young surfie chick who stays in the present
moment and can listen to what children are saying and intuitively
decide what to do next.
Moon mother is about the maternal bond, feelings, memories.
She is the one who sings lullabies and rocks children to sleep, kisses
their hurts and makes them better.
Drover/trail boss was originally called the teacher or trainer. The one
who guides the group, sets up camp and keeps everyone on track.
Wise woman/storyteller is the quiet wisdom of the group. The old
wise woman, she goes back to basics; tells stories rather than reads
books and can settle children by the strength of her presence. The
grandmother energy.
Visionary can see farther than the others—has a vision for what she
wants for the group. Sets up policies, builds environments so that her
philosophy can be realised. This may be a long term proposition, but
she slogs away at it with the end in mind
Fellow traveller is empathic with the families, understanding that we
are more alike than we are different. Uses family centred practice and
strengths based initiatives. Values diversity and runs an inclusive
program. Is egalitarian.
Table 1 Voices for co-inquiry Taken from Quagliana, 2010
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Background
Since I have already briefly mentioned Mother Goose, let me attend to her first.
Parent-Child Mother Goose® (P-CMG) is a supported playgroup model. A supported
playgroup is a group of families of preschool children who come together on a regular
basis in a children’s playroom with staff support. Thus the children and their play is
the vehicle for families coming together. This is the basis of community playgroups,
which gather and support each other, but a supported playgroup has the added aspect
of trained staff to support parents in their interactions with their children and each
other.
Parent-Child Mother Goose, begun in 1986 in Canada, uses the deceptively simple
vehicle of song, rhyme, finger play and storytelling to enhance the connections
between parents and children. Originally set up for families at risk of abuse or neglect,
the program grew from one group in urban Toronto to an international organisation of
thousands of participants.
A very simple description of their values is contained in these three words:
Cuddle, communicate, connect.
Cuddle refers to the use of multimodality by using touch, movement, rhythm and
cadence to help parents experience ways of being with their children that are mutually
enjoyable and lead to a desire for more of this experience. Touch connects, and taking
the time and being led to use this touch helps encourage parents to continue to touch
in their daily contact with their children. Touch also encourages children to ask for
enjoyable rhymes and songs even when they are not able to speak their desires.
Parents soon learn that a child putting out their foot is asking for “Shoe the wild horse”
a well-loved P-CMG foot rhyme, and putting out a palm is a request for “Round and
round the garden”.
Communicate refers to a few things: the improved language abilities that we note in
the children in our program, the anticipation in a child’s eyes as she knows she is going
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to go for a big, bouncy rhyme, and the affection and non verbal communication that a
parent is invited to engage with her child in saying “Acka backa soda cracker, I love
you” when the action is to cuddle their child.
Connect does not just refer to the deepening connection felt between parent and child
in the group, but also to the connection parents feel for each other, each other’s
children and the teachers who facilitate the group. One of the parents told us, “I love
Mother Goose because I don’t have to pretend, and I don’t have to explain.” The
group celebrates successes and shares woes, gets together when the scheduled group
is on holiday, shares recipes and comments on clothes, children’s milestones and
holiday destinations.
Another way to look at Parent-Child Mother Goose values is to consider the document
“At the heart of the Parent-Child Mother Goose Program.” Each of the seven
principles are summarised here:
1. Teaching is directed to the adults. The children participate as is appropriate…
2. Activity focuses on interactive rhymes, stories, and songs, all presented orally…
No toys or objects are used.
3. Storytelling is an integral part of the Program with the stories being chosen and told for the
enjoyment of the adults…
4. The pace is slow and relaxed with plenty of time for repetition of material and casual discussion of
issues and questions that arise. The atmosphere is accepting and supportive, with the intention of
building the confidence and comfort level of all participants, and creating a feeling of community and
mutual support within the group.
5. Each program has … two trained P-CMG teachers who share all teaching duties and take time
together after each session to discuss their observations of the interactions within the group, and to
plan the next meeting based on their observations and the needs of the participants.
6. Groups are small enough to ensure that the needs of individuals as well as of the group as a whole
can be met.
7. The Program is aimed at families in need of support for any of a variety of reasons.
It is a free program.
At the Heart of the Parent Chld Mother Goose Program 2005
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As you read further it will hopefully become evident that the important processes of
MlECAT (see pp 21-26) resonate well with Parent-Child Mother Goose. These
processes include intersubjectivity, co-construction, multi-modality, emergence,
resonance and the importance of experience as a starting point for learning as
examples.
Parent-Child Mother Goose has two kinds of programs. The first is the babies program
(children between birth and two years of age) and the second, the toddler’s program
(children from two and a half to four years of age). The particular P-CMG group I am
involved in is a babies’ group. Our group, the Knox Parent-Child Mother Goose
Program, is auspiced by Knox City Council. Knox is a local government authority in the
south east of Melbourne, with a population of about 110,000 people. The percentage
of home ownership in Knox is above average, and while the proportion of overseas
residents is increasing, the most prevalent migrant group is still from the UK. While
Knox often is above the median for socio-economic status, there are recognised areas
of great need in the municipality. To address these disparities in the Municipality,
Council’s Family and Children’s Services Department has provided support for isolated
and vulnerable families through a network of Supported Playgroups, run by the
Specialist Support and Resources Unit, of which I am a member.
It is not only as a P-CMG teacher but also as a trainer of teachers that I began this
inquiry. After having facilitated P-CMG groups for two years, I was accepted as the
first Australian candidate to train as a Teacher Trainer Workshop Facilitator with P-
CMG. In addition, I was able to do this training in Canada—there was a fortuitous
connection between my family in North America, my boss’s commitment to the
program and Canada’s insistence that the first international trainer go through their
experiential apprenticeship training program there in Toronto. So when I tell
participants in my training about the first group in Canada in 1986, I am talking about a
woman who was my mentor during my training in Toronto and ran this group. When I
sit in a P-CMG group and enjoy the silence, wondering where the group wants to go
next, I remember doing the same thing with the Executive Director of P-CMG in a
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group in urban Toronto as part of my apprenticeship training. Most importantly, when
I sit in a P-CMG training workshop I know that I can put the careful plan away so that I
can observe and respond to the needs of the participants the way I watched
experienced trainers in both British Columbia and Ontario do. So from 2006 I have not
only been co-facilitating a babies’ P-CMG group but also training others to do the
same, using this experiential, emergent method of weaving a community that makes
the groups so popular and successful.
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MIECAT VALUES
The Melbourne Institute for Experiential and Creative Arts Therapy, known by its
acronym, MIECAT, informs the way I am looking at Parent-Child Mother Goose. What
is MIECAT and how does it influence the way I inquire?
Starting with experience
To explain MIECAT it is useful to talk about the values it espouses. One place to start is
the value placed on learning beginning with experience; that is “everything that
appears in my consciousness becomes available for self-referral and self-revelation.”
(Moustakas, 1994). Indeed, Moustakas goes on to describe this process as the ability
to “target my energy so that I am attending to just what appears and nothing else.”(p.
88). So since I am the researcher, this is a first-person account of my experiences
within Mother Goose and my reflections on these experiences. The importance is in
the sequence—experience first, then reflection.
Van Manen (1990) describes the processes of reflection as “…to effect a more direct
contact with the experience as lived.” (1990). Important also, is his statement that
“The meaning or essence of a phenomenon is never simple or one-dimensional.
Meaning is multi-dimensional and multi-layered. “(Van Manen, 1990).
Being multimodal
Another value of the MIECAT approach to inquiry is also articulated by Howard
Gardner, (1993) He argues that is that there are many ways of knowing (multiple
intelligences). Gardner says, "We have not approached ‘intelligence’ as a reified
human faculty that is brought to bear in literally any problem setting; rather, have
begun with the problems that humans solve and worked back to the “intelligences”
that must be responsible. “ (Gardner, 1993).
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So we come to know in many different ways, or through many different
“intelligences”. Gardner suggests that there are seven different intelligences, from
logical-mathematical and linguistic to bodily-kinaesthetic and musical intelligences.
More importantly for this inquiry, he says that he is starting with the experience then
working back to what it might signify.
Van Manen, Moustakas and Gardner begin with experience, as do Herron and Reason
(Herron and Reason, 1997). Similarly, Herron & Reason suggest an extended
epistemology that articulates experiential knowing as the basis of all other ways of
knowing. They suggest that presentational knowing offered through the different
modes, such as story, dance, sound and image allow us the opportunity to reflect on
experience in more informed ways, as does propositional knowing, or knowing
conceptually. All of these ways inform our practice, as described in the table over:
4
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Experiential knowing means direct encounter, face-to-face meeting: feeling and imaging the presence
of some energy, entity, person, place, process or thing. It is knowing through participative, empathic
resonance with a being, so that as knower I feel both attuned with it and distinct form it. It is also the
creative shaping of a world through the transaction of imaging it, perceptually and in other ways.
Experiential knowing thus articulates reality through felt resonances with the inner being of what is
there, and through perceptually enacting (Valera et al, 1993) its forms of appearing.
Presentational knowing emerges from and is grounded on experiential knowing. It is evident in an
intuitive grasp of the significance of our resonance with and imaging of our world, as this grasp is
symbolized in graphic, plastic, musical, vocal and verbal art-forms. It clothes our experiential knowing of
the world in the metaphors of aesthetic creation, in expressive spatiotemporal forms of imagery. These
forms symbolize both our felt attunement with the world and the primary meaning embedded in our
enactment of its appearing.
Propositional knowing is knowing in conceptual terms that something is the case; knowledge by
description of some energy, entity, person, place, process or thing. It is expressed in statements and
theories that come with the mastery of concepts and classes that language bestows. Propositions
themselves are carried by presentational forms – the sounds or visual shapes of the spoken or written
word – and are ultimately grounded in our experiential articulation of a world.
Practical knowing is knowing how to do something, demonstrated in a skill or competence. Practical
knowledge is in an important sense primary (Heron, 1996). It presupposes a conceptual grasp of
principles and standards of practice, presentational elegance, and experiential grounding in the situation
within which the action occurs. It fulfils the three prior forms of knowing, brings them to fruition in
purposive deeds, and consummates them with its autonomous celebration of excellent
accomplishments.
It is equally important that action not only consummates the prior forms of knowing, but is also
grounded in them. It is in this congruence of the four aspects of the extended epistemology that lie
claims to validity.
From ‘A Particpiative Inquiry Paradigm’ Qualitiative Inquiry vol 3 No 3 J Herron & P Reason 1997.
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MIECAT values using the experience of the arts not for the purpose of making
something beautiful, but to make meaning, to make sense of things, to find out the
“approximate meaning” to an inquiry. We
put ourselves in a place where we can begin to wonder about something
use the arts to explore this wondering
see what emerges from the art making
use some procedures of resonance, reduction and amplification to help us
understand what has come out of the experience and what it means to us
determine where and how we want to use this in our lives
Valuing emergence
As noted earlier in my description of my training emergence is critical to the process of
facilitating P-CMGP as well as MIECAT inquiries. This implies, as described by Lett
(1993) that the starting point comes from what is determined as valuable by the
companionee, or person seeking meaning, rather than from the companion’s agenda.
The companion creates an environment that allows the companionee to determine
what they are “wondering” about. The companion sets up an environment that will
help the companionee identify and then explore what seems important for them. The
companion witnesses the process of the companionee, reflects back their experience
of this process and helps the companionee track the sequence.
Intersubjectivity
In both the inquiry and P-CMG the idea of intersubjectivity is central. Hughes says, “In
speaking of intersubjectivity I am referring to those moments when the parent and
child are in synch: When they are affectively and cognitively present to each other”
(2007 p14). He speaks of the connection between a mother and her infant—each
connected to the other through picking up on body cues (breathing, movement, eye
gaze, position) as well as tone of voice, and attunement to the other. Buirski and
Haglund (2001) extend this to include “the field created by the coming together of the
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subjective worlds” and suggest that each “pair creates its own unique intersubjective
field through the interplay of …distinctive individual organizations of experience (p 50,
2001). In addition, they write that “we strive to grasp, as best as we can, the patient’s
affective experience. At the same time, we recognize that our understanding of the
experience of the other is never pure or true, but is always shaped and influenced, by
our own subjectivity. While Hughes writes about a connection between parent and
child, Buirski and Haglund extend this to the reciprocal connection between two
individuals, often in a supportive context.
Once she (the mother) has become aware of herself, then she needs to be attuned to
the other. Just as Hughes spoke of attunement of a parent for a child, the concept is
expanded to talk about the need for a companion (P-CMG facilitator) to be aware of
the other’s (a parent’s) emotional state. She knows what she is feeling, and uses as
many of her ways of knowing to understand what the other’s emotional state may be.
This can include observation, intuition or inner knowing, a felt sense or an emotional
resonance. The metaphor of music helps to understand this idea. One string
resonates with the pitch of the other—it responds with sympathetic vibration to the
tone it is presented with. I feel this emotional pitch, says the companion.
Then the next part of the understanding of intersubjectivity, after knowing self and
tuning in to other, is to reflect back to the other. To suggest what the experience of
being together has been, to offer it to the other as a way of helping her to make
meaning. The companion strives to offer a reflection not on the objective reality of
what has happened (if such a thing existed) but to subjectively reflect on the
experience for the sake of the other. This is what it was like for me to see/hear/listen
to your experience—does this help you make sense of it?
Intersubjectivity is an essential process in reflection at MIECAT and PCMG, as part of
early childhood pedagogy. Since Dewey proposed the idea of reflection in education in
his landmark book How We Think (Dewey, 1933), reflective practice has had a
resurgence in the 1990s and beyond. Winter (2008) uses these ideas and brings in the
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concept of an inquiry as a means of reflection. Her terms of “Act, Plan, Reflect,
Question” which involve processes of “niggling, wondering, challenging and being
concerned” can be seen as another way of identifying an access point in Lett’s
terminology. Here are the questions she poses:
What could this information be telling us?
What else do we need to know?
What other information/data will be useful?
All intertwine with the questions in the introduction as the MIECAT form of inquiry:
What do I think I know?
How did I come to know it?
What might I do with what I have come to know?
I will describe more of this later because it emerged as an issue in my research. Suffice
it to say that intersubjectivity is connected with another idea or value; that of co-
construction of meaning. Part of the experience of intersubjectivity is that of meaning
making as a shared activity. The participants in the intersubjective space reflect back
to each other—not like a mirror, but like a multifaceted jewel, with parts slightly at an
angle, these are then reflected back at a different angle again. While the researcher
has begun the process, as soon as the other, the companionee enters into it, she
becomes a co-researcher. Unlike positivist research, the participants are coming with
the purpose of helping the researcher understand her reflections. Despite careful
planning, any emergent research can be taken to places the researcher did not think
she might go. Fortunately using reflective procedures, journaling and recording the
process, reflecting with others multi-modally about the experience, there is an
opportunity to better understand the “new landscape” that the researcher finds
herself in.
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A personal note on co-creation and intersubjectivity
As can be seen from the diagram on p. 27 I invited many different people to participate
with me in this inquiry. They came along with me on my journey of wondering simply
because I asked them to. One of my big surprises was that they would learn by
participating in the inquiry. I did not think that would be the case, and I certainly did
not suggest to them that they would gain from it.
I forgot the strength of an arts based inquiry. I was so engrossed in my role as a
researcher that I forgot that I was also a companion who was leading the participants
on a co-constructed inquiry. This meant that I underestimated the value they found in
the process, as well as the strength of their contribution to it. I put them in the boot
of this vehicle I was travelling in, at least figuratively. I took them out to give me data,
assuming that I could put them back in and close the boot.
I forgot about connection; about intersubjectivity. I forgot that I was using members
of my community to tell the story, and that the inquiry connected us in new ways.
In the context of this research, as an MA inquiry, ultimately it was the responsibility of
the researcher, me, to make sense of what was experienced—first in a presentational
way through art, then in a propositional way through words, but then finally in a
practical way that may be useful to my community. As I have stated, the co-
construction of meaning with the Mother Goose community along with a desire to
share this work with this community is why the language offered is often simple but
hopefully not simplistic.
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OTHER METHODOLOGICAL INFLUENCES
The type of post-modern research I am undertaking is an autoethnography. It can be
described as “a form or method of research that involves self-observation and reflexive
investigation in the context of ethnographic field work and writing” and “referring …to
the reflexive consideration of a group to which one belongs as a native, member, or
participant (ethnography of one's own group).“(Marechal, 2010). Ethnographic, or an
ethnograpy “sees its task as the description, inscription, and interpretation of culture.”
(Marechal, 2010).
Or, as described by Carole Ellis (2011) “. . .autoethnography combines characteristics
of autobiography and ethnography.” She states that “. . . autobiographers write about
‘epiphanies’ “ (2011) which are moments that have significance in the writers life.
These epiphanies make a person tune in and reflect upon significant events “ . . .after
which life does not seem to be the same.” (p. 3).
Ethnographers study other cultures, including values, beliefs and experiences. They do
this both to help those in the culture being studied (insiders) and those from a
different culture (outsiders) better understand the culture being studied.
Ethnographers may take field notes, interview members of the culture, and look at
ways the culture connects its members as well as how it uses space and place. (2011)
She describes autoethnography thus: “ When researchers do autoethnography, they
retrospectively and selectively write about epiphanies that stem from, or are made
possible by, being part of a culture and/or by possessing a particular cutural identity.”
(p. 3) . So through my research I am undertaking to tell the story of P-CMG culture
using epiphanies or sudden awarenesses that I experienced both by being part of the
program and researching with myself. I did this by journaling, writing poetry and
songs, constructing installations, and making paintings and collages.
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Following on from my own inquiry, as I have stated earlier I wanted to invite others to
tell their story so that this could help me tell mine. Described on p. 43, I identified
groups with whom to co-research with me. I used techniques such as drawing,
choosing keywords and arranging objects so that they could share their experiences as
being a member of the culture. As noted on pp 53-60 the later “culture” widened from
simply P-CMG to include early childhood education.
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PROCEDURES FOR THIS RESEARCH
The search for the subject of the inquiry began in February 2009 when I made a multi-
modal community journal as a part of the requirements of the first year MA program
at MIECAT. I gathered images, wrote poems and reflections and took photographs and
drew pictures about the emergent idea of “what was my community?”. I did not begin
with a preconceived idea, but intuitively gathered and constructed images and
materials that held meaning for me at the time.
The time of gathering and constructing images coincided with “Black Saturday”—the
most severe bushfires in Victoria’s history. This figured strongly in my journal; when
we were invited to begin to identify “voices” that were present in our journal, the
firebird or phoenix emerged as the voice of renewal; of being born again in the ashes
of destruction.
The bushfires in photo and installation: (left) Wilson’s Promontory after the fires,
(centre) the firebird (with feathers) rising from the ashes, and (right) a detail of the firebird’s song.
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After more images were evoked by music and movement exercises, I was invited to
create an art installation illuminating the ideas and themes in my journal. I intuitively
created a complex installation. As I chose, created and manipulated images and
combined them with key words from the journal I learned more about what aspect of
community I was inquiring into, and what form that inquiry might take.
On the next three pages are photos: first the entire installation, then the zones I
divided this installation into—like chapters in a book. As noted, the purple zone of
images (the ones to the extreme left of the table or rear of the photo) are about
values, the grey ones (in the middle) are about P-CMG practice, the pink zone (at the
right or foreground of the picture) are about P-CMG outreach or bringing the program
out into the community, while the green zone at the bottom refers to obstacles to the
growth of the program.
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VALUES PRACTICE P-CMG OUTREACH
Spotlight
Doll (Siobhan)
with two shadows
Message from Angels
Cauldron (Fire, art as
healing, renewal)
Wellspring, (origins, essence,
earthquake)
Spindle, (Navigator,
Pagan Ritual)
The Lair (Child abuse
Puppets Teddy bear)
Toys (hidden
in the Cauldron)
Alchemy, 5 elements,
Women’s Ways
The Firebird (ukulele, Turning of the seasons)
Mirror (reflecting
spindle)
Tunnel (Bridge,
Interface)
Close-up of Prickly shadow
(below left)
Silver Page
Treasure Chest
Trail of Gold , Prickly Inset and
Trail of Tears
Sticky Tape
OBSTACLES
Figure 3+1 Installation Zones
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Photo of values zone Photos of practice zone Photo of outreach zone
Left side of obstacle zone: (trail of gold, inset prickly shadow, train of tears) Right side of obstacles zone (sticky tape)
Figure 4 A photo of each of the installation zones
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Beginning in the values zone on the left, the first image was the spotlight, above a
circle of clay pieces. This I named the wellspring. Its keywords were origins, essence
and earthquake. This suggested a strong starting point. The last of the values images
was of the 4 colours of alchemy--black, white, red and gold. They evoked the process
of starting with nothing (like the ashes of the bushfires) then looking to the positives
(of the white) through the clarifying fire (red) to come to the treasure (of the gold).
The keywords offered some clues—5 elements, women’s ways. Back to the ritual and
the caves, I suppose.
Looking at the images themselves, it is no wonder that Dani found them eerie and
sinister. In the centre, the images of practice were on the silver paper. A doll, naked
with unruly hair, has two shadows sewn to her foot—one shadow is black, one prickly
from being made of sandpaper. The thread and needle that sewed the shadows on
sits next to her. I gave her the name Siobhan (Gaelic for Joan) and wrote her story,
giving her a life outside of the inquiry (see appendix A—Siobhan Steps Out).
If I then looked to the right of the silver practice paper, I found exit strategies out of
the group into the wider community. For Mother Goose this seems to be through
using the values to describe and promote the program. Hence a wooden structure
which I called a tunnel and gave the keyword Interface helped us find the way out of
the practice. The more I looked at the tunnel I realised it was really a covered bridge
like those I saw when I went to Vermont in the North Eastern US—in New England—a
sort of combination of a tunnel through and bridge across.
In the right hand corner was a brass cauldron complete with flames. It carried the
keywords fire, renewal, and Art as Healing. I had forgotten that I needed something to
weigh the bottom of the cauldron so the flames could show over the top of the
cauldron—as I was packing away the installation I discovered the basket of toys inside
the cauldron, with a toy frog smiling up at me, reminding me of the frog’s
metamorphic message of change and growth. Below the bridge was the treasure
chest, full of key words yet to be used—the box of delights, Dani called them.
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I then went straight to the obstacles at the bottom of the silver practice paper—the
trail of gold which was also the trail of tears. What that evoked for me was still a
mystery, but the name was clear to me—taken from a Clannad song of the same
name, “Trail of Tears”, described one of the obstacles to effective practice. It felt like
the challenge of staying with the difficult journeys some of us bring to PCMG. There
would be more to investigate later. The Clannad song goes on to say, “We found the
path of loneliness along the trail of tears.” In the middle of the trail is the positive of
Siobhan’s prickly shadow—the piece of sandpaper from which I cut the shape.
In my haste to share the installation with my companion Dani, I left a roll of sticky tape
hanging from the table which contained the installation. I accepted Dani’s description
of the practicality of the hanging tape, and welcomed it into the installation.
With this wealth of images I was faced with the reductive task of describing my plans
for research in enough detail to obtain approval from MIECAT’s Human Resources and
Ethics Committee (HREC). Working intuitively I described a process of using objects,
artmaking and reduction to key words. I planned to use this process to inquire of
PCMG teachers what constituted best practice as well as what were the values which
underpin it. I would also get a co-researcher to investigate what the families in my
PCMG group experienced when we met together.
This inquiry, the part for which I needed HREC approval, was to form part of my
autoethnography where I would tackle this question using a number of perspectives,
lenses or points of view. I had a tight timeframe for HREC approval as I knew that the
national PCMG gathering (and AGM) was in early November and this would be a prime
opportunity for gathering data. Approval was granted in October, 2009 in time to
begin this research.
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End of year 1 presentation
Throughout my MA study the hexagon appeared over and over again. This emerged as
an important element in a multi-modal presentation at the end of the first year of the
MA 1. Working with the hexagon I divided it into 7 equilateral triangles which gave me
7 vertices. I began to work with correspondences—7 hexagons, 7 colours in the
spectrum, 7 chakras in the body, 7 tones in major scale. I was increasingly aware of
how music was important—I was determined to use voice and instrumental music in
my inquiry. It is a strong, evocative modality for me, but I had been avoiding its
exploration.
I found I was not comfortable with the results of making music with my guitar, so I
started afresh. I bought a ukulele, chosen not for its musical timbre but for its colour—
sky blue. With my background in violin and self-taught guitar I rediscovered the joy of
learning to play songs and accompany my voice on a new (simple to play) instrument.
I only persevered with songs that suited my voice and allowed me to use “my strong
voice” when I sang them—keys and rhythms that literally resonated with my vocal
instrument.
In this process I found myself separating songs into clusters. I would identify a song I
used to sing with the guitar as a similar type of song to the new one I was learning.
Guided by “The musician’s musician” James Taylor, who said that he only really ever
wrote twelve songs, I took James at his word and only learned seven songs (I’m not as
proficient as he is). Sometimes the song (which as you will have guessed is a cluster or
type of song) I wanted I couldn’t find, so I wrote it, often from poetry in my journal.
Yes, I chose seven songs, or they chose me. As I was gathering a mass of data about
what made an effective PCMG teacher, I was also going through a mass of songs that
made me an effective singer—that gave me my strong voice. As I came up with seven
types of song, I gave each one an autonomous region in the New Turtle Nation. The
turtle of the nation had seven hexagons on his back, one for each colour of the
spectrum or note of the scale. The end of year presentation was a “slide night” or
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travelogue of my visit to the New Turtle Nation, almost as a musical ethnographer,
collecting one song from each (previously undiscovered) region, along with a souvenir
and a travel journal (my multimodal journal). The journal sat on the hexagonal
platform I found all those months ago.
Sitting on a little yellow chair with a little blue ukulele, I sang myself into knowing. It
was in the act of singing seven songs, each about a different way of being, that I
discovered that these voices could also inform my research about being a P-CMG
teacher. Out of this process I discovered my research voice. The turtle had a
collection of seven hexagons on its back; each of the hexagons was individual but
connected together to form a structure. So, too, did P-CMG connect families around
its material and philosophy. If the New Turtle Island was representative of Mother
Goose, then the research was about who lived in each of the regions I had described.
After the seven regions had emerged, I did two things:
I based all previous data on this concept
I designed subsequent research to amplify and clarify the emerging ideas from
this work
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The turtle before and after he revealed his colourful facets
The New Turtle Nation, pictured above, had its basis in the Iroquois (remember the
time machine) legend that North America was born when a turtle fell from the sky and
laid mud on its back, from which the land was born. They say that under the land the
turtle still lives. North America is known as Turtle Island—New Turtle Nation emerged
to explain 7 of my ways of being or voices, as part of a reflection on my inquiry. What
follows is a summary of the attributes of each of the regions of the New Turtle Nation.
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The Seven Autonomous Regions of Turtle Island
AREA IMAGE
IMAGE: Wilson’s Prom after the fire
AREA: Terra Nullius
SONG: “Being present is too hard”
SOUVENIR: A cauldron
IMAGE: Aboriginal Painting Minyma Kutjara
AREA: Golden
SONG: I am here
SOUVENIR: Toas (songline markers)
IMAGE: Mother and Baby in the night sky
AREA: Lost World
SONG: Wee Baby Moon
SOUVENIR: Handmade doll
IMAGE: James Taylor in cowboy hat
AREA: Desperado
SONG: Desperado
SOUVENIR: Cowboy Hat
IMAGE: Skeleton
AREA: La Huesera (The Bone Woman)
SONG: La Huesera
SOUVENIR: Skin drum and beater
IMAGE: Spiral
AREA: Spiral
SONG: Cycles
SOUVENIR: Rainbow wind toy with rainbow colours
IMAGE: Welcome Palm
AREA: Regresa (return)
SONG: Home Again
SOUVENIR: Gladstone Bag
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Summary of research:
Below is a summary of the data collection opportunities. There were two phases to
the research. I found I was being pulled by 2 strong parallel processes, which led to a
dramatic change in the research design partway through data collection. Originally the
participants reflected on the practice and values underpinning the role of a P-CMG
teacher, as suggested in the title while parents helped me by reflecting on what the
experience of P-CMG was like for them.
Phase 1: Values of a P-CMG Teacher
1. State-wide P-CMG Gathering (practice and values underpinning)
2. Newly trained P-CMG teachers (practice and values underpinning)
3. Parents part 1 (what is it like to be with Joan in MG)
4. Parents part 2 (what do you want to get out of P-CMG)
5. MIECAT researchers
Phase 2: The Values Turn into Voices
1. End of year presentation: The New Turtle Nation with 7 lands, each having its
own song
2. Clustering: gathering images into seven voices
3. Widening the research group to include Early childhood consultants and
trainers
a. Early childhood trainers
b. Early childhood consultants
c. Preschool teachers
4. P-CMG Advisory Board (including teachers and trainers)
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Summary of Data Collection Opportunities
DATE GROUP HOW MANY
RESEARCH QUESTION
6 Nov 2009 State wide P-CMG gathering 30 Practice Values underpinning
26 Nov 2009 P-CMG new teachers 18 Practice Values underpinning
2 Dec 2009 End of year presentation 1 Multimodal presentation of what I have learned
8 Dec 2009 Parents 6 What is it like to be in a P-CMGP with Joan?
Early Feb 2010 Parents 2 What are your goals for P-CMG?
11 March 2010 MIECAT researchers 2 What is P-CMG like?
29 March early childhood consultants 5 How can you amplify and clarify 7 voices?
30 March early childhood trainer early childhood consultant
1
1
How can you amplify and clarify 7 voices?
14 April P-CMG Inc Committee 7 How can you amplify and clarify 7 voices?
25 May Integrated Child Care Service 11 How can you amplify and clarify 7 voices?
8 June Upper Hume P-CMG group 7 How can you amplify and clarify 7 voices?
24 June Preschool Teachers (3 year olds)
5 How can you amplify and clarify 7 voices?
Development of research questions (see Appendix C)
1. Installation suggests reflection on values and practice
a. State-wide gathering
b. New teachers
c. MIECAT researchers
2. How do parents experience P-CMG?
a. What is it like to be with Joan in P-CMG (with co-researcher)
b. What are your goals for you and your child in P-CMG?
3. End of year presentation suggests 7 voices
a. Early childhood trainers and consultants
b. P-CMG advisory committee
c. Rural perspective
d. Child care and preschool staff
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Voices with which to dialogue
I wanted to see if the voices that had emerged had a wider resonance. I used the
hexagonal structure to represent this research to groups. So with simply a name
change, I presented “The Seven Voices of an Early Childhood Educator” to a wider
community for their comment, thus helping me to amplify and clarify the names,
images and resonance of the seven voices.
I decided I needed to look at who in particular I wanted these voices to dialogue with.
The red hexagons were the 7 voices, and the orange contiguous ones were the points
of inquiry. So the orange hexagons represent the dialogue with :
colleagues
parents
other musicians
p-cmg literature
attachment literature
early childhood literature
music and movement literature
other teachers
other trainers
other p-cmg teachers
supporters of programs
other researchers
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Groups with which to inquire
This led me to set up a structure of who I wanted to present the research to. It fitted
handily into the 7 hexagon structure until one of the groups, the early childhood
consultants “wondered” what it would be like to inquire with early childhood staff. I
added another hexagon to the matrix to extend my investigation to early childhood
staff working directly with children. So my research design looked like this, where ec
stands for early childhood and mg for Mother Goose (as in PCMG). It started to look
even more like the turtle from New Turtle Island.
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Special concerns in researching with parents and families:
issues of co-research
The research with families needed to be different from my investigations with other
groups. All the other groups were asked, “What is it like to be in a group with
families?” while in the research with parents I asked the mirror of this question: What
is it like to be in a group with a teacher?” I was advised that if I asked parents in my
group what it was like to be with me, they might give me the answers they thought I
wanted to hear. So I would need to get a co-researcher to ask on my behalf—What is
it like to be with Joan in the Mother Goose Program? (One response to this question is
on the cover of this document.)
My co-researcher was Julie Burville, a sister artist. She wanted to try out the
procedures using objects and keywords on a captive audience—nameIy her teenage
daughters who had known me for about 7 years. In this “practice research session” we
changed the research question to “What is it like to hang out with Joan?” Their
responses, in the safety of their own home, gave me such great insight into how I am
socially with others that we obtained permission and used the data.
What is it like to hang out with Joan? Another version of what it is like to hang out with Joan
Beginnings: The first hexagon—a wooden platform
from Reverse Art holding the multimodal journal
which began the research installation.
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Research Methods
Research with parents – Part 1
Parents were offered an outline of interconnected people (see above) and asked to
use objects, keywords and draw images that described their experience of being in a
Mother Goose group with me (see p 109). Rather than providing “objective” feedback,
the process of introducing an unknown researcher, asking parents to read and digest a
great deal of written material (the research brief and accompanying consent form) and
finally use unfamiliar methods of arts-based research seemed to put parents in an
unsupported environment. Ironically, the group connection we had fostered seemed
threatened; while they expressed a desire to help my research, the design did not
facilitate the participants in offering responses in a way which mirrored the goals of
the program. The content or learning revealed in the process was as salient as the
responses that the parents gave.
Two examples of parent research: “What is it like to be in P-CMG with Joan?”
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Table Parents’ responses to “What is it like to be in a P-CMGP with Joan”
Each box represents a comment made by parent describing Joan in the P-CMG
program.
I don’t feel judged by being here, that it is ok to have “normal” kids & “naughty” kids & to ask for help.
When I hear Joan sing I always think she should be singing in a choir & that she would enjoy Christmas Carols
I feel that I am not the only one coming here who can feel both loving & frustrated with their kids.
The shell makes me want to go on a holiday, not to the beach but up to our van
group parents very quiet socially
I don’t feel guilty anymore about needing time away from my boys
I picked out the spoon because I love having meals together
B 1 reminds me of Joan & how fun & cheeky she can be
communication Joan singing very relaxing
comfortable cuddly
lullaby time any voice will do communication warm
Tiger movement fast feather sensory feeling
ducks, animals playtime frog: child is scared but loves song
duck happy fun horse:?? canter, slow fast
friendly relaxed
welcoming engaging playtime talking
singing happy
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Julie fed back to me the challenges of being an unfamiliar researcher both with her
words and with an intersubjective response, using art making to describe the
experience.
Two views of Julie’s ISR to the research—what is behind it, followed by what is shown to the outside world.
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Research with parents – Part 2
After the initial research with parents I actually felt that the web of community that we
weave in a P-CMGP was becoming unravelled. I had a small window of opportunity to
repair or reweave the connection while reframing the question for parents. I reflected
with two parents individually using the same multimodal procedures, asking what their
goals were for themselves and their children in P-CMG. In reflecting in this multimodal
way, I thought of Gardner’s many ways of knowing. I not only learned facts about
what parents wanted for themselves and their children, but witnessed the depth of
their feelings when describing what led them to the group and their progress. As well,
I felt a strong connection with the parents, recalling our shared journey to help them
meet their goals. I reflected on how honoured I felt to share the tears and laughter of
these two women. Finally, I recognised that inquiring multimodally allowed us to go
deeper, faster and more clearly toward knowing where we were and where we
wanted to go.
Parent responses to “What l your goals for yourself and your child in P-CMG?
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I then gave an arts based intersubjective response to each parent’s work:
My intersubjective response to each of the parent’s creation about their goals in P-CMG
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Other Research Methods
Using the goose outline
Prior to the emergence of the seven voices, I offered all participants the opportunity to
reflect upon practice and values underpinning this practice They were offered an
outline of a goose and invited to use objects, drawings and keywords in this reflection
(see pp 105-108).
Two examples of reflections on practice and the values underpinning this practice
As the seven voices began to emerge, I began to separate photos of the data,
keywords and images into clusters reflecting the seven voices—clustering the images
to promote meaning making.
Images laid out before clustering and later. . . Images clustered into seven voices on black paper
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Toward the seven voices
I began to use other MIECAT procedures in working with the images: As part of our
reflective work for the MA I asked other MIECAT students to amplify my understanding
of the seven voices. At my request they offered me keywords to describe what they
saw as we looked at the clustered photos of my research (pictured above). I then had
many, many words that described each cluster (or voice). Each offered a different
nuance to what each voice was about.
It was then my job to reduce this myriad of words to those that most strongly
described each cluster. Reviewing all the words in a cluster, I began a search of
images—graphic images, works of art, children’s artwork and my own artwork that
could encompass the words l had collected. Each time I found an image that
resonated with the cluster, I got a clearer idea of the attributes of each cluster—I could
better hear and understand the qualities of each voice.
I began to look for patterns in the data. I needed to find a few words to describe each
cluster. I wanted to find the name of the singer in each cluster, as well as provide an
image of what she looked like. I found that these two reductions—finding a
representative image and a title encompassing its attributes—worked hand in hand.
The understanding that came from finding resonant images informed the name of the
singer. For the longest time the third voice I had called “Pied Piper”. When I looked
for images to represent it, I realised that this slant on the child-like cluster needed to
be reviewed. Another reading and reflection on those words and images made me
realise that the connection to the child was more like a moon/sun or mother child
rather than a flutist from Hamelin leading children out of town.
This, in turn, brought me to consider what I was learning from this process—the
content in the process. A P-CMG teacher is not a Pied Piper, leading children away, but
a Mother Moon supporting the intersubjectivity, the web of connection and emotion
in a P-CMG group.
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So I eventually reduced the images and words to their essence--seven voices with two
or three images as pictures of the singer. When I was asked by the Australian P-CMG
Advisory Group to summarise my research, chose one image and a short summary for
a newsletter article(see Seven Voices of a P-CMG Teacher, p 28).
Coloured hexagons
This began the next phase of the research (represented by the blue section of the
Summary of Data Collection Opportunities on p 43. I made a depiction of each voice: a
coloured hexagon with the name of the voice and some images laid out on it. In the
practical preparation for this research I discovered some things that were critical:
colour was important
the sequence of colours was suggested by the first voice, Firebird, as spectral
colours red to violet
another review of the images induced me to change some of the names
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Here are the seven hexagons with names above and images below
Firebird Golden Girl Moon Mother/Child
Drover/Trail Boss Wise Woman/Storyteller Visionary
Fellow traveller
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I arranged the hexagons as I had in the New Turtle Nation—as the mosaic of a turtle’s
back and invited the same reflection using objects, keywords and drawn images.
Hexagons laid out as on the turtle’s back with objects, images and keywords distributed by participants
Participants arranging objects (left) and drawing images (right)
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The last phase of the research
Two final research groups gave me a hint of the darker side of the voices.
A rural representative on the P-CMG Advisory Committee asked if there was a way to
represent the rural perspective. Data were collected from a local gathering in North
eastern Victoria.
At the same time I chose to see if the Seven Voices could be a learning tool. I used the
research to lead participants into reflecting on their practice. I asked them to think
about how they embody each of the singers of the seven voices in their own practice.
The participants were teachers of three year old preschool groups, gathering for their
network support group meeting.
It was near the end of the research and I was reasonably confident that these last two
groups would confirm my earlier research. Most surprising to me was the first
expression of what I labelled “The Shadow Side of the Turtle”. This was the label I gave
when the rural researcher described a black mood, confusion and negative responses
to the same research procedures when they reflected on how they use the seven
voices. Intuitively I realised that the shadow side of the turtle was the side that got no
light—his belly.
On reflection, this is not surprising. What these two groups had in common was that
both groups have ongoing challenges with resources. Rural populations consistently
do more with less, whether this is due to a lack of time, financial support, connection
or opportunities for training. Three year old preschool exists without government
funding which bars them from resources, support, training and the time for connection
with other professionals.
The research was asking them to reflect on their personal resources (how they use the
seven voices). This was coloured by the reality of their physical resources. They have
to work harder for support; they are offered less support by the infrastructure around
them, and need to work harder to create any support network than other branches of
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the early childhood community. They are, in reality as well as in perception, resource
poor.
I have always had a great admiration for the strength of country people to innovate, to
create more with less and to connect with each other despite barriers to setting up
and maintaining these connections. I admire the professionalism of three year old
preschool groups to maintain high standards despite fewer resources to maintain
these standards. I was disappointed but not surprised that these two groups reflected
on their lack of internal resources—times when the voices could not be heard or sang
in a minor key. As they feel things within, so they reflect them out into the world.
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Research data from the last two groups: the emergence of the shadow of the turtle
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The Belly of the Turtle
Given the feedback from the last two research groups, I decided to create a foil or
opposite for each of the voices. I constructed them in coloured plasticine, using the
procedure of amplification to expand my knowledge and understanding of the seven
voices by giving them greater depth and dimension—literally light and shade.
COLOUR VOICE SHADOW
Red The firebird (the cauldron) The Crack’d Pot
Orange Golden Sybil Syllabus
Yellow Moon mother Disaffected mum
Green Drover/Trail Boss Hapless Herder
Blue Wise woman/Storyteller Out of Touch
Indigo Visionary Four eyes
Violet Fellow traveller World weary
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Whimsical, I know, alliterative, I confess, but illuminating nonetheless. And
illumination was what I needed. I got out the silver paper and looked at each figure
and its own reflection. The two dimensional hexagons had a third dimension. I was
able to see the voices more clearly when I could use some shading on them. They
came down from their archetypal pedestal and became more real. In any investigation
into how we lead a group, the humanity (and lightness) of goofy characters like Sybil
Syllabus are useful ways to explain the quality of presence—the voice of Golden—by
its opposite in someone who sticks to the plan regardless.
So, if the firebird or cauldron is the vessel that contains and controls the energy of the
group, then the crack’d pot has lost its fire. The spark is gone, the energy does not
have a place to be stored in, and so it leaks out and is not available to the group. More
time and energy is spent in trying to get something going, with little available for
maintaining and expanding.
Rather than the Golden Girl’s freedom and youthfulness, Sybil Syllabus feels old and
restricted. Structure is everything, and the resulting “syllabus” is inflexible. It has lost
the capacity to respond to the group, but instead proceeds according to plan whether
this is appropriate or not. Sybil cannot ride the waves—she stands too stiffly and does
not know how or when to bend.
While Moon mother is tuned in to the connections between parent and child as well as
parent and teacher, Disaffected mum has lost this ability. She can be numb to what is
going on or too weighed down by not enough of the basics—respect, support, money,
time and love. This has nothing to do with what she wants, but what she can bring to
the situation.
The Drover leads the cattle to the round up, but the hapless herder is in danger of
losing the flock. She may not know where she is going, and she certainly does not
present a figure that the group is confident to follow. Stress, lack of confidence or too
much weighing on the mind can sap the leadership abilities and cause the herd to be
lost or put them at risk of a stampede.
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The Storyteller has an awareness of what is important, while Out of Touch has not
developed a useful way of measuring the true value of things. She may be attracted by
the latest trend simply because of its novelty rather than its usefulness. On the other
hand, she may have continued the same practice for so long or with such slavish
devotion that she has lost the ability to reflect upon it. She cannot find the bones of
her story—the spine that supports and connects her practice. She could have lost
touch with her feelings and cannot tell herself her own true story.
While the Visionary can see far into the distance, Four Eyes has trouble seeing the way
forward.
The Fellow Traveller enjoys both the journey and the companionship, but World Weary
is tiring of this particular journey and those she is travelling with. It could be a
familiarity that breeds contempt, the lack of choice in a co-teacher or group or even
the experience of being seduced by the advertised hype of the journey. It could simply
that it is time to rest—for a few weeks or even to take a rest from this particular
journey for a while.
The shadows serve as foils to the voices. Nothing is black and white—the entirely
positive descriptions of the voices are better understood and accepted when seen as
light combined with the shade of the shadow voices out of sight on the turtle’s belly.
Out of sight does not inevitably mean out of mind. Understanding that ideals are not
always met seems to be the lesson of the shadow voices.
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Intersubjective responses
In the research on 29 and 30 March, with work colleagues, I offered an ISR
(intersubjective response)—my response to the participants’ process as a piece of
visual art. As pictured, one set of ISRs was a coloured collage with a turtle, some
Aboriginal art and a short poem. With these work colleagues I observed their
responses to each of the hexagon. I saw that each had a particular affinity with one of
the voices—they wrote more key words, laid down more objects or described their
response to the voice in greater detail. The colours, words and images reflected my
experience of our process together. Most of these still adorn the walls of our
workplace.
The second group I made ISRs for was the childcare centre staff. I don’t know whether
my co-researcher Julie’s commencing study in floristry had a connection, but I knew I
wanted to make flowers for this group. I had explained the concept of ISRs to the co-
ordinator and she felt this could be a supportive thing for them. I recalled the
challenge of working in childcare when I visited them, and it pleased me to make them
“blossoms”. The colour, intensity and “funkiness” resonated in the research with this
group.
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An intersubjective response to the inquiry with work colleagues (29 March)
An intersubjective response to the inquiry with child care –funky flowers (13 April)
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Marrying the two sets of data
What appeared to be two parallel processes of reflection (my MA installation and the
turtle) had finally come together into one. All of the research on the installation
(practice, values underpinning, outreach and obstacles) could also be seen as parts of
the turtle (the mosaic shell, the head, the legs and the belly).
Consulting with P-CMG and the Early Childhood field helped me to better describe the
seven voices—first by the descriptions of practice and values underpinning a P-CMGP,
then by amplifying and clarifying what the emergent voices “sounded” like. What
follows is the results of this research—the seven voices of a Parent Child Mother
Goose Teacher.
Here are my descriptions of the seven voices
They consist of:
A title and an image
A description
A rhyme or song
A “vignette” of a moment when I felt the voice in the Mother Goose Program
Who is each singer in a P-CMGP
A sample of the keywords offered by research participants
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THE SEVEN VOICES
Firebird Golden Girl Moon Mother/Child
Drover/Trail Boss Wise Woman/Storyteller Visionary
Fellow traveller
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1. Firebird
From the beginning of the year, one recurring theme has been that of transformation through fire.
Starting with the community journal about the bushfire through to intensive and supervision
sessions, the idea that fire not only destroys but purifies, transmutes and changes has emerged. The
alchemical process in the installation: starting with black (like the burnt wood in the fires) then along
the sequence from white ash, red fire until finally at gold—the idea of change through “the purifying
fire” has been part of the investigation.
An entity who personifies this process is the firebird. She rises from the ashes, reborn. In the
installation the firebird sits on a pedestal—a sort of chalice or crucible in which transformation
occurs. As it is red, this began the colour scheme of the spectrum or the chakras, beginning with the
base or root. Indeed, one of the first images in the installation is what I called the “wellspring”, which
resonates with this Wiccan or neo-pagan explanation:
The Wiccans see the cauldron as a symbol of the Goddess, the manifested essence of…reincarnation,
immortality and inspiration. (Cunningham, 2000) which emphasizes the regenerative powers of the
cauldron. The cauldron was also the souvenir from “Wellspring” the first region of the New Turtle
Nation. The firebird recognises that part of the job of a P-CMG teacher is to provide the psychic,
emotional and physical environment for such transformation to occur. The circle that we sit in
mirrors the shape of the cauldron or the firebird’s pedestal. But the firebird also transforms the
teacher. Such a close, honest and interactive program insists upon the openness that changes
everyone in the group. Witnessing and validating the courage of families on their journeys draws
teachers into the intersubjective space where they are connected and changed.
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IMAGE:
The Firebird on her red pedestal
SONG:
Glorious light, day follows night
Even on Ramblin’ Road
A fire burning robs the heart of its load (Goanna)
MOMENT:
(“written” by a one year old girl)
Dear Joan,
Thank you for Mother Goose. Without it I don’t know if mummy and I would have made it.
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Who is the Firebird in P-CMG?
The Firerbird is full of enthusiasm. She loves to start a new group—to lend her energy to starting
something new. She brings spontaneity and intuition. She leads the group gently—finding the right
word or song to change the energy or put the group back on track. She picks up on cues from her co-
teacher—intuitively stepping up when the other’s energy is low, becoming more of a participant
observer when her sister teacher is making a connection leading the group.
Her sense of humour is one of her best weapons—she can deflect or redirect by a clever turn of phrase.
She gains trust by her intensity and honesty. She creates a space where families feel safe and
supported. She lets everyone know that mutual support and respect is the basis for the group. She and
will uses her considerable talents to make sure that families find the self-respect to allow this to occur.
Some of the descriptions from the research
One spark to light, passion, strength, fire colours, fiery soul, resourceful, excited, delighted, leader,
enthusiastic, controlled, joy, seed, open, gem, emptiness, hope of fulfilment, loss, encapsulates all the
voices, hearts linked, flower, oyster, enjoyment, eye, dragonfly, warrior, alchemist, esoteric, spotlight
,
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2. Golden
Golden is the young, sun-bronzed Aussie surfie chick. She lives in the moment and enjoys every
experience to the fullest. She is open to all her senses—the smell of the surf, its roar, the taste of salt
on her skin, the glittering look of the sun on the water and the warmth of the sun on her skin. At the
end of the alchemical trail, there is only gold. It is an end in itself and needs no analysis.
When a teacher is golden she is “in the moment” like the surfer on the beach. She is open to the
sights and sounds of the group. More importantly, she recognises that the group has an energy that
can be read and she is tuned into what the group is telling her. Her right brain at that moment is
prominent and she senses rather than thinks, honours her intuition and is brave enough to wait to
see where the group will go next.
IMAGE:
In the installation there is a woven ring around the firebird. It is attached to a spindle (the navigator,
I called it) that provides a sense of direction as well as a balance. It is the balance of the music of the
spheres—a sense of sacred geometry and “rightness” achieved by listening and openness.
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SONG:
“We are starlight we are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden” (Woodstock, Joni Mitchell)
In the journey to the New Turtle Nation, Golden is the experience of looking at an Aboriginal
painting—not from left to right as if travelling across the page, but hovering above.
MOMENT:
There are only two families in the group. It has a very quiet feel about it. Sara, who is usually very
active, picks up the quietness of the group. She sits with her mother more than she usually does. At
one point she gets up and I put my arms around her. I put her on my lap, but she chooses to lie on the
large cushion in front of me, with her feet closest to me. I start doing foot rhymes, pleased that she is
letting me stroke her feet. Her body settles and I choose more foot rhymes. I encourage her mother
to come around the other side as I choose back rhymes—mum strokes her back, I stroke her feet. She
blisses out—we stayed at it for almost 30 minutes. Not according to plan, but guided by the moment.
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Who is the Golden Girl in P-CMG?
The Golden Girl is forever young, whatever her age. She loves the unpredictability of a P-CMG
group, and can be fully present to the immediate moment. She brings the courage to go forward
even when she is not sure what the next step is, and the peace to sit with uncertainty and silence as
the next step becomes clear.
Her greatest gift is focus—when she is with the group there are no distractions. It is all about riding
the wave—being there, getting the balance right, suspending analysis for the sake of present
experience. All of her that she brings to the group is available to the families and her co-teacher.
Some of the descriptions from the research
Flow, spur of the moment, impromptu, spontaneous, focused, fun, the unknown, uncluttered,
most important, how vital, listen, act, star, bright, daily, gold, little treasures, precious, key,
childlike, joyous, little things important, gift of sparkling, cork bobbing, golden goose, sense of
lightness, birds, bright yellow sun, down from above, Tom Roberts, golden summers,
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3. Moon mother
It is fascinating that the installation took on a very dark and lonely aspect to it, which emerged from
the positioning of the objects more than the look of any object. It was stark, and a bit troubled
andmysterious. Remarkably, the part of the installation most directly connected with what happens
in the group was described by Dani as “The Lair”, a name that resonated so well that it has continued
to describe this part of the installation What was significant about this part of the installation was its
lack of nurturant quality. The doll looked unloved, a spider guarded the lair and even the china teddy
had a glazed, frightened look about him. The message from the installation was that nurture is
needed in a mother goose group.
Many of the songs used in the program are about the moon. Astrologically, the moon is about
mother, memories and melting the ice. So a “moon mother” who nurtures and soothes children and
parents alike emerges as a needed voice in Mother Goose. In the New Turtle Nation it is known as
the lost world—significant as many of the parents are, like everyone, looking for a place of nurture
both for themselves and their children. One of the voices of a mother goose teacher is Moon
Mother, the nurturant presence that makes everyone feel welcome, safe and secure. Rather than
warming everyone by the warmth of her being, the Moon mother makes a safe “nest” for the families
to feel comfortable enough to connect with teachers, other parents, other children and even their
own children. Coming to mother goose gives parents a place to enjoy their children without other
pressures, and to be accepted for however they can connect with their child at that moment.
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RHYME:
Moon, moon come to us moon.
Climb over the mountains and come to us soon. (PCMG rhymes book)
MOMENT:
I am leading a rhyme that ends in a tickle. I make the motions to tickle, as I have no child on my lap.
All of a sudden I see the round face of Michael, bursting into a huge smile. He is looking at his mother
with an expression of love and joy. She looks back at him with the same expression. They are like the
sun and the moon, reflecting back the light of their love and connection.
Who is the Moon/Mother in P-CMG?
The moon mother is a nurturer—mother, grandmother or aunt, she connects both with the children
and their parents. She brings support and caring—both the practical support of a group as well as the
listening ear, observing eye and solicitous questions to let parents know they are welcome. She brings
an invitation for parents to touch their children both physically and emotionally through rhymes and
songs, and she brings a reassurance to children that they can have a good time with her. She lets
children know that their parents are in a safe place in the group. Most importantly she lets children
know that she has helped create a place where their parents can deepen their connection with their
children.
Her greatest gift is respect—for parents’ courage and strength to find ways to get closer to their
children, as well as for children who seek their parents’ love and connection whatever their prior
experience has been. She seeks and finds the best in parents, children and herself—caring for others
begins with self-care.
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Some of the descriptions from the research
Small group nurturer, mother, soft, gentle, unhurried, comfort, softness, touch, calming, intuitive,
serene, trusted, soft, of the earth, love, unconditional, cuddles, warmth, trust, empathy,
sustenance, orderliness, bear from Goldilocks, wee baby moon, memories, moon baby, dark,
lonely, stark, nurturant, unloved, glazed, frightened, nurture needed, melting the ice, lost world,
welcome, safe, secure, nest, comfortable, place, accepted, connected.
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4. Drover or Trail Boss
This region of the New Turtle Nation was called Desperado, and seemed to be a bit critical about the
fact that the inhabitants spent their time riding the boundaries and not investigating the interior.
On the installation it is represented by the trail of gold, the cutout or origin of the prickly shadow,
the trail of tears and the practicality of a roll of sticky tape ready to be cut and used. The role of
leader, best portrayed by a drover or trail boss is a vital one in a mother goose group. The golden
girl may enjoy being in the moment, but there is a plan to the group and some goals to be reached,
and someone has to be watching to make sure these things happen. However gently, the group
needs to be led. Someone has to remember the words and the tune—while parents become more
confident, someone has to help it all to happen.
Originally the name of this voice was “Teacher”. It seemed to send the wrong message. Drovers
and trail bosses help the group get where they need to go. They sit together over the campfire and
talk about the next day’s journey and review the journey thus far—what went well, what to avoid in
future—as well as any particular things to look out for in future or where to head when they next
start out. This seems to reflect the planning and observation involved in a mother goose group.
The installation became a story to be read from left to right, and the trails, cut outs and equipment
evoked a wild west feel to me—too many viewings of “Rawhide” and “Death Valley Days” as well as
Saturday afternoon Westerns, I fear.
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Rhyme:
From Wibbleton to Wobbleton is fifteen miles
From Wobbleton to Wibbleton is fifteen miles
From Wibbleton to Wobbleton
From Wobbleton to Wibbleton
From Wibbleton to Wobbleton is fifteen miles (Zoom, zoom, zoom)
(Children sit on parents’ laps in a circle. When we say “Wibbleton” parents rock children left, when we
say “Wobbleton”, rock right, and bounce up and down on “fifteen miles”. No one gets it right every
time, especially those across the circle from the leader. Mistakes abound. Hilarity and confusion
ensues).
MOMENT:
I have a new co-teacher, Edina. The last teacher seemed uncomfortable leading the group; she was
more used to individual work. I had seen Edina lead preschool groups skilfully. Fortunately I was not
her trainer, but I fear that my status as trainer could be intimidating to a new PCMG teacher. I am
surprised that she doesn’t join in, or volunteer to lead some rhymes or songs that she knows. One
day, on my way to the toy cupboard it comes to me. We have very different styles; each of us is used
to leading. Why not just share the task of “leading” by alternating weeks of being leader. I ask her,
offering her some lead time to get ready, but she agrees to start the next week. Once I remembered I
didn’t need to be in charge I really enjoyed my ability to better observe the families as they went
through the material. Edina had a different style, but it works and sends a good message to the
families about her role in the group.
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Who is the Drover in P-CMG?
She is a leader and a planner. She knows where she wants the group to go, and gently guides the
group forward. She has a good understanding of pace, and neither pushes the group too fast or
lets them get too far off track. She loves to bring the families toward the end of the trail—to let
the families find their own pace but know that there is someone guiding and encouraging them
onward.
Her gift is steadiness and determination. She helps the group put one foot in front of the other
and just keep going even when times are tough. She encourages the families along their path by
reminding them of how far they’ve come, of support available along the way and by taking “the
longer view”—that while it is hard to see now, there is an end to the “bumpy road” in sight if they
just keep on going.
Who is the Drover in P-CMG?
The overall view, reflective, responsible, visioning, collaborative, sergeant major, faithful, caring,
safe, focused, organised, driven, goal-setter, well prepared, directions, dance, leaders, wise,
shared knowledge, dimensions, boundary, determined, strengths and weaknesses, unfinished,
Annie Oakley, boundary rider, self-sufficient, rides the ranges, getting the job done, plan,
remember, help it all happen, get where they need to go, review, look out, planning, went well,
avoid.
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5. Wise Woman
She is called “La Cuentadora” in Spanish, and is related to the story of The Bone Woman or “La
Huesera” who collects the bones from those who have gone, arranges them then sings them back
into creation. The bones are the bones of the story, the bones of the group that remain the same
while the way they are fleshed out changes, the way that La Huesera can change people (often for
the better) when she brings them back to life.
The storyteller is the wise woman who has a “down deep” knowledge and the wisdom that comes
from trusting the group. She develops a trust with the families—the children grow to love her
because of the songs and rhymes she brings and her peaceful (at times) demeanour. They are at
ease in her presence because they know that they are safe and that their parents are safe as well
Parents can experience the qualities of a grandparent in the teacher, whatever the age. The teacher
is accepting and nurturing but not judgemental. She has time for the parent and does not have an
agenda other than the parent getting what they need.
The wise woman is also in charge of cultural transmission, just as a grandmother might be. She
teaches the literature of the culture, both in song and rhyme but also in telling stories that resonate
with the parents. Stories can reflect the values of the culture of the wise woman, the parent(s) or
more universal ideas. She gives the parents a moral compass in the messages of the stories. She
introduces the values she lives by and encourages parents to identify the values they want to call
their own.
In the installation, the lyrical quality, the affect of the trail of gold, shadow inset and trail of tears
evoke the wise woman. She extends to the bridge and the cauldron in staying with the parents as
they use the grounding and centring they have learned from the group in their daily lives.
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MOMENT:
I have decided to tell the story of “The Seal’s Skin” which I love, but has met with distaste in training
sessions. I decide to lead with my strengths—I will start the story by singing a verse of “The Silkie of
Skule Skerry” to start things out. This ballad tells the same story in song. I am happy that they are
listening as I begin this story that resonates so well with me—to come to a new place means to leave
some loved ones behind. I can see that they are with me; I wonder what the story means to them.
But they stayed with me and we’ve been doing this long enough that I know the story touched them.
It is truly the gift that I offer “from my mouth to your ears” as I describe storytelling to new teachers.
Who is the Wise Woman/Storyteller in P-CMG?
She is the steady voice of experience, whatever her age. She loves to help families reflect on their
journey, often by telling stories. Sometimes they are the folk tales in a P-CMG group, but often they
are reflections on what is important in life. She shares some of her self in the group, through leading
rhymes and songs, choosing stories to tell and reminding families of the old ways.
Those old ways existed before pace, electronics and resources separated people—made it such a
challenge to connect with each other. She demonstrates that by sitting together, sharing pieces of
culture and espousing deceptively simple concepts like touching, talking and taking time to be
together.
Her greatest gift is her voice—teaching a song or rhyme, telling a story, or simply talking to children
and adults in a way that is honest and true.
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Some of the descriptions from the research
Nurturing, sharing, comfort, trust, quiet, wise presence, creative, soft, intuitive, Aesop, stable, wise,
wisdom, rock, respect, clarity, coherence, definition, equal prominence, equal say, evolution, sense of
knowing strength, turtle, strong, defined, multi-faceted, sequence, series, bone, coherence, clarity,
defined, recognisable, evolution, natural life, need to hold, definition, integration, knowing, healthy,
shaman, bone woman, earth magic, shape shifter, cure others,
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6. The Visionary
P-CMG is a young program, especially in Australia. Teachers have helped to build the program. They
have dreamed it in to existence, in a way, because they believe so strongly in the benefits of the
program for families, as well as the enjoyment they receive from running it.
The visionary takes the “big picture” view and can look into the future. She goes beyond her group
and connects with other teachers. The program is an evolving one, and teachers learn by their
experience. They learn very strongly from one another, where each can share their experience with
others.
At a national (now international) level, the structure of the governing board of P-CMG has room for
collective decision making. At the Australian level, P-CMG Inc has grown from interested and
experienced teachers who have a desire to make the program grow and be responsive to local needs
and requirements.
The visionary is a dreamer, just as the teachers dreamed of network of P-CMG groups (where in 2003,
just 7 years ago, there were none). Often she dreams her group into existence, as the process of
finding a funding source and collecting parents is an ongoing challenge for all groups.
P-CMG has not come in as part of an existing structure but has dreamed the structure into existence
as well as the groups to accompany it. She sees the “universe in a grain of sand” as her group is
reflected in the collective of groups in her area, the regional office and the international collection of
P-CMG groups. The principles of collegiality, acceptance, sharing and enjoyment permeate all levels
of the Mother Goose program.
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IMAGE:
In the installation, the gold box of treasure is the promise of things to come—the vision of the future.
SONG:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
Twinkle, twinkle, little moon
How I wonder what you are
How I hope you come back soon
Up above the world so high
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky…
Like a pancake in the sky…
MOMENT:
It is an auspicious evening. I have just been recognised as Australia’s first PCMG Teacher Trainer
Workshop Facilitator. I’ve found a way of training that is new, challenging and eminently satisfying.
But there is more—I have provided a way to help PCMG in Australia grow in a more sustainable way.
We have gone out to celebrate the visit by the Executive Director of PCMG in Canada, as well as talk
about the future. She asks me how I see the future. As usual, I see a picture in my head. It is the net
of stars or a geodesic dome; a series of connections. I talk about a series of hubs, with someone who
connects teachers around the hubs and how each of the hubs connects with each other. Five years
later, the PCMG Australia Inc. is setting itself up in a manner not unlike that vision I had in the
restaurant in North Ringwood.
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Who is the visionary in P-CMG?
She is involved in growing the Mother Goose program. She sees where she wants it to go, spends
time and energy talking with others about a shared vision and puts in time, energy and resources
to help it happen.
She brings hope and faith to the P-CMG community. She reflects on her experience and believes
in the value of the program. This spurs her on to identify her strengths and offer some of her
energy to help the program grow.
Her strongest gift is perseverance, as the ongoing challenge of building a community and trying to
ensure that there are sufficient resources to maintain and expand it is a long term enterprise,
filled with both rewards and challenges.
Some of the descriptions from the research
Family, motherhood, community, empathy, support, down to earth, compassionate, community-
minded, respect, growing good citizens, assessment, involved, practised, concerned,
knowledgeable, we all have a heart, we all have feelings, warm smiles, returning, spiral, clear,
different, shining, offers, reaching out, coming back in on itself, connections with nature,
disconnection, trying to find an order, pieces too hard to hold, multicultural, random, far seer,
walk beyond, look beyond, look back, ear to ground, psychic.
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7. Fellow traveller
The fellow traveller respects the fact that “we’re all in this together”. She recognises the strengths in
the parents in the group, and increasingly watches the group form and watches parents become
more active participants. She strengthens her connection with the families as they strengthen their
connections with each other. She respects the fact that she is gaining from the group as well as the
parents; her openness means that support can at times be mutual—facilitation takes on a “starting it
all off” function. The teacher, also provides an atmosphere where parents can feel comfortable
contributing their ideas and suggestions for material as well as sharing what is important in their
children’s lives (and their own). She models acceptance, inclusion and trust. Without toys and
activities to hide behind, the group allows for a tremendous amount of mutual sharing—a
comfortable P-CMG teacher brings an honesty and openness to the group. She has helped create an
atmosphere where mutual respect is fostered, and thus the acceptance for everyone’s strengths and
challenges is part of the landscape. The fact that parenting is a tricky business is understood within
the members of the group, and acceptance for all members wherever they are in their journey is an
important part of the environment the teacher has fostered. In addition, the teachers work in groups
of two or three. The teachers, fortunately, travel together. The ease of connection between them is
vital for the group to succeed and grow. The teachers are all learning—timing, material, observation,
how to interact with vulnerable families—and they accept and encourage each other’s progress. The
teachers learn from each other, share with each other, rely on each other and laugh and cry with
each other.
In the installation: On the bridge is a purple postcard. The bridge is also called the interchange. It is
in part of the installation called “values underpinning” and shows a way of being together which goes
beyond the material and even the connection between parent and child.
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RHYME:
A smooth road, a smooth road, a smooth road, a smooth road
A bumpy road, a bumpy road, a bumpy road, a bumpy road
A rough road, a rough road, a rough road, a rough road
A hole!
(Children sit on parents laps and bounce more and more vigorously until A hole! when the parent
separates their legs and drops the child through the resultant “hole”.)
MOMENT:
Jenny, our program assistant gets a phone call just before the group begins. A family friend, more like
an extended family member, has died suddenly. She is shocked and very sad. I ask her if she wants to
leave, but she feels it will be more useful to keep busy and say nothing—to work her way through it.
She soldiers on, but is not as present as we are used to. After the group has finished, I look over and
one of the parents is giving her a big hug—she knew something was wrong without being told. Later,
Jenny is lying on the cushions and two year old Jasmine is stroking Jenny’s back. No words needed.
(She doesn’t have a lot of them). But she can feel another’s pain.
Some of the descriptions from the research
We all have a heart, all feel, all equal, family, warm smiles, returning, holding centre, helping, synergy,
room for us all, tools, pairings, crossing the divide, stages of connecting, looking at each other, no
strings, sharing the journey, ease of connection, learning, accept, encourage, empathy, mutual.
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THE REST OF THE TURTLE
At this point I had completed my inquiry into the shell of the turtle—the seven singers,
each with its own voice. The turtle also has a head, legs and a tail. The head of the
turtle appeared to me as the things I learned by doing the research. As I mentioned, I
was surprised that the medium of the research (a multimodal presentation using
music, colour and shape to ask people to reflect on their educational practice using
objects, keywords and art making) was greeted by participants as healing, connecting,
even spiritual. Participants thanked me for the opportunity to reflect, and in the case
of workmates who I saw on a daily basis, I know that they talked about the experience
for days afterwards.
Fig x The turtles’s legs and feet Fig xx The turtle’s head
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I also learned that the research could now become an opportunity as well as a vehicle
for greater reflection. The child care centre (and a preschool that I once worked at the
childcare centre and came back for a visit) offered a table for individual children to
reflect upon their feelings using colour, texture and crystals. I have already been
invited to present my research (not the conclusions, but the multimodal data
collection) at a neo-pagan women’s reflective weekend entitled “Things that move
us’’, reminding me that the intersubjective space I create in a PCMG group has many
parallels to a ritual circle Both groups consist mainly of women. They both involve
sitting in a circle, singing and chanting. In addition, the circle encourages participation
by all rather than overt control by the leaders. Participants energise each other.
The legs of the turtle
Just as the installation suggested that I investigate ways to connect with the wider
community, the legs of the turtle speak to me about moving the inquiry forward (what
do I want to do with what I now know). The inquiry was a resounding reinforcement
of the value of the MIECAT procedures to arrive at approximations of meaning. Of
particular significance were procedures that helped to connect me with the
participants as well as strengthen their connections with each other. One of the tools
that supported this type of connection was the intersubjective responses.
Within PCMG in Australia we are developing a system of mentoring teachers; it is my
hope that the seven voices can make an appearance in this system, given the dynamic,
connecting way in which we offer both groups and teacher training, the seven voices
as indicators of quality practice can contribute to the discussion, being another
manifestation of the legs of the turtle.
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The tail of the turtle
The tail of the turtle helps him keep his sense of balance. It keeps him from tipping
over, and also helps him steer. Along with his legs that propel him forward, the tail
keeps him steady and grounded. I believe that this research is very valuable and want
it to inform the mentoring and evaluation system for new teachers. The tail of the
turtle tells me to proceed in a balanced way, grounding myself in P-CMG ideals and the
practicality of using the seven voices for this work.
In addition, the tail steadied me when the research pointed to the less than perfect
aspects of the voices—their shadow side, revealing the belly of the turtle.
Finally the two parallel processes of reflection (the installation and the turtle) had finally
come together into one. All of the research on the installation (practice, values underpinning,
outreach and obstacles) could also be seen as parts of the turtle (the mosaic shell, the head,
the legs, the tail and the belly).
Consulting with P-CMG and the Early Childhood field helped me to better describe the
seven voices—first by the descriptions of practice and values underpinning a P-CMGP,
then by amplifying and clarifying what the emergent voices “sounded” like. What I
found was the seven voices of a Parent Child Mother Goose Teacher.
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CONCLUSIONS
So I went on a journey to the New Turtle Nation and I met seven voices/singers there.
I got to know the lands that they call home. I even found out about their shadow sides
and got to understand them as well. I found that the journey was as informative as the
destination. I shared with colleagues what the journey might be and they helped me
decide where I might go, then I shared with more colleagues what the journey was
like. I didn’t tell them so much as invite them to experience it with me.
They liked the journey (the research)—it was almost like going there themselves. They
liked the souvenirs (ISRs) I brought them—I picked them out (often made them with
local materials) based on my experience of being with them and our shared emotional
experience in the recreation of the journey.
I found out that describing what went wrong (shadow side) was as illuminating as what
went right—it gave people perspective. I’ve already written a travel article about the
journey, and I am going to lead a group on a journey this spring. We are setting up
guidebooks for travellers to this New Turtle Nation of ways of being in a PCMG group
and I want to make sure that the seven voices are included.
I think there is more to investigate and write about. Like the participants in the
research, I so enjoyed the journey and continue to reflect upon it. As a returned
traveller, I can sit in a PCMG group and think, “That was a moment that was Golden”
and know that it was about presence and not just sunshine.
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REFERENCES
Buirski, & Haglund. (2001) Making Sense together-The Intersubjective Approach to
Psychotherapy. Northvale N J: Jason Aronson.
Crossley, N. (1996). Intersubjectivity: the fabric of social becoming. London: Sage.
Crotty, M. (2003). The Foundations of Social Research. London: Sage.
Ellis, C. & M. Flaherty (eds) Investigating Subjectivity: Research on Lived Experience.
London:Sage 2011.
Ely, M., Vinz, R., Downing, M., Anzul, M. (1997). On Writing Qualitative Research: Living
My words. London: Falmer Press.
Fosha, D, Siegel, D. & Solomon, M. F. (eds) The Healing Power of Emotion. New York:
Norton.
Gergen, K. J. (2009). Relational Being: Beyond Self and Community. London: Oxford
University Press
Gergen, K. J. & McNamee S. (2000). From Disordering Discourse to Transformative
Dialogue. In Niemeyer, R. A. & Rasking, J. D. (eds.), Constructions of Disorder.
Washington: American Psychological Association.
Lomas, P. (2005). Responsibility. In Cultivating Intuition (pp. 77-86; 87-92). London:
Whurr.
Mazzeti, L. A. (2003). Inhabited Silences: In Pursuit of a Muffled Subtext. In Qualitative
Inquiry, Volume 9 number 3.
Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological Research Methods. London: Sage.
Orange, D. (1995). Emotional Understanding. New York. The Guilford Press.
Quagliana, J. (2010) I See the Moon and the Moon Sees Me reflective practice and
Parent-Child Mother Goose—an arts based autoethnography. In Goose
Gazette, Volume 2 number 1.
Spinelli, E. (1989). An Introduction to Phenomenological Psychology. London: Sage.
Trudinger, M. (2006). Maps of violence, maps of hope: Using place and maps to
explore identity, gender, and violence. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications.
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APPENDICES: SIDE TRIPS
There were two large pieces of the MA process that I wanted to say more about, to
explore in different ways. They were:
Making the installation
The end of year project
Each of these investigations resulted in a children’s story:
Siobhan steps out for the installation
Tortuga’s journey for the end of year project
I offer each of them as another way of knowing the experience, and hope that, if
nothing else, they can entertain.
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Siobhan steps out
Snap! A light turns on in the darkness, and a creature climbs out of the wellspring. She
dances down the steps of the alchemical trail of transformation. It is Siobhan, a girl
with wild blonde hair. She has sewn two shadows onto her foot—a black one and a
prickly one. As she slowly progresses with the shadows dragging along behind, she
spies a clearing. There, a firebird sits on a pedestal that looks like a chalice made of
bright red. Around the firebird is a circle woven of branches.
Siobhan sees that around the circle is a leather rope. She follows it and it leads to a
giant spindle. This is a long journey through the dark forest. She hears whisperings in
her ear. The voice is the most beautiful Siobhan has ever heard—the clear bell-like
tones tell her not to be afraid, yet point out possible dangers on her way.
While the angelic voices keep her safe most of the time, all of a sudden she finds
herself in a dark cave—the lair of some great beast. A great spider guards the entrance
and Siobhan is trapped inside.
The cave, this lair, is a contradictory place. It looks perilous but there are toys to play
with, the soft floor of the cave to dance barefoot upon, a harp that makes music when
she sings and a loyal companion—a bear.
Oscar, as the bear is named, tells her that they all ignored the angel’s warning and
wound up in the lair. (Or did the angel warn them at all?) He tells her a strange story—
on sunny days they can see another cave with the same inhabitants, including a spider
who appears just as frightening.
The harp, Glissanda, sings a ballad that tells that the spider, Morrighan, did not start
out as a monster, but instead was the weaver of the circle in the clearing. She saw the
firebird fly there and was so dazzled by her plumage that she ran away to the cave
here.
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Oscar counters that Morrighan must be dangerous, as she hides while unsuspecting
travelers come, then keeps them from leaving (by guarding the entrance to the cave).
Glissanda replies that Morrighan just needs friends and this is her way of acquiring
them. An argument ensues, and Siobhan cannot decide who is right.
The spider has gone away—they are not sure where. The bright golden sun comes out
and Siobhan sees a golden sunbeam coming from the woods. Then the sunbeam
disappears.
Oscar says, “Let’s make a run for it.” Glissanda says that every time they have tried in
the past, Morrighan has barred the way. But Siobhan, with the best vision in the
group, can see Morrighan over on the other side of the spindle. The great spider is
turning to look at herself in the great shining pool in the clearing. “Morrighan has
finally found a friend,” says Glissanda.
Rather than tangle themselves in the spindle, they find a covered bridge further on
that takes them into another country. They are welcomed in Cauldron Country, with a
population of mystical creatures, led by a perspicacious frog. The trio is invited to stay
the winter. Many of their days are taken up with sitting by the fire and telling stories.
The Cauldron People tell the story of the trail of gold, and how their people happily
traveled down it until they hit the prickly shadow. Siobhan then feels for her prickly
shadow, but finds that she has lost it in the rush to get away from the Morrighan. Her
black shadow has slipped free, and now follows her like everyone else’s.
Siobhan listens as the frog continues the story. He says that their trail of gold became a
trail of tears after their encounter with the prickly shadow. Siobhan thinks to herself
that she knows how they feel.
This turns out to be a living myth, as the Cauldron People are mounting an expedition
to the fabled cave of gold to rediscover that which they lost in their encounter with the
prickly shadow. They were impressed with Siobhan’s vision, Glissanda’s hope and
Oscar’s quick thinking, so the Cauldron people invited the trio on this next adventure,
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and our three explorers could hardly wait till spring when they would be off in search
of the mysterious golden cave.
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Tortuga’s journey
When Tortuga’s grandfather died, he left his grandson a map. It’s not a treasure map,
boy, he said, but this is a journey I took in my youth. Take it and you will never be the
same.
Tortuga remembered Grandpa then breathing his last. There were so many questions
he had wanted to ask: Will it be fun? How will I be changed? Can I change back?
But Grandpa was gone. He had been so kind to Tortuga; he always had time to answer
the bundle of questions Tortuga stored up for their next meeting. Grandpa would tell
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him the same story many times if asked; Tortuga’s parents would soon tire of the
repetition, but not Grandpa. He seemed to like repeating his wisdom, and Tortuga
couldn’t get enough.
But all too soon, Grandpa was gone. He was buried at the bottom of the garden, and
Tortuga would mount little expeditions to go and see his grave. He would sit on the
smooth stone and tell his grandpa what he had been up to, and then open the bundle
of questions that his parents tried their best to answer. Grandpa seemed to say to
him, “Stop talking and start doing.”
This brought Tortuga back to the map Grandpa had left him. Tortuga was at a time in
life where young turtles were setting out on adventures. It just seemed such a wrench
to leave Grandpa, even though he was in the ground. His parents had clear ideas of
where he should set out to—practical ideas that would help his future, but his heart
wasn’t in it.
Finally he decided that the way he could be closest to Grandpa was by following the
map he had left behind. His parents thought it was fanciful, but knew they couldn’t
stop their youngest when he had an idea in his head.
At least the map was beautiful—the parchment had all the colours of the rainbow on it
fashioned in hexagonal shapes—every place was represented by a six-sided figure in a
different colour. The directions were vague, but Tortuga was young and confident that
he could find his way.
The map said to start in the interior—it gave directions to The Wellspring. Tortuga
dove in the water—it looked like one of the swampy lakes that dinosaurs used to drink
out of. But as Tortuga dove in, he felt the warmth of the water. It was refreshing and
relaxing. As he crawled out of the water, a firebird slinked by. She told Tortuga that
this was her land—it was called Wellspring, as on his map. She explained that the
water had filled up what used to be a volcano. It had erupted years ago, with so much
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force that it blew its top off. Rains and a diverted river filled up the bowl of the extinct
volcano, but there was still heat under the ground, making for a warm pool.
Firebird looked at Tortuga’s map. “Ahhhh”, she said. “You’re going to Golden. You’ll
love it there. Follow the song lines and you’ll find it easily.” She then explained that
he was to look for toas that marked the lines of song that the creator used to sing the
land into being. She taught him the creation song that would take him to Golden.
Tortuga’s voice was gravelly and lacked the lilt of the tones of the Firebird. But he
found the markers and found a magnificent beach. He was in his element. He sat on
the sand in the sun and watched the waves, and then Tortuga dove in for a swim. The
surf was amazing—he rolled through the tubes and rode the waves for hours.
Suddenly he saw a woman surfing a huge wave. Her blonde hair glistened in the sun—
the droplets of water on her shoulder sparkled and glistened. She rode her board
swiftly into the beach, then sat on the sand and brushed her fingers through her salty
hair. Tortuga swam to the shore and walked up to sit beside her.
Neither said a word for the longest time. They both enjoyed the roar of the surf, the
smell of the kelp. Tortuga still tasted the salt in his mouth. His flippers moved slowly
in the sand as he took in the view of the sun shining off the water. Finally she spoke.
“Ahhh. Another golden moment. In Golden.”
He had little to say. He showed her the map and she smiled. “Well, mate, you’ll have
to head upcountry if you want to go to Moon Mother. Cross over the dunes and walk
through the scrub till you get to Mother Mountain. It’s the only one around. Climb to
the top and you’ll find the people of Moon Mother. But stay and have some tea with
me—it’ll be easier traveling at night.”
So he helped her catch some fish which they cooked over the fire. As they watched
the sparks come off the fire, she reminded him of the crescent shape of the toa that
would guide his way, and taught him the song in her low, rumbling voice. She pointed
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out the stars that would guide him as well. Tortuga learned the song easily and bid her
g’day. Off he went to find the dune and the mountain.
As he walked he thought about what had already happened on his journey. He
wondered if the firebird was really born of the ashes, as they said. She might have
come out of the volcano—think of it. He had gone swimming in a pool warm with the
energy of the earth.
How different that was from the dip in the ocean with the surfer. They didn’t have to
say much, but he remembered the feeling of being with her on the beach. Not much
to say, but it was strong.
And now, how to find his way in the dark. No, not dark—he saw the enormous moon
rise and reveal the Moon Mountain. It was easy climbing, and before long he reached
the top. Nestled in a cosy cave, he saw a woman singing her baby to sleep. The tune
was so restful that Tortuga sat down outside the cave to listen. She gestured for him
to come inside the cave, and he sat on a bundle of sweet grass as the baby slowly
calmed its kicking and slowed its breathing. Soon he could hear the regular rhythm of
a sleeping baby, and the woman laid him in his cradle.
Moon mother, as he introduced herself, offered him some food and a place to sleep.
She continued to sing and Tortuga was soon asleep. In the morning he watched Moon
Mother bathe and nurse the baby (boy, he discovered) and soon the baby fell asleep
again as the sun rose higher in the sky. Moon Mother wrapped up some of the food
from last night’s supper, told him to head west down the mountain singing its creation
song and to look for paddocks and herds of cattle to find the plains of Desperado.
It was a hot, dusty road down to Desperado. Tortuga choked as he sang, then he
finally gave up as his croaks were drowned out by the shouts of the Desperado
drovers. He was pleased to see that the cattle had found a stream and were mooing
and drinking. The drovers bathed in the stream and joined the cattle for a drink.
Tortuga joined in, but they were sated long before the cattle were. The drovers talked
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about the route ahead, and how much ground they could cover before the sun set. An
argument ensued about whether they should travel by moonlight. Tortuga started to
slink off when they stopped their “discussion” to introduce themselves (Dusty and
Rowdy) and look at his map.
All thoughts of the night journey evaporated when they saw that he needed to go to
see La Huesera. “She’s up in that cave near the limestone cliffs,” said Dusty. “We
should go by moonlight to show him the way to the cave—it’d be hard to find without
us,” replied Rowdy. Decision made. They would let the cattle drink for a while; then
leave after the heat of the day was gone.
Dusty explained that La Huesera often went walking during the day, but came back to
her cave to smoke and sing and (Rowdy covered Dusty’s mouth so Tortuga didn’t know
what he tried to say, but both the men started giggling uncontrollably. Rowdy
reassured him that he would be safe, but surprised when he got to La Huesera’s cave.
Tortuga stared at his face for a long time, but there was no lie in those features.
The herd set off in the afternoon and were refreshed and content to move ahead.
Dusty joked with Tortuga about spending time with La Huesera and said that he’d be
changed after his encounter. Finally—what grandpa promised. He was excited and
didn’t feel tired despite the distance they had traversed. He loved walking over the
land and watching the sun set and the moon rise—there were so many stars he
couldn’t keep them all straight.
Rowdy stopped for a minute and pointed up another mountainside. Tortuga was
disappointed—he had gotten used to walking on the flat. But Dusty reassured him
that a visit to La Huesera was worth the climb. “If I didn’t have the beasts to get to
market I’d go with you,” he said longingly. Tortuga bid goodnight to the boys (he
wanted to call them cowboys, but he knew they’d hate it) and headed up the
mountain.
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The song they had taught him was an eerie one—low and scary, to his mind. The toa
he was looking for was shaped like a bone. He finally remembered his Spanish—huesa
means bone, so the woman he was setting out to see was The Bone Woman. That
didn’t calm his nerves much.
He soon heard another voice singing the creation song. A thin woman (delgada he
remembered—it sounds so much nicer in Spanish) was, as promised, singing and
smoking. She looked at the ground in front of her. Tortuga was amazed to see that
there were bones in front of her (huesas—remember). She got up and started to
arrange the bones to form a skeleton. La Huesera picked up bones from a pile in the
cave and filled in the gaps.
Soon she sat back in front of the fire, still singing. It was hypnotic—Tortuga rocked in
time with the music, and his lids became heavy. He kept slipping in and out of sleep (if
sleep it was) and when he opened his eyes he saw La Huesera blow smoke over the
skeleton. Then he opened his eyes again and saw that the bones were knitting
together. Tortuga tried to wake himself but it was like crawling through a swamp—
slow, seductive and slurpy. He couldn’t get out of the mire and sunk down into sleep.
When he woke, a young woman sat beside him. Did La Huesera turn herself into a
chiquita—a young woman? No, he heard rustling in the bushes, and the old woman
came back with some big leaves. “Tobacco leaves are best gathered by moonlight,”
she said. “Have you met Almira?” Tortuga smiled at her, but he didn’t want to think of
where she came from. La Huesera was frightening to him.
But Almira was curious about everything. She made him tell the story about
grandfather and the map, and told him she would come with him and help him
discover the last two places—Telcontar and Welcome. La Huesera laughed softly, but
said, “Yes, Tortuguita, you need a compaňera.” “How dare she call me little turtle,” he
thought. “I’m not sure I want a companion,” he said. Almira’s face fell, and Tortuga
changed his mind. He had gotten used to her shining eyes and didn’t want to see the
light go out. “Sure”, he said, “come with me. We can keep each other company.”
I see the moon and the moon sees me…
102
Almira raced off and Tortuga had to call her back. La Huesera taught them a repetitive
song—or rather he taught Tortuga, because Almira’s mind was elsewhere. She gave
them some dried beans, a dried out gourd to cook them in and some of her dried
tobacco with a flint. She put it all in a woven bag, and told them to look for the spiral
path. He thanked La Huesera for her generosity. She said, “Chico, you’re going to
need it.”
Tortuga raced to catch up with Almira. She raced after a butterfly without any spiral
path in sight. After following Almira for a few side trips, he started to follow La
Huesera’s instructions, hoping that Almira would follow. Eventually she did, but he
couldn’t find a spiral path anywhere. He sang the song, and Almira said, “Look,
Tortuga—a shape like your song!” Sure enough, there was the toa, the song line
marker with a spiral on it. The path was overgrown and he would have had trouble
finding it without Almira’s interest in shapes.
The path was steep. Almira walked for a while, but then she laid down and fell asleep.
Tortuga was much too small to move her, so he sat down with her for a while. Then he
climbed up the steep path. It flattened out as soon as the path turned out of sight.
When it when up again, it was much less steep. Soon Tortuga was at the top. He
could see for miles. The spiral path reached across a ridge, then down a valley.
Tortuga was wondering why he brought Almira with him. He could hear her coming up
the path, skipping, singing (not the creation song, but something she’d just made up).
“Did you take a drink?” she asked. “Drink!” said Tortuga. “Where did you find a
drink?”
“In the ground, silly,” she giggled. He could see clear water dripping from her chin.
She saw the thirsty look in his eyes and picked up his flipper and led him to an
underground spring. Not only was the water indescribable, the spring was near
another spiral toa. It was a shortcut—they wouldn’t have to climb across the narrow
ridge, but could start halfway down the valley.
I see the moon and the moon sees me…
103
It seemed that they both had different ways of looking at things; Tortuga went in a
straight line but Almira took the curves. They both found their way. Telcontar was a
beautiful place—not necessarily on a mountain but one of the highest spots around.
They met Circe who showed them the best places from which to see the road ahead.
It amazed Tortuga that they each saw such different things.
Almira found Circe’s song easy to sing—she learned it faster than Tortuga did. She
sand it in her sleep, it seemed to Tortuga. The next day, as he was looking at the road,
he realised that he could see the road home! He was glad, because the map seemed
to fade away beyond Telcontar.
He had told Almira that he wasn’t sure where they should go next—perhaps that was
the end of the map. Almira smiled and said that she was sure he would figure out
where to go next. Tortuga now realised that this was the “end of the road”. He was
surprised he felt sad—Almira might not come with him now that he had run out of
map.
He delayed leaving Telcontar all the next day. He went to talk about it all with Circe.
She told him that he needed to look at the map in his heart, now that he had followed
Grandpa’s map. “Map in my heart, map in my heart,” he mumbled as he fell asleep.
While asleep he had an amazing dream. His turtle shell turned colour—it was red in
the middle, then one section turned orange, yellow, green, blue…all the rainbow
colours. On each section he saw a pattern—it was a toa. As he looked at the red
section, he heard the creation song for wellspring and caught a glimpse of the firebird.
Then he heard the waves and saw the golden surfer on the orange section. Mother
Moon’s cave appeared on the yellow section as he heard her lullaby. As he looked
toward the green section he heard cattle and Dusty and Rowdy leading them along.
The blue section revealed a bone, then the smiling face of Almira. Dark indigo showed
a spiral on its section, with an eagle flying ‘way off in the distance.
I see the moon and the moon sees me…
104
But down near his tail was a section in violet. All he could see on this section was an
outline of Tortuga and Almira trudging toward Tortuga’s homeland. He could see the
smooth stone that Grandpa was buried under. Grandpa would have liked to meet
Almira. Oh well, there were lots of other people at home who would love to meet her,
too. Just like he had.
Once your mind is made up, the rest is easy. Circe smiled as Tortuga invited Almira to
come to his homeland with him. She was getting restless and said she just wanted to
get going—she even confided in him that she was leaving today, with or without him.
But she was happy to come with him, and he taught her the song of his homeland and
looked for a toa in the shape of a turtle. Almira spotted it, and it was easy going from
then on (honest).