The Art of Listening

Patricia Carini (1932–2021) was a progressive educator and thinker who was among the key figures of open education. This article reflects on her work, illuminating its quality as an art of listening. The idea of listening has been of primary importance within the tradition of progressive education in the United States and internationally. Progressive educators have listened to the spoken and unspoken words and expressions of children, to what is called in Reggio Emilia the “hundred languages” of children, resisting the modern school institution and its principle of efficiency. Following a brief history of Carini and the Prospect School in North Bennington, Vermont, this article describes the connection of Carini’s work to the public philosophy of John Dewey and exemplifies the listening quality of her work through stories of two children. Listening, Carini was ever learning from children. As an art of listening and learning, Carini’s legacy unites with today’s progressive efforts in education, inspiring the generations of educators to come.