Revisiting and reflecting
Revisiting and reflecting that are supported by the documentation process allow us to have more opportunities for deeper dialogue and communicate the values and shared meanings with everyone who is involved in the lives of children.
meanings and knowledge are constructed, that they do not exist outside of ourselves, that children like adults are not spectators but actors of their own lives
These two points - meaning and knowledge are constructed and children are the protagonist of their own knowledge building - are the main reasons why we need to change the way of education and the role of schools and teachers. School leadership should invest on professional development for the teachers and create a culture of open communication, and openness and sensitivity towards diversity. Teachers need to embrace the attitude of research and openness for different perspectives.
We have paid particular attention to how the values and aims are connected to
I appreciate this point and make me reflect on my school and my practice as a teacher. Many people in the organization recognize the importance of collaboration, but how many of us really pay attention to "how" we really make ways to incorporate and intentionally communicate what we believe?
create a dialogue of the political, administrative, and pedagogical domains,
It is essentially necessary to create an ongoing dialogue with greater domains because the worldview of the children through their daily lives is tightly intertwined with the issues of women, men, families, and society.
It is as if a school were a large living organism whose parts ( children, adults, schedules, spaces, and so on) relate to the whole not only because they are included, but also, we hope, because of a bond that embodies a common sense of belonging, the construction of shared stories, and intertwined destinies.
This makes sense that a school should be like a living organism whose parts (children, parents, teachers, classrooms, school environment, learnings, and administrators) closely work together through dialogues and respectful relationships because we share time, space, precious stories, and the lives of everyone who is involved. But, it requires a transformed view of what organization could look like, and the commitment from everyone who is involved, especially the committed group of leadership.
The children’s con-versations suggested to us that they wanted to findout more about their families’ hair.
Again and again, the children teach us what is next. The teachers ask questions and listen to their ideas and interests, and go to where they take us next. Through the process, the learning becomes deeper and wider. First, they learn about their hair, their friends' hair, the hair of their family members and eventually move onto the context of broader community.
This is one of the ways the teamcomes together before initially introducing topics tochildren. We think of possible questions to ask thechildren and make hypotheses about what mighthappen. We also think of possible questions that thechildren might ask us
It always begins with carefully thought-out questions to the children. Then teachers listen to their ideas, hypothesis, theories through close observation, and reflect on the documentations. Through the process. teachers learn where to go next. Then, this process of inquiry, listening, observations, reflections, documentations continues, and the project theme becomes clearer.
, in order to support teams in gettingstarted, we began to provide actual guidelines forteams to use to study something with or about chil-dren.
I think this is a great place to start. This gives a framework for teachers and a place to begin, although the children are the main protagonists who will help us narrow down to find a topic or theme.
afterrevisiting the children’s drawings and words about thisfield trip, the teachers noticed that the children mostoften spoke of the stairs and the windows.
This makes me smile because it is often true that what we think or plan is different from what is most meaningful to the children. That is why it is so important for us to have open minds, be flexible, and be ready to let the children guide us, not the other way around.
urface interests vs. core interests
This is so true about children. Children give us the meanings and directions. Yet, their expressions and gestures are so subtle that we need to give our full attention, deep listening and close observations to capture. Our responsibility is to produce interpretations that are open, broad, not subjective but welcoming different lenses.
The languages of small children are so subtleand so interwoven that sometimes it can be a tiny gesture that gives us a vision of whole ideas.
This is so true about children. Children give us the meanings and directions. Yet, their expressions and gestures are so subtle that we need to give our full attention, deep listening and close observations to capture. Our responsibility is to produce interpretations that are open, broad, not subjective but welcoming different lenses.
a document that summarizes the work done by all the schools, making visible our first choices and interpretations.
As the investigation about the project begins by asking thought provoking questions to the children, the teachers approach the results of the investigation with further questions to themselves in order to narrow down the direction of the project. I remember the quote from Rinaldi that we should ask the children to support our confusion. We should ask questions to the children and to ourselves more rigorously when we are confused, rather than jumping into a conclusion quick or imposing our pre-conceived ideas.
This is another strategy that we often use . . . trying tofind out questions before having answers.
As the investigation about the project begins by asking thought provoking questions to the children, the teachers approach the results of the investigation with further questions to themselves in order to narrow down the direction of the project. I remember the quote from Rinaldi that we should ask the children to support our confusion. We should ask questions to the children and to ourselves more rigorously when we are confused, rather than jumping into a conclusion quick or imposing our pre-conceived ideas.
The city, cities: images, ideas and theories
The teachers ask questions to the children as the first step of the project/investigation to know their images, ideas and theories. I find these questions to be so thought provoking, well thought out, not superficial. They seem to touch on the children's previous knowledge about the city as well as their curiosities and imaginations about the cities. My team just finished a curriculum theme on the city and I wonder what my children would have shared if I asked these wonderful questions!
t’s a process of re-readingand re-interpreting processes that have been elaborat-ed by adults and children together.
The second step of the project is to collect all the conversations, then interpret and elaborate new ideas in a way that they can discuss, share and construct new knowledge.
this first part of the project
The first part of the project is to ask questions to the children and the teachers and collect their ideas, hypothesis, images, and thoughts.
These parents give us an image and a story of Reggio
Parents have a critically important voice in choosing the topic of a project in RE school. The parents' different worldview, perspectives, different points of view should be all welcome and reflected on the project.
at this time in our history
Just as Reggio Emilia began as the education responded to the societal changes during the time in Italy, teachers need to be sensitive and responsive to the what is going on around the society and the world as they choose the topic of a project. This particular project also was a response to the societal changes during the time in Italy.
what images, ideasand theories the children have about their city, ReggioEmilia, and cities in general.
The teachers ask questions to the children as the first step of the project/investigation to know their images, ideas and theories. I find these questions to be so thought provoking, well thought out, not superficial. They seem to touch on the children's previous knowledge about the city as well as their curiosities and imaginations about the cities. My team just finished a curriculum theme on the city and I wonder what my children would have shared if I asked these wonderful questions!