The space in many ways reflects the culture of the people who create it and, on careful examination, reveals even distinct layers of this cultural influence
In this way, ensuring that the environment is moveable and flexible in order to respond to the people (students/teachers/families) within it is culturally responsive.
to create a space that is in continuous transformation with parts that are movable
The need for the physical environment to be as flexible as the teachers and the materials. The physical environment should bot be stagnant or it is not responding to the children that it serves.
protect the autonomy of the classrooms and of the teachers, but the risk is that it can limit communication
It's important to consider what qualities you want reflected in the design of the classroom. What are you prioritizing? What are you not prioritizing and why?
he piazza is a place where ideas arrive and depart
Do we have an equivalent or similar space at BJS? The theater comes to mind initially, but I feel it doesn't serve all the purposes and functions mentioned here.
hypocritical and ignorant
The passion he feels regarding this issue is so clear here! Having one piece of the puzzle (the space) does not produce quality experiences that children deserve if not put with other pieces of the puzzle (teachers as co-learners, thoughtfully designed environment, etc.)
the structure of interior spaces tends to evolve along with everything else about the educational program in Reggio Emilia
Reflecting the needs/interests of the children, and as the needs/interests of the children change.
pedagogical coordinators, teachers, and parents met to plan with the archi-tects
Love the respect for all professionals involved and who the environment will affect.
power of aesthetics as a connecting principle
Relates to the article on aesthetics we read for PRL. Learning = connections; aesthetics = connecting principle; therefore, aesthetics promote learning.
the teacher can pick up an idea and return it to the group, and thereby make their discussion and action more significant
This spiraling approach to teacher involvement in the activity highlights the flexibility needed on behalf of the teacher - when to engage and when to step back.
teacher and child
You cannot define the role of teacher without talking about the teacher and the child.
partner with parents
I love how at BJS they have made the distinction between simply communicating with parents and actually engaging the families.
a teacher who is sometimes the director, sometimes the set designer, sometimes the curtain and the backdrop, and sometimes the prompter
The many roles of the teacher
ts. The challenge of integrating different time orientations led one adult write
In addition, adults' desire to hurry often leaves children feeling incompetent. For example, if a parent wants to leave the house quickly and the child is taking several minutes to manipulate his shoes in order to put them on, the adult might simply take the shoes and put them on the child. This act, though, undermines the child's sense of competence and confidence in their own abilities.
they were dismayed to find that it loomed far out of their reach
As adults, we don't think of all the physical obstacles children encounter every day. I'm sure if we really thought about it, there would be so many examples like this one.
using a wide array of languages
The Hundred Languages!
Children have a right to be listened to
This reminds me of the readings we've discussed lately that refer to observation/documentation as a form of listening!
Children have a right to talk, as long as they do not interrupt someone else who is talking first, but children have a right to wait for their turn to talk
This is such a complex though! Here they're recognizing how their rights might conflict with someone else's rights and figuring how to best compromise so everyone is heard.
hildren have a right to have their hair look like they want, but not a rightto cut it unless they ask first
The teachers began to wonder what children thought about rights.
"Rights" are one of those abstract concepts that adults usually shy away from with children, because children can be very concrete and literal in how they interpret things. But clearly, the children initiated this conversation. They WANT to talk about these things.
the desire for beauty that children naturallypossess.
The link between beauty and wonder can be found even in adults (think of how you feel when standing on the summit of a mountain or taking in all the stars in the night sky). Beauty inspires wonder, wonder seeks beauty. It only makes sense then, that children, who are so naturally full of wonder, would seek beauty.
Inthedocumentationmaterials collected,thealternation betweencodesseemstobe entirelynaturalforchildren, butforadults,itseemsto bequiteadifficultprocess, preciselybecauseweare culturallyshapedtooperate byseparatingthedisciplines
Even though the common thought is that children are only gaining as they grow older (gaining knowledge, gaining skills, gaining experience), here is an example of when they lose something as they enter adulthood. This switching between codes is so natural for children, yet adults, who as humans strive to compartmentalize and categorize everything, struggle here.
wants the teacher to see theprocess of her work,
to recognize the effort and time put into an activity. There are so many significant pieces of an experience that are not the product. And placing the product over the process undermines all the valuable skills learned (collaboration, persistence, problem-solving, etc.) in the process.
You never come in an isolated way; you alwayscome with pieces of the world attached to you.
It's so important to recognize that the children we see and engage with at school come with "pieces of the world attached" too. We, as teachers, need to be constantly considering the whole picture of a child; working to communicate with families is one way we can do that.
You never come in an isolated way; you alwayscome with pieces of the world attached to you.
Children, too, come with baggage. As teachers, we may not get to see their whole picture, and we should remember that. By communicating with parents, we can get a better grasp of the "whole picture," but it's important to recognize that a child's world is much, much bigger than his/her time at school.
amiableschools
never heard this term, but I like it!
co-responsiblepartners.
Parents and teachers working together provide a foundation for children to be successful learners. It's definitely a balance of valuing each other's perspective and working off both's collective knowledge in order to best support the child.