We are on the start of a journey to work towards the Reggio Emilia approach. Achieving this will take years but we are slowly changing our environment to achieve the following principles:
- The child as protagonist, collaborator, and communicator.
- The teacher as partner, nurturer, guide, and researcher.
- The environment as the "third teacher."
- The Parent as Partner.
- Documentation as communication.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This week... a snapshot of our garden play and learning:
The children were exploring mixing and pouring whilst engaging in the mud kitchen. They were engaging in a spontaneous open-ended activity.
R decided- " no they are not cakes, they are mud pies"
L -" yay!, we have water for the pies"
J -" I am pouring and you can mix"
C- " I've got food and water to make our potions"
J - " I'm pouring and mixing and you can stir...."
M -" look they are adding rice from the top garden"
and whilst mixing said, " I need the water to mix it".
The children had fun exploring and experimenting with natural resources found in their environment. Mud, sand, stones, sticks, leaves, sawdust and bark shavings all thrown into the mix. Careful observation and strong communication skills allow teachers to develop plans for assisting the learning experiences for each child . In addition, teachers see themselves as learners and continue to grow in understanding along with children. In observing these little learners, I not only learnt who our leaders in the group were but also got insights into their individual interests and ideas.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A while later....(indoor environment)
W decided with friends to "make a real life campfire and cook real marshmallows " . The children explored how they could build up the sticks and logs to make a camp fire. They worked collaboratively as they collected objects from all over the area. More children joined in and added to the collection. It will be interesting to see what happens next!............................................................................................................................
On another day....
Our story time becomes an adventure...
We went on an adventure. We had snack in a magical place.
(what the children were saying)
Will- on the magic carpetA- we went in a jungle
A- in the garden and through the woods
J- we went to the beach
P- to the magic sky with the sun
N- we went to unicorn land
I- we went to Mollys farm to see the lambs
E- we went to princess land
This was a great next step planning activity and the children kept the play alive with their imaginations while I observed and took lots of photographs and videos as evidence.
More stories and adventures taking us to magical places.L read us 'Jack and the beanstalk'. A big book. We were able to predict what happens next by careful listening. We understood that print goes from left to right and how to handle books correctly.
We recognised familiar words that were repeated like 'beans, money and Jack'. We really enjoyed story time with the big book and colourful pictures.
......................................................................................
With adult help, children in Reggio Emilia educators document their learning through insightful and detailed conversations, photographs, and artwork.The physical space in a Reggio Emilia classroom is designed to foster communication and relationships.
Children are encouraged to learn from each other, the teacher, and parents in a setting that is discovery-oriented and attractive to them.
I am enjoying the journey of learning how to set up the environment that promotes play through learning and making sure it is a pleasurable, social activity.
No comments:
Post a Comment