Summer Book Reading

I love learning and trying new things in my classroom. I really love learning from teachers!!!

As part of my district's Personal Professional Development, I decided to read and study Reggio Approach to early education this summer.

Reggio is a way of thinking, not really a script. I spent hours mulling over questions that the book offered, and then the questions that popped into my head. This is the book that I read, it's copyright date is 2005, but still a good read.

Here are a few of my thoughts as I read, reflected and revised my thinking:

1. How do I view the children? I really would like this to be reflective in the way I teach and structure our classroom. Can I view the children as valuable and competent? Not someone who needs my protection, but as someone who is smart and safe. Help them to be aware of their well-being and take responsibility for it.

2. Does management of the children take precedent over the development of the child? Many times yes, but how could I revise my thinking and day to place a bigger importance on the child?

3. What does the amount of care and cleaning say about how we feel about our school? Is this a chore and done unwillingly, or am I willing to create the clean space that I desire for me and my students?

4. Stay present in the environment, observe and reflect on whether it works toward creating my educational vision. (Oh, right, what is my educational vision???)

5. Look at my school schedule. Where does it flow? Celebrate. Where does it feel rushed? Revise.

6. I super LOVED the chapter on Projects. It really helped me think about the theory of this, not just, here are the steps, create a project. 

7. And I really LOVED the chapter on Observation and Documentation. I get so overwhelmed with so much information coming at me during the day, that documenting just does not happen. But, again. Theory and a couple of practical ideas to try, make this seem possible. 

I also came across a video that is short, and tells a bit about a Reggio preschool. The cool thing is that it was published in 2018, in the big city near where I grew up. 

My way of teaching takes a bit of this and a bit of that, so as you watch the video, know that I take a bit of the book, a bit of the video, a bit of a previous book, a bit of observations of teachers, a bit of conversations with my teacher tribe and a bit of lots of other things to make a classroom that works for me and the children that live in it with me.