The Competency of Children - excellent article from teachreggio.org

Click here

Music at the Playeum, Singapore

Good times with our DJ, Johan and Zara at the Playeum - a child-centred discovery centre in Singapore opened in September 2015 and which strongly identifies itself with the Reggio Emilia approach. This is a place where children's freedom of expression and inquiry is celebrated and where four year olds can use hot glue guns. I would recommend to anyone. We got membership the minute they opened and had a lot of fun over the year watching the concept be 'sold' to Singaporean parents. As the Spanish say: poco a poco. The Playeum might be Singapore's salvation!

Take a look at their website to see how they structure their learning opportunities/ ateliers.

Light/ shadow play at Museo Pambata, Manila

Check out Indy and Alex's moves at the Museo Pambata

The background screen is made from a light sensitive material. A light flashes periodically which captures their outline on the background screen. It is the same concept we also had a lot of fun exploring at the Loris Malaguzzi Centre in Reggio Emilia. See here.

The Secrets of Paper temporary exhibition at the Loris Malaguzzi Centre

Loose Parts - Inspiring Play in Young Children

Today we received a wonderful gift from the lady who was really our Reggio mentor and massive inspiration in Singapore. It's called Loose Parts - Inspiring Play in Young Children. It is not only wonderful because it conveys its message predominantly in photos, but because the authors create a really useful framework for loose parts play with many mini case studies, interpreting and categorising children's intentions when they play with loose parts.

Here is their framework:

Senses

Colour
Texture
Sound

Creativity

Art
Design
Symbolic Play

Action

Movement
Transporting
Connecting/ Disconnecting

Inquiry

Construction
Investigation

Correlation

Reflections on our Nexus and ISN projects: Environment

In June we completed our outdoor learning project in the Nexus International School Nursery/ Kindergarten playground and we have just completed our outdoor learning project at the International School of Nice and are very much still buzzing from what we've learnt.

We wanted to focus on one of the bigger areas which is environment.

Building on our growing awakening, these two projects confirm our conviction that motivation, progression and deep learning are intrinsic within the child WHEN the environment allows it. Our role then as educators is to OBSERVE the child at work to interpret where their curiosity is taking them in order to furnish them with the resources they need to take each next step. We also PROVOKE by adding unexpected resources. Each and every time the child will always do something that we couldn’t have predicted and that is why we must stand back and let the magic happen.

So what is this environment? It is resource-rich and open-ended. It challenges, awes, inspires, provokes and even disturbs - a great example being the Living Organisms atelier at the Loris Malaguzzi Centre. See photos below:

The environment seeks to reach and enliven all the senses.

What's it like inside the famous Diana Preschool in Reggio Emilia?

It is understandably very hard to visit the infant toddler centres and preschools of Reggio Emilia. You can only visit them as part of the International Study Group, and even then, you can't chose the ones you go inside.

We had a good stalk around the outside of the Diana Preschool but didn't get the chance to go in and were really curious to see it as the first municipal preschool in Reggio Emilia and the place where Loris Malaguzzi grew his very special approach. We have however found a pretty detailed description from an unnamed author at Bennett Day School in Chicago of a morning in the famous Diana Preschool. And hopefully we will get the chance to visit ourselves on their open evening in January 2017.

Pictured - atelier at the Diana Preschool, Reggio Emilia

Objection!

Reggio Emilia International Study Group 2016

In our lecture today we learnt from the pedagogista that recent legislation in Italy decreed that all school children needed to present their permesso di soggiorno or residency permit. Reggio teachers joined teachers across Italy in conscientiously objecting to this decree. A similar situation in England, with someone different taking responsibility for the rights of children to receive an education. The pedagogista also told us a statistic that we were quite overwhelmed by: the municipal preschool at the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre has children of 35 different nationalities, more than many international schools.

When should children be able to read and write?

Reggio Emilia International Study Group 2016

In our lecture today we heard from the pedagogista that many parents in Italy believe the transition to primary school is when children should be able to read and write.

Naturally, this belief and fear results in some opposition to the Reggio Emilia approach. However even the Italian Curriculum does not place this expectation on children, instead proposing that children learn to read and write in the first 2 years of primary school or, as our pedagogista puts it (drawing emphasis to the conceptualisation of language as a code) to "construct their understanding of reading and writing codes". 

At the Loris Malaguzzi primary school they pay very careful attention to the wording of the Italian standards and expectations before applying them to their approach. In this case they believe this 2 years gives full licence to allowing children to freely explore all their other 100+ languages. In the words of today's speaker "Why would we push the pace?"

Integrating technology

Reggio Emilia International Study Group 2016

Indigo & Alex playing in the Digital Landscapes atelier at the Loris Malaguzzi Centre, summer 2016

"People laugh at our technology." The technology you see in digital ateliers is not cutting edge by any means. However, it is integrated to the landscape. It is "NOT functional" (i.e not to be operated) and by being part of the landscape it is "artisan" and "the hands of children and adults would be very important to create things in these spaces". The technology is always there but never the most important thing.

Here are some examples:

• The digital ateliers often help change points of view/ perspective, offering the view of an animal or a dinosaur using a webcam. 
•  They encourage manipulation of objects to explore how projections change when the projector is pointed at unusual surfaces. 
•  They allow a new understanding of movement, for example through examining stop motion and video captured of children jumping. The children were then able to observe and study how complex the movements were when jumping.

Observed freedom

Reggio Emilia International Study Group 2016

Each preschool or infant toddler centre in Reggio Emailia has outdoor spaces and a central 'piazza' where small groups are allowed to go with "liberta vigilanza" or observed freedom. In the morning gatherings each day a group of children will be 'chosen' to independently go outside or in the piazza (where there are often role playing or construction opportunities). The Pedagogista spoke of how the teachers make choices - especially about the makeup of these groups, explaining that some children would not be put in a group together when given this freedom.

The effect is twofold (or reciprocal again!) in that the group get to operate independently with all its inherent benefits and the teachers are able to give more attention to observing a smaller number of children in the class.

Mixed age 'year groups'?

Reggio Emilia International Study Group 2016

Again at Anna Frank Preschool we got the chance to ask about the mixed age-group class (in this case mixed 3 and 5 year olds - no 4 year olds). The Pedagogista explained that mixed groupings had at first been a logistical solution to help the schools offer a greater number of places. However, they quickly realised that the classes had a great dynamic - again talking about the reciprocal relationship - where both the older and younger learners benefitted. She stated that she thought the job was probably more challenging for the teacher but that the benefits were positive for all.

Compliments are natural

Reggio Emilia International Study Group 2016

When observing in Anna Frank Preschool today we noticed lots of comments similar to "I like it..." "Well done..." "Good job..." and it got us thinking again about the Montessori attitude to praise Vs encouragement. All of the above comments we observed today were quickly followed by comments aimed at extending the child's thinking or sustaining the possibility for learning. For example, when commenting on a self-portrait the Pedagogista said "I like it... but I wonder if the legs are thick enough?" She then took time to help the child investigate the size of her own legs in relation to the rest of her body.

When we got a chance to experience the approach first hand - in the mark making atelier at the Loris Malaguzzi Centre later that day - we asked the Atelierista about the Reggio philosophy on praise. She said that feedback should extend learning but that offering a compliment is not to be avoided because it is what "comes naturally".

The importance of architecture

Reggio Emilia International Study Group 2016

Our visits to five Reggio Preschools and Infant Toddler Centres during the International Study Group, and the following week we spent in Reggio Emilia, made us realise that not all of them are beautiful. In addition to our visits, we study the municipal statements of money invested on improvements and new buildings, and the data given to us on the course detailing whether or not each preschool or infant toddler centre is in a purpose built building. Approximately half are, and the examples we've seen with our own eyes are open plan and wonderful. Others are housed in old elementary schools and have had little investment for renovation. A few, including one we visited, are somewhere in the middle having had substantial funds allocated to renovate the internal space.

The Loris Malaguzzi preschool and primary school is beautiful but it isn't in a purpose-built building. The interior has however had substantial and expensive restructuring. One of our lectures reveals the thinking behind the architecture. The spaces encourage:

Open relationships: with open doors and transparent walls, allowing the possibility for collaboration and reciprocal relationships.

Creation: All the materials are visible with lots of open shelving and storage around the room so you have inspiration all around you.

Celebration and enhancement: the space allows constructions and creations to remain to allow celebration of the work and further enhancements, including by other learners.

Reciprocal relationships

Reggio Emilia International Study Group 2016

Throughout the course the Reggio team have stressed that they see a reciprocal relationship where they can learn from us, the attendees, too. They also explain this is why Loris Malaguzzi organised the first exhibitions, to start a conversation. These were held in the beautiful town square and created a reciprocal relationship between the citizens and the children. They all learned from the experience.

Changing points of view

Reggio Emilia International Study Group 2016

5 year old children like to draw people front on. Recognising this, and how much children love a challenge, the teacher challenged the kids to draw people sitting in a hospital waiting room from behind. The change in point of view led the children to start wondering what each person was thinking while they were waiting.

"Art has the power to disturb"

Reggio Emilia International Study Group 2016

Our lecture today, delivered by an experience Reggio Emilia atelierista was fascinating.

"Art has the power to disturb" she said before going on to explain that all civilisation has prized art as a form of expression. Every single one of us has creative potential and Loris Malaguzzi's idea of 100+ languages recognises that it is about finding your expressive language/s, which can't be achieved without being exposed to all those languages.

Art has the power to disturb and challenge. The actions of ISIS to destroy art show their response to that power.

Change

Another exhibit that surely intrigues every adult that sees it - and also children. This provocation gives us the chance to see something that we'd never normally see as the everyday vegetables and fruits change. Observational sketches and models in a variety of mediums accompanied this study. The glimpse of an otherwise hidden world works in the same way as this creative writing exercise I developed using slow motion videos.

Imagine a plant

One of the standout exhibits at the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre in Reggio Emilia was this activity in which the children had been invited to draw what they imagined would grown from the bean or seed. The power and logic of the children's imaginations in this provocation is inspiring. A great opportunity for reflection when the seeds we plant actually grow, and a model for the scientific process in practice.