Nadirchat

My teachers often ask, "How do I know if an experience or interest or theory is worth exploring?" Naturally, I'd like to say follow them all but the truth is it is impossible. Here are a few of my guidelines. To begin you should consider, The What What did you see, hear and observe? What is the child's interest, thinking and theory. Is it just a passing thought or moment or is it an opportunity to dig deeper? The next step is the  So What It is here, in the ability to identify the So What , that decisions are made to move forward or not. What is it about a particular interest that stands out above others? Is there an opportunity to scaffold learning, support development, explore the 100 languages, to assist the children in bridging their thinking to a new level of understanding, to provide real life experiences, involve families, community..... If the answer to all or a few of these questions is yes then we proceed.  Once this is done we look at the  Now What We gathe...

Long ago when themes ruled the classrooms every child produced a carbon copy of work and teachers believed they all had one voice. The truth is they had no voice and no choice. They existed in a space that set clear guidelines. The teacher's role was was to fill the child's empty cup with facts. The child's role was to listen and follow. The pebble of change was cast into the water many years ago, when educators began to hear the whisper of a better way to engage with children in the classroom; the Reggio way. Call it what you will inquiry based, child directed, inspired learning. You can write the documents in any which way but it all comes from the wonder of learning that is Reggio. We will all find our own way of bringing Reggio home. There is no right way or wrong way-just your way of taking the guiding principles of this unique approach and melding it with your own beliefs. However, in order to truly embrace change there must be one fundamental shift, the child must be...

What is Community? This year's JK-Sk class spent the first part of the school year exploring the concept of community and all it entails.  Community has always been part of our school life. More that just a place to live it is a place of people, voices, shared space, rituals and customs. Coming form the Latin term  meaning "with gifts" the term suggests a general sense of humanity, reciprocity and a shared practice of doing good for others that comes from working together for a joint purpose. Communities help generate a shared language, rituals and customs, and a collective memory of those that join the group. www.learnactivity.com/community.htlm If we give credence to the old African proverb that �it takes a village to raise a child� then we can understand the impact that community has in helping us raise our children. Children need more that just supportive parents. As they branch outside the home they require a larger support network to grow into healthy citizens....

Thinking about Children's Thinking Now that's a brain full isn't it? There simply aren't enough hours in a day to reflect on all the thoughts that spin around in a classroom.  It would be wonderful if we could pause at every turn to delve into the children's thinking on the hundreds of topics they encounter. This was an interesting experience. Taylor and Sophie constructed a "Royal Tent." The teacher asked, "What does Royal mean?" Taylor ~ You need something sparkly and colorful to make it Royal. Sophie~Royal means there are beautiful things like dresses, flower dresses, bows and bracelets, earrings, makeup, tiaras and crowns. Teachers ~Who wears crowns and all these beautiful things. Sophie ~A princess, Sleeping Beauty, Kings and Queens. Teacher~So then Royal means you are a King, Queen or Princess. What else makes them a King, Queen, Princess or Prince. Taylor ~They wear pink, royal blue, bows and sparkly things. Teacher ~Can you think of anyth...