Information about district facilities recommendations...

...has been posted on the district web site, www.slpschools.org. Please refer families to this web site, especially calling their attention to the upcoming meetings in January and February where district residents are given the opportunity to provide feedback on the options. As staff members, you are also encouraged to provide feedback on the proposals and I strongly encourage you to make your opinion known now during this process as opposed to waiting and see what turns out, then potentially not liking what happened. Remember, "decisions belong to those who show up." Thanks for your involvement in this issue.

An interview with Harold Gardener

Another article I think you will enjoy...

http://brainworldmagazine.com/?p=364

The Wind Project at Mid-Pacific Institute

I think you will enjoy this...

http://www.midpac.edu/2009/12/collaboration_between_preschoo.php

and this as well...

http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/pg/gallery2/main.php

A provocation about circle time

Adapted from the Reggio listserv:

I just returned from the NAEYC's annual conference in D.C. It was great. Very informative.

At one workshop, there was talk about eliminating circle time from the schedule.

Group instruction is not the best way to teach children. A teacher can never be assured that every child is picking up on what the teacher is presenting. Some might be nodding, especially dual-language learners, copying the other children to get by. Attention span is short for young children. Even when circle time is engaging, physical, entertaining, etc., children's attention will be drawn to their own interests. Only the most comfortable of children participate, especially if you have a class of 17 or more. Playtime and individual instruction is cut short. What can be done in circle time, can be done during play, and it's better because children learn better when they're active. But what struck me most is that children don't choose to go to circle, in many classrooms, it has to be done, not buts about it.

I understand why circle time would not be such a good approach, but I have seen some teachers do some incredible circle times. The activity welcomes children, they talk about what has happened at home, what they will work on during the day, it helps with transitions and routines, etc. I also like that circle time brings children together as a community.

... I struggle with circle time, not in the sense that I can't keep the children engaged, but that it does not fit the values I hold for young children. I want children to come of their own accord to group activities. If I start playing the guitar, or present interesting material and activities, or begin to tell a story, the children gravitate naturally, and when they no longer have interest, they leave when they're ready to, not when I tell them. But these activities happen throughout the day, not at a specific time, and can last a little or long time. But when you're mandated to do circle time at a specific time and then move on, I find it jarring for the children.

I'm wondering what you think about this...

The ECIP forms are in your mailbox...

...or in the inter-school mail, on their way to your mailbox.

Remember, if you do not have an assessment form for a student, it means the student is not enrolled in PowerSchool. You should have the family fill out the SLP Pre-K Data form and return it to Carri immediately.

Forms are to be filled out in pencil. The entire class set should be given to Heidi NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 4 p.m.

If you have any questions, please check with me. Thanks!

The Early Learning Challenge: Raising the Bar -- Secretary Arne Duncan's Remarks at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Annua

Well worth reading.


The Early Learning Challenge: Raising the Bar -- Secretary Arne Duncan's Remarks at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference

The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting

The pendulum swings yet again...


The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting

Assessment Forms

Heidi and Carri continue to work on the scanable forms. The earliest you can expect those in your mailbox will be Monday, November 30.

Once the forms are distributed, I'll let you know the time frame for returning them. You should return the completed forms to Heidi as a class set rather than giving them to her a couple at a time. Please remember your commitment to filling out the forms and returning them within the time frame you'll have once you have the form.

I am out of the office from mid-afternoon Nov. 17 to Nov. 24 at the National Community Education Association Conference in Phoenix where Linda Saveraid and I are presenting on the connection between early childhood community education and K-12. You can always reach me by email or cell--Heidi has my number.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. As always, I am thankful for the opportunity to work with you.

Workshop at MacDonald Montessori

FYI:

Come and learn about the marvelous language of clay. This rich material has its issues: how to keep it fresh and pliable, how to explore it with differnt aged children. We all benefit from working with the material and learning what can be done with it. $25 fee.

December 3, 2009, 6-8:30 p.m., MacDonald Montessori, 175 Western Avenue, St. Paul 55102

To register, go to www.mnreggio.org

Musings on what is Reggio inspired work?

From the Reggio listserv...

"Reggio inspired work and understanding CAN NOT come to be completely understood in one workshop, one day observing in a Reggion inspired context, nor spent going to Reggio with a study group for one week, nor will you gleam the magnitude of its complexities in one month, one year, one decade nor in two decades or three!!

"You can not fully understand it by reading one article or 500, nor in reading one book or 500...To declare arrival buries the future and hope of all children.

"Reggio inspired work is a journey whose path leads into the future for those who choose to take it. It is a complex and risky journey. You are asked to put aside past 'mindsets' about your way of working with children. You will often find yourself wiping the slate almost if not entirely clean. It is about questions, thousands of questions that have no obvious answer...It is about turning the lens and rethinking about who is the child before you?..It is about a child that comes to you thinking and full of knowledge vs. the child you fill up.

"Documentation becomes your pedagogical bible or textbook...you become theory driven--the theories that the children have about their world which contains their thinking and understanding and the brilliance that is there...You become 'why' driven...It is about living in disequilibrium and loving it!

"Loris Malaguzzi tell us to 'never teach to a child something that he can learn on his/her own.

"If we solve the problems of the community for the child, the child never learns to solve his or her own problem. If we place rules they are artificially placed on the child...if children have ownership in the solution they will see the value and meaning in wanting to be respectful of those around them...The teacher no longer is at the head of the class but slips to stand beside the child and often behind the child as the child leads. This relinquishing of power is hard for many teachers to accept.

"Reggio inspired work isn't about 'fun' projects but is centered squarely on the serious intentions and thoughts of children. Projects are about making thinking visible and revisitable, projects cycle through children's theories and misconceptions that are made in order to make meaning...Projects involve collaboration, co-construction and co-learning within the whole community...Projects churn up questions and I wonders. A project causes the child to hold the core 'wonders' throughout the day, on the playground, at home, in the care...Projects should not be the focus of what we do, if projects surface then take them and run!!...Projects are studied by the teachers as if one was preparing for their masters work, for projects can take us deep into theory and hypothesizing, project work keeps one foot in the realm of researching."

An update on the ECIP forms

An update--Heidi and Carri will be working with Prachee from the District Office in the immediate future to get the ball rolling on producing the ECIP scan forms/bubble sheets. My hope remains that you will have the forms before Thanksgiving break but that may not be accomplish-able (is that a word?) Thanks for your patience. This is truly a situation where, on so many levels, the best laid plans were circumvented by life intervening. We'll get there.

A blog worth reading from Lilian Katz

Projects that Strengthen Children’s Sense of Their Communities

Lilian's Blog

October 14, 2009

Extensive work with teachers implementing the Project Approach indicates clearly that the quality of the children’s experiences and the quality of what is accomplished are strongly related to the topic under investigation. Among the guiding principles of selecting topics for projects with young children is that the children can make direct observations and have firsthand interactions with many aspects of the topic. One broad topic with a rich range of possible subtopics is an in-depth investigation of many aspects of their own local community.

One way to begin such a project is to ask the children about what they would like to find out about any of the stores or other buildings, parks, or other places nearby. Sometimes it helps to use a photograph or drawing, an artifact, or a story from your own experience to spark conversation with the children about what is around them in the community. An artifact might be a brochure, a tee shirt with the logo of a park or business, or even a store receipt.

Another approach to beginning a project about the community is to take a 10-minute walk, first without the children, and later with them, in any direction from the school site. As you walk and look around, ask yourself: Are there some things that come into view worthy of the children knowing more about and investigating? Of course, many things might come into view that would be worth looking into more deeply.

Places in the Community

• office supply stores
• flower shop
• department stores
• bookstore
• dry cleaner
• optometrist office
• nursery
• barber shop or hairdresser

• railroad tracks
• combine harvester
• furniture store
• shoe store
• bakery
• pharmacy/drugstore
• lumber dealer
• hardware stores

• fire station
• post office
• supermarket
• grain elevator
• nursery
• paper cup factory
• garage
• bridge

Walking the same route with the children provides an opportunity to note their reactions to the various features they see. Which ones do they ask about or talk about among themselves? Which ones do they look at closely?

People in the Community

• builders (e.g., carpenters, electricians, plumbers)
• bank tellers
• automotive technicians
• hospital staff

• local police
• firefighters
• post office staff
• sanitation department workers
• farmers

Another way to get started with a project focusing on the community might be to identify various service providers, such as a police officer or hospital staff member, who help to keep the community safe and orderly and provide important services.

Another approach to studying the community that some teachers of young children have used is to help the children study the signs that they could spot around them like Slow, Stop, Hospital, Traffic Light Ahead, Exit, Sale, Entrance, One Way, No Turn on Red, Open House, and so forth. Even though in some cases the children were not yet readers, they became highly motivated to copy what was on the signs and to figure out what they said. Some children gradually involved their parents in helping them to read signs everywhere. In a few cases, the children decided to create signs in their classroom and school buildings as well.

It usually helps when the children work in small groups, of three or four members, who agree to study particular subtopics related to the larger one of the community. For example, three or four children can sign up to collect information from the neighborhood bakery. In a discussion with the whole class, they can agree on the questions that their small group will try to answer. Some of the investigation can be conducted by a visit to the bakery with an assistant teacher and a volunteer parent. The children in the small group can also agree to collect information and do some drawings when they accompany a parent to the bakery. They can work together as a small group with the help of the teacher to prepare a report of what they found out to give to the whole class.

As each small group completes its investigation and drawings and surveys, the teacher can help them to prepare a book and a documentation display for the children in other classes to observe. The teacher can also help the children plan a culminating event to be attended by other classes and parents.

I would like to thank my colleague Jean Mendoza for her contribution to this posting.

Return to the Lilian's Blog main page.

Update on the ECIPs

Just a reminder--your documentation of the skills identified on the ECIPs should be an ongoing process.

It will be awhile (and I can't be more specific at this point) before the actual assessment forms will be ready for printing. Step 1 is to ensure that all student data is entered in PowerSchool, so if you received an email from me reminding you to get a complete classroom set of forms turned in, this needs to be a high priority for you the week of October 19. Step 2 is for Carri to enter the data into PowerSchool, which she can't do unless we complete Step 1. Step 3 will be for the data to be transferred from PowerSchool into Just5Clicks and that is done at the district office level (and thanks to Mary Norwick and Prachee Mukherjee for their effort). Step 4 will be for Heidi and Prachee to work together so that the forms can be printed--Step 5. In Step 6, the forms will be put in your mailbox or sent to you interschool mail. Step 7 will be another Provocation Station with a timeline for completion.

So if you have your documentation organized, the actual filling out of the form might be time consuming but you should be ready to rock and roll.

If you have any questions about this process, either leave a comment here or contact me directly. Thanks for your help.

Curriculum Night Oct. 6, Inquiry into Inquiry Oct. 9, Growing into Inquiry Oct. 15

1. Looking forward to our mutual exploration of the first ever SLP Pre-K Curriculum Night, 6:30-8, Central Gym this upcoming Tuesday, Oct. 6! I understand we are competing against the Fire Station Open House so we'll hope to see some parents try to cram this in, too.

2. Inquiry into Inquiry, Part Trois, begins on this Friday, Oct. 9, 12:30-2:30, Central room 217. Please let me know if you will NOT be able to attend. I hope you will refer back to the Calendar of Events posted earlier in September and mark your calendars for the other Inquiry into Inquiry Fridays.

3. Growing into Inquiry, the new staff development opportunity for all group leaders and assistants, begins on Thursday, Oct. 15, 1:30-2:30, Central room 217. Please let Lisa Campbell know if you plan to attend. Teachers, I would like to encourage you to encourage your assistants to attend and make it easy for them to do so if they are in class with you during that time by perhaps asking a parent to help out or adjusting your day so they can be gone for this hour.

And remember...not everything can--or should--be a project

Again, from the Reggio listserv conversation:


...hinge on a question I hear a lot--how do you know what is "project" worthy. There are lots of depends.

SY writes:
"The children will tell you what they want to learn, and after much thought, planning, and collaboration with other teachers, you provide opportunities,
toys, themes, etc., to expand children's play and learning."

If you are waiting for the children to "tell you" you are going to miss lots of rich opportunities. If you go with discussions that children have-such as birthday parties etc. you are going to go up many dead ends-this often leads to teacher
discouragement. (my emphasis)

Let me just say that children say many things that excite them, but not all things that have children excited can sustain a project. For example some of the MAJOR LONG TERM projects that I have done with children came from a "casual" question or remark, or from observations that could have been over looked but in my capturing of them and pondering upon them they transcended into extraordinary projects--last year it was the observation of one small moment that had me pondering about 3's with that in my mind a few weeks later when another not so long moment happened it burst forth into a provocation that became our 9 month In Dialogue with Lines project.

This year we (the children who were in the line project last year are now 4/5's) are into a journey (once again I refuse to use the "p" word although we are into one) that happened with this small statement as we walked off the playground as a gust of wind came up the child exclaimed, "Wow what kind of wind was that?" That was on August 24, and we are now into a journey of winds--the children have a "dictionary" of winds that they are observing, we are going out in search of and unpacking their theories of their winds (we have about 20+ at the moment). Amazingly their theories of the different types of winds that they are observing aligns with what researchers and scientist tell us!! I am getting ready to go out the door for another day in our journey as the children yesterday debated the difference between air and wind!! We will bring this back to the table today!!

...Lets go back to the question of how does a project give birth? How do you know? As I pondered on SY's question again this morning it dawned on me what my
process is--mental sifting! It is beyond reflection as I begin to take what the children have said or done and I toss it in my mind thinking about the
rich possibilities, in that mental sifting I let pieces fall out until I had rich and sustainable possibilities in my mind.

In the case of the wind...at the group meeting I tossed what Bella had said back to all the children in the form of an I wonder question. It ignited. As the children's thoughts poured out that morning, I began to do an instant mental sift---looking at the excitement, looking at the theories that could be found in this concept of "wind-ness", thinking in the moment and yet 10 steps ahead, feeling the excitement myself as it held many I wonders for myself and the idea of wind can keep the children's thinking one foot into fantasy-where theories percolate. All of this flashed and tossed in my mind in the 10 mins. that the children shared about that wind during our group meeting.

After the meeting I talked to my team, I began to mentally sift the question and the children's reaction more and wondered what to toss back the next day to see if this indeed had kindled the children's thinking. The following day I tested the
"temperature" of the children's interest. Again it soared. Later in the day while outside I began hearing the children wondering what wind they were feeling. I knew that something was percolating in the children's minds--something worthy of a journey.

Just a few of my thoughts...I don't know if this makes sense..but there are so many depends but it is the mental sifting that I go through that often helps me to find those moments that when tossed to the children will take off and
soar, like the wind :-)
Leslie

Interesting article

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/magazine/27tools-t.html?

Updating Professional Development Resource Library

This summer we rearranged the resource library.

Now, some of you may be saying, "I didn't know we had a resource library!"

The books previously located on the counter behind the mailboxes at Central were moved to the shelves opposite Peggy Rick's desk. Many of the books previously on the shelves were quite dated so we donated them to the recycling center. The books are now arranged primarily by subject matter and include resources for teachers working in preschool through school aged.

One of the shelves has the Reggio Emilia resources. Amazingly enough (at least to me), there is a list of resources that have been purchased over the last two years. A number of these books are currently not on the shelf and my sincere hope is that you have these and are using them. (There is no formal check out system for the resources; we'll stick with the honor system :) ).

However, I am looking to purchase some additional resources and before moving forward with that, I want to make sure that we still do have the books I think we have.

To that end, could you please either leave a comment here or email me to let me know if you have one of these books and DO IT NOW. Thanks. Also, if there are any resources you think would be a valuable addition to our professional development library, let me know.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OF THESE TITLES?
First Steps Toward Teaching the Reggio Way
Possible Schools: The Reggio Approach to Urban Education
Powerful Children: Understanding How to Teach and Learn Using the Reggio Approach
Are You Listening? Fostering Conversations That Help Young Children Learn
Bringing Learning to Life: A Reggio Approach to Early Childhood Education
In the Spirit of the Studio: Learning from the Atelier of Reggio Emilia

SLP Pre-K Curriculum Night: Part Deux

I am so glad that you are giving considerable thought to how SLP Pre-K Curriculum night can best reflect the way that you are exploring inquiry in your classrooms--and how you can best communicate that with parents.

The activity described in the previous post might work for you. And if it does not, I want to warmly encourage you to put it aside and think about what you want to do with this opportunity to share with parents where you are on your Reggio journey. That authentic way will make sense to you and to the parents. So please, make your evening plans on that basis. Also, rather than 40 minutes with the parents, let's think about 15-20 minutes.

If you have other questions or comments or ideas, please either post them as a comment or just chat it up with me! These are, to use the parlance, a provocation for my thinking as well and a great gift for which I am most appreciative.

SLP Pre-K Curriculum Information Night October 6

We're getting excited about the first ever SLP Pre-K Curriculum Night on Tuesday, October 6, at Central Community Center in the gym.

This event is for all parents whose children participate in any SLP Pre-K program. Parents in the ECFE infant, toddler and 2 year old classes are welcome to attend. The focus of the evening will be how the classes are inspired by Reggio Emilia and the inquiry approach to the curriculum.

Lead teachers, and in SLP Kids' Place Pre-K, lead teachers and group leaders, should plan to attend. Assistants and parent educators are welcome to participate, too!

The agenda will include about 1/2 hour of a presentation regarding the ECIPs and how our inquiry approach addresses this. It will also describe IB, the central ideas and again, how our inquiry approach prepares all children to be successful when they enter K. The presentation will encourage parents to be active participants in their child's learning by reading documentation posted outside the classrooms, asking questions of teachers, children and others in their classroom community, sharing their ideas and expertise with the classroom community.

The remainder of the night will offer parents an opportunity to 'experience' an inquiry approach to a topic. Here's where you come in!

Lisa, Peggy and I would like each LEAD TEACHER in every classroom, in collaboration with your teaching team(s), to develop an activity based on "Hopes and Dreams." How you want the parents to approach this is completely up to you but remember, this is their introduction to the difference between product and process. (This doesn't mean there can't be some sort of take-away when they're done.) Keep the emphasis on what they bring to the table and can contribute to the activity. Talk to each other to share and shape your ideas. We're glad to be part of those conversations as well.

That evening we will have long tables set up around the perimeter of the gym with chairs so you can put out your provocations for the parents. Parents will be given about 5 minutes to wander around the gym, looking for a "Hopes and Dreams" provocation that appeals to them. They will be encouraged to choose on that basis, not simply 'flock' to their child's teacher. They will have about 40 minutes to work with their group and the teacher should document the process. The evening will end with teachers sharing their documentation and parents given the opportunity to make comments, ask questions, etc.

A message from ECFE Advisory Council Chair Lauri Kraft to ECFE staff

Hello!
Welcome to another school year -- we are again scheduling classroom visits to introduce people to the ECFE Advisory Council and let them know about the events we hold throughout the year.

We will also be passing out volunteer forms this year. We are always happy to have new council members, but we thought this might give people a chance to get involved with an event or two without having to make a year-round commitment.

It would be helpful if you could spare a few minutes during class to let people fill these out. We are planning to be more event-based and do fewer typical fundraisers this year, so volunteer support will be important. Thank you!

Please let me know if you have any questions or need more information. Thanks, as always, for your support and for all you do for our children!
Lauri Kraft

Thinking about adding additional media to your art supplies?

From the Reggio listserv...

In Minneapolis area, we have a clay company called Continental Clay, and if you do not plan on firing the clay in a kiln, you can get a bag of clay that is from the end run of on clay and start of another for $3.95. It is a big bag- 25 lbs maybe. Maybe if you have a clay company near by, it would be worth asking about...
here is the website- they do ship!

http://www.continentalclay.com/index.php

New Information about H1N1

News Release

September 17, 2009
Officials update guidelines for handling flu-like illness in child care settings and pre-school programs More protective measures recommended for children under five years of age
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has issued updated recommendations for handling influenza-like illness in child care settings and early childhood education programs that serve children under the age of five. A major provision of the recommendations involves the amount of time a child should be kept home with possible symptoms of influenza.

MDH is recommending that parents keep children under five at home until seven days after the symptoms first appeared or 24 hours after a child's symptoms go away, whichever is longer. The updated recommendations call for keeping young children out of child care longer than school-age children who develop symptoms of influenza are kept out of school. If they feel well enough, school-age children may return to school twenty-four hours after their fever has resolved without the use of fever-reducing medicines like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. The stricter child care recommendations also apply to facilities where children under five and older children are both present, unless the two groups – as well as staff who interact with them – can be kept separate.

MDH is taking a more protective approach than is currently called for in federal guidance for young children, primarily because they are at higher risk of severe illness from the novel H1N1 virus. In Minnesota, children under five have been hospitalized with novel H1N1 at twice the rate of children aged five to 12 years. "Observing precautions for preventing the spread of influenza is often not very feasible for young children," said Dr. Ruth Lynfield, Minnesota State Epidemiologist. "For a young child, it can be difficult to control a runny nose and to cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. In addition, young children tend to put shared toys and other items in their mouths. Frequent handwashing is also a challenge. For these reasons, influenza and other infectious diseases are easier to spread among young children." "We believe extra precautions are justified to protect the health of children in this very vulnerable age group," Lynfield said.

The new guidelines, which are part of the agency's ongoing effort to control the spread of novel H1N1, come at a time when influenza activity is increasing statewide. Minnesota is now reporting "widespread" influenza activity – the highest classification under the system used by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition to the more stringent recommendation about how long to keep preschoolers home, MDH is also recommending that facilities or programs serving preschool age children take the following actions:
Strongly encourage staff to get vaccinated against both novel H1N1 and regular, "seasonal" influenza as soon as vaccine is available. Shipments of this year's seasonal vaccine have already been arriving in the state. The first shipments of novel H1N1 vaccine are expected in early to mid-October.

• Strongly encourage parents to have their child vaccinated against both kinds of influenza as soon as vaccine is available. Children under six months of age can't be vaccinated, but older children should be vaccinated against both kinds of flu.
• 
  Encourage parents to talk with their health care provider, and identify the steps they will take if their child develops – or is exposed to – influenza-like illness.
• 
  Notify parents and staff if either children or staff in child care or other early childhood programs become ill with symptoms of influenza.
• 
  Clean all areas of your facility regularly, with an emphasis on objects or surfaces that are likely to be in contact the hands, mouths, or bodily fluids of children.
• 
  Parents should also determine how they will handle caring for their child if their child has to stay home with an influenza-like illness, said Kathryn Como-Sabetti, Senior Epidemiologist at MDH.

Public health officials are also emphasizing the importance of simple, "low-tech" prevention measures in protecting yourself against the flu. "We're not expecting to have the novel H1N1 vaccine available until early to mid-October," Como-Sabetti said. "That's another reason to keep stressing those simple personal protection measures that we've been telling people about since April."

In addition to covering your coughs and sneezes with a sleeve or a tissue, and frequent handwashing, health officials are urging ill people to stay at home. Flu symptoms can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. In some cases, symptoms of novel H1N1 can also include vomiting and diarrhea in addition to respiratory symptoms. In most cases, people can recover at home without the need for visiting a health care provider.

Individuals who are at high risk of severe illness or complications from influenza should talk to their doctor and plan for what to do if they are exposed to influenza or develop influenza symptoms. Those who may be at risk include children under five years of age – especially if they're under the age of two years; people 65 years of age or older; pregnant women; and people with underlying medical conditions. Antiviral medications are frequently used to treat high-risk patients, but they need to be given promptly to be most effective. People who do develop severe symptoms from influenza should seek medical care promptly. It is also important to ensure that sick people have enough fluids to drink. Aspirin or medications containing aspirin should not be given to anyone 18 and under with influenza- like symptoms. For more information about novel H1N1 flu, go to www.mdhflu.com.
-MDH-

Anyone? Anyone?

Dear Reggio-Inspired Folks, Reminder news about the 'save-the date' we sent earlier.

Please come and join with us to honor our work, past and present and celebrate the launch of the new Reggio-Inspired Network of Minnesota. Meet others interested in education, the citizenship of children and the inspiration of Reggio Emilia.

I'll be there!

You are invited to celebrate with other educators, enjoy wine and special hors d’oeuvres; many examples of documentation; a large scale collage experience about the twin cities area and special guests Sage Cowles, Nan Skelton and Joanne Spencer. . It will be a great experience and opportunity.

Thursday, October 1
6:00 to 8:00 pm
Open Book
1011 Washington Ave. S.
Mpls, MN 55415

No reservations are necessary. For more information phone 952 426-5020
[Link]www.mnbookarts.org for directions, etc.

Interesting blog on fostering creativity

Just click on the link!

http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/art_pk/2009/09/from-the-atelie-30.php

Replicating a Success: Schedule for the Rec Area

Last year, your wonderful ideas transformed the Rec Area from dull to dazzling! The feedback from everyone who used the space was positive and then some. I'm hoping you're all willing to share the responsibility for this space again this year. And we need a volunteer to start in October, since our schedule last year began in November. Anyone? Anyone?

Here are the expectations:
1. In general, the Rec Area should be kept clean and picked up. If anything breaks while you are in there, it is important to tell the front office so the item(s) can be repaired in a timely fashion.
2. During your month of providing activities, let the other early childhood teachers whose classes use the Rec Area know what activities you are bringing into the room for their use. I'm glad to post it for you here or write it on the white board on the back door in the Main Office.
3. Activities can be stored in the closet, returned after use.
4. Rotate activities that you already have or would like to develop. Unfortunately we don't have the budget to add more climbing equipment (for example) at this time but keep this in mind when you are asked to submit capital items. These activities, equipment, etc. will remain in the Rec Area only for the month you are responsible for providing activities. Remember what may feel like old hat to you could be new and exciting to another teacher and class. Also, check through your storage areas--what innovative ways could things in there be used in the Rec Area?
5. Last year, Kim and Cindy documented how they and their children transformed the environment. Perhaps you would do that when it's your turn this year?
5. Have fun with this! It's another way to utilize the environment and expand your teaching practice.

SCHEDULE:

November Jodi and Susan (Ready, Set, Kindergarten)
December Deb and Beth (Kids' Place)
January Judy and Allison (Creative Play)
February Beth, Kari and Shelli (PALS+)
March Marcy (Kids' Place Toddlers)
April Kim and Susan (Family Learning)
May Linda (2's Company)

Please let me know if there are any problems or issues with this. Thank you again!!

Essential Agreements

The following are our Essential Agreements as discussed at the SLP Pre-K Back to School Workshop on Thursday, August 27.

We will all adopt an Inquiry stance.
We will communicate back to families about the work we do in our classrooms.
We will work to raise achievement for all students.
We will work to eliminate the predictability of who will do well and who will not.
We will document the children’s progress and our process in supporting that progress.
We will engage in staff development opportunities.
We will provide data and documentation that supports what we are doing is making a difference in student achievement.

At the workshop, we also spent some time discussing the difference between compliance and committment. I am looking for everyone to make a commitment to honoring these essential agreements. Please post a comment to that effect on this blog no later than Friday, September 11.

Thank you for making a difference in the lives of the children and families in St. Louis Park.

Preschool Depression

According to a groundbreaking new study, chronic depression can begin as young as age 3. Sara Reistad-Long on the controversy over diagnosing and medicating children.

Posted using ShareThis

I'd suggest that if you read the article, you also scroll down to read the comments following.

Master Calendar of Events

Below is the Master Calendar of Events for SLP Pre-K, including days that school is not in session. You can reference this throughout the year when you have questions about dates.

Please make particular note of the Inquiry into Inquiry (for teachers) and Growing into Inquiry (for assistants) dates. Mark your calendars NOW!

September

1 SCHOOL BEGINS for ECSE students enrolled in SLP PALS+ Pre-K and SLP Ready,
Set, Kindergarten Pre-K
2 SCHOOL BEGINS for SLP Creative Play Pre-K
7 LABOR DAY
8 SLP ECFE All Staff Meeting 3-5 p.m. District Office West Atrium
14 SCHOOL BEGINS for SLP ECFE, Family Learning, First Steps and Ready Set
Kindergarten Pre-K
SLP ECFE Advisory Council 6:30-8:30 p.m., Central room 217
26 SLP Pre-K Vehicle Fair, Central, 10-12

October

1 No PM SLP RSK, PALS+ Pre-K
6 SLP Pre-K Curriculum Night 6:30-8:30, Central gym
9 Inquiry into Inquiry 12:30-2:30 p.m. Central room 217
15 Growing toward Inquiry, 1:30-2:30, Central room 217
12 SLP ECFE Advisory Council, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Central room 217
12-16 No SLP ECFE, First Steps, PALS, PALS + (for typically developing children), RSK (for typically developing children) Pre-K—MEA break
15-16 No SLP Family Learning, PALS+, RSK Pre-K
22 SLP PALS+ and RSK Pre-K Family Fun Night, 6:30 p.m.

November
6 No SLP First Steps Pre-K
9-13 Pre-K Information Week in SLP Pre-K classes
9 SLP ECFE Advisory council 6:30-8:30 p.m.
12 No AM SLP Creative Play, RSK Pre-K
13 Inquiry into Inquiry 12:30-2:30 p.m., Central room 217
19 Growing toward Inquiry 1:30-2:30 p.m., Central room 217
19 SLP Pre-K Information Night, 7-8:30 p.m.
23-27 No SLP ECFE, First Steps, PALS, PALS+, RSK Pre-K
23-24 ECSE and SLP RSK Pre-K conferences
25-27 No SLP Family Learning Pre-K
26-27 Thanksgiving holiday—all school district buildings closed

December

1 Kindergarten Information Nights at AQ and PH, 6:30 p.m.
3 No PM SLP Creative Play, PALS+ and RSK Pre-K
8 SLP PALS+ Pre-K Family Fun Night, 6:30 p.m.
10 SLP RSK Pre-K Concert, 6:30 p.m.
11 Inquiry Into Inquiry, 12:30-2:30, Central room 217
14 SLP ECFE Advisory Council 6:30-8:30 p.m.
17 Growing toward Inquiry, 1:30-2:30, Central room 217
21-Jan. 1 No School SLP Creative Play, ECFE, Family Learning, First Steps, PALS, PALS+, RSK Pre-K
21 Cabin Fever—Pump it Up! 10-11:30 a.m. at Pump it Up in Eden Prairie
22 Cabin Fever—Make it and Take it Plates, 10-11 a.m., Central cafeteria
28 Cabin Fever—Junior Jazzercise, 10-11 a.m., Central
29 Cabin Fever—C is for Cookie, 10-11 a.m., Central

January

4 SLP ECFE Winter-Spring Session registration begins
7 No AM SLP Creative Play, PALS+, RSK Pre-K
SLP PALS+ and RSK Pre-K Family Fun Night, 6:30 p.m.
8 Inquiry into Inquiry, 12:30-2:30 p.m., Central room 217
11 SLP ECFE Advisory Council, 6:30 p.m.
14 Growing toward Inquiry, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Central room 217
PSI Immersion Education Information Night, 6:30 p.m.
18 NO SCHOOL—Martin Luther King holiday
22 NO SLP FIRST STEPS PRE-K
Last day of Fall Session SLP ECFE classes
25-29 No SLP ECFE

February

1 SLP ECFE Winter-Spring Session begins
4 NO PM SLP Creative Play, PALS+, RSK Pre-K
5 Inquiry into Inquiry, 12:30-2:30 p.m., Central room 217
8 SLP ECFE Advisory Council, 6:30 p.m.
11 Growing toward Inquiry, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Central room 217
SLP Pre-K New Orleans Night, 6:30 p.m.
12 Deadline for SLP resident PSI K application
15 NO SCHOOL President’s Day holiday
27 Winter Meltdown, Central, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

March

4 NO AM SLP Creative Play, PALS+, RSK Pre-K
Empty Bowls lunch 11 a.m.-1 p.m., dinner 4:30-7 p.m. Rec Center
5 Inquiry into Inquiry, 12:30-2:30 p.m., Central room 217
8 SLP ECFE Advisory Council, 6:30 p.m.
11 Growing toward Inquiry, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Central room 217
11-12 SLP RSK Conferences
19 NO SLP Creative Play, First Steps, PALS+, RSK Pre-K
26 NO SLP First Steps Pre-K
29-Apr. 2 NO SCHOOL Spring Break

April

9 Inquiry into Inquiry, 12:30-2:30 p.m., Central room 217
12 SLP ECFE Advisory Council, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Central room 217
15 Growing toward Inquiry, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Central room 217
SLP PALS+ and RSK Pre-K Family Fun Night, 6:30 p.m.
17 SLP ECFE Clothing and Toy Sale, Central 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
29 NO PM SLP Creative Play, PALS+, RSK Pre-K

May

7 Inquiry into Inquiry, 12:30-2:30 p.m., Central room 217
10 SLP ECFE Advisory Council, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Central room 217

11 SLP PALS+ Pre-K Concert, 6:30 p.m., Central cafeteria
13 Growing toward Inquiry, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Central room 217
20 SLP Creative Play Pre-K picnic, Oak Hill Park
SLP RSK Pre-K Concert, 6:30 p.m., Central cafeteria
21 LAST DAY SLP Creative Play, ECFE, First Steps, PALS, RSK Pre-K

More thoughts about clean up time

From the Reggio listserv:

One of the truths about teaching is that once you know exactly what it is you want children to learn, it is simple to organize to make it happen. The best thing to do is have the staff work together to decide what children might learn at cleanup time. Below is the kind of result that has occurred for me when I have led groups through this.

Dispositions/attitudes
1. When everyone works together to clean and restore the classroom it is more fun to do.
2. We are cleaning and caring for our space and materials in order to have them ready and beautiful for the next time we need them.
3. When we hear the bell that signals cleanup time we take the initiative to start in and keep on working on anything we find that needs doing.
4. We keep on finding things to do until the entire classroom is perfect.
5. When it is done we celebrate our group accomplishment.

Knowledge
Where each item goes.

Skills
washing tables
sweeping floors
cleaning paint brushes
caring for glue
caring for pens

You may have a different list than mine. Everyone is not the same. Note that there is no chore assignments in this outcome list. Everyone just keeps working until it is all complete, however long that takes.

Once the outcomes are clear, the job is to create the conditions for these to build over time.

Dispositions are taught by (1) modeling, (2) informing, and (3) responding with attention and interest to the emergence of what you value. So, at the beginning of the year, I clean and restore things, talking aloud all the while about what I am thinking and what choices I am making. If the dispositions list is posted on the wall, I can use those exact words over and over again. I can also note when a child starts in on something or works together with another or laughs, I can use those same words. "It IS a lot of fun to do this job together." "You started right in and found something to do."

I do a check of each area when it is restored. I ask, "Is the block area clean?" "Yes!" the children say. "Is the table area clean?" "Yes!" When it is all done we can put our hands together in a huddle and shout, "Hip, Hip, Hooray!" (This cooperative group goal needs a celebration of some kind to mark it's accomplishment.)

Knowledge outcomes are taught by simply providing information. This is how it goes. This is where it goes.

Skills are practiced proficiencies, developed over time. They are taught by demonstration and coaching. So, at the beginning of the year, I demonstrate at a group meeting time how to do each skill, taking one at at time.

For example, I bring out a small table that I have painted on. I talk about the problem of it being dirty. Some children may have ideas how to get it clean. If they do, I follow their ideas. If not, I generate my own idiotic ideas of how to clean it. I get tissues to clean it. I use my hands. I blow on it. I use the broom. I do every mistake I can think of. Gradually I get to the cloths and bucket in the Cleaning Center. But I spill or I don't wring the cloth and water goes on my pants or the floor. (I have never had any children not attend to these crazy demonstrations.) Every mistake I make has to be fixed, of course. Eventually I end up with a clean, but wet table. I use paper towels in my school to dry things. When I do, I toss them on the floor instead of the wastebasket. That gets fixed, too.

And that is it. I never have to show them again. The community of children help each other out. I make sure to comment on emerging initiative, cooperation with others, and perseverance. "You have made it ready and beautiful for next time." I never give a direction. I never praise.

I used to hate cleanup, thinking it was my responsibility to make sure it was done. I don't hate cleanup now. It is a joy. It is one of the most important times of the day for me. Here is an opportunity for everyone to work toward a common goodness, without being told what to do. I wish we had more of that idea of a common good in the USA.

Often people ask about what to do with the children who don't clean. I use the 80% rule. I want 80% of the classroom engaged. If 20% are not, it is not a problem. I attend to the 80%. For 20 children, 4 can be flaking off. If it grows to 5, I try to find a way to participate with that fifth child, and I really up the attention and interest to those that are engaged in the community's work. If it takes a long time to clean up, and some days are like that, I simply talk about what we could be doing once this work was done. If it is really bad, I video tape and show it later to the children at a community meeting.

I have had some children never participate at all into February or March, however all are working by April. When it is their choice, it lasts a lifetime.

At this time of year, cleanup is a good opportunity to create Learning Stories as children take the initiative to contribute to the classroom community.
http://earlylearningstories.com

If I need to "push" in February or March, I have set a small portion of restoration aside with a sign "Johnny's Blocks". When Johnny gets those put away, he can join the group's next activity. That is as mean as I get.

I believe in my "Capabilities 15". Cleanup time is one place where Head Start can make a huge difference for children. They really will be "ready" to participate in what elementary schools can offer.
http://earlyeducationadvocates.org/

Tom

Mary O's parenting website

www.parentingpearlsofwisdom.blogspot.com. You can click on the link and it will take you there. You can also subscribe :)

Thoughts on the infamous show and telling/sharing

Again, some provocations from the Reggio listserv. I found these to be quite thought provoking. Enjoy!


One of our teachers at our school does show and tell with her kids and wants the other teachers to do it as well. She said it's great for language development, taking turns, listening. I asked her how she conducted show and tell with her 8 students. She said she gets them together for circle time, each one goes and gets their toy or item before hand, and then starts off with the statement "Tell me about it." She then nudges the children with questions. What does it do? Where did you get it? Etc.
I've never tried show and tell with preschoolers. My gut instinct says it is not appropriate, however, some of you might have had success with such an activity. First, I'm concerned that some children will bring these expensive toys, while other kids might not have anything to bring but simple items, like rocks and trinkets made with Mom or Dad. Kids' talk is very spontaneous that explodes in a chain of associations. They see a picture, here a word, associated with what they already know and they can't stop talking. If you ask them to tell you about a specific object at hand, they have a harder time collecting their thoughts and memories. Some shut down. On that note, other children are of shy temperament. They want to talk when they're ready and willing, not when it is their turn. There are kids in my class with speech difficulties. If I ask them to tell me about their toy, they might be able to. Finally, among many other concerns, the play becomes all about the toy and its limited uses, not the imagination.

I learned a wonderful way to do sharing when I was at a co-op preschool several years ago. I still do it this way. We have a sharing box, bin, or basket. Sharing is one day a week. The children may bring something from home. It is not always a toy. They place their 'sharing' in the basket when they arrive. At some point during the day (it's pretty random, as they are pretty engaged and I have to find a good moment) I announce that it is sharing time. Usually it is only a fraction of the kids who have anything in the basket, so mostly only those children gather together. They take their items from the basket. I tell them to find a friend to share with. They break into groups of two or three and then share with one another. They are very happy to listen to each other, let their friends hold and play with their things, and there is lots of language happening. Sometimes children without an item to share join and a child with a toy might share with someone who didn't bring anything. It's all very casual and comfortable. I have played a 'game' of guessing if the group is small, so they don't have to wait long. I put the basket behind me and feel an object, describe what I'm feeling and they can guess what it is and identify their own toy. I have looked over the basket first so I can be very specific in my description (only describing what I could feel, not see). Sharing is fun for those who participate, not boring and uninteresting for those who don't care, and allows children to bring something from home. We love it.

Another idea I have seen, which I really liked, is a sharing shelf. Where you designate a special shelf in your classroom and if there is something a child really wants to show the class, they can put it there and talk with friends/teachers about it throughout the day. Naturally this becomes a great social as well as language interaction b/t students and teachers.

I want to start off with some questions that come to mind about show and tell as we try to see the merit of why use it. In my mind “show and tell” equates to “circle time” a ritual that has been passed down through time without thought as to why!
I begin with the following questions about S & T:
What is the why for its use? Think beyond merely relationships, knowing about each other, what is that deep why for having it?
How does this “ritual” move the children into thinking deeply?

How will the ritual connect with the work in the classroom?
How will it extend into the "what next”?
With those questions in mind, I’d like to share a newly evolving ritual that we are using, that has many implications tied to a Reggio mindset (or I think it does). I want to share how it came to be, how I’m using it for professional development for my new teaching team (and for me) and how it is moving our group of learners in such a wonderful and astounding way. After I shared this with the families it created a bridge between home and school as families are now also using this simple question to push their child’s thinking. In this small gesture it is allowing the child to feel the connection between home and school, for now there is a common language or question being used.
BACKGROUND: Over the summer I taught a Kindergarten program with a group of children who never had any experience with a Reggio program. They were from numerous traditional schools. (Yes I am still planning to send my thoughts tied to K and RE work to the list).
During that time I framed "project meetings" that had a protocol to it that allowed the children to take ownership of the project and meetings. The children were running their own meetings I became the mere documenter and on occasion stepping in to facilitate. Observing how this particular group of children grew tremendously using this “project/ inquiry meeting process" I pondered how could I bring this idea to my 4/5’s this year and how might I frame its beginnings.
The door of how to begin opened at the start of the school year at our first PS-5th grade assembly. During the assembly our principal challenged the whole elementary school to explore two keywords this year- wonder and curiosity.
PONDERING: I began to ponder upon these words. I had already long ago embraced wonder as a key principle to my working with children as I often used: “I wonder……” in my dialogue with children. My wondering connected to their wonder. This small phrase often added fuel to the fire and the dialogue between the child and I often takes off with its use.
When a teacher wonders with the child it signals to the child that I am a learner, a co-constructor, and a willing partner of learning and thinking beside them. I’m no longer “teacher” all knowing but rather I’m in the journey with them.
With those thoughts in mind I decided to have “I wonder” questions that would be tossed at our group meeting. HOWEVER these weren’t just arbitrary wonder questions. I would observe the work of the children, their interests and use that as a basis for my wonder question.
Again we are only a few weeks into school so I have been pulling the I wonder questions from by observations of their work on the playground- living in Hawaii it allows us to each morning to begin our day on the playground. This is where parents drop off their child, it often allows the families to meander, socialize together in the morning times. Its nothing for one to look around the playground and see 10 – 15 parents either talking to each other or playing with the children (not their own children!) All of this is priceless.
While on the playground I begin observing for moments of wonder that is pouring from the children’s play and work there. I observe and listen to the dialogues noting any that may be formed into a "I wonder" question.
Once something captures my attention I form a burning question stemming from their work and interest (yes it is open ended, but I tend to ask questions that touch on the side of fantasy thus it opens up the world to possibilities not based on facts).
Once we come in from the playground via the bathroom we go straight to meeting. I share with the children briefly what I observed to help trigger their thoughts and to let them know I “seen” what they were doing. I then share that I have a wonder question for them! They are all ears.
After I toss the question I record each child’s idea. When the child gives a reply I will say to them that is a great idea or that is great thinking, or I like your idea this is reinforcing thinking not answers! (FYI the children are using these phrases to each other and us) During this time I slow the pace down as I record their words into notebook. The children observe this note taking process that I am doing and this simple gesture is spawning new “ideas” of how the printed word is used.
Once everyone who wants to share has had a opportunity (which after several days into this everyone is excited to add to the I wonder question with their ideas) I will read back all ideas to the community. I want to make sure I have every child’s idea just as they shared it and also to allow for a revision of an idea if they would iike. I end by asking if they have any I wonder questions that we could add for another time. There are!
When finished we continue with our meeting and day. (this takes 10 mins tops, for now, but it is a rich 10 mins!)
The value or the why for the I wonder question seems to be two fold~ it is seeding learning for the child and learning for the adults as well.

For the children through the use of this process I am saying to them that I am interested and closely observing their work. They are being seen and valued! Second because the wonder question is coming from something they are doing or because the question originates from their interests they now have a deeper investment in the question. The question isn’t random, it is coming from their work.
HOW I AM USING THIS FOR GROWING A TEAM: At some point during the morning I will type up the dialogue-and print it out for use later with the team.
My team has made the ultimate choice of taking their breaks in the room in order for us to have a nice 45 meeting around the work that happened during the day. Thus during nap after all the children are settled or asleep, as a team we will snack on something while unpacking observations of the morning. During this time I bring to the table the “I wonder” ideas as part of their (teachers) growing process. We begin to unpack the children’s thinking.
I have the team look at each child’s idea and find which ones hold a theory, it is these that hold rich deep ideas worthy of continuing. I have them looking at what might the child’s theories be, we talk about the children’s thinking. We then look at the children’s dialogue to see what new I wonder question we could toss back to the children stemming from the discussion. I have them think about the what next, tomorrow and into the future.
As a team we discuss if there is a next morning I wonder question- one we want to toss back to them that came out of the dialogue from the morning work or do we look for another I wonder question or both.
We also wonder what if this question explodes, where might we go with it? Is it project worthy?
What is this seeding in the children:

On the first day I tried this I had observed the children catching bugs, and millipedes from around our playground. In my observations I wondered why, what caused children of all ages to hunt bugs, was it the hunt and joy of finding? Was it the collecting of things? What was the interest? Slowly I formed a question.
At the meeting I shared with them that I had been observing them catching the bugs and millipedes and had a question about this. I wondered why all the bugs were under the grass and not out?
The children began with their theories as to why…I recorded their ideas. Later in the morning one of the boys came to me and said, “Ms. Leslie write this down: "I wonder why bugs come in the classroom and in the house? Why do ants bump their heads together and then go different ways?” Write it down Ms. Leslie this is important!"
By day two I heard the children asking each other I wonder why? And I heard theories being shared. I heard them saying what is your idea? I like that thinking? Now a thinking community was truly being born!

I just remembered a part of the sharing process that I did like. In an effort to make it more meaningful, one year we had the children draw pictures of their "share item". I remember the children spending a lot of time on this picture and enjoying the process, we also wrote down what they said about their sharing item, adding a photograph would also be a good idea. Anyway, we put them all together in a book and I remember the children going back over and over again to look at this particular book. It was also neat b/c when the "sharing" child was drawing their item, often other students would come by and offer advice or also want to draw the item.

More food for thought to 'chew on' before the start of school

FYI: When you go to subscribe, you will need to either sign in with your google account or create one. If you are creating one, use the email address where you want provocation station alerts sent. Thank you for your participation.

This again comes from the Reggio listserv. REGGIO-L is hosted by the Early Childhood and Parenting (ECAP) Collaborative at the University of Illinois. http://ecap.crc.uiuc.edu/listserv/reggio-l.html You are welcome to join!

Dear list,
Just a little rambling...I want to share with you a cleanup aha!

This was our first official week with the children. This year I moved with my children who are now 4/5 into another classroom that we designate as the 4/5’s classroom. We are now back in a room that I had when I first came to Honolulu which room has a loft.

As the children’s morning work unfolded on Tuesday I looked around the room and it looked like a bomb had hit. I began to observe and noticed how children began working on something, walked away and never returned. This troubled me, why were they being so disrespectful of their environment?

Trust me I don’t mind messes but this wasn’t about messing about it was about just dumping and leaving.

When it was time to cleanup in order to have our reflection meeting and lunch I was helping the children pick up. I asked one of the children to help me by hanging up a scarf on one of the hooks in the “dress up” space, as I watched her trying to hang it up the aha began to hit me. I began to rethink the environment as a “medium”. (bare with me)

When we finished children moved to our reflection meeting. During the meeting I shared with them that the teachers had observed the children’s work and how they hadn’t put things back when they were finished. I shared that we were very sad at how the room was left.

I asked them what could we do. The children quickly began to share about how they need to pick up, etc. They knew the expectations, the longer they talked the aha seeped in. Suddenly I wondered out loud by saying, “I wonder we are in a new room, with new materials and new places to put things. Maybe we need to “learn” about our room.” The children began to talk about this idea. I shared with the children that if they couldn’t be respectful of our room soon all the materials will be lost and will disappear. One of the children said, “That would be boring, no things in the room, you know Middle school is boring they don’t have anything in their room.” I replied, “ hmmm maybe the students in Middle school didn’t put their things away and everything got lost.” Soon the room was a buzz.

I shared with the children that on Wed when they came in we are going to learn about our room. They were excited.

After the children left I shared with the team my aha of observing one of the children struggling to hang up one of the scarves and I realized it wasn’t that they couldn’t they just needed to know how too. I shared with them the plan for Wed. that when the children return we would gather for our morning meeting then each of us would take a group of 6 and we would visit the areas of the room and have the children “learn” about each area, what materials was there. While in the spaces we would help them learn how to hang things up, how to put things into the baskets, how to fold things, etc. We divided the room into 1/3’s and would rotate through the 3 zones.

Just like the “techniques” of the atelier and the mediums of the studios perhaps the children needed to learn the “techniques” of how to clean and place things away before they can shift into meaningful play and in being respectful towards our environment. They had to learn about the medium of the environment.

On Wed. we spent about 30 minutes as the groups rotated to each zone of the room. There was 1 teacher and 6 children and we rotated from each area “working” and learning about the space.

After we worked our way around the room the children were then free to go work in the room. Immediately I noticed children playing with new materials that they had discovered while “learning” about the spaces. We also noticed that the children indeed kept the areas much more organized and didn’t drag out things but were more intentional.

Thursday was day two and it was amazing the difference.

I have plan B ready, hopefully this aha and our small moment made a major impact with the children respecting their environment.

Just thought I'd share...to often we might have looked at this as a behavior problem and developed elaborate plans when in reality it was learning about the "medium" and techniques of the environment. Hope this make sense..

Leslie

responses to the post

Dear Leslie & All,

This is very instructive. I think often we expect children to do things we
haven't shown them how to do, and we owe them an apology if we've done that...
the "disrespect of the environment" was due to adults assuming children
knew how to tidy up this new space, an erroneous assumption.

Thanks for sharing this story. It reminds me of a father who came up to me
after I gave a parent workshop, said his daughter (4 y o) was in bed with a
bad cold, but acting like it was death itself, operatic in her complaints.

I had to think a bit, but it came to me, so I asked him if she had ever been
ill before. He said she hadn't. "Tell her she'll get better" I suggested,
"she doesn't know that!"

It's hard being an adult and getting a sense of what a child's experiencing.
But that's one of the main things about working the way the Italians do.

Warmly,
Sydney

This reminds me of something that we have built into the beginning of the year. In our program of 32 children (I know it’s huge) we stagger the start of the school year so that each child has the opportunity to meet the environment and the teachers in a smaller setting. All 32 children are at school at 9:00, however, some leave at 12:00, others at 1:30 and some at 3:00. The first day of school we have the children enrolled until 12:00 come, the next day just the 1:30 group and the next day, just the 3:00 group. The reason we do this is to give each child a chance to see how things work and what materials are available without the craziness of 32 children all at once. We use these days to take a tour of the space and to emphasize which things are tools and which are toys. The teachers also role play what could happen to the materials if they are not put away. For example, when highlighting the writing area I might use paper and markers and then leave the area with the caps off of the markers. Another teacher might jump in and say something like, “Oh Carrie, I noticed you didn’t put the caps on the markers and I might say something like, “Oh well I’m done, I’ve got to get over to the blocks, the dolls, snack….” The other teacher could then remind me what will happen to the markers if they are left out without their caps. We do a lot of this these first days and it seems to make things run much more smoothly when all 32 arrive together for the first time. Throughout the year, we always notice things that might be revisited like dumping materials, hording, etc. and we can easily have the children be a part of the solution at morning meeting because we all have a common context.

Sydney and All,
You are so right, again it was about closely observing and listening had I not observed this ever so small moment and heard the child say she didn't know how this strong aha wouldn't have been made. But it was also about the "r" word, reflection in this case reflecting on my feet!!

I just want to share the rest of the story. On Friday once again the children were awesome and respectful of the environment.

When it was time to "cleanup" I happened to find one of the scarves from the dramatic play area in the message area (one of the "brides" had left it)
As I made my way over one the children in the classroom met me.
A little background L. is the youngest in the class and she happens to also the baby in her family. The parents really does a lot for her rather than letting her do things herself. Last year she was very immature as well.

When L. met me she asked me what I was doing, I said I was taking the scarf to the dramatic play area to hang up to which L beamed and said, "Ms. Leslie I can take that we know how to do it!" I said, "That's right you do know how to do it now." I gave her the scarf and observed as the girls cleaned the area up spot less. For they truly knew how to do it!

When L. mom picked her up i shared with her the story and her mom said, "Yes on Wednesday when we were going home she shared with me that she learned how to clean all the room up. She was very proud of her accomplishment."

It doesn't get any better than that!
Leslie

Also this next week I will be tossing to the children about sharing their thoughts about the environment, what they like and don't like, what's missing, etc. The environment was set when they arrived, just the "big" things, but I'd like for them to have some input.

Today I sent an email to the families for their input in helping us frame the
classroom more. Below is what was sent, the responses have been awesome! I am getting to know the families even more!

Families,
After observing, reflecting upon and then having a dialogue around the children's work in the classroom this past week we would like to add a few more items to the the dramatic play area. However we want to add pieces that are meaningful, things that the children are familiar with and use. I would like each family to share with us about what your child uses each day at home.

What type of:

Utensils: ie chopsticks, spoons, forks etc.
plates:
cups:

What else does your child use on a reg. basis such as a small pitcher, cooking utensils, etc.

This will help us greatly as we add rich and meaningful things to this area.

Also at home what "cultural" connections does your child have on a regular basis? What values and history are you instilling and honoring with your child?

This to will help us in framing a meaningful classroom environment.

Leslie

Another good website

http://abettereducation.blogspot.com/2009/08/reggio-emilia-another-fine-italian.html

Welcoming into a child’s second community—building a classroom environment that supports the transition from home to school

Your assignment for the SLP Pre-K back to school workshop is to bring ideas on how your classroom environment is going to welcome the children and their families into their second community (given that the child's first community is their home).

The goal of the workshop is for you to develop a plan for that environment that you will put into place this fall.

The following are some provocations to help you as you think about this over the next few weeks.

http://www.communityplaythings.co.uk/resources/articles/reggio-emilia.html

http://www.innovativece.com/environments.htm

http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/Reggio/index.html

http://www.boulderjourneyschool.com/Pages/Home/Virtual_Tour.htm

http://www.cariboo.bc.ca/ae/literacies/reggio/reggioarticle1.htm

I would suggest you check past Provocation Stations that recommended checking out a particular blog or website, if you have yet had an opportunity to do that.

Also, these exchanges came from the Reggio Listserv, which you are all welcome to join (REGGIO-L@LISTSERV.ILLINOIS.EDU)

"...One of my goals is to keep children connected to the families in the classroom. I am wondering how others on this list include families in the classroom. I would like children to be able to 'hold' their family during the day when needed. Initially I was thinking of framing a photo of each family but I will have at least 20 families so I am not sure about space..."

RESPONSES
"Our All About Me book has the child's self-portrait and something he or she wants others to know about him or herself, along with a simple drawing of the child that the parents do at back-to-school night along with something the family wants other people to know about the child. The children paint covers for the books and we make hardcover bindings for them. They are sent home, though."

"We invite each family to compile an 'All About Me' book for their child. This book stays with the child at school and is frequently pulled out to share with friends. I work with toddlers so the questions are kept simple: There are ___ people in my family, I like to eat ___, etc. But we encourage the parents to embellish with pictures and additional words telling us about their family."

"I send a small empty photo album home with the parents at orientation and ask them to put pictures of the family in it for the children to keep in the classroom. We keep the albums in a special basket and the children take them out to share, hold, as needed."

"The photos don't need to be all in the same space. By spreading them around the room, it feels more of a sense of community. Allowing families to add things that are representative of their families or contribute to the classroom also gives a sense of inclusion. It can be something such as a book from their own collection they are willing to donate or a piece of cloth for the housekeeping area that is representative of their culture. Flowers from their garden, a rock collection with each familing bringing in a rock they found that they liked. These could be used as is or turned into story stones or each family could simply write a word on them that represents their family. By inviting each familyto share a part of themselves in the classroom without asking for something specific, you may get a surprisingly wonderful variety of additions."

"...family journals--we send home the inexpensive blank composition notebooks, place a label on the outside as to whose family jounal it is with a note on the inside telling the families to include photos of memories, etc. They are to bring them into school and we share them and then place them into a basket where the children pull and read them all year long."

"Your statement: 'I would like children to be able to hold their family during the day when needed.' When I read that, suddenly this popped into mind.

"It would be a family evening around making lovey's. I would either scan or take images of each child's family. Then transfer them onto iron-on sheets. I would ask families to bring in small blankets (you need to check what type of fabric is needed for the fabric iron-ons), so that the images can be applied prior to the evening.

"For the evening I would supply fabric paint or markers. Each family (parent and child) would make the blanket their own by adding a few memories to the blanket. Even for small children just 'marking' on the blankets make them connect to the blanket as their own. In having each family embellish them in some way it would personalize them AND link the child with their time with their parent as they worked together on this blanket for school. The child will remember the moment with their parent and the blanket will now have meaning for them. Once dry the lovey would be used during nap time or when the child just needs to hang on to something for comfort or having the child bring them to small group story telling.

"Think of the why, then think about how you can make the blankets a link between home and school by having a very intimate evening of preparing the blankets. Think of ways that the lovey could be used during moments of stress, joy and other intimate times."

"...I theorized that perhaps those children from summer school would become the mentors for the new children. Rather than me having to help the children find things to do, where things were in the classroom, etc., the children from the summer school progtam already knew and would step into the leadership roles. It would allow those that were shy etc. to step up and would help support all the children's confidence. I felt that this would help make that transition into the place called school a lot smoother, that it would make peer-to-peer relationships come together quickly...In pondering on this more the aha went off in my mind. If you recall my group of 3s had within the first month of entering begun the line project which lasted for 9 months. I never had that experience before and I wondered why it happened, what caused it. In thinking about that, I believe one piece of the why was that for the majority of the children, they had built a relationship with the environment and the materials, so that even though we had some totally new children come in, peers were there to support themn. It supported and scaffolded peer relationships. Thus this community settled in quickly and was able to move into a project. In thinking about this more, I don't think we would have moved into a project so quickly because the children would have been trying to build a relationship with the materials and themselves which takes time...

"I suppose that is why I'm pondering about the new space we are moving into and rethinking the why for everything...how do I foster and nourish their familiarity with the environment...how best to create that relationship with the environment for them as well as thinking about adding in materials that will now support their next levels of thinking."

Review of a green parenting guide

An interesting article about a new green parenting guide--the comments following the article are good, too.


www.newsweek.com/id/205701?

Kids Place 4th of July 09 Parade

Click here to view these pictures larger

What, me? Use Facebook?

Another way to post documentation for families...


http://www.scribd.com/doc/16957158/Teachers-Guide-to-Using-Facebook

Reggio Inspired Classes and Book Study at McDonald Montessori this summer

Dear Reggio Inspired colleagues:
We are offering two new exciting material exploration
professional development opportunities this summer:

6 to 8:30 pm
MacDonald Montessori School
175 South Western Avenue - St. Paul, MN 55102
PLEASE DON'T CALL SCHOOL
SEND QUESTIONS IN A REPLY TO THIS E-MAIL.

COST PER WORKSHOP: $12.
1) Thursday, July 16
Introduction to painting with Acrylics by Monica Malley - atelierista at MacDonald Montessori School - BFA at College of Visual Arts with a focus in painting and drawing. 2 years at MMS working with all ages.
---Power point presentation of 3-4 month long exploration of acrylics with 4 and 5 year olds: “I Didn’t Think I Could Do It But I Did!”
---Introduction to acrylics, inspiration as well as care and types of brushes, paints, surfaces, etc.;
(We will have some aprons but wear clothes that can get dirty.)
---Time to explore;
---Handouts and recommendations.

2) Thursday, August 6
Photography by Clare Tures - member of specialist team at MMS - BA at Brooks Institute of Photography -2 1/2 years working with each classroom once a week - all ages.
---Power point presentation of 7-8 month exploration of light and shadow, movement, graphic arts and photography; “Light, Color and Motion”
---Work with cameras, computers, software;
---Handouts and recommendations.
(Bring your camera and a memory card. Also a charger and recordable disks or flash drive if you want.)

RSVP TO THIS E-MAIL:
On or before July 13 for Painting;
On or before August 3 for Photography.
Pay by cash or check to presenters on the day of the workshop.

NEW BOOK STUDY STARTING!

IN THE SPIRIT OF THE STUDIO edited by Lella Gandini Lynn Hill, Louise Cadwell and Charles Schwall. Teachers College Press, NY and London. 2005
Available at Red Leaf Press – St. Paul and on-line at Amazon, Learning Materials and Olive Press.

Don’t be put off by the fact that this book has “studio” in the title. Even if
you do not have a studio in your school, this is a rich book for every educator inspired by Reggio. Think of using the word “classroom” for “studio” and the theory will apply to your work with children. The book includes chapters
with reflections on Environment, Materials, History, Languages, Stories of Transformation, Spaces and Mini-ateliers in classrooms. The phrase “geography of the imagination” is a key to the wisdom of this book.

We will be starting on Thursday evening July 30 - 6:15 at Chris and Rob’s at the corner of West 7th Street and Western Avenue South - next to the MacDonald Montessori parking lot. Come early and order dinner if you like…great pizza, salad and Chicago Dogs. For the first meeting, we will reflect on the forward by Vea Vecchi and Chapter 1. Bring one or two quotes and/or questions that struck you. We can also consider further meetings, places, times, as well as format depending on the wishes of the group.

Questions reply to this e-mail.
Hope to see you soon, Sandy Burwell
melchisedech1946@yahoo.com

August workshop

Educating Children of African Descent
August 19-20, 2009

Network for the Development of Children of African Descent (NdCAD) is pleased to offer professional development training workshops for early childhood providers, school teachers and administrators, parents and family advocates.

Find out what leading African educators and researchers say about these and other questions:
-What core issues lie beneath the academic achievement gap?
-How does cultural identity impact school readiness and academic success?
-How do you build successful partnerships between parents, schools/programs, and the cultural community?

This year's training institute will feature two educational workshops. Both workshops are designed for adults who work with children and families of African descent. The goal is to help broaden how educators, service providers, and parents think about education within an African-centered cultural context.

For more information or to register, see the attached flier or call 651209-3355 or 612-588-2244.

A couple interesting websites

http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/art_pk/gallery2/main.php

You might be familiar with the work of glass sculpture artist Dale Chihuly. This group seems to have used his work as a provocation and there are some other interesting documentations on this site.

To see some Chihuly, go to http://www.dbg.org/index.php/chihuly.

homepage.mac.com/tdrummon/FileSharing6.html

This website documents learning stories, a concept which I'm finding interesting and exciting.

http://www.the-lamb-umbrellas-for-peace.org

Another interesting concept...

"Researchers find simple camera enhances preschool learning"

The Project Approach with Diverse Learners: a provocation for you

The abstract from the study, Teachers' Views of the Efficacy of Incorporating the Project Approach into Classroom Practice with Diverse Learners by Sallee Beneke and Michaelene M. Ostrosky from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

This study provides preliminary insight into teachers' perspectives on ways that the Project Approach can help to support instruction of learners with a range of strengths and needs, and learners from a variety of cultural, economic, and linguistic backgrounds.

Pre- and post-training interviews were conducted with seven preschool teachers who attended professional development session on the Project Approach. Interview questions focused on teachers' perceptions of the impact of implementing the Project Approach on their ability to meet the learning needs of diverse learners. Teachers' perceptions of factors that facilitated implementation of the Project Approach were studied.

Themes related to four factors emerged from the teachers' comments:

1) Participation and learning of diverse learners was facilitated.

2) Positive effects were noted for children's social and academic learning, which teachers attributed to improved motivation.

3) The availability of "real objects" and materials in the classroom was beneficial.

4) Positive effects resulted from including children in planning.

These findings support research addressing the benefits of including children with a range of abilities in school settings and the benefits of child-initiated learning for all children.

Another Referral to Another Blog

yoyoreggio.blogspot.com

A couple good websites to check out

www.globalmama.com-- go to the Teacher Tips and Tricks and check out the April 3 post. Some nice photos and hopefully some provocations for you! Also, the Camp Creek blog and the www.whiteoakschool.com have been referenced previously. Check them out, if you haven't already!

Another "Basics of Reggio" that you may find helpful

From the blog Remember Anything


Most parents, teachers, education experts, and private and government agencies agree that early childhood education is an important component of the child’s ability to discover his self-identity, determine his ability to cope with more challenging learning and develop his life skills. However, when it comes to the methods, approaches and philosophies to be applied in early childhood education, opinions vary. With the Reggio Emilia philosophy, however, you will have no doubts as to its usefulness and effectiveness in early childhood education.

Brief History

The Reggio Emilia philosophy came from the Italian city of the same name and from the villages surrounding it. According to Wikipedia, it was the parents’ proactive response to fascism and the destruction wrought by World War II.

In time, the philosophy spread through the rest of the world mainly because of its sound approach to early childhood education. Nowadays, most American schools adopt the philosophy.

Principles of the Philosophy

Upon closer inspection, the Reggio Emilia philosophy develops on the writings of famous scientists and philosophers like John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, David Hawkins, Jerome Bruner, and Howard Gardner. Today, new innovations and interpretations are applied on the basic philosophy in light of new studies and interactions, but these principles are still adhered to:

* An emergent curriculum is adapted wherein the teachers build upon the interests of the children as the lesson progresses, called spiral progression, and team planning between all parties is necessary to achieve sustained learning.
* Children are treated with respect and responsibility such that their observations, ideas, theories, and hypotheses provide the direction teachers will take during the lessons.
* The power of documentation is used for both assessment purposes and advocacy concerns. Pictures, transcripts, and other representations of the children’s activities are carefully taken and studied to enable both teachers and parents to understand the children better and therefore to educate them better.
* Project work is based on the premise that learning by doing, discussion in groups, and intensive studies of ideas and interests are of great importance. This may start as either a planned or a chance event and may be for either a short-term or a long-term period.
* Great stress is placed on the environment as the “third teacher.” The physical layout suggests a learning environment where communication, interaction, and relationships are optimally fostered. Thus, there is ample and amiable space in Reggio Emilia schools.
* Parents are expected to become active partners in their children’s education. Their support can take many forms, but the basic premise is that the children’s welfare within the program is their responsibility, too.

Weaving through the above-mentioned basic principles is the so-called “hundred languages of children” that represent the many symbolic language components of the Reggio Emilia philosophy – the spoken and written word, dramatic play, drawing and sculpture. Through the hundred languages, children learn to work together to solve problems, learn new things and discover new knowledge.

The practitioners of the Reggio Emilia philosophy profess neither to be the best in the field nor advocate the approach as the ideal model for education. Instead, you have to view the philosophy as an experience wherein early childhood education centers on treating its recipients with respect and responsibility in a supportive environment where teachers and parents work in collaboration with the children. What more can you ask for in education?