How do you approach your work with pre-school children? At Reflections we tend to approach our work in the way illustrated below, beginning with a provocation based on the child's or children's interests. Does anyone/ everyone else? Please let us have your comments on our approach and any comparisons with the way in which you might work. Thanks in advance :)
This is how we work too but never put into a diagram which is wonderful (I am so visual) We don't use the word 'Provocation' Do you do this weekly? what do you do for documentation? I am in Australia.
ReplyDeleteHi Lesley
ReplyDeleteI am visual too! We do this weekly and we document children's individual learning in Learning Journals; group learning in Children's Experiences Sheets posted on the door of each section every day with photos, quotes and narrative. Then significant projects we document in a similar style to Reggio Emilia, in books (we have published two and written many more) and on wall panels. Let me know if you want either of our books and I'll send you an order form. :) Sorry you can't make our exhibition!
Martin
Yes yes! A similar cycle and looking at documentation that is summative (at the end detailing both the learning processes of the group and pedagogic approaches and choices) plus the immediate traces of documentation in the nursery environment - looking at the idea currently of a home/school exchange book that enables families experiences at home become visible, shareable and to infect project work too - king of contagion across home/school.
ReplyDeleteHello Martin, I am curious as to how you are able to do all of this on a weekly and daily basis. Your teacher/s must spend a lot of time outside of the classroom time to achieve these wonderful practices. I spend a lot of time outside of the classroom because I am passionate about my work but still find it difficult to achieve what you do. I think I am at my point in my reggio journey (even though it is still young) where I am looking for a methodology to make these achievements that I deeply desire. I have not been to Italy and I work in a very small preschool with one colleague.
ReplyDeleteHello Imagination Play :)
ReplyDeleteStaff have documentation time each day which might only amount to 30 minutes. However, all planning meetings are held during the working day and each section has a planning meeting every week. Up to five staff attend each meeting and in addition they are given pedagogical support by a senior member of staff. It's all a compromise in terms of time, money and quality but this is how we currently set the balance.
On top of this we have a full-time Atelierista who has about 25% of her time for documentation. She is able to support all sections as well.
Hope this partly answers your questions :)