September 18, 2013
Julianne Wurm
"Working In The Reggio Way:
A Beginner's Guide For American Teachers"
A Brief Overview Of Chapter One
The two chapters in this book focus on the teaching styles of Carla Rinaldi, a pedagogical coordinator and director of Early Childhood Education in Reggio Emilia. Wurm looks at the pedagogies taught within the Reggio system and compares them to schools in the United States. She first explains that our view of the child directly affects our values and the actions we make as an educator. A list of questions is given that determine your values overtime. The questions are meant to be an evolving record of your thinking, and the answers are meant to change over time as your practice changes.
Wurm first looks at the image of the child in Reggio Emilia, noting that “the child is viewed as strong, powerful, rich in potential, driven by the power of wanting to grow, and nurtured by adults who take this drive towards growth seriously” (Wurm 16). She notes that this image is drawn from educational, psychological, and sociological sources, as well as experiences and relationships between children and their parents, friends, and extended family. She compares these principals to our schools and even our society. She notes, “American teachers often say they see children as competent while creating environments that limit their movement or initiating projects that are driven by what teachers think children should learn” (Wurm 17).
Wurm then urges us to reflect on our own practices, and look at our own schools. She asks to examine the school surroundings, avoid making judgments, but question yourself why things are the way they are. She explains that this is the time to begin opening up possibilities. Wurm ends by clarifying what this process is all about. “…it is not enough to define your view of the child—you must also work to put this vision into practice” (Wurm 21). She explains that this process of questioning, reflecting, and resolving the conflicts between your values and practice will become second nature, however it will require time, weeks if not even months.
Wurm first looks at the image of the child in Reggio Emilia, noting that “the child is viewed as strong, powerful, rich in potential, driven by the power of wanting to grow, and nurtured by adults who take this drive towards growth seriously” (Wurm 16). She notes that this image is drawn from educational, psychological, and sociological sources, as well as experiences and relationships between children and their parents, friends, and extended family. She compares these principals to our schools and even our society. She notes, “American teachers often say they see children as competent while creating environments that limit their movement or initiating projects that are driven by what teachers think children should learn” (Wurm 17).
Wurm then urges us to reflect on our own practices, and look at our own schools. She asks to examine the school surroundings, avoid making judgments, but question yourself why things are the way they are. She explains that this is the time to begin opening up possibilities. Wurm ends by clarifying what this process is all about. “…it is not enough to define your view of the child—you must also work to put this vision into practice” (Wurm 21). She explains that this process of questioning, reflecting, and resolving the conflicts between your values and practice will become second nature, however it will require time, weeks if not even months.
Questions Proposed In Chapter One
What is a child?
What is childhood?
I answered both of these questions together because I think of think of children and childhood in the same way, growing up. By growing up, I mean that children are constantly developing, experimenting, and gaining new knowledge that challenges their beliefs and builds onto their schema. Based on this description, everyone would be considered a child. Then again, I am considered an adult even though I still think of myself as a child. (I am only 22 years young!)
How do we learn?
How do children learn?
Again, I answered these questions together. In my educational psychology class, we talked about how prior knowledge has a lot to do with the way we learn, along with practice. It is obvious that children do not possess as much experience as we do. You will often see them talk themselves through tasks just, but when you think about it, there are many times we as adults do this very same thing. I think there are many ways in which we learn the same, however adults have more experience through which they have gained a vast amount of knowledge knowledge, knowledge we are then able to connect to new information we encounter.
What is the meaning of “to educate”?
"To educate" simply means to provide knowledge to someone or oneself in order to better understand certain concepts and overcome obstacles. In this sense, a teacher could educate a student, however a student could educate oneself.
What is the relationship between teaching and learning?
When I think of teaching Wilson’s concept of transactional pedagogy comes to mind. The idea that curriculum, which respects both the values of the teacher and the students, can be interpreted, providing occasions for discussion, debate, negotiation, and modification. Therefore, the relationship between teaching and learning is the curriculum. In theory, when teaching curriculum that honors the interests of everyone, the curriculum will give rise to interpretation, which will lead to discussion and learning will take place.
What is the relationship between theory and practice?
Theory, to me, is the curriculum, or the information we gather over time, that we adhere by, which can exist in many different forms. We examine these theories, compare them to what we already know, and decide whether to accept or reject that knowledge. Practice, again in my opinion, is the process of putting these theories to the test by combining all the knowledge we possess in order to come up with a solution.
What is the role of school in society?
School SHOULD be a caring, safe environment geared towards educating the students it embodies. Schools SHOULD set goals, challenge, and support students in order to prepare them for college, work, or whatever the future holds for them.
What is the relationship between school and research? Children and research?
What is the relationship between school and education?
I answered these questions together. School is a set environment for the sole purpose of education, support, and preparation. Research and education go hand in hand. For a child to get the best education, a school must provide them with rich and diverse information. They must be able to rely on the resources that are supplied to them. A school cannot supply all the information on their own, so further research is expected, however students need to be able to get started. I believe that students will be able to understand and appreciate the school’s effort in bettering their education, but also become independent and self-sufficient simultaneously. Again, this relates to Wilson’s concept of the third pedagogical site, the idea of the school and the student acting as one to combine materials and create curriculum and guidance needed to achieve their goals and objectives.
What is childhood?
I answered both of these questions together because I think of think of children and childhood in the same way, growing up. By growing up, I mean that children are constantly developing, experimenting, and gaining new knowledge that challenges their beliefs and builds onto their schema. Based on this description, everyone would be considered a child. Then again, I am considered an adult even though I still think of myself as a child. (I am only 22 years young!)
How do we learn?
How do children learn?
Again, I answered these questions together. In my educational psychology class, we talked about how prior knowledge has a lot to do with the way we learn, along with practice. It is obvious that children do not possess as much experience as we do. You will often see them talk themselves through tasks just, but when you think about it, there are many times we as adults do this very same thing. I think there are many ways in which we learn the same, however adults have more experience through which they have gained a vast amount of knowledge knowledge, knowledge we are then able to connect to new information we encounter.
What is the meaning of “to educate”?
"To educate" simply means to provide knowledge to someone or oneself in order to better understand certain concepts and overcome obstacles. In this sense, a teacher could educate a student, however a student could educate oneself.
What is the relationship between teaching and learning?
When I think of teaching Wilson’s concept of transactional pedagogy comes to mind. The idea that curriculum, which respects both the values of the teacher and the students, can be interpreted, providing occasions for discussion, debate, negotiation, and modification. Therefore, the relationship between teaching and learning is the curriculum. In theory, when teaching curriculum that honors the interests of everyone, the curriculum will give rise to interpretation, which will lead to discussion and learning will take place.
What is the relationship between theory and practice?
Theory, to me, is the curriculum, or the information we gather over time, that we adhere by, which can exist in many different forms. We examine these theories, compare them to what we already know, and decide whether to accept or reject that knowledge. Practice, again in my opinion, is the process of putting these theories to the test by combining all the knowledge we possess in order to come up with a solution.
What is the role of school in society?
School SHOULD be a caring, safe environment geared towards educating the students it embodies. Schools SHOULD set goals, challenge, and support students in order to prepare them for college, work, or whatever the future holds for them.
What is the relationship between school and research? Children and research?
What is the relationship between school and education?
I answered these questions together. School is a set environment for the sole purpose of education, support, and preparation. Research and education go hand in hand. For a child to get the best education, a school must provide them with rich and diverse information. They must be able to rely on the resources that are supplied to them. A school cannot supply all the information on their own, so further research is expected, however students need to be able to get started. I believe that students will be able to understand and appreciate the school’s effort in bettering their education, but also become independent and self-sufficient simultaneously. Again, this relates to Wilson’s concept of the third pedagogical site, the idea of the school and the student acting as one to combine materials and create curriculum and guidance needed to achieve their goals and objectives.
A Brief Overview Of Chapter Five
This chapter specifically concentrates on Reggio’s approach to documentation process. Wurm states right from the beginning that documentation’s sole purpose is to make learning visible. She mentions that there are two parts to a successfully documentation. As Rinaldi explains, “Documentation is not only the process of gathering evidence and artifacts, but also a physical collection of evidence and artifacts, the reflection on and analysis of the collection, and the presentation of that collection, or part of it” (Wurm 98).
Wurm begins by stating that observation is the basic foundation of documentation, however she stresses that observation is merely an interpretation and is better in a group setting. She then encourages making observations on a daily basis, as it is a powerful and immediate way to change your practice.
Wurm then explains why documentation is important and what is can be used for. She noted that documentation is individualistic and would be impossible to list every option, however it should inform the spectator of the experience. She mentions a few ways how documentation is used in the Reggio schools: for children to reflect on their own work, for families to experience the work and explorations of their children, to provide a resource for the wider community of educators to understand children’s learning better. She then gives different examples of the types of documentation, defining them as a series of categories that often overlap.
Wurm lastly goes over different methods of documenting, the best of which is to share a few examples of projects and the accompanying documentation that took place in order to create a concrete image of the process. Wurm ends by noting that it will again take time to get the hang of properly documenting. “Our goal is to document the work of our students and our own work as professionals in a way that reflects the process of learning in our schools as authentically and thoughtfully as possible” (Wurm 120).
Wurm begins by stating that observation is the basic foundation of documentation, however she stresses that observation is merely an interpretation and is better in a group setting. She then encourages making observations on a daily basis, as it is a powerful and immediate way to change your practice.
Wurm then explains why documentation is important and what is can be used for. She noted that documentation is individualistic and would be impossible to list every option, however it should inform the spectator of the experience. She mentions a few ways how documentation is used in the Reggio schools: for children to reflect on their own work, for families to experience the work and explorations of their children, to provide a resource for the wider community of educators to understand children’s learning better. She then gives different examples of the types of documentation, defining them as a series of categories that often overlap.
Wurm lastly goes over different methods of documenting, the best of which is to share a few examples of projects and the accompanying documentation that took place in order to create a concrete image of the process. Wurm ends by noting that it will again take time to get the hang of properly documenting. “Our goal is to document the work of our students and our own work as professionals in a way that reflects the process of learning in our schools as authentically and thoughtfully as possible” (Wurm 120).
Reflections On Chapter One
I really liked the way they valued the students as much if not more than the educators. They treated them as adults, but expected them to act in that way. I am in an Exceptional Education course that deals with disabled children in the education system. I was told to think about the environment in which the children are placed. The environment of a classroom can teach a child just as much as a lesson can. An example was a child with Downs Syndrome held in a kindergarten class when they should be in fourth grade. The effects are that the disabled child will throw tantrums and bite others when they get upset. The environment of the students is extremely important when dealing with education.
I thought one thing to keep in mind was that many times throughout this reading Wurm asked questions about how you would feel if you were in the child’s position. At one point she asks you to get down on your knees and view the school as a child would. This really gives the sense that they have spent the time to structure these schools around the child. The fact that they design bathrooms to accommodate students and not the educators says a lot about the strive towards independency within students.
I thought one thing to keep in mind was that many times throughout this reading Wurm asked questions about how you would feel if you were in the child’s position. At one point she asks you to get down on your knees and view the school as a child would. This really gives the sense that they have spent the time to structure these schools around the child. The fact that they design bathrooms to accommodate students and not the educators says a lot about the strive towards independency within students.
Reflections On Chapter Five
Wurm’s description and explanation of documentation was interesting. Most American educators accomplish one or two of these steps but never fully document the concept or process of the lesson. It was interesting to think of all the different ways documentation can better both the children’s learning and even the educator’s understanding. “Documentation can serve to illuminate the thinking, a change in thinking that occurred, what was learned and not learned, the evolution of behavior, questioning, maturity, responses, and opinions” (Wurm 99).
I also found it interesting that observation was viewed as a reciprocal relationship. Rinaldi stated, “I observe you, and while I observe you, I ‘capture’ you, I interpret you. But at the same time I also modify my own knowledge” (Wurm 100). This related to Wilson’s third pedagogical site. When a class is able to observe together, they capture and interpret the presented curriculum, but they share their views and include those views into their own interpretations as well. It was fascinating to see how deeply Reggio Emilia integrated these pedagogical sites into their schools. It was amazing to see the benefits of documentation. “By documenting students’ work we are in essence documenting our own development as practitioners. Documentation offers vital information to teachers about themselves and their students, and it brings families ’inside the story’ of their children’s lives at schools and can create a testimony of works done with children as it is collected over time” (Wurm 106). In reference to reciprocal relationship, educators, students, families and even the community benefit equally from documentation.
Wurm mentioned that the “goal is not to produce documentation that looks like that in the Reggio schools of today” (Wurm 120). When you simply replicate something, the values and concepts are left behind. She even mentioned that Reggio Emilia went through this same progression as the United States. Wurm noticed that the documentation in the archives of a school she was working at resembled that of the lessons she had experienced in the United States. This exemplifies both that the United States is on the right track but also that changing values within a school is difficult and requires time for new values to be set in place.
I also found it interesting that observation was viewed as a reciprocal relationship. Rinaldi stated, “I observe you, and while I observe you, I ‘capture’ you, I interpret you. But at the same time I also modify my own knowledge” (Wurm 100). This related to Wilson’s third pedagogical site. When a class is able to observe together, they capture and interpret the presented curriculum, but they share their views and include those views into their own interpretations as well. It was fascinating to see how deeply Reggio Emilia integrated these pedagogical sites into their schools. It was amazing to see the benefits of documentation. “By documenting students’ work we are in essence documenting our own development as practitioners. Documentation offers vital information to teachers about themselves and their students, and it brings families ’inside the story’ of their children’s lives at schools and can create a testimony of works done with children as it is collected over time” (Wurm 106). In reference to reciprocal relationship, educators, students, families and even the community benefit equally from documentation.
Wurm mentioned that the “goal is not to produce documentation that looks like that in the Reggio schools of today” (Wurm 120). When you simply replicate something, the values and concepts are left behind. She even mentioned that Reggio Emilia went through this same progression as the United States. Wurm noticed that the documentation in the archives of a school she was working at resembled that of the lessons she had experienced in the United States. This exemplifies both that the United States is on the right track but also that changing values within a school is difficult and requires time for new values to be set in place.