Ciao everyone!

It is our last night in Reggio, and we can’t believe how our week has flown by! Today our learning included watching videos of different project experiences from the Reggio preschools and having discussions with the atelieristas about the process and decisions the teachers made throughout the experience.  A highlight was having our picture taken with Amelia Gambetti, one of the leaders of Reggio Children who worked with Loris Malaguzzi and Project Zero, as she was casually shopping in the bookstore along with all of the Reggio participants!

 Our last school visit was nothing short of amazing and gave a new meaning to “Open House”.  The Scuola Prampolini welcomed us for “Tea Time” in the garden of the school, and we had delicious Italian specialties prepared by their cooks and presented by their parents.  We strolled through the outdoor children’s play areas to find a bird watching cottage, outdoor art studio, and many beautiful nature projects that the children created.  Inside the classrooms, the learning was evident and represented in every medium possible – words cannot do it justice, so you will have to see the many (hundreds) of pictures we have taken to get a sense of the beauty!

   

We have met so many wonderful people and made many connections with other teachers that we know our experience will continue for many years to follow.  We are already talking about visiting other schools and reconnecting with our new friends.  We all say that we can’t believe our week is already ending, but at the same time, it feels like we have been away from school for a month.  We are anxious to get back to see the children, close our school year, and plan ahead to use this extraordinary experience as a springboard for new learning experiences back home.  Grazie mille! 

   

“Buona Sera”, or “Good evening” to all of our faithful readers! Our time in Italy continues to be busy and inspiring, and we continue to be excited to share our day’s events with you… We are rotating the writing of our nightly postings, so the pressure to be as reflective and inspiring as my colleagues have been is tucked in the back of my head - I hope tonite's post will be equally as inspirational as they have been!

During the morning, all of the conference attendees had the opportunity to visit to a variety of Reggio preschools. Several large motor coaches lined up outside the conference center to drive all of us…on the skinniest streets…and take us to one of nine different schools. Each of us went to a separate school in order to see as much as we could, and in addition to getting lots of great ideas for our indoor classrooms, we were all struck by what we saw in each of the school’s outdoor play environments.

As we were comparing notes about our visits, we discussed that being outside is so much more than playing on the climbing structures or riding the bicycles, as there is so much to explore. How fortunate the children are in our Preprimary to have such a wonderful and fantastic playground, but one of the questions we asked ourselves was how we could further enhance the possibilities for learning and discovery outdoors. As intentional as we are in planning the inside learning environment, we want to be more mindful about planning for the outside environment, too, even though the Wisconsin climate does not always cooperate with this wish!  The collaborative work of the PK, JK, Middle School students, Mr. Jacobs, and Mr. Mussoline to create our Preprimary garden are first steps towards adding other elements to extend the learning outside of the walls of our classrooms.

The afternoon and evening today was unscheduled time for us, so we decided to do a little outdoor learning and exploration of our own and take the train to Florence. Although our time in this beautiful city was brief, we enjoyed our afternoon and evening very much, and we can’t wait to share all of the 50 million picture with you!!! Just kidding about the 50 million number, but a city as picturesque as “Firenze” certainly invited the inner photographer in each of us to shine!!!

Until next time,

XOXO

Today we were excited to spend the afternoon visiting four different exhibition ateliers. If you can imagine a cross between an art studio, a museum installation, and a hands-on exploration of a in-depth project from one of the preschools... on steroids. We each chose a different atelier to visit: Ray of Light, Digital Landscapes, and Mosaic of Graphic.

• Ray of Light Atelier - A place of research and experimentation where light can be investigated in its different forms. This educational space promotes new ways of learning and teaching science.

• Digital Landscapes Atelier - An invitation to discover possible encounters between materials and digital tools, and to explore the border areas between optics and scenography, drawing and 3-D, and real and virtual construction work.

• Mosaic of Graphic - This exhibition combined the verbal expression that goes along with children's artistic work. The goal of this exploration was to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between words and stories through drawing.

There was so much to look at in each space and so much to take away to bring back to our children at USM. We were all most impressed by the technology atelier. The use of simple technology and everyday objects are used to inspire children to interact, explore, and work together to create a link between the real world and the digital world. We are making a wish list of things we need - webcams, old slide projectors, overheads, and shadow screens.

We most enjoyed having the time to explore and talk to one another about what we saw, how we could implement these types of experiences in our classrooms, revisit the ateliers with one another to show something that sparked an idea or a thought. The very best thing about being here is the time to talk and get excited with our colleagues. 

We also had some time to explore the city, take a taxi to the recycling center (which was closed!), but it offered us the opportunity to see parts of Reggio we would not have visited otherwise. The culture of the city is most impressive. We adore the energy and the fact that no mater what time of day we venture out, there are people everywhere... children and parents riding bikes, men selling flowers from baskets, elderly people enjoying cups of espresso, people visiting shops and markets, walking, walking, walking and we rarely see anyone talking on cell phones. It has been refreshing to leave all technology behind in our hotel room, besides the use of a camera and our nightly blog, we have been "off the grid" in our day-to-day, which has allowed us the chance to connect with one another, fellow teachers from around the world, and the experience of being here and learning from the Reggio educators.

Signing off for the night with a favorite photo of the day of a local shoemaker working in his shop at dusk, oblivious to the world (and the tourists) going by.

After our walking tour during the day, we retraced our steps to view the picturesque town of Reggio in the evening.  We are taken with the balconies filled with flower boxes, cobblestone streets, and colorful dancing fountains.

Apparently, jet lag occurs the day after you arrive because it was a long night of no sleep for the three of us, so although a bit weary, we were excited to begin our journey at the International Centre Loris Malaguzzi this morning with a review of the Reggio philosophy.  There are over 130 participants from all over the world here including a delegation of Education majors from Texas University.  The presenters noted that each Study Group includes undergraduates to promote our future profession.  It is interesting to learn about other schools, meet new colleagues, and share this learning path with fellow teachers who are equally inspired. 

Our favorite “Take-Aways” from the morning include…

·      Give value to all aspects of the educational experience.
·      We can fill children up with knowledge, but that has nothing to do with understanding or learning. 

 · “Teaching is a profession for not thinking small.”  Loris Malaguzzi - "Think Big" and Loris  are definitely like-minded! 

The best part of the day, besides the daily gelato stop, was visiting our first Reggio School!  We toured Nilde Iotti which is an infant-toddler and preschool centre.  The school is not a fancy building, but it was constructed with children in mind.  It is simple, purposeful, and filled with aesthetic materials that provoke wonder, curiosity, and self-expression.  

In this school, each room was designed to include a “Winter Garden” which is similar to a sunroom that leads directly to an outside patio and green space. The materials both inside and out have us thinking about ways we can build a collection of natural items for our classrooms in the coming months.  We ended the day having dinner with new friends from Massachusetts, Chicago and Kansas City to compare notes from our different preschool visits.  Ciao! The Three Wisconsin Girls

Buona sera to all of our faithful followers! We have just returned from our first official day of the conference, having met many new people from everywhere… Japan, Newfoundland, Vancouver, and all around the US! After nearly 20 hours of travel yesterday, we arrived at our hotel and did our best to stay awake all day long in order to avoid the dreaded jet lag. We were met at the airport in Milan by a colleague of a USM parent who drove us nearly two hours to our hotel – we were the envy of every other teacher who had taken the train!!

Maurizio certainly bested any Lonely Planet traveling guide as he pointed out famous landmarks along the way, including the nearby train station designed by Santiago Calatrava.

Our room with its 3 single beds reminds us a little of a convent as you will notice in the pictures we have posted.

We had a wonderful afternoon sightseeing and exploring the history and architecture of Reggio Emilia…and even a gelato for dessert – delicioso!!

Our day today was one of introduction, inspiration, lunch, and a walking tour for the conference attendees. During lunch, one teacher from Israel remarked that our thoughtful dialogue “gave us so much meat to hold,” which echoes our sentiments perfectly!!

We are back at our hotel for a quick rest before meeting a group for dinner, and we will keep your posted on our learning adventures – we are so grateful to USM for providing us with this opportunity – Ciao for now!!

During the long winter we decided if USM called school off due to the cold temperatures we would call each other and begin writing a grant proposal to attend a study tour to Reggio Emilia, Italy. Writing this grant has been something we have talked about for many years, and a day off of school due to the weather was just what we needed to get our dream off the ground. It took us several weeks to complete, meeting after school and emailing drafts to one another to edit and improve. Finally, we turned in our 10 page finished project, complete with photos (as preprimary teachers do!), and waited patiently to hear back from the committee. Professional development is something that USM believes deeply in and the Think Big grant program is a way for teachers to do just that... THINK BIG and look to opportunities above and beyond the usual courses and workshops. Teachers are encouraged to look for opportunities that inspire them. And here we are... on our way to the airport and writing our first blog post!

Reggio Emilia is a city located in Emilia Romagna in Northern Italy. Here, Loris Malaguzzi founded a world-renowned preschool program that puts into practice many of the fundamental aspects of the work of Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky, and more recently connects to the works of Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligence theory. The Reggio Emilia schools have been praised by educators around the world for their commitment to innovation and are built upon a solid foundation of connected philosophical principles and extensive experience. These schools are known among early childhood educators to be some of the best early childhood learning programs around the world. 

The early childhood program is based around the role of collaboration among children, teachers, and parents. The co-construction of knowledge and interdependence of individual and social learning are key aspects of Reggio education. The curriculum emerges from the interests of the children. The teachers act as researchers by providing opportunities, materials, and a framework for children to explore, problem solve, and make conclusions, weaving skills and outcomes into the project work. The environment is the “third teacher” and enhances the learning experience.  This is project-based learning at its best.  As University School embraces a strategic plan based around learning in new and more creative ways, we want to observe, discuss, and learn from the best in order to make authentic, experiential learning the hallmark of our preprimary practice.

The Reggio educational experience claimed International fame in 1991 when a jury of international experts identified the Diana Municipal Preschool (representing the network of municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools) as the most avant-garde school in the world for education in early childhood.  

We have chosen this study tour to immerse ourselves in the whole Reggio experience – the schools, the approach, the culture, and the city.  Although we have read many books, attended conferences in the United States, and worked on project-based learning in our classrooms, our study has been more of an interpretation of the approach. There is no substitute for seeing the actual schools in action and studying along with professionals from around the country and the world in order to integrate some of the best principles into our own USM preprimary program.

The Reggio Emilia schools utilize some of the best practices in 21^st century teaching and learning. Children gain experience in asking questions and finding answers. They learn to trust themselves, both individually and as a contributing member of the learning group. Children’s curiosity is met with enthusiasm as they have a genuine, invested interest in their learning process. 

During investigations and projects, skills in math, writing, and scientific inquiry are taught and utilized to further the study. The skills then have an immediate, real-world application for the students.  Projects will support skills in a meaningful way for young learners.  

Grazie to all for your support and enthusiasm as we embark on this learning adventure. Stayed tuned for posts as we are able.

Ciao!
Muffie, Sue, and Jen