1. family and parenting
2. children

The Quarterly Periodical of the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance | March 2015
Innovations
Inside:
On Becoming an Observant Teacher: An Interview with Amelia Gambetti page 4
Inspired and Inspiring Change in Early Childhood Education in Ontario page 10
Everything Has a Shadow, Except Ants: A Reflection page 22
Dialogue of Two Cities – NYC and Reggio Emilia: Exploring Possibilities for Quality
Early Childhood Education for All Children page 25
In Early Education:
The International
Reggio Emilia Exchange
Innovations
In Early Education:
The International
Reggio Emilia Exchange
Published Quarterly by the
North American Reggio
Emilia Alliance
March 2015 Volume 22, Number 1
EDITORS
Editor:
Judith Allen Kaminsky
North American Reggio
Emilia Alliance
Associate Editor:
Lella Gandini, Ed.D.
Reggio Children liaison in the
U.S. for dissemination of the
Reggio Emilia approach
From an agreement by Loris
Malaguzzi in concert with
Eli Saltz in 1992. Collaboration and
consulting with Reggio Children
and the Istituzione Scuole e
Nidi d’Infanzia, Municipality of
Reggio Emilia, Italy. Supported
by Amelia Gambetti, Paola Riccò,
and Emanuela Vercalli, Reggio
Children International Network
Exchanges.
NAREA
Mission Statement
The North American Reggio Emilia
Alliance (NAREA) is a network of
educators, parents, and advocates
seeking to elevate both the quality
of life and the quality of schools
and centers for young children.
We envision a world where all
children are honored and
respected for their potential,
capabilities, and humanity.
Our mission is to build a diverse
community of advocates and
teachers to promote and defend
the rights of children, families,
and teachers of all cultures
through a collaboration of
colleagues inspired by the
Reggio Emilia philosophy.
2 Innovations in Early Education
Introduction
The focus of this issue of Innovations is the role
of the teacher in the Reggio Emilia approach.
The current thinking on this topic is revisited
within the principles of the educational project outlined in Indications – Preschools and
Infant-Toddler Centres of the Municipality of
Reggio Emilia:
Participation is the value and strategy that
defines the way in which the children, the educators, and the parents are stakeholders in
the educational project; it is the educational
strategy that is constructed and lived day by
day in the encounter with others and interpersonal [exchanges].…
In participated education, an active attitude
of listening between adults, children, and the
environment is the premise and context of
every educational relationship.…
Learning as a process of individual and group
discussion. Each child, like each [adult], is an
active constructor of knowledge, competencies, and autonomies, by means of original
learning processes that take shape with methods and times that are unique and subjective
in the relationship with peers, adults, and
the environment. The learning process is fostered by strategies of research, comparison
of ideas, and co-participation. (Istituzione of
the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, 2010, pp.
10–11)
This issue of Innovations features an interview
with Amelia Gambetti, “On Becoming an Observant Teacher,” by Lella Gandini. Amelia and
Lella discuss Amelia’s experiences in Reggio
Emilia and the United States as a teacher and
Reggio Children liaison for consultancy in
schools. Amelia shares what she has learned
about the value of observation and collaboration with colleagues, children, and families
in the process of ongoing professional development embedded within the daily life of the
school.
Following Amelia’s interview, Karyn Callaghan
and Jason Avery of the Ontario Reggio Association share the impact of the Reggio Emilia
approach on recent developments in Ontario’s
provincial early childhood education policy
through a dialogue with two colleagues in the
Early Years Division of the Ontario Ministry of
Education, Lynne Besner and Karen Calligan.
Karyn, Jason, Lynne, and Karen discuss how
the role of the teacher is evolving from “a culture of compliance” and standardized practice
to an emphasis on collaborative inquiry, critical
reflection, and a strength-based, complex view
of children, educators, and families through this
transformation of early childhood education in
Ontario.
Next, Lella Gandini offers her reflections on
the book Everything Has a Shadow, Except
Ants, which was originally published in Reggio
Emilia in 1990. Lella notes that in their contributions to the book, Sergio Spaggiari and Loris
Malaguzzi elaborate on the teachers’ role in
the Reggio Emilia approach and, in particular,
in an experience with the young children of the
Diana and Gulliver municipal preschools that
involved encountering and experimenting with
shadows. Lella recalls Spaggiari’s comments
in the introduction regarding the “innate curiosity made visible by teachers who document
the process.” Malaguzzi writes, “Children are …
full-time researchers … which is their preferred
[idea] of learning and appropriating the world
and life. They are [pleased] and grateful when
adults want first to understand them and then
help them.”
In the following article, Jane Racoosin and Patty Randall write about New York City’s opening
initiative related to the presence of “The Wonder of Learning – The Hundred Languages of
Children” exhibit, titled “Dialogue of Two Cities
– NYC and Reggio Emilia: Exploring Possibilities for Quality Early Childhood Education for
All Children.” Jane and Patty share the highlights of comments by participating speakers,
including Claudia Giudici, Lella Gandini, and
Jerome Bruner, and then offer their reflections
on some of Bruner’s remarks from their unique
perspectives as educators from two distinct
regions of the United States. Through their
reflections, Jane and Patty remark on the commitment of their educational communities
to strengthen the role of the teacher through
advocacy, ongoing dialogue, and professional
development with colleagues, families, and
those outside the field of education.
Then, Amy Miller, studio teacher, shares “Excerpts from the Daily Life at Beginnings Nursery School,” the school directed by Jane Racoosin that is hosting the exhibit in New York City.
Through the story of a collaborative project with
the children, teachers, studio teachers, and families, Amy emphasizes the value of “constant
communication” with all of the members of their
educational community in constructing together a daily life in the school that is rich in complex experiences.
Next, Jeanne Goldhaber reflects on the experience of planning and participating in the new
Brick by Brick series in New England with fellow
NAREA board members and members. Jeanne
writes of the goals of the series in Boston, “We
especially hoped that this day would deepen
our appreciation and understanding of the role
of the teacher as a researcher and the power
of documentation as a builder of culture and
identity, engagement, and learning.” In fact, she
shares Lella Gandini’s presentation of “Laura
and the watch,” an historic dialogue between a
very young child and a teacher that has come
to symbolically represent the thoughtful and
intentional role of the teacher in the municipal
infant-toddler centers and preschools in Reggio
Emilia, Italy. In addition, Jeanne considers the
contributions of various educators from New
England states regarding how their study of the
Reggio Emilia approach has influenced their
work as early childhood educators.
This issue of Innovations concludes with two
new features, “Perspectives on NAREA” and
“Mangiare in Bellezza” (Eating Beautifully),
which focuses on beautiful foods, recipes, and
environments in our schools. Margie Cooper
has penned the first contribution to the “Perspectives on NAREA” feature, titled “Questioning NAREA’s Impact.” The first contribution to
“Mangiare in Bellezza” features photographs,
children’s words, and recipes from Berkeley Urban Garden School in Berkeley, CA, that highlight the value of the natural environment, the
language of food and nutrition, and collaboration among children and adults in meaningful
work and play that is essential to the role of the
teacher in quality early childhood education
communities.
In participated education,
an active attitude of listening
between adults, children, and the
environment is the premise and
context of every educational
relationship.
–Indications – Preschools and Infant-Toddler
Centres of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia
REFERENCE
Preschools and Infant-Toddler Centres,
Istituzione of the Municipality of Reggio
Emilia. (2010). Indications – Preschools
and infant-toddler centres of the
municipality of Reggio Emilia. Reggio
Emilia, Italy: Reggio Children.
Image Credit
Image on cover courtesy of
Patty Randall and Peachtree
Presbyterian Preschool
March 2015 3
On Becoming an Observant Teacher:
An Interview with Amelia Gambetti
By Lella Gandini
Lella Gandini is the Reggio Children liaison in the U.S. for dissemination
of the Reggio Emilia approach and associate editor of Innovations. Amelia
Gambetti was a teacher in the Reggio Emilia municipal preschools for 25
years and is currently Reggio Children liaison for consultancy in schools
and International Network co-chair, and a member of the advisory board
of the Istituzione, Infant-Toddler Centres and Preschools – Municipality of
Reggio Emilia. Both Lella and Amelia are NAREA board members. The
following interview is based on “The Observant Teacher: Observation as
a Reciprocal Tool of Professional Development: An Interview with Amelia
Gambetti” by Lella Gandini in The Hundred Languages of Children: The
Reggio Emilia Approach in Transformation. NAREA would like to thank
Lella Gandini, Carolyn Edwards, and George Forman, the editors of The Hundred Languages of
Children books, for this generous contribution to Innovations.
Amelia Gambetti has an extraordinary history
of preparation to become a teacher of young
children. During her course of study, she
learned alongside two extraordinary professors—in fact, two of the most important protagonists in the evolution of early childhood
education in Reggio Emilia—Loris Malaguzzi,
founder of the Reggio Emilia approach, and
Carla Rinaldi, pedagogista, president of
Reggio Children, and president of the Fondazione Reggio Children-Centro Loris Malaguzzi.
They worked and collaborated side by side with
Amelia, orienting her learning through their direct observation at La Villetta Preschool, along
with the exchanges and analyses of documentation shared with all the other teachers in the
school. Malaguzzi and Carla not only helped
Amelia become a good teacher, but they also
supported her welfare as a person.
Lella: Your long and gradual experience becoming a teacher in the context of the schools
of Reggio Emilia is a very engaging and
exemplary story.
Amelia: We had all along gotten a great deal
of practice in learning to be observed and to
reflect with Carla Rinaldi, who was then our
pedagogista, about what it means to be observed. At La Villetta Preschool, Carla observed us, and we teachers observed one another as well as the atelierista. It was a way to
learn from others and with others how best
to work with children. We would observe
what each one of us did while at the same
time being observed.
4 Innovations in Early Education
Lella: Carla’s basic intention, I imagine,
was to contribute to your professional development and show how reciprocally you
could help each other to grow as teachers.
What is notable is that her intention
became a shared intention among all of you
at La Villetta Preschool.
Amelia: Certainly, and this was taking place
along with collective occasions of professional development that were held weekly at
our school and, at times, formally organized
to include all the schools, with the goal of increasing our awareness toward the general
objectives of our work.
When you accept being observed and understand the importance of it, you have to learn
to separate your personal feelings from your
professional role, of course not forgetting
your identity and your personality. You have
to assume a detached attitude from the person who is observing you while you are involved in actions with children. This is also
true when you see yourself again in a video;
you critique yourself, while being critiqued
by your colleagues or the pedagogista. I
think it is important that you learn to accept
the comments in a constructive way because
this improves the quality of your work. Others’ points of view also increase your sense
of responsibility for the actions you take. In
fact, you have to learn to accept criticism and
to do self-criticism. It is true that sometimes
you see what you could have done better
even before your colleagues mention it.
speak up? It was also a way to understand, for
example, how your way of thinking aloud in
conversation [with other colleagues] works.
How much room do you leave to the voice of
others? How does one present her opinion
without considering what the other is saying? If in all these exchanges [one keeps] the
intention of being a listener, it is easier to see
the positive and less positive attitudes in the
exchanges.
Amelia Gambetti with children at La Villetta Preschool
in 1992
In fact, to observe better, we planned and adopted the use of videotaping. It was helpful
for us to watch together, to see and criticize
our work with children, together among colleagues. It was so important that in the discussion, all points of view emerged and were
included in a shared assessment of various
situations.
Lella: I find this reciprocal way of observing one another through the use of video
and agreeing to use constructive criticism
a powerful tool for growth. I am sure it requires a strong mutual respect and trust
and certainly, the support of the pedagogical coordinator as a coach and mediator
was also essential to get started.
Amelia: The use of video was a way to help
one also understand how one expresses one’s
thoughts in conversation among colleagues.
How much space [does one] leave for others
to express their thoughts or opinions and to
Lella: Was this a tendency that you had
noticed among colleagues or also on your
part, Amelia?
Amelia: I think we were all learning, and we
were looking at collaboration as a deep resource.
Lella: It is a complex way of working that requires, it seems to me, a great deal of time
and many meetings together.
Amelia: Yes, but it also happens with children; they also learn to do the same thing.
I don’t think it necessarily requires a great
deal of time but rather, an efficient use of
time, so that instead of working more, you
work better. When the children have established familiarity (this is a process), work in
a group, and discuss something, their conversation is similar to a relay race. They refer
to the words and thoughts of their peers to
carry on the conversation. In fact, the more
the group is capable of the strategies of communication, the more their conversation becomes articulate and full of meaningful details. This awareness about others’ processes
March 2015 5
Carla Rinaldi has always urged us to include in our style of working—
strongly based on theories and practice woven together—this attitude of
observation. She used to suggest to us that we all had weaknesses and
strengths, so that if we observed each other working in the school, we
would learn from what others did differently and why. All of this facilitated
the formation of an attitude of collaboration and collegiality rather than
an attitude based on competition.
–Amelia Gambetti
of thought proceeds through the teacher to
the children; parents also become involved
and aware.
Lella: Could you tell us more about how this
way of working by observing and being observed had developed? Was it a deliberate
plan or strategy, and how gradual was the
process?
Amelia: Carla Rinaldi has always urged us
to include in our style of working—strongly
based on theories and practice woven together—this attitude of observation. She used to
suggest to us that we all had weaknesses and
strengths, so that if we observed each other
working in the school, we would learn from
what others did differently and why. All of
this facilitated the formation of an attitude of
collaboration and collegiality rather than an
attitude based on competition.…
[In fact, it is very important to become aware
of] one’s own personal way of working. I
think that the more one becomes aware, the
more critical one is with regard to one’s own
work. That critical attitude is necessary, in
my view, because as educators we have the
responsibility to do the best work possible
with children … It has always helped me to
start from the conviction that the person who
observed me and [criticized] my work was
neither angry with me nor disliked me. That
was out of the question. The most important
thing has always been to do the best one can
do in working [with children]. To be with the
children always has to be at the highest level
of one’s own potential to create relationships
of high quality. Therefore, to reach that level,
one must succeed in becoming aware of each
detail of one’s own way of behaving. I believe
strongly that this working with attention and
listening is at the basis of the good work of
[a teacher].
6 Innovations in Early Education
This awareness did not come easily. At the
beginning of my work, I invested a great
deal of energy to understand the importance
of observation. At times, it has not been a
particularly pleasant process, but it has been
always a study of attitudes that is useful in
the construction of my role as a teacher. For
example, if one does something that inhibits the children, or [one] says something
that produces a disequilibrium in the understanding of a child who is next to you, if
one has [a listening attitude], one might understand what did not work well [and] right
away, one can understand how to recuperate communication in a positive way. [This
attention], I think, can help a teacher to improve … (Gandini, 2012, pp. 174–178)
Lella: Therefore, your energy was directed
to respond both to observations and selfobservation.
Amelia: In my professional life, I have been
fortunate to be observed many times in
many different ways. I started working very
young and to work by being observed has
shaped me both at the personal and the professional levels. I was fortunate to receive
my professional development [from] Loris
Malaguzzi and Carla Rinaldi. Both Carla and
[Malaguzzi] knew [very] well how to analyze
the different personalities of teachers and
had as an objective to work with us continually to enrich our knowledge … With regard
to my personality, I am stubborn and [tend]
to be tenacious and persistent; it is not like
me to give up because of difficulties. However, I have to admit that professional growth
has been [quite] complex and not always
pleasant in its process. As a person, [in any
case,] I am one who challenges herself all
the time to do better and to do more. Both
[Malaguzzi] and Carla understood this trait
of mine right away, and I think that this was
why they invested so much in my [preparation] as a teacher.
Lella: It must have been an amazing experience to be accompanied in becoming a
teacher by people of such caliber, dedication, and vision.
Amelia: During that period of time, when
they saw that I reacted in a negative way,
they would tell me, “Look more carefully, listen but do not judge too quickly, try to understand, observe …” This strategy helped me a
little at a time to learn to [judge] myself, so
I would be angry with myself because I had
made those mistakes. Of course, I would get
discouraged but then I would use my frustration to work on improving my work as a
teacher and as a person. I truly understood
that children, and really everyone, deserve
the best and sometimes even more than that.
I would share these thoughts with my colleagues, and I also do that now when I meet
and collaborate with other educators. In the
work as an educator, one should not be content with approximations. One cannot think
that children can do and understand only a
little; we should not be satisfied with “just a
little.” If educators are content with a little,
[it seems that] they might think that a child
can reach only small objectives. By doing
so, it is as if we diminished our vision of the
child. If, instead, educators learn to invest
more in children’s potentials and capacities,
not only will they offer more opportunities
and possibilities, they will also offer more to
themselves as educators. I have always pursued the objective that children can always
do more; if one as a teacher does not try to
do more … he or she will never learn enough
about what children’s potentials are.
Lella: I have noticed, Amelia, that when we
are working together with teachers and the
time comes to sum up our day of professional development with them (as happened
recently), you find words of appreciation
about their work [but] immediately … you
express [this] point that what they do is not
enough and that more could be done.
Amelia: Yes. Because it is true, more can be
done. I believe that there is a risk that, when
people are pleased and satisfied with what
they do, they start to be less curious [toward
their work and life] and less interested in
what more could be done. If I think about
all the work we have done in Reggio Emilia,
if I think about all the interest that we have
constructed at the national and international
levels, if we had started feeling satisfied and
did not continue to invest in the evolution of
our work and on research in innovation, we
would not have done our duty [neither to ourselves, nor] toward all those educators who
come to Reggio from many parts of Italy and
the world. We have a responsibility to continue … and to evolve by keeping in step with
a [society that changes]. We owe this to the
children [and to ourselves].
I have always pursued
the objective that
children can always
do more; if one as a
teacher does not try
to do more … he or
she will never learn
enough about what
children’s potentials
are.
–Amelia Gambetti
Now, when I happen to see a school such as
the one we recently saw together where the
children’s entire day is planned on a board
with curriculum-imposed tasks rotating every 15 minutes and where the cluttered space
is lined with desks, I feel that I am in a place
where I do not see respect for the intelligence
of children … and I know that we both feel sad
and discouraged. But I remember right away
what Malaguzzi used to say in similar cases,
“I suffer when I see those schools … We can
no longer remain indifferent when we see
that [a child is] not respected, and this is
for me a kind of violence which is done … to
children.” [emphasis added]
March 2015 7
Amelia Gambetti with children at First Baptist Church
Kindergarten in 2014
I understand and share the determination
that in Reggio, there is the strong will to continue to do research for innovation. I can see
how hard and exhausting it is, but it is truly
more and more the right thing to do to continue in this direction. There are new people
in our educational system; there are very
young teachers who do not know our history
but [living it in the present, they still] can see
its quality. I consider myself a [very] fortunate person as I have known, [I have worked,
and I was taught and prepared] by Loris
Malaguzzi and Carla Rinaldi. With them, we
participated in research—also with you—and
we had the opportunity to do our work giving value to our actions, understanding the
importance of the process, always with the
objective of doing better.
Lella: In my own small way, I also feel
fortunate for having worked with Loris
Malaguzzi in [preserving his thoughts in
the long interview he did with me and also]
as his interpreter when he was in the United States. Tell me about your experience in
this country.
8 Innovations in Early Education
I understand and share the determination that in Reggio, there is the
strong will to continue to do research for innovation.
–Amelia Gambetti
Amelia: I like to [be aware that I accompany] the experiences in the United States in
dialogue with Reggio Emilia because I keep
fresh in my mind my development and history there and [also, I am always in communication with] Reggio Children … The
way I work with teachers is not decided by
me alone but together with the educators involved. When I work in a new context, I make
a great effort to connect my own experiences
as a teacher in Reggio with what I am living
in the particular new context. The schools
with which I collaborate might have followed
different … processes of educational work.
At times, the collaborations can be less difficult if there are organizational structures
that support the context—in particular where
an exchange among teachers, children, and
parents is already in place. That type of situation can support and maintain the positive
level of quality that can be reached in our
collaboration. At times, schools in this process might try to widen their experiences by
entering into dialogue and exchange with
other experiences or other schools that are
working to improve learning through relationship. (Gandini, 2012, pp. 178–181)
Lella: I would like to conclude with one of my
first experiences observing intensely and with
continuity the work of Amelia with children,
colleagues, and atelieristi that took place
during the documentation of “The Amusement Park for Birds” at La Villetta Preschool
that I did with George Forman in 1992. Amelia Gambetti had a great deal of experience
working with children and engaging in the
processes of documentation. She had also
been the protagonist in the video To Make a
Portrait of a Lion. During this experience and
while observing Amelia here in the United
States, I have always been impressed by her
way of “being there,” establishing a serious
commitment to and participation within the
educational community. It is a way that reciprocal trust with children and other teachers
can be created. Amelia is able to be completely
present, observing and listening, mostly silent
and alert; she becomes cognizant of what is
around and what is missing and seeks to provide or suggest what is needed. Her aim is to
build a culture of learning and collaboration
that includes being ready to accept and share
constructive criticism and help one another
deal with weaknesses and opportunities.
At times, the collaborations can
be less difficult if there are
organizational structures that
support the context—in particular
where an exchange among
teachers, children, and parents is
already in place.
–Amelia Gambetti
REFERENCE
Image Credits
Images in this interview
courtesy of Lella Gandini
and First Baptist Church
Kindergarten
Gandini, L. (2012). The observant teacher:
Observation as a reciprocal tool of
professional development: An interview
with Amelia Gambetti. In C. Edwards, L.
Gandini, & G. Forman (Eds.), The hundred
languages of children: The Reggio Emilia
experience in transformation (3rd ed., pp.
173–185). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
March 2015 9
Inspired and Inspiring Change in
Early Childhood Education in Ontario
By Karyn Callaghan and Jason Avery
Karyn Callaghan teaches in the Bachelor of
Early Childhood Studies program at Charles
Sturt University, coordinates the Artists at the
Centre project, is president of the Ontario Reggio
Association, and is a NAREA board member.
Jason Avery is an artist in the Artists at the
Centre project and worked as an atelierista in an
early years program in Hamilton, Ontario, from
2002–2013.
The inspiration of the Reggio Emilia educational project is evident in schools all over
the world. In many cases, individual teachers are engaging in this work, regardless of
less-than-conducive contexts. In others, entire
schools, agencies, or school districts have taken up these ideas. Less often do we find Reggio
inspiration at the level of state departments or
provincial ministries of education. Yet a transformation is taking place at that level in Ontario Canada, and we were invited to share our
experience and perspective on this significant
change. We invited Lynne Besner, senior policy
advisor, and Karen Calligan, child care advisor
with the Early Years Division of the Ontario
Ministry of Education, to reflect with us on the
transformational change that is occurring in
early years programs across Ontario.
Q: Can you describe the landscape for
educators, children, and families in Ontario?
Karen: Ontario is a large province of over
13.6 million people, with approximately 6% of
the population under 6 years of age. There are
over 3,600 publicly funded elementary schools
and 5,000 licensed child care programs, which
include a mix of non-profit and commercial
centers and municipally operated programs,
many located in schools. In addition, licensed
home child care agencies (overseeing 6,000
providers) provide another option for families.
Across the province, there are family support
programs for children, parents, and caregivers
that operate on a drop-in basis and are funded
by the provincial government. They focus on
play-based learning, parenting supports, and
referrals to other services.
10 Innovations in Early Education
Lynne: The regulations for licensed child care
programs that were established in the mid-20th
century are undergoing revision. The existing
regulations are primarily aimed at safety, setting minimum standards with regard to space,
group size, ratios, and qualifications for staff,
with limited attention to program components.
Child care programs in Ontario follow a wide
range of philosophical views and program approaches. In Ontario, the standard for qualification is successful completion of a 2-year college
program in early childhood education. At this
point, it is necessary for one person with each
group of children to have this qualification.
Early childhood educators must be registered
with the College of Early Childhood Educators,
a regulatory body established in 2007. The role
of the college is to protect the public and ensure
standards are met for professional qualification of Registered Early Childhood Educators
(RECEs).
Q: Why would change in early childhood
education in Ontario be welcomed?
Karyn: Throughout the province for over 20
years, there have been pockets of intense interest in the Reggio Emilia experience. Although
there had not been a curriculum document for
child care programs, the Early Learning for
Every Child Today (ELECT) document, which
was released in 2007, includes a set of foundational principles and a 44-page developmental
continuum that was intended to guide curriculum. This non-mandatory document was used
to varying degrees and in different ways across
the province. While it was not intended to be
used for screening and assessment, some pro-
grams came to use the continuum as a means
to evaluate children’s development.
dren—had become the lowest priority in their
daily lives.
The continuum also came to be seen by many
as the professional knowledge of RECEs. Concurrently, I saw an increase in the number and
use of checklists and rating scales coming
from a variety of sources, intended to standardize practice and ostensibly to provide accountability. In some cities, these were linked to program funding, so their use was mandatory. For
educators who had begun to see themselves as
researchers and were foregrounding relationships, there were tensions as this modernist
sensibility gained strength. There are suitable
applications for checklists; they are efficient
tools for monitoring practices related to health
and safety, for example. However, to paraphrase Deb Curtis, tools were becoming rules,
and rather than the tools serving the practice of
educators, the relationship seemed to go in the
opposite direction. In my experience working
with the early childhood education community
in the city where I teach, this trend had a chilling effect on educators who had been engaging
in critically reflective practice, as they now had
to adapt to a culture of compliance. Those who
had been creating documentation said they
had no time to do it anymore because of the
amount of record keeping required. It seemed
to me that their work was no longer intellectually stimulating. Even in programs that did encourage the practice of documenting children’s
play, educators were often required by administrators to link their observations to numbered
skills on the developmental continuum. This
worked against a stance of recognition that our
knowledge is partial and perspectival and that
children have the right to be seen complexly.
Fear is a great motivator when dealing with a
bear. It tamps down intellect and prepares your
body to run. In education, we wish for the very
opposite. We look for an intellectual response
to the world. This is difficult and requires everyone involved to participate while encouraging
a fearless approach to an educational context.
Jason: During my time working with several
teachers, each talked about having to complete
rating scales and forms with conflicting points
of view, and the requirement to do it on a deadline kept them away from children. In the end,
they had little or no positive effect on the program. The teachers seemed worn out, wondering what the next requirement might be. The
very thing that drew them to the field of education in the first place—learning alongside chil-
Q: Where was the impetus for change coming
from at the Ministry level?
Karen: A report titled With Our Best Future in
Mind (2009), authored by the Premier’s Special
Advisor on Early Learning, Dr. Charles Pascal,
was commissioned to build upon Ontario’s
Best Start strategy for a comprehensive, continuous, and integrated system for children from
birth to age 12 and their families. Pascal’s report recommended significant changes to the
current system. Several of these changes have
been implemented, and some have afforded opportunities for shifts in thinking:
1) The Early Years Division at the Ministry of
Education was established. The transfer of
child care and, subsequently, family support
programs from the Ministry of Children and
Youth Services into the Ministry of Education’s Early Years Division provided impetus
for rethinking the purpose and mandate of
child care—that is, for child care to be seen first
and foremost as a benefit to the child’s learning, well-being, and development—and also as
a support to parents and their employment.
There were renewed discussions about “quality” and accountability (what does it look like,
from whose perspective, and what is the impact
on learning?).
2) A 2-year full-day kindergarten (FDK) program, staffed by a team consisting of a certified kindergarten teacher and a registered
early childhood educator (RECE) was phased
in over 5 years and is now available in publicly funded elementary schools across Ontario.
While enrollment is not mandatory until grade
1, all children are able to attend kindergarten
the year they turn 4 years old. Grade 1 begins
the year they turn 6 years old. A draft program
March 2015 11
There were challenges that, in many cases, were faced with
determination and a spirit of collaboration. Unlike what we see in
Reggio Emilia, our culture is less inclined to see disagreement as an
opportunity to learn. But now that we are 5 years into this “marriage,”
the dynamic pairing has contributed to the start of a process of
rethinking many aspects of practice, including rigid schedules and
theme-based curriculum that had been prevalent, to a greater or lesser
degree, in both education and child care.
–Karyn Callaghan
document released in 2010 established a program direction in FDK that would be based on
learning through play and inquiry and would
be co-constructed with children.
Karyn: The introduction of RECEs into every
kindergarten classroom with 16 or more children has added complexity. It is rather like the
coming together of two cultures—each with its
own beliefs and practices. Initially, some educators described it as an arranged marriage
as there was no choice about the partnership.
There were challenges that, in many cases, were
faced with determination and a spirit of collaboration. Unlike what we see in Reggio Emilia,
our culture is less inclined to see disagreement
as an opportunity to learn. But now that we are
5 years into this “marriage,” the dynamic pairing has contributed to the start of a process of
rethinking of many aspects of practice, including rigid schedules and theme-based curriculum that had been prevalent, to a greater or
lesser degree, in both education and child care.
Transformation was beginning to happen in
classrooms for 4– and 5–year-olds, but FDK
educator teams expressed feeling pressure to
“get children ready for grade 1.” So while there
was much to feel optimistic about, there were
also tensions. In the early days of implementation, I believe that the absence of a shared view
of the child, educator, and family resulted in
a lack of a solid foundation for discussions to
begin.
Jason: I spent more than a decade building
and documenting relationships in a child and
family center and during that time, I heard
parents express their concerns for their children’s health and education. This sounds reasonable enough. Who isn’t concerned for his
or her child’s welfare? But in many situations,
the parents were reacting to outside influences.
12 Innovations in Early Education
These worries came in waves. One week, it was
literacy; then the next week, it might be mathematics, then speech problems, and then conflict resolution, empathy training, and on and
on and on. A case is made for each course of
treatment. But each approach looks at one aspect of a child without considering the context
in which that child exists. Each breaks a child
into discrete pieces.
The lip-biting fear that parents experience and
have shared with me about their children’s
place in the scheme of things is nothing short
of game changing. (Larger families seemed
more resilient. Having knowledge built on
raising older siblings seems to pay off for the
younger. Grandparents can also play a role in
easing worries.) To see a child as a collection of
pathologies seems to ignore that child’s competence. The documentation we were creating
in that program often relieved these anxieties.
Karen: Today, our conversations at the Ministry of Education begin with a strengths-based
view of the child, educator, and family. This is a
key area of focus for Ministry-led pedagogical
leadership sessions with kindergarten to grade
3 teams and with our early years partners
across the province.
Q: As Peter Moss (2007) said, reform in education is not just a matter of political intent
and top-down implementation. What was
percolating at the grassroots level, perhaps in
response to these factors?
Karyn: At the same time that the movement
toward measurement and a particular type
of accountability gained strength, those little
pockets of educators who were exploring the
Reggio Emilia philosophy were continuing to
navigate their way. They were mostly in the
child care sector but included individual elementary school teachers who had studied with
Carol Anne Wien at York University, a couple
of independent K–12 schools, and a few faculty members in schools of education. There is
evidence of their enthusiasm and the generative nature of their practice in their pedagogical documentation and in the articles that
were written about changes they made in their
context and relationships (Wien & Callaghan,
2014; Wien, 2008).
In 2006, an ad hoc collaborative consisting of
the Toronto District School Board, York University, The Bishop Strachan School, and Seneca College brought “The Hundred Languages of Children” exhibit to Toronto and, after
that, key participants established the Ontario
Reggio Association (ORA). ORA held annual
conferences, featuring educators from Reggio
Emilia along with others from the North American context as keynote speakers. The Reggio
study group that had begun meeting in 1998 in
the city where I live continued to flourish, and
groups formed in other communities.
Q: What influences shaped the direction of the
new pedagogy for the early years document?
Lynne: In addition to what we learned from research and practices across Canada and internationally, the Ministry engaged in hundreds of
conversations with all levels of the early years
sector, including system leaders, academics
and researchers, provincial early years associations, child care operators, and educators and
staff in family support programs. It was critically important to listen to a wide range of perspectives and to invite others to think with us
in developing Ontario’s pedagogy for the early
years.
Karyn: Several members of the Ontario
Reggio Association board of directors (Carol Anne Wien, Anne Marie Coughlin, Lorrie
Baird, and myself) were among those who were
consulted. Following those consultations, the
Ministry extended invitations to submit research briefs for the Think, Feel, Act document
and to be filmed for videos that are posted on
the Ministry website. Two of the other contributors, Dr. Jean Clinton and Dr. Stuart Shanker,
had been speakers at ORA conferences, and
Jean had also come with us on the Canadian
study week in Reggio in 2011. I feel that the
documentation we were able to share presented
convincing evidence that the philosophy that
guides us respects the rights and competence
of children, families, and educators and provides a foundation for vibrant pedagogy.
In addition to what we learned
from research and practices across
Canada and internationally, the
Ministry engaged in hundreds of
conversations with all levels of
the early years sector, including
system leaders, academics and
researchers, provincial early years
associations, child care operators,
and educators and staff in family
support programs. It was critically
important to listen to a wide range
of perspectives and to invite others
to think with us in developing
Ontario’s pedagogy for the early
years.
–Lynne Besner
Lynne: All of these conversations contributed
to the development of the resource How Does
Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the
Early Years (HDLH?) that we hope will support
educators in this type of ongoing critical reflection, dialogue, and learning. The document’s
title is a question, framed intentionally as an
invitation to think together about these critical
questions about our work with children, families, and educators and to build a shared understanding of pedagogy in the early years.
Karyn: I thought it was delightfully serendipitous that this document was released on April
25—the date that inspired the name of the first
school opened by parents in Reggio Emilia
after Italy was liberated from fascism.
Q: How did the policymakers and the educators who were engaging in Reggio-inspired
practice converge?
Karyn: When ORA was organizing the Canadian study week in Reggio, Lella Gandini
suggested, “You should bring people with you
who can help with this work.” In response, we
extended an invitation to the Early Years Division of the Ministry of Education to send two
people as guests of ORA. We were delighted
that Karen Calligan and Lynne Besner were
able to join us.
Lynne: Participating in the Canadian study
March 2015 13
Lynne Besner and Karen Calligan in Reggio Emilia in 2011
week in Reggio Emilia was a wonderful opportunity for more in-depth learning through our
visits to the programs and through the many
rich conversations with educators from Reggio
Emilia and from across Ontario and Canada.
These experiences helped to shape our thinking, not only about the content for HDLH?
but also about the approach to developing the
document.
Staff within the Ministry had also been engaging in discussions with other divisions across
the Ministry, exploring our questions and understandings of what was most important for
learning, development, health, and well-being—
not just for young children but for students of
all ages. One of the ways the Early Years Division engaged with colleagues across the Ministry was through a book study on Susan Fraser’s Authentic Childhood: Experiencing Reggio
Emilia in the Classroom (2011).
Karen: Both of these experiences were incredibly rich as they provoked us to examine our
view of the child, educator, family, and environment and to share our perspectives and
respectfully challenge one another’s ideas
about learning, teaching, relationships, and
pedagogical leadership. These encounters
supported a deeper understanding of our own
beliefs, values, and biases and opened up a win14 Innovations in Early Education
Both of these experiences were
incredibly rich as they provoked
us to examine our view of the child,
educator, family, and environment
and to share our perspectives
and respectfully challenge one
another’s ideas about learning,
teaching, relationships, and
pedagogical leadership.
–Karen Calligan
dow to consider the thinking of others as we
work together to achieve our shared vision for
Ontario’s children and families.
Karyn: As part of his ongoing and wide-ranging research, Assistant Deputy Minister of Education Jim Grieve visited The Bishop Strachan
School in Toronto where the Reggio Emilia philosophy had been introduced into their junior
kindergarten program several years earlier
and gradually extended up through the grades.
He also visited Reggio Emilia. It is a powerful
provocation to see this philosophy brought to
life in different contexts.
Children are competent, capable of complex thinking, curious, and rich in potential. They
grow up in families with diverse social, cultural, and linguistic perspectives. Every child
should feel that he or she belongs, is a valuable contributor to his or her surroundings, and
deserves the opportunity to succeed. When we recognize children as capable and curious,
we are more likely to deliver programs and services that value and build on their strengths
and abilities.
Families are composed of individuals who are competent and capable, curious, and rich in
experience. Families love their children and want the best for them. Families are experts on
their children. They are the first and most powerful influence on children’s learning, development, health, and well-being. Families bring diverse social, cultural, and linguistic perspectives. Families should feel that they belong, are valuable contributors to their children’s
learning, and deserve to be engaged in a meaningful way.
Educators are competent and capable, curious, and rich in experience. They are knowledgeable, caring, reflective, and resourceful professionals. They bring diverse social, cultural,
and linguistic perspectives. They collaborate with others to create engaging environments
and experiences to foster children’s learning and development. Educators are lifelong learners. They take responsibility for their own learning and make decisions about ways to integrate knowledge from theory, research, their own experience, and their understanding of
the individual children and families they work with. Every educator should feel he or she
belongs, is a valuable contributor, and deserves the opportunity to engage in meaningful
work. –How Does Learning Happen?, 2014, pp. 6–7
Q: What do you see as the major changes?
children busy or following routines and schedules without really thinking about why or how
they are meaningful to children, educators, or
families. We believe it is important to meet
educators at the edge of their learning to provoke their thinking and critical reflection rather than communicate judgment about right or
wrong approaches.
Karen: One of the big shifts for us as we created Ontario’s pedagogy for the early years
was setting out a strengths-based view of the
children, families, and educators as competent,
capable of complex thinking, curious, and rich
in potential. This understanding is central to
guiding all of our work in the Early Years Division and is a key focus of our collaboration
with other divisions across the Ministry. We
ask ourselves questions like, “Will this policy,
this decision, or this approach reflect a view of
children, families, and educators as competent
and capable?” and “How will this decision help
us to move toward our vision of a more responsive, accessible, high quality, and increasingly
integrated system for Ontario’s children and
families?” This pedagogical framework is built
on four key foundations: belonging, well-being,
engagement, and expression. It has been encouraging to hear from educators who are using a range of curriculum approaches and have
expressed support for this strengths-based
view of the child, family, and educator and support for the four foundations.
We heard from many that they wanted to make
changes but were uncertain as to how they
might do this. The pedagogical approaches
that we included in HDLH? were intended to
respond to this request. First and foremost, we
know that learning happens through relationships and that positive, responsive interactions
are critical. In addition, meaningful programs
that support rich learning require the following elements: contexts that invite exploration,
play, and inquiry; educators that see the environment as “teacher”; educators that engage as
co-learners with children, families, and others;
use of pedagogical documentation as a means
to value, discuss, and make learning visible;
and participation in ongoing reflective practice
and collaborative inquiry with others.
Lynne: It was important to be intentional in
supporting programs to rethink the focus of
their work, to move away from simply planning
a series of daily activities and tasks that keep
Jason: It is significant that the Ministry is
encouraging documentation, collaborative inquiry, and critical reflection. In my experience,
documentation and pedagogical documenMarch 2015 15
It is significant that the Ministry is encouraging documentation,
collaborative inquiry, and critical reflection. In my experience,
documentation and pedagogical documentation … have a recursive
relationship affecting children, teachers, and parents in ways deeper
than the mere recording of an event. A child who is offered documentation
of his or her thinking is able to interrogate his or her own reasoning and,
at the same time, is made aware of and can interrogate the documenter’s
view of his or her thinking. The parent can also see his or her own
child through the eyes of the documenter. Now the documenter learns
something new about the context they share.
–Jason Avery
tation (Letts, Khattar & Callaghan, in review)
have a recursive relationship affecting children, teachers, and parents in ways deeper than
the mere recording of an event. A child who is
offered documentation of his or her thinking
is able to interrogate his or her own reasoning
and, at the same time, is made aware of and can
interrogate the documenter’s view of his or her
thinking. The parent can also see his or her
own child through the eyes of the documenter. Now the documenter learns something new
about the context they share. A child who is
offered documentation of another child’s work
can know that he or she is seen as a part of the
group and that he or she has agency in this context. What is created as a result is nothing short
of astonishing.
Documentation of the construction of a model
of a cathedral, for example (Artists at the Centre, 2015), provides evidence of a child’s ability
to stay with an idea, to innovate solutions to
problems that arose at every turn, to master
new techniques made necessary by his desire
to realize his vision, and to inspire others to
tackle difficult projects. (Many children viewed
the model of a cathedral as a castle and pursued aspects of fortification and princesses and
keeps and so on.) The educators recognized the
investment the child made in his work, so care
was given to store his work-in-progress prominently over the course of a year and at its conclusion, to give visibility to his thinking and
continue his presence in the program long after
he moved on. Also, the documentation offered
insight into the child’s thinking so that the educators could plan and prepare ways to extend
the learning. His mother used the documentation to aid in future discussions around his ed16 Innovations in Early Education
ucation when she was told that he had trouble
attending to tasks. These practices the Ministry is supporting enrich learning for children
and adults and provide authentic evidence of
learning.
Q: What challenges did you encounter and/or
do you anticipate?
Lynne: Moving from a culture where quality
is about reaching the “gold standard” and feeling as if “we’ve arrived” toward learning to see
quality as a journey rather than a destination;
moving from looking for “how to” instructions
to simplify work toward being comfortable with
questioning our practices, testing theories and
ideas, and being uncertain.
Karen: Large-scale change takes time, and it
takes commitment at both the system level and
the individual level—there has to be a desire
at both levels to embrace change. Large-scale
change can be especially challenging when
deeply held beliefs and practices are connected
to a view that children can only learn if they are
“taught,” educators need to be “trained,” and
parents need to be “educated” about their children—this mindset often leads teachers to a reliance on external tools (checklists/templates)
to do the thinking for them. It tends to nurture
a culture of dependency rather than a culture
of individual and collective responsibility for
learning.
Lynne: It is so important to build coherence—
that is why we are engaging with municipalities, school boards, child care operators, family
support programs, post-secondary institutions,
local children’s planning tables, and the College of Early Childhood Educators to discuss
our views of the child, educator, family, learning, and teaching and to build a shared understanding of pedagogy. When there are so
many involved in this transformation, it can be
a challenge to move everyone forward, but we
see this as a journey worth taking.
Karen: How Does Learning Happen? describes
parents as their child’s first teacher and communicates the importance of building meaningful
relationships with families. “Families should
feel that they belong, are valuable contributors
to their children’s learning, and deserve to be
engaged in a meaningful way.” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2014, p. 7)
Karyn: The new document invites us not just
to do some things differently but also to think
differently and listen differently. We recognize
that it would be unwise to push for quick adoption of new practices. It should take time for
understanding to be constructed at a deep level. Quick change in practice would suggest superficial understanding of why and how all the
aspects are interrelated. Margie Cooper (2009)
suggested that we “are better supported in our
vision for children, families, and educators,
the more we borrow dispositions and attitudes
from Reggio Emilia, rather than techniques
and examples” (p. 7).
We also have to try to develop a culture of critical reflection—to nurture critical friendships.
This change celebrates learning and embraces
uncertainty. Everyone is learning at the same
time. It is not a matter of a “top echelon” dictating to those who will “implement.” I am
encouraging those whose role involves pedagogical leadership to be present in classrooms,
creating documentation alongside educators.
Educators are being given permission to take
risks—in fact, being encouraged to do so. “Children learn through questioning and testing
theories in their play. In the same way, we encourage educators to be researchers, to try new
ideas and test theories” (Ontario Ministry of
Education, 2014, p. 20).
A significant challenge will come from those
who want to see the same kind of evidence they
sought as proof of the effectiveness of other approaches (that many say didn’t work). We have
to be able to clear away the gravitational pull of
those views if this approach is going to have an
opportunity to grow wings. We will then have
the chance to develop meaningful and complex
curriculum that will enable children to have
opportunities to reveal their capabilities and
educators to develop the ability to document,
providing the authentic evidence of the impact
of a pedagogy that is based on the view of the
child, educator, and family as competent. These
discussions will continue.
As Lella Gandini has told us, there are many
ways to respect children. When practice is documented, we are able to consider with others
the affordances and impacts of the decisions
we make. The HDLH? document helps us to
engage practices that create vibrant contexts
for learning, in part by not providing a model.
Instead, we are trusted to make meaning and
question assumptions with each other. There is
no end to learning—no “having arrived”—when
one is re-conceptualizing practice from this
perspective, so everyone will be joining a community of learners.
The new document
invites us not just
to do some things
differently but also to
think differently and
listen differently.
We recognize that
it would be unwise
to push for quick
adoption of new
practices. It should
take time for
understanding to
be constructed at
a deep level. Quick
change in practice
would suggest
superficial understanding of why and
how all the aspects
are interrelated.
–Karyn Callaghan
Large-scale change takes time, and it takes commitment at both the
system level and the individual level—there has to be a desire at both
levels to embrace change. Large-scale change can be especially
challenging when deeply held beliefs and practices are connected to a
view that children can only learn if they are “taught,” educators need to
be “trained,” and parents need to be “educated” about their children—
this mindset often leads teachers to a reliance on external tools
(checklists/templates) to do the thinking for them. It tends to nurture a
culture of dependency rather than a culture of individual and collective
responsibility for learning.
–Karen Calligan
March 2015 17
Lella Gandini, Karyn Callaghan, and Karen Calligan in Hamilton in May 2012
Lynne: This is also true for Ministry staff. We
see ourselves as learners who are actively engaged in researching, studying, and challenging our thinking about learning and teaching.
Just as it is happening in the early years sector, we are also questioning our views and taken-for-granted practices, exploring new ideas
and ways of thinking about our work. It is so
inspiring and energizing to be on this transformational journey with our colleagues both
inside and outside of government.
Karyn: It is very powerful to see those working
in our Ministry cultivating the same habits of
mind and practice that they are encouraging in
educators.
Q: How are you supporting change on such a
big scale?
Karen: We developed an aspirational vision—a
vision of hope that connects us both inside
and outside of government to a shared mission with a clear set of priorities. Enacting the
vision and priorities requires a collaborative,
multi-pronged approach through participatory
leadership at the system level (municipalities,
post-secondary programs, school boards); at
the program level (child care programs, educators working directly with children in centerand home-based child care and family support
18 Innovations in Early Education
programs); and at the school level in ways that
inspire educators to collaborate with parents as
partners and invite them to play a role in these
changes.
Lynne: Michael Fullan (2011), recognized as an
international authority on educational reform,
suggested that focusing on capacity building
rather than accountability is the key. Furthermore, he suggested that aligning policy goals
with intrinsic motivation, building on human
capacity and the moral imperative to do something that is personally meaningful and makes
a contribution to others and society, is key to
change that can transform the culture of the entire system. The Ministry has begun this work
through provincial and regional conferences
for pedagogical leaders and the development of
resources including research briefs and videos
available on our website to support critical reflection, dialogue, and ongoing learning within
programs and communities.
Karyn: Perhaps most importantly, foregrounding relationships and learning to truly listen
must become central to what we do at all levels,
and I think the Ministry has done that. Lilian
Katz (2004) suggested that a good place to begin that will have lasting impact is our day-today interactions with children: “[W]e have to
start somewhere, and our children cannot and
Just as it is happening in the early years sector, we are also questioning
our views and taken-for-granted practices, exploring new ideas and ways
of thinking about our work. It is so inspiring and energizing to be on this
transformational journey with our colleagues both inside and outside of
government.
–Lynne Besner
should not wait until all the elements are in
place” (p. 69).
We look to those who have lived by these views
and who share their learning with us so patiently and generously for ongoing support
and provocation. We are grateful that Carlina
Rinaldi, Amelia Gambetti, Lella Gandini, Vea
Vecchi, and the other educators, children, and
families in Reggio Emilia continue to show us
what is possible.
Q: To what do you attribute the success of the
transformation that is beginning in Ontario?
Why is HDLH? referred to as a “transformational document”?
Lynne: So far, the process of developing this
professional resource and our ongoing engagement with the early childhood sector has been
really important. Valuing open dialogue, recognizing the importance of inviting and honoring
all voices, being transparent, provoking new
thinking, engaging in ongoing critical reflection, and seeing ourselves as co-learners with
those in the early years sector have allowed us
to create something where many see their voices and views reflected.
Karen: Modeling these values and learning
alongside our colleagues in the sector have
helped build trust and promote a shift in mind-
sets—to consider new ideas, embrace uncertainty, let go of strongly held beliefs and practices that are not in alignment with our view of
children, and take an active role in this transformational work. Leadership teams in early
years settings have told us they are re-thinking
how they construct their staff meeting agendas—instead of simply sharing information, the
agenda is designed to provoke thinking and
discussion with the educators.
Lynne: We have heard that HDLH? has
touched educators and others who work with
young children on many levels—it resonates
on a personal, emotional, and philosophical
level as well as from a logical perspective. It is
a document of hope—it values the importance
of their work, and it recognizes and gives educators permission to exercise their professional
judgment to be thinkers and researchers and to
question what they believe, what they are practicing, and why.
Karyn: I think this point is very important—it is
not just the content of the ideas but also the process of ongoing consultation, careful listening,
and inviting a variety of perspectives that has
marked the work of this Ministry. In early stages, change is fragile. I feel protective toward the
ideas, wanting them to have a chance to truly
take root before they are challenged. HowevMarch 2015 19
er, Loris Malaguzzi faced ongoing challenges
when he was introducing this philosophy with
the support of the educators in Reggio Emilia.
They rose to the challenges—welcomed them
for their potential to strengthen the practices.
Malaguzzi saw the ideas as competent, not
as weak! I have great respect for Jim Grieve,
the Assistant Deputy Minister, and for Lynne
and Karen and the other members of the Early
Years team for how they have approached the
process of change.
Q: What do you think will be different in
Ontario in 10 years?
Karyn: I would expect to see a reduction in fear
and a rise in creative energy in early years programs and schools—that these would be seen
as places of participation and listening, as places of democracy, as vibrant places of learning
for children and adults. I would expect to see
fewer children being labeled with anxiety disorders and with disorders based on disruptive
or distracted behaviors in classrooms. I would
expect to see less bullying.
I would expect to see children, educators, and
families excited about what happens in early
years programs and schools, where children’s
competence is fully recognized, as is the context that supports them. I would expect to see a
different kind and level of engagement of families and also stronger relationships between
communities and schools as greater visibility
is provided for how learning is constructed inside and outside of classrooms.
20 Innovations in Early Education
I would expect to see us pursuing creativity
and learning in a way that is consonant with
each child’s eyes, ears, hands, and heart with
the same passion as we pursue learning to read
and write. When children are encouraged to
believe in the power of their own ideas from a
very young age, their competence as thinkers
is limitless. I expect we will encounter our own
limited expectations and work collaboratively
to listen better and ask better questions. I realize this will take more than 10 years, but it
nourishes the spirit to feel that we are moving
in a direction that will, as Jim Grieve has promised, “get schools ready for children.”
Finally, I expect we will all become better at
playing. To quote a child from the Balducci
pre-primary school in Reggio Emilia, “To play,
you need all the power you have in your heart.”
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Cooper, M. (2009). Is beauty a way of
knowing? Innovations in Early Education:
The International Reggio Exchange, 16(3),
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Fraser, S. (2011). Authentic childhood:
Experiencing Reggio Emilia in the classroom. Scarborough, ON: Nelson Thomas
Learning.
Friendly, M. (2008). Canada’s legacy of
inaction on early childhood education
and child care. Policy options. Retrieved
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issues/canadas-working-poor/canadaslegacy-of-inaction-on-early-childhoodeducation-and-child-care/
Fullan, M. G., & Miles, M. B. (1992, June).
Getting reform right: What works and
what doesn’t. Phi Delta Kappan, 745–752.
Fullan, M. (2011). Choosing the wrong drivers
for whole system reform. Seminar Series
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Melbourne. Retrieved from www.sce.
edu.au
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2015). Think,
feel, act (Videos). Retrieved from http://
www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/research.
html
Pascal, C. (2009). With our best future in
mind. Implementing early learning in
Ontario. Province of Ontario. Retrieved
from http://www.ontario.ca/document/
our-best-future-mind-implementingearly-learning-ontario
Wien, C.A. (Ed.). (2008). Emergent curriculum
in the primary classroom: Interpreting the
Reggio Emilia approach in schools. New
York: Teachers College Press and
Washington, DC: National Association
for the Education of Young Children.
Wien, C. A., & Callaghan, K. (2014). From
policing to participation: Overturning
the rules and creating amiable classrooms.
In C. A. Wien, The power of emergent
curriculum: Stories from early childhood
settings. Washington, DC: National
Association for the Education of Young
Children.
Katz, L. (2004). The challenges of the
Reggio Emilia approach. In J. Hendrick
(Ed.), Next steps toward teaching the
Reggio way: Accepting the challenge to
change (2nd ed., pp. 62–69). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice-Hall.
Letts, W., Khattar, R., & Callaghan, K.
(in review). Sketching the contours of
documenting, documentation, and
pedagogical documentation to make our
learning visible.
Image Credit
Images in this article courtesy of
Karyn Callaghan and Jason Avery
Moss, P. (2007). Bringing politics into the
nursery: Early childhood education as a
democratic practice. European Early
Childhood Education Journal 15(1), 5–20.
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2014). How
does learning happen? Ontario’s pedagogy
for the early years. Retrieved from www.
edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/pedagogy.htm
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2013). Think,
feel, act (Research briefs). Retrieved from
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/
ResearchBriefs.pdf
March 2015 21
Everything Has a Shadow, Except Ants:
A Reflection
By Lella Gandini
Lella Gandini is the Reggio Children liaison in the U.S. for dissemination
of the Reggio Emilia approach, associate editor of Innovations, and a
NAREA board member.
seems as if books had always been produced
there. However, while the intention to give visibility to their experiences had been developing
with strong initiatives since the beginning of
the city-run schools, the means employed consisted of presentations, photographs, flyers,
and exhibits. Spaggiari noted how this book
highlights the fundamental theses of the Reggio Emilia approach: knowledge developed
in social interaction, the child viewed as constructor of his or her own learning processes,
and innate curiosity made visible by teachers
who document the process and take initiatives
based on interests shared with children rather
than use preconceived plans. He noted how
much these views were inspired by Dewey,
Piaget, and other thinkers and made familiar
through the continuing professional development of the educators of Reggio Emilia.
This book of visual stories about children encountering and experimenting with shadows
opens with three notable essays that become
sequentially more insightful. Even these essays
are interspersed with images and children’s
words that introduce the reader to those encounters with shadows and their power. The
book presents a deeply reflected upon and
extensively documented experience that is famous in the history of the preschools of Reggio
Emilia.
Sergio Spaggiari wrote in his introduction
that it was this book’s first edition in 1990 that
launched a plan to make available the experiences of teachers and children in Reggio Emilia in book form. We have now such a wonderful
collection of publications from Reggio that it
22 Innovations in Early Education
Mariano Dolci then introduced his perspective,
writing several beautiful pages on the history
and anthropology of shadows. He was for many
years the resident consultant on theater for
the municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools in Reggio Emilia. There are many visual documents including videos of his inventive work with puppets and theater alongside
children and teachers. He is now a professor at
the University of Urbino and the co-publisher
of an Italian journal about theater performances in educational and correctional institutions.
Among his reflections, he first suggested that
“consulting a good dictionary is all that is necessary to find out just how many metaphors
and expressions there are [that] the shadow has
given … to many languages” (Dolci, 2006, p. 17).
He also mentioned that
There is often a [sort] of … confusion in the
metaphors using shadows, and the shadow is
seen as the opposite of light and therefore a
synonym for darkness … Shadows are a useful and even indispensable way of gaining
access to concepts that cannot be reached
directly. The shadow, then, can be seen as a
metaphor for mediation and relationships.
(Dolci, 2006, p. 17)
Further on, he wrote
Given the lack of specific studies on the genesis of the shadow, it might be important to
look at what happens in the mirror reflection,
so as to keep in mind analogies and differences. We know that recognition of the self in
a mirror … is … the result of a long process of
elaboration [in children’s development]. This
recognition is mainly due to two elements of
the mirror: synchronic correspondence and
the reproduction of figurative characteristics. The [processes are even] more complex
when we consider shadows. (Dolci, 2006, p.
19)
He gave the advice to consider Piaget’s theory of causality relation, which describes an
event (the cause) and a second event (the effect), where the second event is understood as
a physical consequence of the first (Mackie,
1988). Dolci then described the children’s experiences through the many games that were
proposed by the adults in the preschool and
how those experiences prepared the children
to use shadows independently by inventing
interactions with their own shadows. Children
also experimented with graphic representations of shadows to continue their research by
exploring objects seen through their shadows
and/or reflecting on their own physical identity.
Loris Malaguzzi’s contribution consists of 12
engaging reflections about the explorations
and experimentations that involved children,
teachers, and parents and that constitute the
content of the book. Here are a few tidbits that
invite the reader to enter into the narrative of
the book directly:
Children are … full-time researchers, untiring
re-makers of actions, [thoughts] and theories,
which is their preferred [idea] of learning
and appropriating the world and life. They
are [pleased] and grateful when adults want
first to understand them and then help them.
These encounters of children with shadows
represent a good testing ground.…
Saying “shadow” [is] evoking something
subtle … almost nothing ... [something] adults
[often think] has no meaning … for children …
On the other hand, we have David Hawkins,
a well-known scientist and humanist, who
tells us that it is hard to believe how many
adults haven’t the slightest notion of the genesis and geometry of light and shadow, and
are not able to predict where a shadow will be
before a light is switched on.…
Spaggiari noted how
this book highlights
the fundamental
theses of the
Reggio Emilia
approach: knowledge
developed in social
interaction, the
child viewed as
constructor of his
or her own learning
processes, and innate
curiosity made visible
by teachers who
document the process
and take initiatives
based on interests
shared with children,
rather than use
preconceived plans.
–Lella Gandini
But what are the reasons that make (or can
make) shadows so attractive to children,
something that they confront with such fondness and fascination in their play, in their
words, and in their thoughts?…
March 2015 23
Children are … full-time researchers, untiring re-makers of actions,
[thoughts] and theories, which is their preferred [idea] of learning and
appropriating the world and life. They are [pleased] and grateful when
adults want first to understand them and then help them.
–Loris Malaguzzi
Shadows have a number of truly special
qualities: They are capable of incredible and
amusing paradoxes and mysteries; [children
ask:] Why is a shadow there but you can’t
hold it? Why doesn’t it weigh anything and it
goes at the bottom of a pool?
the sky near its lamp,” “And if it rains? It goes
inside of us because it does not want to get
wet” … a few months older [children might
say,] “The shadow moves when you walk”
[or] “Everything has a shadow except ants.”
(Malaguzzi, 2006, pp. 24–26)
[Shadows] are extremely evocative and can
be found anywhere.… They have the virtue
of doubling you, giving you supreme power
to … pretend [to be something else]. All these
qualities [reveal a] natural amiability, magic
power, and invitation to reason in order to
discover hidden identities … giving the children [possibilities] to choose among many
different path [transformations] and situations.…
These are brief examples of the many dialogues
among children as they explore and draw. The
dialogues are about the research of the children
propelled by their curiosity for the natural phenomenon of light and shadows but supported
by the teachers who had been documenting
their work: it was a fruitful learning experience
for all involved. Therefore, we can see in writing
the children’s and teachers’ questions, hypotheses, attempts, and discoveries, all presented
through a series of drawings and beautiful photographs.
For a while [when they are very young],
shadows for the children belong to the
world around them: to the wall, the floor, the
ground, the trees, the horse. Shadows have
been around since the Big Bang. They have
no master nor author nor time.
Image Credit
Image in this article courtesy of
Reggio Children
But then come the day and the night, light
and dark, everything and nothing. The shadow is inside them; you just have to let it come
out … the three-year-old children announce:
“Shadows are made of light,” “[They walk]
with the sun,” “At night, it goes back up in
Among the familiar stories that have been part
of my tools of communication about the delicate
and efficacious way teachers have of observing,
documenting, and reflecting with children are
the stories of “A Compass for Two Elisas,” “The
Bird Trick,” and “In the Night World,” but there
are, of course, many others, some even presented in full color.
REFERENCES
Mackie, John L. (1988). The cement of the universe: A study in causation. Oxford, England:
Clarendon Press.
Sturloni, S., & Vecchi, V. (Eds.). (2006). Everything has a shadow, except ants. Reggio Emilia,
Italy: Reggio Children.
24 Innovations in Early Education
Dialogue of Two Cities – NYC and Reggio
Emilia: Exploring Possibilities for Quality Early
Childhood Education for All Children
By Jane Racoosin and Patty Randall
Jane Racoosin is the director of both Beginnings
Nursery School in New York, NY, where she has
worked since 1992, and Teaching Beyond the
Square, an affiliated educational nonprofit organization. Along with New York City Encounters
with Reggio Emilia (NYCERE), Beginnings Nursery School and Teaching Beyond the Square are
hosting “The Wonder of Learning – The Hundred
Languages of Children” exhibit in New York City
from January 15–May 15, 2015. Patty Randall is
the director of educational practices at Peachtree
Presbyterian Preschool in Atlanta, GA, and the NAREA projects and events coordinator.
On November 15th, 2014, the exhibit host committee, New York City Encounters with Reggio
Emilia, welcomed over 600 educators to the
first in a series of professional development
initiatives connected to the presence of “The
Wonder of Learning – The Hundred Languages of Children” exhibit in New York. The sold
out event opened a dialogue that will continue through May and beyond between Reggio
Emilia, Italy, New York City, and the wider early
childhood community of North America. Keynote presenters included the following: Claudia
Giudici, pedagogista, president of Istituzione,
Infant-Toddler Centres and Preschools of the
Municipality of Reggio Emilia; Sophia Pappas,
chief executive officer, New York City Department of Education, Division of Early Childhood
Education; Lynne Heckman and Pietro Biroli,
Center for the Economics of Human Development, University of Chicago; Lella Gandini,
Reggio Children liaison in the U.S. for the dissemination of the Reggio Emilia approach and
NAREA board member; and Jerome Bruner,
educational psychologist, New York University professor, and honorary citizen of Reggio
Emilia. Leila Vujosevic, AIA founder, Roosevelt
Island Explorers, and Noah Hichenberg, director of Saul and Carole Zabar Nursery School
at the Manhattan Jewish Community Center,
were co-chairs of this initiative, and Fretta Reitzes represented the 92nd Street Y, which hosted
the initiative.
Highlights from the conference included Claudia Giudici’s remarks during which she shared,
“education is a right from birth and is the responsibility of the community” and “creativity
belongs to all children, and it is our responsibility to create spaces that encourage this.” She
complemented her remarks with excerpts from
experiences taking place in Reggio Emilia involving children’s work with human figures, a
long term project that is, for the first time, part
of a brand new section of the exhibit presently
located at the Williamsburg Northside School
in Brooklyn. Sophia Pappas discussed the launch of New
York City’s universal preschool initiative
through a presentation on the benefits of current elements as well as the challenges of meeting the needs of so many children in very little time. She highlighted the training that has
come from Bank Street College, Hunter College, and Queens College for the teachers who
are running the programs, many of whom have
never worked in an early childhood classroom.
An overview of the research by James Heckman of the University of Chicago focusing
on the impact of investments in high quality
early childhood education was presented by
graduate student Pietro Biroli. The well-known
research findings on the economic impact of
investments in early childhood education, as
well as the positive outcomes for children, were
reviewed. Additionally, preliminary findings of
March 2015 25
Noah Hichenberg, Leila Vujosevic, Sophia Pappas, Jane Racoosin, Lella Gandini, and Claudia Giudici
the study currently taking place in the towns of
Reggio Emilia, Parma, and Padova were shared.
Pietro Biroli and Lynne Heckman
The day continued with Lella Gandini’s presentation of an introduction to a section of
“The Wonder of Learning” exhibit called “Dialogue with Places,” and the day culminated
with 99-year-old Jerome Bruner, who shared
his thoughts on ways New York City and the
new universal preschool initiative might benefit from looking at what has happened in the
infant-toddler centers and preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. He suggested that in order to
succeed, New York must establish a planning
group of varying careers to reflect on the distinctive needs of New York City, have the planning group visit different schools and see what
problems exist, connect all educators in all
preschools throughout the city to inspire each
other, provide seminars for parents, help teachers and parents to spend time in each other’s
schools, and lastly, “start early, keep at it, and
somehow use education not as a separate activity but as a part of a whole.”
At the conclusion of the conference, the energy
in the room was palpable. Attendees were eager
to converse about the exhibit “The Wonder of
Learning – The Hundred Languages of Children” and the impact it will have on New York.
26 Innovations in Early Education
Reflections on the Contributions of Jerome Bruner
Jerome Bruner, renowned American psychologist, has made significant contributions to human cognitive psychology over the course of
many decades. His remarks in New York City
regarding the newly launched municipal preschool initiative centered on how it can benefit from what has happened and is currently
happening in the preschools in Reggio Emilia,
Italy. He defined what we in the audience are
passionate about—our roles as educators in
both “passing on knowledge and cultivating
individuality.” The two of us come from two distinctly different
regions of the United States—the southeast and
northeast—yet we feel the same way and want
the same things for children. We approach each
day as an opportunity to construct knowledge
with children and take Bruner’s words to heart,
“that we have entered a new era … that we know
the powerful effect of the preschool years on
later life … and that Reggio Emilia is playing a
critical role in this new era.”
At 99 years old, Professor Bruner captivated us
as he spoke on the task of educating, reminding us that “there have always been and still are
lots of questions about how schools should go
about their business.” He pointed out various
strategies that we could use to continue looking
at the example of Reggio Emilia in order to help
make a difference in children’s lives on a local
and global level. As he laid out a multi-point
proposal, which included reflection on the distinct needs of a community, the creation of special spaces that support the sharing of different
perspectives (including the element of playfulness in education), the formation of professional teachers, and the offering of seminars for
parents, we thought about our own schools and
cities. Although he spoke to a local group, many
of whom were New Yorkers, we believe his reflections could serve educators in any community. We would like to share our thoughts on
Bruner’s proposal in an effort to think together
about how we might continue to move forward
in early childhood education.
1) Establish a planning group to reflect on
preschool needs. Bruner asked the audience
to think about, ”What’s distinctive about New
York, Atlanta, Greenville, or Pittsburgh? What
we need is a group that goes around [to learn
about the problems of these new preschools]
that the mayor has brought into existence … We
Jerome Bruner and Lella Gandini
have to keep the perspective fresh, broad, and
new.”
Jane: I have been part of a collaborative group
of nursery schools in lower Manhattan for years.
It is a supportive group of educators called the
Downtown Early Childhood Association. Our
group is an introspective and intelligent group
of directors. We already have the know-how to
bring a current topic to a group for discussion.
What Bruner is calling to us to do, though, is
to contribute our knowledge to our city’s preschools on a larger level.
Patty: Carla Rinaldi (2006) referenced Bruner
in her book In Dialogue with Reggio Emilia: Listening, Researching, and Learning, writing that
he saw the municipal schools of Reggio Emilia
as a cultural expression of a city that has generated them and sees in them a reflection of itself
(p. 157). Like Jane, I am part of a larger collaborative group, Project Infinity, comprised of seven schools in the Atlanta, GA, and Greenville,
SC, area. We have strategies in place to assist
us in our growth as collaborators. We have a
strong steering committee, meet on a regular
basis, use technology to share information, utilize smaller working groups to tackle specific
challenges, host “ambassador” exchanges for
dialogue between project schools and local
We need to find ways
to open up to other
communities who
might be facing
challenges that differ
from ours but
who may have
perspectives that
open our eyes to
new possibilities.
I wonder how we
might broaden our
scope … In my opinion,
the more we come
together as educators,
whether connected to
initiatives built around
the exhibit, affinity
groups at a NAREA
conference, or local
dialogue groups, the
more likely we are to
find new ways to work
together in reflective
practice.
–Patty Randall
March 2015 27
In only the first few
days of the exhibit,
people from different
walks of life have come
to interact with me and
my colleagues, wanting
to talk about children
and what they can learn
from them. It is an
excellent time to truly
listen and hear from
those different
perspectives.
–Jane Racoosin
Jerome Bruner
of Atlanta, with distinct challenges of our own,
we need to find ways to open up to other communities who might be facing challenges that
differ from ours but who may have perspectives
that open our eyes to new possibilities. I wonder
how we might broaden our scope. What strategies can we think of together to address the
unique challenges and needs of a school? In
my opinion, the more we come together as educators, whether connected to initiatives built
around the exhibit, affinity groups at a NAREA
conference, or local dialogue groups, the more
likely we are to find new ways to work together
in reflective practice. The state of Georgia has
had state funded Pre-K since 1994, yet I am not
aware of planning groups made up of teachers,
administrators, and members of the community with varying backgrounds who meet for reflection on early childhood education.
Claudia Giudici and Jerome Bruner
schools, offer professional development opportunities that support both new and experienced
teachers, and we open our schools for “Educator
Exchange Days.” It is a never-ending effort to
learn together how to go about the business of
school in a Reggio-inspired daily life. The challenge we face is to find time, space, and funding to meet with others in the community for
dialogue, exchange, and reflection. As a staff
member of a particular school in a specific area
28 Innovations in Early Education
2) Establish special centers to share ideas.
“We need to come together to share their ideas,
not to sell their ideas but to keep a broader point
of view … to me, it’s so interesting in Reggio;
some of the best ideas … come from doctors,
from lawyers.”
Jane: More often than not, I think we do not go
outside of our circle of friends and colleagues
when we are thinking of the bigger ideas about
early childhood education. Having “The Wonder of Learning – The Hundred Languages of
Children” exhibit in New York City is priming
Fretta Reitzes, Lella Gandini, Jerome Bruner, Leila Vujosevic, and Noah Hichenberg
us for this opportunity. In only the first few
days of the exhibit, people from different walks
of life have come to interact with me and my
colleagues, wanting to talk about children and
what they can learn from them. It is an excellent
time to truly listen and hear from those different perspectives.
Patty: In which ways might we gather thoughts
about childhood and learning that come from
outside the field of education? I think about
how many examples there are from the schools
in Reggio Emilia, Italy that have a broad scope.
I think about the times I have heard Carla Rinaldi or Amelia Gambetti reference great scientists connected to neurobiology. It makes me
think that often, as preschool educators, we focus on what we know and are reluctant to enter
into uncharted territories. At the school where I
work, we have had a focus over the past 2 years
on studying and experimenting with “story.”
Over the years, we have heard from a newspaper editor from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, an architect from Clemson University, a local dancer, and puppeteers from the Center for
Puppetry Arts and have had shared readings
from a variety of sources on narrative, oral story telling, and story. We have learned much and
begin new endeavors with new points of view—
open to new possibilities and most importantly,
a richer field of vision through which to partner
with, observe, and interpret children’s pursuits.
3) Get together with parents more. “Get together with parents more … let them spend an
afternoon or a morning in schools … ask an average group of parents how often they get together for discussions on education with teachers in their kids’ schools.”
Jane: In Reggio Emilia, I do not think you
would ever hear a parent respond to Bruner’s
question about how often they have discussions on education with their children’s teachers as “never,” as Bruner remarked. I do think
that there is a fear of the unknown in entering
into such a discussion with parents. We would
have to come into a discussion like this without
fear of being criticized and move the dialogue
beyond that so it can be a learning opportunity
for everyone involved.
Patty: One of the many things I love about the
schools in Reggio Emilia is the respect offered,
day in and day out, to parents and families. The
southeast has a particular set of mores that can
place parents and families outside of the school
setting. We have been working very hard to
change the attitudes of educators and families
in an effort to open up dialogue and create an
environment that is supportive of all. Giving
time and space for educators to discuss values,
attitudes, concerns, and strategies for connecting with families in an open and safe environment seems to make sense. As we work to
Giving time and space
for educators to
discuss values,
attitudes, concerns,
and strategies for
connecting with
families in an open
and safe environment
seems to make sense.
As we work to
instill trust in our
communities, we
might find supporting parent and family
dialogue an easier
undertaking if we do
the foundational work
with teachers first.
–Patty Randall
March 2015 29
A question I always hear from parents is how I find teachers who are
committed to working in this challenging way. There is no prescribed
curriculum that the teachers can just simply look up and use. It takes time
and commitment, and I am in awe of the curriculum and documentation
that the teachers at Beginnings are constructing with the children. The
supportive environment that I can provide for them … is what is important
to me in developing teachers.
–Jane Racoosin
instill trust in our communities, we might find
supporting parent and family dialogue an easier undertaking if we do the foundational work
with teachers first.
4) Develop professional teachers. “We can
help teachers … [in Reggio Emilia,] they tend to
develop … professional teachers.”
Jane: A question I always hear from parents
is how I find teachers who are committed to
working in this challenging way. There is no
prescribed curriculum that the teachers can
just simply look up and use. It takes time and
commitment, and I am in awe of the curriculum
and documentation that the teachers at Beginnings are constructing with the children. The
supportive environment that I can provide for
them—by giving them time to work in their
classroom on a Friday afternoon and engage
with each other by sharing their work, which
we do monthly either in “walk arounds” in each
other’s rooms or by sharing presentations with
each other, and by supporting teachers in oneon-one meetings with me to continually discuss
what interests them and what the children’s
questions are—is what is important to me in
developing teachers. We have been extremely
lucky that our parent body is on board and has
helped us provide staff development opportunities over the years for teachers to go to the
study weeks in Reggio Emilia; work with Lella
Gandini, Amelia Gambetti, and University of
Vermont colleagues Barbara Burrington, Jenn
Irving, and Amanda Terreri; and draw on articles from Innovations to provide the backbone
for how we can get better at what we are doing.
These resources are making us better educators and researchers.
30 Innovations in Early Education
Patty: I identify with the teachers who are
striving to be professional. I work in a school
in which the director has always supported
professional development of the staff; expectations are clear. Over the years, we began to
feel a shift in the drive for further improvement
and investment in the school. After close examination of our program and more importantly,
after discovering the schools of Reggio Emilia,
Italy and finding NAREA, we committed to the
ongoing study of Reggio Emilia, and a seismic
shift occurred. I feel we are fortunate to have
the collaborative exhibit project of which we are
a part, and a world that is open to us through
technology that supports ongoing professional
growth. We have noticed that teachers committed to a professional way of being at school
are more invested in the children, the families,
the school, and education on a larger scale. We
are also challenged to discern which types of
professional development will truly move us
forward as a Reggio-inspired school. Using the
work of the schools in Reggio Emilia and the
resources of NAREA as touch stones helps to
keep us grounded in fundamental values and
practices.
5) Include a good element of fun in education.
“If you fail to stimulate a child to keep entering
in, somehow he loses the push, the curiosity,
the fun of education. If education doesn’t have
a good element of fun in it … start over again.’”
Jane: In preschool, it feels like we have that element of fun. It can start out with a small group
of children looking at large buildings in lower
Manhattan, drawing the buildings, then representing those “maps” using large found and recycled materials that would have been thrown
out … then coming up with questions as they
build to continue the investigation by finding
other buildings to “research.” This is fun! It is
our job as teachers to help others at the policy
level in departments of education in our various
cities to heed Bruner’s advice while continuing
to stimulate the minds of children.
Patty: Loris Malaguzzi said, “Nothing without
joy.” Jerome Bruner reminded us of this. I would
hope that at 99 years old, I could say that the life
I lived was full of joy. Is that not what we want
for children, families, and teachers? As a school
located in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta, an “academic pressure zone,” it is imperative that we keep in mind the fun of learning.
Children will soon be in an elementary school
environment with standards and rules, which
often neglect the importance of fun and the role
it has in cognitive learning. How often do we
belly laugh with a 3-year-old or break into song?
Joy comes with experiences that we share with
people we have learned to trust and that enable
us to share meaning. I feel that it is our responsibility to children and families to recognize
the value of joy and to make it visible in the daily life we live with children.
Bruner concluded his presentation by stating,
“Preschools in New York are starting off. Let
them continue to develop a kind of sensitivity
to the endlessly changing task of how you prepare the young to be a little older, a little better,
and to keep going.” This is advice we believe
holds true in any city and in life.
I feel we are fortunate to have the
collaborative exhibit project of
which we are a part, and a world
that is open to us through
technology that supports
ongoing professional growth.
We have noticed that teachers
committed to a professional
way of being at school are more
invested in the children, the
families, the school, and education
on a larger scale.
–Patty Randall
Image Credit
Images in this article courtesy of
Joyce Culver
REFERENCE
Rinaldi, C. (2006). In dialogue with Reggio
Emilia: Listening, researching and learning.
London and New York, NY: Routledge.
March 2015 31
Voices: Conversations from North America
and Beyond
Excerpts from the Daily Life at Beginnings
Nursery School
By Amy Miller
Amy Miller is the studio teacher at Beginnings Nursery School in New
York, NY, where she has worked since 2009. Beginnings Nursery School,
along with Teaching Beyond the Square and New York City Encounters with Reggio Emilia (NYCERE), is hosting “The Wonder of Learning
– The Hundred Languages of Children” exhibit in New York City from
January 15–May 15, 2015.
32 Innovations in Early Education
I am privileged to be a studio teacher at Beginnings Nursery School, where we celebrated 30
years with our children and families in 2013. In
the past 10 years, Beginnings educators have
been inspired by the work of Loris Malaguzzi
and the municipal infant-toddler centers and
preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Our day
includes two programs, morning and afternoon classes, serving approximately 200 students aged 18 months to 5 years. Each class is
lead by a small team of teachers comprised of
groupings from our staff of 30 teachers and is
supported by five administrators. As the studio
teacher, I interact with each classroom teaching team throughout the year. Like many Reggio-inspired schools, the studio is a place of exploration, construction, and expansion of ideas.
This is a story of one such experience that grew
out of the children’s play early in the school
year last September.
work at Beginnings. We strive for a close connection from one room to the next. To do this,
educators are in constant communication. We
talk freely—sometimes hanging over the railings in the stairwell, sometimes sitting down
to pre-planned team meetings, and almost always talking over lunch. One of our challenges
in this effort is the feeling that there is never
enough time. Conversations are cut short by
class transitions or dismissal times and often
turn into emails or texts exchanged late into
the evening. These projects are built from ideas
that emerge from the children during their play,
and those ideas grow as teachers brainstorm together about how to make the related concepts
even broader for the children. These large studio/classroom projects incorporate not only the
collaboration between teachers and children
and teachers and teachers but also collaboration among children, teachers, and parents. One day in the yard, a teacher overheard a
2-year-old say, ”Watch out, the alligator is going to get you!” This followed months of boat
play, during which the children took turns assuming the different roles of builders, drivers,
and ticket holders. These are the kinds of observations that teachers at Beginnings Nursery
School bring to my attention during our studio
teacher/classroom teacher meetings. Projects
like this that flow from classrooms to the studio and back again are the backbone of our
While playing in the yard, one of the children
turned around toward the others, opened her
arms like big alligator jaws, and started chasing
the others. “I’m the alligator—you better run!”
she said. Unprovoked, the children created a
fort to hide from the alligator; it was swimming
around the big hollow crawl tube across the
room, and they warned me to be careful. The
teachers were helping the children secure blankets and sheets and pieces of fabric to shelves
and other furnishings to make a safe place. I
peaked inside their fort. It was so cozy and quiet
inside. I did not want to interrupt the children in
their work, so I quietly asked one of the teachers
what the children were calling this space. A tiny
voice called from inside the blankets, “Maybe
a hiding house!” A “hiding house,” it was! The
children were running out of ways to secure
their blankets and still wanted to cover a few
holes in their hiding house. As a provocation, I
provided multiple kinds of fabric from our Materials Center. Located on the fifth floor of our
brownstone-style school, our Materials Center
is a 1200 square foot space made up of found
and recycled materials that would otherwise be
thrown away. The children easily integrated the
fabric by securing it with clothespins to make
their hiding house truly private.
These projects are
built from ideas that
emerge from the
children during their
play, and those ideas
grow as teachers
brainstorm together
about how to make
the related concepts
even broader for
the children. These large studio/
classroom projects
incorporate not only
the collaboration
between teachers and
children and teachers
and teachers but also
collaboration among
children, teachers,
and parents.
–Amy Miller
As this play progressed day after day, the teachers and I often stepped aside to watch and quietly discuss what we were seeing. How could
we extend the children’s play? What else could
March 2015 33
When we told the
parents about our
project, they were
interested and excited,
too. During a
collaborative meeting
with parents, which
we call Documentation
Evening at Beginnings,
we offered an invitation
to spend time with
the children in the
classroom, to observe
the play, and to support
the children in their
sewing.
–Amy Miller
we offer? Did they need a “real” alligator, one
that they could touch and move around the
room? But that would be primarily stationary;
we should find something that can move, just
as their imaginations move their alligator now.
Wait! What if we helped the children make an
alligator that they can wear like a costume?
Maybe several children could wear it, like a
Chinese dragon. This conversation continued
over several days as we observed the children
play. It was finally decided that we would bring
the children upstairs to the studio in small
groups to begin gathering materials that could
help us make an alligator together.
When we told the parents about our project,
they were interested and excited, too. During a
collaborative meeting with parents, which we
call Documentation Evening at Beginnings, we
offered an invitation to spend time with the children in the classroom, to observe the play, and
to support the children in their sewing. While
sewing can be seen as somewhat dangerous
because it involves sharp needles, both the parents and teachers believed that this experience
would support the children’s continued growth
and feelings of accomplishment.
Many parents joined us in the studio over the
next few months. As roadblocks came up, as
inevitably they will when making something of
this sort, parents offered suggestions and solutions. Sometimes these design discussions con-
34 Innovations in Early Education
tinued in the studio even after the children and
their teachers had returned to their classroom—
the parents were so excited to participate! Our
alligator design morphed from an alligator that
several children could wear together into separate pieces that could be tied onto a single child.
Large jaws full of mat board “teeth” fit over the
children’s arms and tied behind them. A tail,
sewn and stuffed, was tied around their waists
to slither along the floor behind them. Through
these collaborative discussions, and by watching the children play with the separate pieces
in the studio as they were completed, we came
to realize that these were the only pieces the
children really needed or wanted. They did not
need the elaborate costume we had originally
designed for them.
After each piece of the alligator was completed,
the children asked to play with it. After the lower half of the jaw was lined with teeth, “Chomp!
Chomp!” was heard in the studio. I turned to
look and saw a father dressed in a dark business
suit, the jaw barely fitting over his arm, slowly
stalking his young daughter to her squealing
delight. Her friends ran away in mock terror!
How often do you get to watch parents engage
in dramatic play with their children at school?
Before this project, I would have answered that
it was rare—very rare.
Through these collaborative
discussions, and by watching the
children play with the separate
pieces in the studio as they were
completed, we came to realize that
these were the only pieces the
children really needed or wanted.
They did not need the elaborate
costume we had originally designed
for them.
–Amy Miller
The children and adults gained so much
through this process. The children played with
something they collectively feared—dangerous animals that swim in water—and became
those things. They became powerful and dangerous beasts. While doing so, the children
learned about materials and techniques usually reserved for older children and adults.
The children also used this play to connect to
other things in their school environment, from
books to drawing materials. We have found
that moments in the daily life, such as the ones
connected to the children’s dramatic play with
alligators, strongly contribute to the evolution
of rich and complex experiences at Beginnings
Nursery School.
Image Credit
Images in this article courtesy of
Beginnings Nursery School
March 2015 35
Brick by Brick: Reggio-Inspired Practice
in New England
By Jeanne Goldhaber
Jeanne Goldhaber, associate professor emerita, taught in the Early Childhood PreK-3 Teacher Preparation Program at the University of Vermont
(UVM) for 25 years and is a NAREA board member. The University of
Vermont teacher education program has prepared many students to be
teachers in Reggio-inspired schools throughout the United States. Jeanne
has also authored several resources related to the Reggio Emilia approach,
including a seminal chapter about documentation in Bambini: The Italian
Approach to Infant/Toddler Care. The Brick by Brick series is a new choice
taken by the NAREA board to further build and support ongoing conversation within local communities in North America.
“Men and women working together, we built the walls of this school because we wanted a new
and different place for our children.” –Brick by Brick: The History of the “XXV Aprile” People’s
Nursery School of Villa Cella
These words are taken from a testimonial written in 1945 to commemorate the opening of
XXV Aprile, a school that the citizens of the village Villa Cella built following the end of World
War II. Brick by brick, they constructed not
only a building, but more significantly, a new vision for their children, one that Loris Malaguzzi
tells us “opened up completely new horizons of
36 Innovations in Early Education
thought” (Malaguzzi, 2000, p. 14). This notion
of challenging the status quo both practically
and pedagogically was central to the NAREA
board’s decision to organize a series of professional development opportunities in various regions of North America. Borrowing inspiration
(and the title!) from Renzo Barazzoni’s book
Brick by Brick: The History of the “XXV Aprile”
We felt energized by the possibility of engaging in the work that
brought us to NAREA in the first place, work that involves thinking,
talking, and strategizing about how to create both a pedagogical and
political world that respects, celebrates, and promotes the well-being
of young children, their families, teachers, and communities.
–Jeanne Goldhaber
People’s Nursery School of Villa Cella, NAREA
board members volunteered to organize two
one-day initiatives in their respective communities over the course of 2014–2015.
We were enthusiastic about the idea of moving out of the realm of the stereotypical board
meeting room—not the wood paneled and
well-appointed one we see in the movies, but
rather the windowless, airless, and under-heated and/or over-chilled hotel meeting rooms
we experienced in real life! We felt energized
by the possibility of engaging in the work that
brought us to NAREA in the first place, work
that involves thinking, talking, and strategizing about how to create both a pedagogical
and political world that respects, celebrates,
and promotes the well-being of young children,
their families, teachers, and communities. Finally, we saw this initiative as a direct response
to feedback we received from focus groups that
we had organized over the last 2 years during
NAREA conferences, in which we asked how
NAREA could be more responsive to its membership. The appeal for more opportunities to
collaborate with colleagues in the field was loud
and clear. We hoped that the “Brick by Brick”
series would offer a structure to support the
exchange of ideas and experiences that might
also reflect geographically- and regionally-situated issues, challenges, possibilities, and goals.
As a Vermonter, I had the incredible good fortune to work with fellow New England board
members Barbara Acton, David Fernie, Angela
Ferrario, and Lella Gandini. While each of us
had been involved in planning professional
development programs in our own particular
contexts, this was the first time that we were
collaborating as board members to “build” an
event designed specifically for NAREA’s New
England membership. Could we create something uniquely reflective of our geographic,
pedagogical, and political landscape? Could
our session also serve as an introduction to
those who might not have had the opportunity
to learn about the ideas and values that are fundamental to the accomplishments of the community of Reggio Emilia? Were we capable of
engaging in the critical yet delicate discussion
that “doing” Reggio is no more possible than
“doing” Boston or Burlington, Freeport or Providence, Nashua or Mystic? Would we be able to
engage colleagues from across New England
in the ambitious enterprise that Malaguzzi
described as “opening up completely new horizons of thought”?
These lofty goals elicited moments of excitement, anxiety, anticipation, and uncertainty.
Thank goodness we have all known each other
for many years both through our association
with NAREA as well as through other overlapping arenas of interests and initiatives. (Is
it ever not the case that it is all about relationships?) The deep respect and affection that
we feel toward each other were always at play
and smoothed over the inevitable bumps that
long-distance committee planning encounters. Moreover, the dual aim of staying close to
Reggio Emilia as a source of inspiration while
sharing stories that represent the unique contexts of New England kept us on course as we
shaped the October New England Brick by
March 2015 37
We were especially hopeful that this day would deepen our
appreciation and understanding of the role of the teacher as
researcher and the power of documentation as a builder of culture
and identity, engagement, and learning.
–Jeanne Goldhaber
Brick program. Our hope was to make the pedagogical work that is taking place in the early
childhood programs and schools of Reggio
Emilia as well as in our neighboring communities more visible and generative. We were espe-
cially hopeful that this day would deepen our
appreciation and understanding of the role of
the teacher as researcher and the power of documentation as a builder of culture and identity,
engagement, and learning.
Inspirations from Reggio Emilia
Each story reflected
teachers who were
prepared in the
moment and over time
to pay close attention,
to document, to reflect,
and to respond to the
children’s meaningmaking, revealing the
pivotal yet complex and
subtle role that teachers
play in children’s
encounters with
concepts that artists,
scientists, and
phenomenologists
have researched
through the ages and
continue to research
today.
Our fall session was hosted in Boston by Wheelock College. We were always very clear that
Lella would open the day; after all, she was the
one who gathered and published many of the
thoughts by Loris Malaguzzi in the course of
several interviews. Her presentation “Stories
From the Extraordinary Journey of Teachers
and Children in Reggio Emilia” brought us into
the infant-toddler centers and preschools where
teachers and children collaborate together as
co-researchers. Images reflecting children’s
efforts to draw their peers as they played ringaround-the-rosy raised our appreciation for the
challenge that perspective-taking presents,
particularly when representing a three-dimensional event in two dimensions. A similar conceptual leap was required for another group of
children who encountered what at first seemed
like a contradiction in logic when they discovered that while two piles of chestnuts were
the same weight, one pile had more chestnuts
than the other! And while many of us have encountered baby Laura’s interactions with the
catalogue containing images of watches and
her teacher’s real (ticking) watch, Lella helped
us consider how an everyday experience can
evolve to an intellectual rite of passage. As
Laura puts her ear to the watch in the catalogue
as a sort of theory-in-action (the watch on my
teacher’s wrist makes a sound, therefore the
watch in the catalogue might do the same), Lella invites us to see what is not readily visible,
the “invisible” elements that are foundational
to Laura’s “research” and learning—elements
such as a shared inter-subjectivity between the
two protagonists, Laura and her teacher; a timeframe that allows the exchange to take place at
baby Laura’s rate of processing; a teacher’s caring attentiveness; and of course, a skillful documenter nearby.
While at face value these stories and others like
them might appear unrelated, they are, in fact,
connected on multiple levels. Each experience
was embedded in relationships that reflected a
sense of trust and high regard among the children and/or among the children and the teachers. Each story reflected teachers who were
prepared in the moment and over time to pay
close attention, to document, to reflect, and to
respond to the children’s meaning-making, revealing the pivotal yet complex and subtle role
that teachers play in children’s encounters with
concepts that artists, scientists, and phenomenologists have researched through the ages
and continue to research today.
–Jeanne Goldhaber
Inspired by Reggio: Stories from our New England Context
Our commitment to creating a program that
reflected the diverse voices and rich contexts
of the northeast was realized (largely thanks
to Angela Ferrario’s networking and exten38 Innovations in Early Education
sive contacts across New England!) through
the creation of a panel of five early educators,
representing very different contexts and stories. Each panel member responded to the
question, “How has the study of the Reggio
Emilia approach influenced your work as an
early childhood educator?” Panelists included
Sarah Connor (Rhode Island), Ashley Crowley (Vermont), Karen First (Massachusetts),
Laura Friedman (Maine), and Sara West (New
Hampshire). Their stories were personal and
powerful as each presenter shared images from
her context and narratives that described both
accomplishments and struggles in equal share.
We heard of flexible and creative approaches to
professional development that aspire to respect
and support teachers’ growth as documenters,
researchers, and collaborators; of innovative
initiatives that invite families from widely diverse backgrounds and cultures to participate
meaningfully in their children’s education; of
a classroom investigation that responded to
the close-at-hand, tragic events in Newtown
and Boston by exploring the values of democracy and participation; of statewide efforts to
support teachers in inquiry-based learning in
a variety of venues and contexts; and of relationship-based programming that focuses on
the whole child, encompassing an organic, inclusive environment for children and families.
We were, however, all too aware that these stories were but a sampling of the experiences
represented in the audience. Therefore we organized small discussion groups to promote
exchanges of experiences and collaborative
problem solving, followed by small table lunch
groups. Lunch closed with “Town Crier” announcements of local and regional professional
development opportunities and initiatives.
Giving Value to Our Context: A Vermont Winter Through the Eyes (and Mittens, Hats, Boots,
Snowsuits, Etc.!) of Toddlers
After lunch, I had the privilege of presenting
an investigation carried out by the UVM Campus Children’s School teachers and student
teachers that documented a group of young
toddlers’ winter outings. Observing very young
children outdoors heightened our awareness of
the vagaries of Vermont’s winter weather. Not
just from season to season and day to day, but
also from hour to hour, the temperature falls or
rises; the wind gets stronger or dies; the snow
becomes deep, crusty, icy. Our observations led
us to the realization that very young children
are regularly confronted by these seasonal, often rapid changes to what they thought were
known environments. For example, where one
day there was a puddle in which the children
had stomped their boots to splash water in all
directions, the next day there is a patch of ice
where they lose their balance and fall hard onto
the ground as their boots slide out from under
them.
not especially positive. (This investigation was
actually provoked by an observation of an especially “unsuccessful” outing in which nearly all
the toddlers ended up crying by the time they
returned to the center. Why, we asked, was this
experience so distressing, when up until now
the toddlers had so thoroughly enjoyed themselves outdoors?)
But perhaps the most important lesson we
learned from this investigation is that the process of documentation isn’t some “frosting-onthe-cake” activity to engage in once the classroom is running smoothly, but rather it is a point
of view, a mindset that shapes our responses to
the big and little challenges and opportunities
that present themselves in our unique contexts.
This investigation also contributed to our appreciation of the kinds of decisions that the
process of documentation entails. For example,
over time, we learned that variables such as the
wind velocity and air temperature can contribute to the quality of children’s outdoor winter
experiences, but never in the past had we considered recording this data as part of our documentation of outings! We also learned that we
need to be open to what our observations tell
us, even when, or maybe especially when, they
tell us that the experiences we are offering are
March 2015 39
Closing Thoughts
Our day ended with two very generous gifts.
Lella Gandini shared recent images and stories
from Reggio Emilia of children’s writing, exemplars of authentic literacy engagement that
reflected children’s strong desire and capacity
to connect with others through the powerful
language of print. Then we were all invited by
Stephanie Cox Suarez and David Fernie to tour
the Wheelock Documentation Center, where
narratives, images, and artifacts from teacher
research projects of educators in the Boston
area are on display for study and reflection. Yet
again, we were reminded of the central role of
context as we considered the experiences of
children of different ages in diverse educational settings; of their families, who reflect a broad
ethnic, cultural, and economic range; and of the
intellectual curiosity and unmitigated commitment of their teachers.
Before gathering our belongings to begin our
journeys home, Barbara Acton sent us on our
way with an invitation to reflect and elaborate
on past, recent, or current experiences that reflect the unique opportunities, challenges, and
possibilities of our own contexts and to consider sharing our narratives of these experiences
at the next New England Brick by Brick gathering in February. Her invitation gave me pause:
the story that began in Villa Cella in 1945 is still
being written 70 years later in the municipality of Reggio Emilia. Inspired by Reggio and
strengthened by a shared resolve, a group of
educators gathered on an autumnal, somewhat
rainy and overcast day in New England to talk,
listen, laugh, and learn. Similar groups were
meeting in places like Atlanta, St. Louis, Tulsa,
and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Together yet in
different ways and in different contexts, we are
all working to build, brick by brick, a “new and
different place for our children.” Our foundation is firm, our commitment strong: what will
our story be in 70 years? The answer is ours to
write.
Yet again, we were reminded of the central role of context as we
considered the experiences of children of different ages in
diverse educational settings; of their families, who reflect a broad
ethnic, cultural, and economic range; and of the intellectual curiosity
and unmitigated commitment of their teachers.
–Jeanne Goldhaber
Image Credit
Image in this article courtesy of
UVM Campus Children’s Center
REFERENCES
Gandini, L., & Edwards, C. (Eds.). (2001). Bambini: The Italian approach to infant/toddler care.
New York, NY : Teachers College Press.
Malaguzzi, L. (2000). When we got the news. In R. Barazzoni, Brick by brick: The history of the
“XXV Aprile” People’s Nursery School of Villa Cella. Reggio Emilia, Italy: Municipality of
Reggio Emilia and Reggio Children.
40 Innovations in Early Education
Perspectives on NAREA
Questioning NAREA’s Impact
By Margie Cooper
Margie Cooper is the standing chair of the NAREA board, co-representative of NAREA within the Reggio Children International Network, and
a member of the board of directors of the Fondazione Reggio Children–
Centro Loris Malaguzzi. Margie is also the founder and executive director
of Inspired Practices in Early Education in Roswell, GA.
In this issue of Innovations, we take a moment
to reflect on our organization. Much has developed in the work of NAREA since its inception
in November of 2002 during the NAEYC conference, held in the not-too-common location of
New York City. All the actions and investments
of our organization might be taken for granted or exist unexamined if we do not invest in
awareness and interpretation. To that end,
since our 10th anniversary celebration,
NAREA has compiled archives, interviewed
members, held member conversations during
conferences, and engaged in strategic projecting during board meetings. A partial result
of these efforts is the newly published Impact
Report we are introducing to members and
friends. This publication will be made available at upcoming conferences and will later be
placed on our website. We would love to hear
your thoughts on the report—or on the work and
opportunity of NAREA—so please drop a note
with your comments to any of us anytime.
By the time you read this, NAREA will have
concluded its first-ever conference in the city of
our founding. The NAREA Winter Conference
in New York, like most of our conferences, was
projected as a gathering around the presence
of the exhibit, “The Wonder of Learning – The
Hundred Languages of Children,” the participation of representatives from Reggio Emilia,
and the work of an eager and determined local
community that welcomes exchange with those
of us in education outside the mainstream.
It would be a mistake to believe that those of us
engaged in the ideas and experiences of Reggio Emilia are representative of current mainstream thinking on education. We are living
in a period of piercing argument regarding the
best interests of our continent’s youngest children and their families and teachers. Private interests, corporations, and politicians are more
than ever shaping the image society holds of
children, education, accountability, right, and
wrong. The mainstream outstrips us in size,
resources, volume, and connections. Still, as
NAREA’s growth has shown, there are those
who increasingly see alternatives and wisdom
in the kind of education and community life expressed in Reggio Emilia. Some might call us a
fringe movement.
And, as a fringe movement, we should not underestimate our influence. We all have a voice
and the capacity to create, innovate, and express
our knowledge of childhood tangibly through
our daily life with children, families, colleagues,
and communities. Our mutual inspiration, a
small Italian town, stands as testimony to what
is possible when we unite in vision and mission on behalf of the rights of young children.
NAREA’s future influence in advancing a particular point of view in the education argument
rests firmly on the web created when we unite
in effort and perseverance. Our challenge and
opportunity is to know one another, to share
with one another, to resist competing with one
another, and to believe in one another. Most of
all, our future rests with the conviction we hold
for a strong image of children and childhood.
NAREA BOARD
Co-Chairs
Barbara Acton
Massachusetts
Margie Cooper
Georgia
Board Members
Teresa Acevedo
Arizona
Jennifer Azzariti
Washington, DC
Karyn Callaghan
Ontario
Simonetta Cittadini-Medina
Florida
David Fernie
Massachusetts
Angela Ferrario
Massachusetts
Brenda Fyfe
Missouri
Amelia Gambetti
Reggio Emilia, Italy
Lella Gandini
Massachusetts
Jeanne Goldhaber
Vermont
Jennifer Kesselring
Oklahoma
Beth MacDonald
Minnesota
Susan Redmond
South Carolina
Jennifer Strange
Missouri
Pat Tarr
Alberta
March 2015 41
Mangiare in Bellezza: The Berkeley Urban
Garden School
By Melissa Stepien
Melissa Stepien is a member of the teaching team at Berkeley Urban
Garden School in Berkeley, CA, which was founded in 2010. Mangiare in
Bellezza (Eating Beautifully) is a new feature of Innovations that focuses
on beautiful foods, recipes, and environments in your schools. Those interested in sending a submission for this feature can contact Patty Randall
for submission guidelines: patty@reggioalliance.org
The unfolding garden project at Berkeley Urban Garden School is one of sustainable living and
inspired learning. The children cultivate organic herbs and vegetables, assist in food preparation,
and savor the passionate culinary skills of our teachers at the midday meal.
A rich pesto sauce is the decided favorite of our young gardeners. The scent of fresh basil lends
radiance to the experience of a healthy and hearty roasted chicken and quinoa. Using the remaining chicken along with garden kale, carrots, garlic, and tree collards, lentil stew is prepared for the
following day.
42 Innovations in Early Education
March 2015 43
44 Innovations in Early Education
Garden Pesto
Lentil Stew
INGREDIENTS:
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups fresh basil
8 cups chicken stock
2 cloves garlic
1 large onion, diced
1 tbs. pickled caper berries
2 large carrots, chopped
Zest from 1/2 small lemon
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts (can substitute
pine nuts or almonds)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups dry lentils (small Umbrian lentils
preferred)
3/4 cup olive oil
Combine ingredients in blender or food
processor and blend until fully combined. If
pesto is too thick (unable to be poured), add
chicken stock to the desired consistency. Add
salt to taste. Serves 12.
Two of the children express their love of
pesto:
So yummy green!
Lena, age 3
Yeah! Mysteries are like pesto!
Rye, age 3
1 large yellow sweet potato, diced
3 cups kale, chopped (can use collards, chard,
or spinach)
Juice from 1 large lemon
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Add onion, garlic, and carrot to boiling stock.
Cook for 10 minutes (until onion is translucent
and soft). Reduce to simmer and add lentils
and sweet potato. Continue to cook for 30
minutes. Check to see that lentils are the desired texture and add salt to taste. Once lentils
and potatoes are done, add chopped kale and
cover for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir
in lemon juice and cilantro. Add pepper and
additional salt to taste. Serves 14.
Image Credit
Images in this article courtesy of
Berkeley Urban Garden School
March 2015 45
Resources
Message from
Reggio Children
The office of Reggio Children is
pleased that there is so much
interest in North America about our
infant centers, preprimary schools,
and educational philosophy.
We note with pride the resources
published and professional
development initiatives organized
about the Reggio Emilia approach
to education. We caution
interested educators that some
resources and initiatives related
to the Reggio Emilia approach
have not accurately reflected our
experiences and philosophy.
In order to ensure accurate
representation of ideas concerning
Reggio, we urge publishers and
producers of resources as well
as organizers of initiatives
concerning the Reggio Emilia
approach to coordinate their
plans with Reggio Children,
s.r.l., via Bligny 1/a, 42100
Reggio Emilia, Italy,
reggiochildren@reggiochildren.it,
www.reggiochildren.it
Bibliography
Contacts for Reggio Children
Visit the NAREA website for a comprehensive
listing of resources related to the Reggio
Emilia educational philosophy.
NAREA
North American Reggio Emilia Alliance
reggioalliance.org
Reggio Children Publications
Resources published by Reggio Children are
available from Learning Materials Workshop.
802-862-8399
mail@learningmaterialswork.com
www.learningmaterialswork.com
North American Study Groups in
Reggio Emilia, Italy
May 11-15, 2015
Canadian Study Group
Contact: Ontario Reggio Association
www.ontarioreggioassociation.ca
May 16-23, 2015
U.S. Study Group
Contact: Angela Ferrario
aferrario@comcast.net
International Professional
Development Initiatives in Reggio
Emilia, Italy
July 5-13, 2015
Third International Summer School
The Reggio Emilia Approach to Education:
Quality Education to Feed the Planet
Contact: Reggio Children
www.reggiochildren.it
NAREA Jobs Site
Searching for Reggio-inspired employment? Searching
for Reggio-inspired candidates? See the NAREA Jobs
Site section of our website to post or apply for positions.
Reggio-inspired educators are in demand, and NAREA
strives to connect employers with employees through
this service. Please help us spread the word in your
community.
Amelia Gambetti
Reggio Children international liaison
for consultancy to schools
International Network co-chair
reggiochildren@reggiochildren.it
www.reggiochildren.it
Lella Gandini
Reggio Children liaison in the U.S. for
dissemination of the Reggio Emilia approach
lellagandini@gmail.com
Angela Ferrario
Reggio Children liaison in the U.S. for
study groups
aferrario@comcast.net
“The Wonder of Learning –
The Hundred Languages of Children”
Exhibit
January 15–May 15, 2015
New York, NY
Hosted by Beginnings Nursery School,
Thinking Beyond the Square, and New York
City Encounters with Reggio Emilia, the
exhibit is located at the Williamsburg
Northside School in Brooklyn. A series of
initiatives has been organized in connection
with the presence of the exhibit.
Contact: Jane Racoosin
jane@beginningsnursery.net
www.newyorkcitywol.org
July-November 2015
Pittsburgh, PA
Hosted by the Agency for Jewish Learning
and Pittsburgh AEYC, the exhibit will be
located at the David L. Lawrence Convention
Center. A series of initiatives will be
organized in connection with the presence
of the exhibit.
Contact: Carolyn Linder
clinder@ajlpittsburgh.org
Visit www.thewonderoflearning.com and
reggioalliance.org for more information about
the exhibit.
46 Innovations in Early Education
Conference Calendar
Discount for NAREA members at all initiatives listed
“The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred
Languages of Children” Exhibit Initiative
New York, NY
April 17-18, 2015
The Hundred Languages: A Metaphor for the
Extraordinary Potentials of Children
and Adults
Contact:
Jane Racoosin, jane@beginningsnursery.net
www.newyorkcitywol.org
Call for Submissions
NAREA is pleased to announce two new features to
Innovations. “The Story of Us” is envisioned as a regular
feature that will introduce readers to the many and
varied stories of Reggio-inspired schools in North
America. “Mangiare in Bellezza” (Eating Beautifully) will
focus on beautiful foods, recipes, and environments
in your schools. We invite you to send submissions for
these new features and share the story and beauty of
your work with young children. Contact Patty Randall
for submission guidelines, patty@reggioalliance.org
Contact: NAREA, reggioalliance.org
The Eleventh NAREA Summer Conference Bridging Partnerships on the Path of
Learning: Embracing History, Identity, and
Culture in our Settings
Pittsburgh, PA
June 18-20, 2015
Speakers:
Deanna Margini and Filippo Chieli
Contact:
NAREA, reggioalliance.org
Carol Bersani, M.S.
Kent State University
Margie Cooper, Ph.D.
Inspired Practices in Early
Education, Inc., Roswell, GA
Angela Ferrario, M.Ed.
Reggio Children liaison in
the U.S. for study groups
Brick by Brick Series, Part Two
May 2, 2015
St. Louis, MO
INNOVATIONS EDITORIAL BOARD
Call for Cover Photographs
If you have photographs from your educational
community that represent the values inherent in the
Reggio Emilia philosophy, and you would like to see one
of them published on the cover of Innovations, please
submit jpg or tiff files of high-resolution photographs
(300 dpi @ 8” x 10”) to Judith Allen Kaminsky,
judy@reggioalliance.org
Judy Graves, M.A.T.
Opal School of the Portland
Children’s Museum, Portland, OR
Karen Haigh, Ph.D.
Columbia College Chicago
Mary Hartzell, M.Ed.
First Presbyterian Nursery
School, Santa Monica, CA
John Nimmo, Ed.D.
University of New Hampshire
Andrew Stremmel, Ph.D.
South Dakota State University
Nora Thompson, M.A.
Michigan State University
Child Development Laboratories
Carol Anne Wien, Ph.D.
York University, Toronto, ON
HONORARY EDITORIAL
BOARD MEMBER
Eli Saltz, Ph.D.
Merrill-Palmer Skillman Institute,
Wayne State University
Correction to last paragraph of Mary Mumbrue’s
contribution in “Memories of Malaguzzi” in
December 2014 issue of Innovations: The last
recollection I have of Loris Malaguzzi was a dinner at
Grace and John Tarini’s home in Evanston, Illinois. How
gracious and relaxed he was that evening as many of the
guests spoke Italian including their daughter Carla and,
of course, Lella. The evening seemed magical to me.
I knew that this extraordinary man had quietly changed
early childhood education over the decades by his
convictions, dedication and passion.
Visit reggioalliance.org for
regularly updated conferences
and initiatives calendar
March 2015 47
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 7
Marietta, GA
c/o Inspired Practices
in Early Education, Inc.
1131 Canton Street
Roswell, GA 30075
770-552-0179
770-552-0767 (fax)
narea@reggioalliance.org
reggioalliance.org
Innovations
In Early Education:
The International Reggio
Emilia Exchange
Our experience also confirms that children need a great
deal of freedom: the freedom to investigate and to try, to
make mistakes and to correct mistakes, to choose where
and with whom to invest their curiosity, intelligence, and
emotions. Children need the freedom to appreciate the
infinite resources of their hands, their eyes, and their ears,
the resources of forms, materials, sounds, and colors.
They need the freedom to realize how reason, thought,
and imagination can create continuous interweavings of
things, and can move and shake the world.
– Loris Malaguzzi