THE VISIT The team arrived with anticipation at the Reggio Emilia International Summer School at the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre. Joining Dr. Lozon were Assistant Director Tammy Pipitone, classroom teachers Lore Fredette, Debbie Herrera, Isabela Valle and Carole Magaldi, art teacher Lillian Sauceda-Whitney, and Garden and Motor Development Specialist Shelley Harmon. The days included morning lectures at the Centre, followed by classroom observations and hands-on workshops at locations around the city. St. Margaret’s educators participated in these activities from the child’s perspective, and the summer school instructors worked with them as though they were young children taking charge of their own learning within the environments in place. For example, while others attended workshops related to paper, clay and technology, Mrs. Valle, Mrs. Harmon and Mrs. Herrera took part in a twoday workshop that studied fruits and vegetables as a learning tool. The three observed the food under a microscope, felt the texture, smelled it and tasted it. They broke it down using a variety of tools and examined how it could be used artistically. On the second day, they returned to find the same fruits and vegetables, only in advanced decomposed states. This opened up even more planned possibilities of learning — which were furthered by well-timed provocations from the instructors. “I was cutting up some fruit, and I was cutting it one way, and all the instructor said was, ‘I wonder if you try cutting it a different way?’” Mrs. Valle recalled. “When I did, the texture was different and the design was different. This is how they provoke learning in children.” The faculty members also took many notes about the intentionally designed environments around them. Mrs. Fredette observed the amount of natural lighting, plants and trees within the classrooms, as well as digital tools like microscopes. After a long day of listening, observing and participating, the faculty would meet for dinner, and, Dr. Lozon said, “The conversations would just continue from the classes to the dinner table.”
B A C K AT S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S When the faculty members returned to St. Margaret’s, they immediately went to work implementing their new learning for the Preschool. Among the lessons that stood out was an increased emphasis on documentation. A generous PTF grant in 2016 awarded eight digital cameras to the 16
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Preschool, and those documentation tools allow faculty to archive the history of the children’s learning, the work they do in the classroom and, most importantly, provides evidence of a child’s learning progression. In addition, teachers worked on updating their classrooms to be consistent with the Reggio emphasis on the learning environment. They purchased new furniture and altered the layout of the rooms to encourage children to move around freely, explore deeply and have the materials needed to take the learning where they want it to go. Perhaps the biggest post-Italy project was a new curriculum the Preschool faculty members wrote as soon as they returned, circling around planned possibilities for learning in St. Margaret’s garden. “The Science and Gardening Life Lab Curriculum,” a 14,000-word instructional blueprint, was supported through an Interdisciplinary Summer Grant incentive put forth by school leaders at St. Margaret’s. Led by Mrs. Harmon, the curriculum provides an opportunity for children to investigate, discover, interact and express their findings while in nature, using planned possibilities such as soil exploration, seeds, garden plots, light, garden tools and the anatomy of a flower. Through the innovative curriculum, students are exploring the crosscutting concepts of science, engineering, math, art and technology in a natural environment. “The magic in the garden curriculum that was developed is that it is so thorough, thoughtful and intentional, yet the children simply experience it as irresistible work and play,” Academic Dean Jeneen Graham said. “The garden curriculum is exactly what the school hoped to see come out of the Interdisciplinary Summer Grants program, and it is fulfilling to watch our youngest learners thrive in this child-centered approach.” The planned possibilities in the preschool are endless — and ongoing. Dr. Lozon said teachers are watching their children differently with new learning opportunities always in the front of their minds. Mrs. Valle said the instructors’ passion was ignited by the trip to Italy, as they think of new ways to offer a rich and experiential education with Reggio Emilia concepts in mind. “Our expectations aren’t going to be imposed on the children,” Dr. Lozon said. “Rather, the children’s work is going to be extended because of the conversations we’re having with them. It’s about the relationship between the teachers and the child. The teacher sees the image of the child as capable and responsible for their own learning.”