This institute is dedicated to providing an in-depth understanding of our Reggio inspired approach to learning, in the Early Years at ACS. In the two days we will be together, participants will attain a deeper understanding of the journey we experienced as we worked towards finding the melting point between the Reggio Emilia Approach to learning and the AERO Standards.

This institute will specifically showcase the learning in 3 different projects that took place in 3 different academic years. It will represent the implementation of developmentally appropriate pedagogy that encourages exploration and play, while tackling the AERO Standards in Literacy.

The overall objectives of this institute include:

• Learning about the challenges we faced and the approaches we took while meeting the AERO Literacy Standards inspired by The Reggio Emilia Philosophy.

• Bridging the gap between kindergarten and first grade.

• Finding our identity and developing as a division.

• Developing a deeper understanding of the value that provocations and project work contribute to literacy.

• Looking at and dissecting provocations and projects that have been carried out over the years.

• Developing a deeper understanding of documentation and why it is important.

• Developing a deeper understanding of the role of the teacher as a researcher.

• Developing a better understanding of how the reader’s and writer’s workshop can be used in a Reggio inspired classroom.

This institute is designed around participating in working groups and discussions groups.

Children learn best when they construct their own learning in authentic and meaningful contexts. As young children play and interact with their environment, they have many opportunities to explore and investigate mathematical concepts. As educators, our role is to foster the children’s conceptual understanding of numerical relationships and mathematical reasoning, rather than focus on merely teaching skills, rules and procedures.

Through this institute, participants will explore how to promote numeracy development within a Reggio-inspired program. Specifically, participants will:

• Learn about the core principles of conceptual math and the development of key numeracy concepts in young children.

• Develop a repertoire of routines and structures that support mathematical thinking and discourse.

• Analyze examples of children’s work (i.e. compositions, structures and mark making) and identify the numeracy concepts that the children are exploring.

• Practice using open-ended questions in order to scaffold the children’s mathematical learning and deepen conceptual understanding rather than rote learning.

• Learn about effective documentation and assessment practices in order to plan relevant and appropriate learning experiences.

• Examine a wide range of contexts for mathematical learning, including the informal learning that occurs through play, the spontaneous learning that occurs through project work, and the formal learning that takes place during structured math games and routines.

• Examine practices that support a supportive, flexible and inclusive learning environment.

• Make connections to existing mathematics curricula, considering aspects such as child-centered play and inquiry.

A project is an in-depth study of a specific area of inquiry that deepens the children’s understanding of themselves and expands their knowledge and experiences. A project is a platform for children to be owners of their learning.

What is a project in a Reggio Emilia inspired environment? How is it born? How does it evolve? What learning is promoted? How is the teacher’s role as a researcher, documenter, and facilitator manifested throughout the different stages? This institute provides a comprehensive overview of project work. Two projects from two different classes will be presented; both tackle the Concept of Change, but evolve in different directions.

Through this institute, participants will learn about:

• The development of the project;

• Project provocations;

• Processing documentation;

• Writing the project story to make the children’s learning visible;

• The successes, challenges and struggles that the teachers face during this learning journey.

This Institute will present an exploration into how learning happens in an environment founded upon listening. Listening means more than paying attention to what we hear; it is the nurturing of a receptive attitude to all forms of expression and communication. Young children come into a school environment as whole beings, with their own innate desire to construct meaning and find their place in the world. We will look at how the pedagogy of listening supports children in all aspects of playful inquiry. We will discuss the role of the teacher in creating and supporting an evolving community where children develop as capable and competent beings. Participants will engage in hands-on explorations, reflection, and processing real-life classroom scenarios. Topics to be discussed include: social and physical environment, ‘the 100 languages’, relationships, schema play, and documentation (assessment).

Participants will:

• Explore and reflect upon teaching dispositions;
• Be introduced to the pedagogy of listening through direct experience, and through discussion of key concepts;
• Develop an understanding of the role of listening in building relationships;
• Develop an understanding of the role of listening in constructing environments;
• Collect and process (analyze) documentation;
• Explore the concept of The Hundred Languages, and Schema Play;
• Discuss the challenges uncovered by and posed by a pedagogy of listening.