Jane’s comment about the children going “beyond the beyond” reminded me of the words of Malaguzzi. “Creativity seems to emerge from multiple experiences, coupled with a well-supported development of personal resources, including a sense of freedom to venture beyond the known” (Malaguzzi, 1998, p. 76). An exploration of shells in Jane's JK classroom. According to … Continue reading
Political influences and Pedagogical Documentation: Grasping for the “Other”
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. In the last blog post, I spoke about shying away from theory in my practice. I am no longer a theory avoider. It has made a big difference to my professional knowledge and has increased my effectiveness as an adult educator. Theory requires deep thinking and it is not the … Continue reading
The Image of the Teacher: Rich, Competent, Theory Builder
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. The image of the child in the Reggio Emilia approach is one of a rich, competent, capable theory builder. This construct could be the image of the teacher as well, but to accept this image we must first embrace theory in our practice. I am here to tell you that … Continue reading
Leading the Reggio Way: A Profile of a Pedagogical Leader
What is a Pedagogical Leader? Kagan and Bowman (1997) describe a PEDAGOGICAL LEADER as someone who: Recognizes that the core of early learning is to ensure quality of the day-to-day lives of the participating children and to support and enhance their growth, development and learning Keeps abreast of current trends and issues in early learning … Continue reading
Inspired by a Thoughtful Comment
Recently one of our readers sent the following comment: Bianca commented on The Three Elements of the Documentation Process– Moving beyond Display to Interpretation This makes so much sense…our perspective is only one of many. Inviting the voices of our learning community into the cycle of documentation allows the magic to take flight and meander … Continue reading
The Three Elements of the Documentation Process – Moving beyond Display to Interpretation
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Documentation is now in the mainstream of education literature, research and practice. The Ontario government supports the use of documentation in early years settings and this is evident on the OELF (Ontario Early Learning Framework) website: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/oelf/observation/ When you look at this website and the words used to describe the … Continue reading
Nothing without Joy: The Joys of Intentionality and Meaning Making while Messing About
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. This blog is an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of what I do collaboratively in a social and transparent context. In my professional life I am a teacher educator and professional learning consultant. I am constantly dialoging about the big ideas in my practice. Ultimately I am ethically responsible … Continue reading
On the Shoulders of Giants
Recently, while doing some research for a new textbook I am writing with Beverlie Dietze (http://www.amazon.ca/Playing-Learning-Early-Childhood-Education/dp/0135125464) I found this article by Bernard Spodek and Olivia N. Saracho called “On the Shoulders of Giants”: Exploring the Traditions of Early Childhood Education– http://www.slideshare.net/Alanevans25364/on-the-shoulders-of-giants. The article explores the traditions of the past so that we can come to … Continue reading
Technology Rich Inquiry Based Research 