By: Diane Kashin, Ed. D, RECE. When I was a teenager, my career goal was to be a high school history teacher. At a time of declining enrolment, the goal could not be achieved and instead I chose a different path after university. I found office jobs which I hated and wasn’t that good at, … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed. D, RECE. According to the urban dictionary, the definition of meta is about “the thing” itself. It is seeing the “thing” from a higher perspective instead of from within the “thing”, like being self-aware. I have written before about seeking multiple perspectives in early learning as inspired by the Reggio Emilia … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed. D, RECE. Recently I wrote a provoking post about provocations that has continued to stimulate thought on the role/image of the teacher. As provocateurs, teachers are in a position not to make learning “smooth or easy for children, but rather to stimulate it” by making it “more complex, involving and arousing” (Edwards, … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed. D, RECE. My last blog A Provoking Post on Provocations garnered some great comments and Twitter conversations that have sparked deep thinking about the process of pedagogy and curriculum in the early years. When I began my career as an early childhood educator I was fascinated by planning and programming. I … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed. D, RECE. I am not sure exactly when I first heard the term provocation as used to describe a “Reggio-inspired” experience for children. It might have been five or six years ago. I found the use of the word troubling and I continue to struggle with it. I have resisted using it … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed. D, RECE. One of the benefits of a long career in early learning is the opportunity to see how the profession evolves and responds to new thinking, ideas and concepts. A concept is an abstract idea. Conception is the act of conceiving a child or an idea! A misconception is the result … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed. D, RECE. I love my chosen profession. The emotion is deep and embedded. While it was not my original intention to become an early childhood educator, I am so proud to be one now and I have never regretted the decision. Even though I have been an early childhood educator since … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed. D, RECE. It was a year or two ago that I received a message from a Facebook friend asking me whether I had heard of “hygge”. Pronounced hue-guh hygge describes a quality of coziness that makes a person feel content and comfortable. It originates from Denmark and is not specific to the … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed. D, RECE. Recently I experienced the power of place when I spent the weekend in Pennsylvania at Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC). I was invited by LCCC’s Teacher Education program to do a morning and afternoon workshop featuring loose parts to help launch its 32nd annual celebration of the Week of … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE and Cindy Green, BSc, RECE. We have written about our long-standing relationship in previous posts and how we connected when we were working at the same community college, teaching early childhood education, many moons ago! We became critical friends, before we knew the term. In our context, we were pedagogical … Continue reading
Technology Rich Inquiry Based Research 