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New Mexico Wonder of Learning Collaborative

Wonder of Learning Exhibit Project Annual Report, 2016

Prepared by: Gigi Yu with support from Baji Rankin and Olivia Natale

           

   

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Introduction: New Mexico was the host for the Wonder of Learning exhibit June – November, 2014. Since the exhibit’s presence, many individuals and organizations have continued to be inspired in many different ways. This report reflects the contributions of several different teachers, schools, and organizations in response to the NAREA Wonder of Learning reflective questions. Contributors: Baji Rankin, NM Association for the Education of Young Children Betty Lansdowne, University of NM, Family Development Program Chris Sims, American Indian Language Policy Research and Teacher Training Center Colleen Langan-McRoberts, Bernallillo County Open Space Program Dorothy Kerwin, University of NM, Family Development Program Gigi Yu, Albuquerque Public Schools, Office of Early Childhood Helen McDonald, La Casita Cooperative Preschool Judith Lavender, Early Childhood Consultant Sally Anderson, Assistant Principal New Mexico School for the Deaf Albuquerque Sonja Brown, Junior League of Albuquerque Juliet Staveley, Santa Fe Public Schools Kate Dixon, University of NM, Family Development Program Katie Dry, Santa Fe Baby Fund Lynette Perlikiewicz, Albuquerque Public Schools, Barcelona Elementary Marlene McKitrick, University of NM Early Childhood Services Center Nia Sena, A Child’s Garden Olivia Natale, NM Association for the Education of Young Children Pam Remstein, United Way of SF County Early Childhood Program Paula Steele, University of NM, Family Development Program Penny Bird, American Indian Language Policy Research and Teacher Training Center Sarah Lucero, A Child’s Garden Taylor Etchemendy, ¡INSPIRE! Billingual Preschool Tracy Jaramillo, University of NM-Taos, Kid’s Campus

           

   

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NAREA Questions: How do you believe “The Wonder of Learning – The Hundred Languages of Children” exhibit and the NAREA Professional Development Series continues to provoke dialogues around quality in early childhood education in your community? In what ways has the collaborative participation of educators, families, administrators, community members, and government leaders evolved over the past year?

What opportunities for teachers, parents, administrators, community members, and/or government leaders to meet and discuss the values and goals of education and childhood were generated in your community over the last year? How did these opportunities contribute to a better understanding of the various perspectives that exist within your community on this subject?

Introduction: The following section is in response to the three above questions. This section includes Reggio Emilia inspired study groups that have been formed since the Wonder of Learning exhibit’s presence in New Mexico. Also included are events that were organized to support the study of the Reggio Emilia approach.

One way that New Mexico has continued to promote and deepen the study of the Reggio Emilia approach is the creation of “study groups.” Several Study Groups were formed following the Wonder of Learning’s presence in New Mexico. These study groups were organized with both educators and parents that are interested in continuing to study, learn, and promote the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach. These study groups are interested in promoting quality in early childhood education in New Mexico, as well as deepening our understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach. Included in the following are descriptions and testimonies describing the work of these study groups.

           

   

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New Mexico Reggio Emilia Exchange (NMREX)  After the conclusion of the Wonder of Learning Exhibit in NM, self-selected members of the NM Wonder of Learning Collaborative Executive Committee began to think and plan for sustaining and building on the interest in the Reggio approach to early childhood education in New Mexico and for supporting Reggio-inspired teaching and learning in the state. The group knew that it was time for the NM Wonder of Learning Collaborative to re-structure in order to continue the inspiration, work, and study of the Reggio Emilia approach -- beyond the presence of the Wonder of Learning exhibit in New Mexico. The group intended to form an Advisory Committee of interested individuals who had participated in and volunteered with the initiatives of the NM WOL Collaborative in the past. There was one meeting of this group on February 2, 2015. This led quickly to another meeting, three weeks later on February 21, where about a dozen people came together to name and create the mission and vision of a new group that would continue this work. Thus, on that day, February 21, 2015 the New Mexico Reggio Emilia Exchange (NMREX) was formed. Attached are two pieces of literature produced by the group – a two-page flier and a color brochure – that describe the NMREX mission and vision and its workgroups. For the past year there have been quarterly meetings and for the last five months there have been monthly meetings of the Core Group. In addition there have been ongoing meetings and events of other workgroups for the last year. NMREX also has a Facebook page for promoting events: New Mexico Reggio Emilia Exchange –NMREX. We have a contact list of several hundred people, collected from the WOL exhibit in NM and the various professional development initiatives. This is a rich resource, as we know there are many people throughout the state who are interested in staying in contact with and getting support from an educational approach. Also included in this report are working groups, events and learning opportunities that were organized by NMREX in 2015-2016.  

   New  Mexico  Reggio  Emilia  Exchange  Meeting,  November  2016  

           

   

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PreK and Focus Consultants, TTAP: Studying and Reflecting on the WOL Exhibit

Toward the end of the WOL exhibit’s stay in NM, there was a professional development event at the WOL for many of the consultants and leadership for NM’s Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS). About 90 people gathered at the WOL – NM PreK consultants, NM consultants for FOCUS, the revitalized and tiered QRIS system, and professional development specialists from nearby Training and Technical Assistance Programs (TTAP’s). These NM educators of educators working all over the state visited the exhibit, debriefed their experience, heard a panel of Reggio inspired teachers and consultants, and debriefed again, always in their comments reflecting on the high quality of children’s exploration and family engagement. This was a great opportunity to bring the principles of the Reggio approach to the heart of NM’s QRIS system. There was interest and curiosity about how to bring more of this into the state-agency work of improving child care and NM PreK programs. After the exhibit, a group of consultants, including Leroy Goats, the lead administrator of these programs, began to meet monthly, with Olivia Natale and Baji Rankin, for reflecting on their work and wondering how to bring the principles of the Reggio approach more into their work with teachers all around the state. At the end of each meeting, the focus of the next meeting was decided upon. In fall 2015, a few months before the NMAEYC state wide conference, an idea was enthusiastically embraced by this group: to organize an exhibit of children’s work, words, and creative expression. With consultants for early childhood programs around the state, this group had with a ready network of connecting to programs and encouraging teachers and directors to collect samples of children’s work from 25 early learning programs around the state. This exhibit is described in others parts of this NAREA report.  

Collaborative Teachers Institute Santa Fe, New Mexico

The Collaborative Teachers Institute (CTI) is organized by Katie Dry, of the Baby Fund, and Gigi Yu, the pedagogical director of the CTI. The CTI is a group of early childhood teachers in Santa Fe interested in pursuing advanced, collaborative professional development. Following the WOL’s presence in New Mexico, several educators began to gather at the Santa Fe Community Foundation to discuss the possibility of creating a Shared Service model in Santa Fe. One of the main topics that was discussed was the interest in creating shared professional development among early childhood educators. Many of these educators were interested in deepening their study of the Reggio Emilia approach and also learning about the role of pedagogical leadership in order to support their programs. The Thornburg Foundation is funding an evaluation of the CTI. Our hope is that the CTI will serve as a model and we will be able to create more opportunities for early childhood programs to deepen their pedagogical practices. How does it work? Participating programs and teachers study children's interests through a reflective practice approach. The CTI holds monthly structured meetings where teachers come together to reflect on their work with children, sharing their experiences and their documentation of children’s work. The meetings follow a structured protocol to help support learning and move from reflection to action and back to reflection again.

           

   

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The CTI helps teachers begin to think and act differently as a result of participation in collaborative meetings. The work is relevant, immediately applicable and easily integrated into a teacher’s daily work. Teachers who work with the CTI change their teaching practices to better reflect the interests of the children they teach. The CTI also offers a unique opportunity for advanced educators who want to take their professional development to the next level and develop into pedagogical leaders within their own institutions. Fostering these "master" teachers enables the CTI to extend its impact beyond its own meetings and workshops and into the institutions and communities in which these master teachers work. These engaged and dedicated early childhood master teachers go on to mentor newer teachers, further broadening the reach of the Institute and its child-centered approach. The Collaborative Teachers Institute helps teachers achieve their potential so that the youngest children in Santa Fe can achieve theirs.

The following are testimonies given by CTI members:  Juliet Staveley – Santa Fe Public School PreK Specialist/Consultant, Santa Fe Public School PreK

In 2014 New Mexico hosted the WOL Exhibit in ABQ impacting our Early Childhood communities, educators and many members of the public. It has created a frame of reference of an educational approach that values respect, honesty and wonder.

A group of early childhood educators became part of the Collaborative Teachers Institute in Santa Fe, NM at the beginning of the 2015, after the Wonder of Learning exhibit closed. Our mission has been to support professional dialogue, sharing of our work as early childhood educators, discuss articles and deepen our understanding of how children co-construct their our knowledge social learning environments. We have been practicing a respectful protocol of listening to each other and giving feedback from a pedagogical perspective. My contributions have been showing documentation of children working independently and together using different materials and mediums. This has been during children’s independent explorations and teacher facilitated explorations. Through our work together we have reached out to and involved teachers, administrators and policy makers.

           

   

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My name is Helen McDonald, and I am the Director and co-teacher at La Casita Parent Cooperative Preschool in Santa Fe, NM. Even before the WOL Exhibit arrived in New Mexico, it began to affect early childhood education in our area. Several of us got together to study and prepare for the exhibit. We toured each others' schools, shared documentation, watched videos from Reggio, and worked together to get the word out about the exhibit-sharing our children' work with the legislature, posting classroom documentation publicly, speaking on public radio, and brainstorming together on how to invite people-from young children and their families to the NM secretary of education- to go to the exhibit. I remember sitting in a room with several educators from across the state at the end of the conference, and being asked (probably by Gigi) what we would walk away with. I was very moved when one woman shared that she would walk away with courage. She shared that she often felt so discouraged working in public education with young children, in an assessment-oriented environment, that she often didn't feel able to teach the children in the way she felt most inspired to. She said that after seeing the exhibit and going to the conference, she felt courage to go back to her job, and that she felt a sense of unity with the many educators doing good work and finding a way to really be Reggio-inspired even within the constraints they were facing. Since the exhibit, we have been very fortunate in Santa Fe to be given the opportunity to be part of the Collaborative Teachers Institute. Guided by Gigi, we have come together to deepen our study and practice in working with children. This has been a unique opportunity for Reggio-Inspired advanced professional development. I have found this work and the collaboration involved very nourishing and informing to both my work in the classroom, and to my vision for our school as its director. I have enjoyed hearing stories from other educators, and felt inspired by the stories of beautifully articulated projects, as well as the frustrations-knowing that we all encounter both sides of the experience, and are not alone in that. I have been encouraged by the forming of the substitute teacher pool, and look forward to utilizing this offering to help provide more time for professional development at our program. I am also excited about the collaborative exhibit on making sense of play that we are now organizing, and hope that this powerful collaborative model continues to grow in Santa Fe. I am thankful for Gigi Yu and Katie Dry's work in really making this happen.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

   

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Reflections on the Reggio Emilia Inspired Webinar and Workshop Series: University of New Mexico Family Development Program and

The Center for Development and Disabilities

Kate Dixon, Dorothy Kerwin, Betty Lansdowne, Paula Steele

A  Little  Background

The Principles of Reggio Emilia were the catalyst for both the Webinar and Workshop series developed in support of the Wonder of Learning Exhibit. Keeping in mind the challenge of raising the quality of early childhood education in NM, the webinar series incorporated essential life skills, best practices, key theorists and their research, and addressed the RE approach with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Each webinar was interactive, including a chat capability for participants to reflect, ask questions, and interact with one another as well as with the webinar hosts and guests. We invited NM RE inspired teachers to share their knowledge, process, challenges and successes. It was our intent to honor the culture of NM and to introduce RE across the state as an approach that is accessible to anyone.

A few innovative ideas that went along with the webinars and workshops: Planning for the Wonder of Learning Webinar

· a Facebook page for interaction following webinars, to remind folks to tune in for the next one, and as a forum for posting relevant information. · Phone chats post webinar for continued discussion. Not too many took advantage of this, and we discontinued it, but it was a worthy effort as part of our comprehensive approach · A special 2-part session on exploring and messing around with paper and other open-ended materials that that targeted observation and documentation.

Our workshop series introduced the Reggio Emilia Approach and the Wonder of Learning Exhibit to practitioners throughout the state as part of our work for the TTAPS, as well as to the 20+ City of Albuquerque Child Development Centers.

Since the exhibit, we continue to hear from teachers as we work throughout the state who remember the webinars. They talk about them as something that provided a starting point to their own inquiry. They were excited to share the ideas and information garnered with others in their communities. The webinars gave them a sense of what is entailed in project work – how to begin and how to unfold. They say that hearing from other teachers, working in similar situations, under similar constraints, helped them see the REA as accessible, useful, and

           

   

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worthwhile. The need for flexibility of thought, to let go of ideas when a plan doesn’t go as expected, and what it means to follow a child’s lead are all expressions that we have heard about from teachers since our deep work related to the exhibit.

Stocker Foundation Literacy Event: Story Workshop  

The Stocker Foundation gave the NMWOLC a generous grant to support the Wonder of Learning exhibit and professional development events. In May, 2015 the stocker foundation also supported a literacy workshop titled Story Workshop: Promoting Emergent Literacy for Young Children following the exhibit’s presence. A diverse group of educators including homecare providers, family liaisons, students, and preschool teachers working in the South Valley of Albuquerque were invited to participate in a FREE Professional Development workshop. The workshop provided a more in depth look at how Story Workshop can be implemented in our New Mexico contexts. The presenters were able to engage with participants in an intimate setting with the elements of Story Workshop and ways to implement it within their own work with children and families. Participants were given hands-on materials to take back and use in their classrooms. Professional Development and training books and videos from the Opal School were also given out. Presenters: Kris Eaton, NM School for the Deaf and Gigi Yu, PhD, Albuquerque Public Schools. The group enjoyed the day immensely and plans to reconvene to discuss how Story Workshop has enhanced their practices.

Below are comments from the participants surveys: “[I learned] that through a story there are many things that one can learn, also from literacy.” “I believe all forms of painting and expressing oneself, this is literacy.” “I love these types of classes because they give us ideas.”

           

   

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Gunilla Dahlburg in Las Cruces, Deming, and Albuquerque – Engaging Educators, Parents, Stakeholders in Early Education

One of the workgroups of NMREX is the Professional Development Events workgroup, chaired by Baji Rankin. This workgroup and the state of New Mexico were blessed when Baji received a call from Pauline Baker from Tucson, Arizona, in May 2015, with the good news that Gunilla Dahlberg would be coming to Tucson, AZ, in November 2015 and with the possibility that Gunilla could spend some tine in New Mexico during that visit. Baji was thrilled and brought this idea to an upcoming meeting of NMREX, where the PD Events Work Group was formed and then provided leadership for Gunilla’s event in Albuquerque. The NM REX PD Events work group met to plan and support an exciting and well-received event in Albuquerque with Gunilla: “The Magic of Language.” By reaching out to the people who had interacted with the WOL exhibit and it’s professional development initiative as well as the Reggio-inspired network from before the exhibit, the event attracted about 100 enthusiastic and satisfied people, eager for more Reggio-inspired events. This event was co sponsored by the Junior League of Albuquerque. At the same time, two other events were being formed and were supported by Gunilla’s visit: an Early Childhood Public Policy Institute in Deming and a reception for Gunilla in Las Cruces. Gunilla’s strong leadership, vision, and passion contributed in major ways to these two events. Another approximate 100 people gathered in Deming, a small rural community in southern NM, on a Friday in November. Gunilla’s visit brought purpose and clarity to this early childhood policy institute. Her talk about “Multiculturalism and Communication: How different cultures are changed and transformed as they interact with each other” was engaging and well-received by this community group, focusing on issues of high importance all over the state, and, in particular, that area of the state: language, culture, and community participation. Parents, grandparents, and educators from that area were excited to hear of Gunilla’s work in Stockholm. Workshops in the afternoon gave participants the opportunity to focus on local issues: challenges and solutions. The community leaders in that area want to do another public policy event this year. Also, connected with Gunilla’s visit, a group connected with NM State University, held a reception for Gunilla the Thursday before the Deming event in nearby Las Cruces, the home of NMSU. This was a reception with an informal talk and conversation with the group in Las Cruces. Gunilla’s writing and research was of high interest to this group.

           

   

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(Images from Gunilla’s Dahlburg event with educators from New Mexico and Arizona.)

   

Pre-Conference Institute at the November 2015 La Cosecha Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Carlotta Bird, EdD, Senior Program Manager, Santo Domingo Pueblo; Christine Sims, PhD, Principal Investigator

and UNM COE faculty, Acoma Pueblo American Indian Language Policy Research and

Teacher Training Center

Christine Sims, Ph.D. and Penny Bird, Ed.D., representing the American Indian Language Policy Research and Teacher Training Center, organized a special Pre-Conference Institute at the November 2015 La Cosecha Conference in Albuquerque. (La Cosecha Conference is organized by Dual Language Education of New Mexico, bringing together educators, parents, researchers and practitioners to support dual language enrichment programs in New Mexico and across the United States.).

           

   

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The Institute introduced language teachers, language program directors and school administrators to an exciting new project, the New Mexico Tribal Language Resource Project (NMTLRP). This is a new initiative supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and specifically focuses on the development of instructional resource materials in support of Native language initiatives for children 0-8 years of age and their families. The day included break out activities for materials development and a presentation by Gigi Yu that helped set the focus on the importance of engaging young children in active learning experiences that promote Native language development, inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach. Chris Sims shared reflections from her participation in the Study Tour to Reggio Emilia, Italy, Spring 2015. Chris and Penny, both Native Americans from NM Pueblo communities, see that the Reggio approach -- with its emphasis on the competence of all children, and a deep respect for their communities and cultures, as well as children’s active engagement in experiential learning provides a firm foundation for supporting the development and maintenance of their tribal languages and cultures. This project presently offers training for individuals from several different languages and tribeswho are mentored and receive training in developing resources that support the language learning needs of children and that can be used by tribal language program staff, families and language instructors. By mentoring tribal members in language teaching and resource development, the Center intends to contribute to building and expanding the internal capacity of tribal language communities to teach their native language. Testimony from Penny Bird: For us, the American Indian Language Policy Research and Teacher Training Center (AILPRTTC), “The Wonder of Learning—the Hundred Languages of Children” was a culmination of spring and fall workshops that we sponsored in 2014. These workshops focused on teachers of Native American languages who worked with the youngest members of tribal communities. Learning about the Reggio Emilia approach helped these teachers and language advocates remember the importance of language, culture and community values that support the education and growth of their children in a manner that honors and respects the children as competent beings and contributors to their ways of life. This realization had to be experienced by them as the nature of schooling, more often than not, required setting these aside as children were “fit” into curricula developed by outside agencies. The fall 2014 workshop was conducted at the site of the WOL exhibit, which provided participants from homes outside of ABQ the opportunity to visit the exhibit, and then share their understandings and new thoughts about how children could be actively engaged in creating the curriculum in their natural exploration of their own environments. This also expanded the teachers’ understanding of “school” beyond the walls of the school and classroom. Our current grant from WKKF allows us to continue these discussions and approach as we assist the EC programs to develop instructional materials and resources to teach their native language more appropriately. Mentoring participants in this new project seeks to enrich and expand the resources for the benefit of not only the children, but also their parents, family and community in a way that their own expertise and rich knowledge can be sustained for future generations. The creativity that is tapped into is wonderful to see in adults as well as the children when all are brought into the conversation to provide richer environments and materials for language learning.

           

   

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Peaceful Parenting Albuquerque New Mexico Association for the Education of Young Children Conference,

March 2016

Emily Holzknecht, teacher and parent Rosalie Cooperative School of Young Children

 The Wonder of Learning Exhibit created a climate in which families believed that a better future could be achieved through guidance of young children based on listening, respect and through facilitating children’s learning through a cycle of exploration and representation. These families started a new grassroots organization of families in Albuquerque called Peaceful Parenting Albuquerque which has grown to 120 members. The families of Peaceful Parenting Albuquerque have found the work of clinical psychologist Dr. Laura Markham to be a means of accessing some of the principals of Reggio Emilia that are relevant to them in the home as parents. Recognizing the value of this growing grassroots organization of families and hearing the voice of the parents asking for Dr Laura Markham to be brought to New Mexico as a speaker for both parents and educators, the New Mexico Association for the Education of Young Children (NMAEYC) and the New Mexico Reggio Emilia Exchange partnered with Peaceful Parenting Albuquerque to host Dr Laura Markham for an all day workshop for parents and teachers at the annual NMAYEC conference and to offer scholarships for parents to this event. The event included a panel where local Reggio-inspired teachers along with Dr Laura Markham facilitated the audience in seeing the parallels between the Reggio Approach and Dr Markham’s work with Peaceful Parenting. These parallels included a powerful grassroots movement of parents seeking a peaceful future through the education of very young children, work with children based on a culture of listening, respect for the child as a complete human being, coaching not controlling children, facilitating children in following their passions through an emergent cycle of inquiry, and joy as a foundational value. This event marked the first time that NMAEYC has opened one of its conference speakers up to parents as well as educators and the first time that parents and educators have had the opportunity to learn and discuss side by side on this scale. It also was one of the most successful preconference workshops NMAEYC has hosted with 183 participants including a significant number of men for an early childhood event. Table discussions involving parents and teachers were particularly rich and ways of continuing these discussions and the collaboration of parents and teachers are now being explored.

           

   

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   Discussion Questions from Dr. Markham’s Presentations. These questions were reflected upon in small groups.

• What routines for adult self-care and rituals for emotional self-regulation do you utilize in your work with children? How could you improve? Do other people at your table use methods that might work for you?

• How do you foster connection with children in your setting? Is it mostly a beginning of the year thing or is it really integrated into your work with children throughout the year? Do you think of connection as a means of preventing behavior? What do you see as getting in the way of further connection with children? Talk with your group about how to overcome these obstacles.

• How could you further transition from obedience to response-ability in our setting? From controlling to coaching? From children being governed by the adult to partial self-government? What potential problems do you foresee in the transition? Brainstorm with your group about how to prevent, prepare for, or otherwise ad- dress these problems?

• How can response-ability be woven into the physical environment allowing children to take charge of some of their own needs throughout the day?

                           

           

   

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Santa Fe Opera (SFO): Early Childhood Arts Initiative

The Wonder of Learning exhibit’s presence inspired the Santa Fe Opera’s education department to reflect on the aesthetic and creative needs of children and teachers in our communities. In response to this need, the SFO is supporting a series of early childhood professional development workshops as part of its new Early Childhood Arts Integration Initiative (ECAII). Inspired by the Reggio approach, these workshops -- organized by the ECAII Leadership Committee and Santa Fe’s Collaborative Teachers Institute build on understanding connections between early brain development and innovative practices supporting creative thinking, and recognizing use of diverse materials, expressive arts practices, and innovative classroom methods to support creative thinking practices in schools. The first professional development workshop is planned for April 30, 2016. This workshop will highlight the expressive language of watercolor paint and will be held at the Albuquerque Art Museum. (Workshop Flyer is attached)

Sally Ann Anderson, Assistant Principal New Mexico School for the Deaf, Albuquerque PreSchool

We have continued our exploration of the Reggio Emilia approach following the departure of the Wonder of Learning exhibit in a variety of ways. Gigi Yu, PH. D. continues to work with us several times per year both as a full staff and on an individual educator-to-educator basis. We have maintained contacts with other Reggio-inspired programs and sent our new teachers to observe and learn at local Reggio programs. We continue with our weekly Teacher Collaboration meetings which truly provides the time for reflection and provocation, moving us forward in this philosophy. Several staff members are currently involved in the NMREX Aesthetics committee. This group meets monthly at different locations and this year these meetings have taken on the feel of a “book club”; in fact we are exploring the book entitled The Language of Art both in our individual programs and as a larger educator’s group. And finally, this year the NMSD Albuquerque Preschool has formed a collaboration with Pinnacle Presbyterian Preschool in Arizona. This is a preschool that has been studying the Reggio philosophy for a number of years and they are part of a grant group that was recently challenged to learn about a “population different than your own”. As a result of that provocation they made contact with us, have visited us once, and our teachers are working in pairs each week exploring queries regarding the use of materials in our programs. These are all initiatives that may have not come into fruition had we not had the experience of learning through the Wonder of Learning exhibit. We are grateful! For me, personally, the opportunity to plan for, interact with, and involve my staff in the Wonder of Learning exhibit is an experience I now count as a significant highlight in a career nearly spanning 25 years in education. I look forward to visiting the exhibit again in the future and to seeing how it always has a profound impact on the communities it visits.

 

           

   

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Art in Taos: A Collaborative Journey through the Reggio Approach Taylor Etchemendy, Director, Inspire Bilingual!

UNM Kids Campus and ¡INSPIRE! have created a culture of collaboration in the Taos community centered around the commitment to a journey through the inspiration of Reggio Emilia inspired practice. Our journey to create a more unified vision and voice for the children and families of Taos began after a trip to Reggio Emilia shared by Tracy Jaramillo, Alison McPartlon, and Taylor Etchemendy in the fall of 2013. Shortly thereafter, our programs collaborated to host a number of events in Taos with the goal of ‘making children’s learning visible’ within our Taos community, as well as fortifying a commitment toward one another and our collective journey and goals of exploring the many languages (materials of expression) of children. Sienna Sanderson, a local artist, child advocate, and family navigator, has taken on the role as, atelierista, for a collaborative art program within our two programs as well as the S.M.A.R.T house project, a free program for low-income families located in a housing project community in the heart of Taos. Sienna works with teachers to understand the interests expressed within the classroom communities and build project work based on long-term investigations and explorations. She works with both teachers and children with diverse mediums that challenge us to think critically and integrate ideas and strategies into artistic process and representation. “Art is how we show what we are thinking.” (Sophie, age 4, ¡INSPIRE!) Children share material investigations during family engagement events where families can collaborate with children and staff to deepen their understanding of project work and integration of material’s expression into the classrooms.                                            

     

           

   

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NAREA Question: How has the visibility of the learning and relationships of children, teachers, and parents within your early childhood education community increased over the past year?

Wonder of Learning in Nature Colleen Langan-McRoberts,

Coordinator Bernalillo County Open Space Program

Bernalillo County Open Space has benefited in a variety of ways due to the NM Wonder of Learning Collaborative. The County recently opened up Bachechi Open Space, a property in the North Valley, and developed programs that are specific to getting families outdoors and fostering a relationship with nature. The educators associated with the WOL collaborative have been instrumental in guiding staff on incorporate Reggio Emilia principles in the program. This program has continued to grow in popularity and now features monthly themes and different hands-on activities each week with learning stations and tools for outdoor explorations and investigation.

Additionally, we have hosted the annual Wonder of Learning in Nature event at Bachechi Open Space that was inspired by the international exhibit. This event was co-sponsored by the Junior League of Albuquerque. The event is geared towards early childhood educators and families with young children. This engaging event brings together numerous people who get to experience the Reggio Emilia approach to teaching modeled through activities lead by experienced educators and panels exhibiting projects teachers implemented throughout the year with their students. Bernalillo County benefits by exposing families to the Open Space property and programs while supporting this event that meets the Open Space mission and has far-reaching impacts throughout the community.

Junior League of Albuquerque: Funder

Sonja Brown

The  partnership  that  the  Junior  League  of  Albuquerque  (JLA)  has  had  with  the  Wonder  of  Learning  Collaborative  and  the  Reggio  Emilia  approach  to  early  childhood  learning  has  been  amazing  and  very  educational  for  our  members.    From  the  Wonder  of  Learning  Exhibit  at  the  Albuquerque  Museum  to  the  

           

   

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Teacher’s  Seminar  with  Guinella  Dahlburg,  Reggio  Emilia  expert  to  the  fun,  learning  activities  at  the  Bachechi  Open  Space  for  families,  all  has  proven  beneficial  for  the  educators,  the  children  and  families  involved  and  the  JLA.     For  many  of  the  JLA  members,  attending  Guinella  Dahlburg  from  Sweden  was  the  most  rewarding.    The  educators  were  truly  enthusiastic  about  this  opportunity  and  kept  the  teachers  engaged.    It  was  very  refreshing  to  know  that  the  youth  of  Albuquerque  are  in  such  good  hands.    Choosing  to  work  with  the  Wonder  of  Learning  Collaborative  was  a  sound  decision  and  money  well  spent  by  the  JLA!  

NAREA Question: How have the early childhood educators in your community continued to extend the visibility of classroom experiences of learning and relationships to include connections with the values and goals of parents and administrators over the past year? In which way did the educators connect children’s experiences to government/district mandated curriculum standards and outcomes?

Introduction: The presence of the Wonder of Learning exhibit inspired state funded programs to think deeper about the connection between documentation for assessment and pedagogical documentation. This section highlights state initiatives and individual programs that are studying ways that children’s experiences can by connected to state mandated curriculum, standards, and assessments.

Peter Moss and Discussing Early Years Curriculum

New Mexico State University

New Mexico’s Children Youth and Families Department recently published a new curriculum framework called the Developmental Interaction Approach (DIA). This approach, has many similarities to the Reggio-approach: DIA is very open to diversity in children, families and educational needs. New Mexico has such a broad diversity of cultures that one centralized, specific curriculum would not suit the needs of every community. Having a relationship-based curriculum framework provides the openness needed to work in the far spread diverse communities New Mexico has to offer. At the Curriculum Conference in November where this framework was officially launched New Mexican educators presented breakout sessions on different approaches including the Reggio-approach and drew similarities between these ideas and those written in the DIA curriculum framework. The dialogue in these sessions was very reflective and provided a fantastic opportunity for the early childhood community to discuss the varying classroom styles around the state.

           

   

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United Way Learning Center of Santa Fe County Pam Remstein, Program Director

In the past few years the teachers and I have learned to articulate the principles of the

Reggio Emilio approach and how it enhances learning while building a strong community environment. We are a state funded Pre K for four year olds whose families attend our school only for one year. Therefore, it has become essential we communicate with families about what it means to be a part of a Reggio Emilio inspired school right from the beginning of the year. In the beginning of the school year we have a ‘Welcome Night’ where we share a video called, A New Mexico Journey: Educators Experience with the Reggio Emilio Approach. This video gives us an opportunity to engage families in a discussion about our work. Also, on this night teachers share panels from former projects so as to convey the principle of Reggio Emilio as well as tell how we determine the Early Learning Outcomes in our project work to meet the New Mexico Early Learning Guidelines. Then in October each classroom gives a PowerPoint presentation about a research project occurring in their classroom. The teachers share their questions as well as the children’s questions about their work, while engaging families in a reflective curriculum practice.

Lastly, we hold three family conferences during the year. The first and last conference is traditional, as family members and teachers meet to discuss children’s progress and share information and stories. However, at our mid-year conference teachers put up new documentation panels that pertain to the projects that have been engaging children. The panels serve as a springboard for discussion with families and gives additional context into the research and the learning from a RE perspective. We see the NM Pre K learning outcomes to be transparent to families and community members. During the mid-year conference children facilitate the meeting by telling their family about the projects they are working on, who their friends are and areas of interest in the classroom. Since Reggio Emilio documentation is pedagogical and therefore different from NM Pre K criterion based documentation, teachers work to connect the research work of children to the learning outcomes set forth by the state in their portfolio forms and checklist. Teachers make it a appoint to share stories of children’s research, which presents an extensive view of children’s learning, that goes beyond the outcomes.

Albuquerque Public Schools: Office of Early Childhood Education

Pedagogy of Learning Cohort

Under the leadership of Heather Vaughn, the Albuquerque Public Schools Office of Early Childhood Education, PreK program began studying the principles of the Reggio Emilia Approach in 2012. Teachers were introduced to readings and experiences with materials and the environment. A small cohort, the Pedagogy of Learning cohort, including 6 teachers from six different schools began to deepen their study of the Reggio approach by participating in collaborative planning meetings. In 2014, the cohort grew to include 7 teachers and in the school year 2015-2016, the cohort grew to 10 teachers. The Pedagogy of Learning cohorts meets bi-weekly to study documentation from their classrooms and collaboratively plan learning experiences for children. The work is supported by an Art Resource teacher (Gigi Yu). The art resource works in collaboration with teachers and children studying, reflecting, and using art materials as a language for learning. Heather Vaughn and Gigi Yu presented at the November, 2015 NAEYC conference and shared APS’s study of the Reggio Emilia approach.

           

   

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The following is a description of some of the activities of the cohort.

By Lynette Perlikiewicz, PreK Teacher, Barcelona Elementary School.

Our Pedagogy of Learning cohort meets twice a month to listen to what is happening with learning in the different programs. Together we are able to look at what the children are interested in, what is happening and how it connects with the New Mexico Essential Indicators that we collect and record data on from the state. What has been most helpful as a participant is that it is easy for me to be engaged with the learning, but it is not until I step back and look at the same documentation with my fellow cohort members that the indicators become

visible. While I may be focused on the indicators for hypothesizing and sensory exploration, through the sharing of the story, others show the time on task, cultural connections, the language and literacy which is taking place that I have not looked at. If there are other connections as to how they are problem solving, working with others, mathematical components, it is easy to miss them because I am too close to the learning. That is where the other members ears, eyes, and questions open

up all the documentation to see what really is occurring and how it connects directly with the state expectations. It provides an opportunity to also plan for indicators which could be there with a slightly different question to pose to the children. It is the sharing and connecting that is making all of our children’s learning deeper and richer. Additionally, having an art resource teacher who can come to the different programs to help deepen the study and pose different questions is invaluable. The art resource teacher, Gigi Yu, also connects us because she can say, this person is doing this and this is what they are seeing. It seems similar to what is occurring in your room, the two of you should have a discussion on this. That also connects us directly to the indicators.

NAREA Question: How have educators and parents continued to learn about the role of the environment within the school community through the documentation of the learning and relationships that typically develop within that context?

“Reggio Inspired Reach Out” in McKinley County

University of New Mexico, Gallup Judith Lavender, Consultant

The first “Reggio Inspired Reach Out” in McKinley County collaborated by Wonder of Learning and Early Childhood and Family Center was held at University of New Mexico Gallup campus in Gallup, New Mexico on July 29,2015. The one-day gathering delighted all who attended. Organized by Judith Lavender, Marlene McKitrick, and Olivia Natale, with the theme Looking at Best Practice in Classroom Environments and Materials, the event drew sixty-five registrants

           

   

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from across this rural area of New Mexico. Culturally relevant workshops were offered on clay and weaving. Diné weaver, Virginia Snyder, demonstrated using her loom, Navajo weaving and its cultural traditions. Clay workshop attendees viewed a film on how an Acoma potter prepares to create a piece—from the gathering of clay from the earth to firing the piece to completion. Each attendee worked with clay following the video. Chris Sims, Phd also presented on her trip to Reggio Emilia, Italy. The day wrapped up with all attendees reflecting on what they experienced. Quotes from participants follow: This conference has given me ideas for the set up of our space and also for working in a way where we are more led by children’s creativity. I thoroughly enjoyed this event. Not only did I learn new and wonderful Reggio inspired and practical things I can do in my classroom, but also I felt I was surrounded by people who genuinely car about children. This conference was informative about helping children open their minds to creative thinking. I was interested in attending this conference because of the infusion of “hands on” workshops that are very relevant to New Mexico culture. This conference was very interesting and authentic. I will definitely incorporate Reggio-inspired ideas and processes into my classroom because of how it supports and encourages freedom in creativity and learning, how it follows children’s natural learning process. This conference was very inspiring and a good step towards better implementation of Reggio approach. Reflections on the Environment from A Child’s Garden, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Nia Sena- Lead Teacher of Older Toddlers. At A Child’s Garden Preschool (ACG) Response:

A Child’s Garden Preschool attended training in 2014 at the Wonder of Learning exhibit from the early learning programs from Reggio Emilia, Italy. We were reminded and inspired by the projects and the Reggio Emilia approach. For some collogues this exhibit was their introduction to the approach. In 2015, a collogue and I provided additional training on what we had learned from traveling to Reggio Emilia.

After returning from the North America Study Group in Reggio Emilia, Sarah Lucero and I presented our experiences with our collogues at A Child’s Garden Preschool. One topic that I believe resonated with our school is the idea of the ‘Piatza’. The ‘Piatza’ as we shared with our coworkers is an area for children of differing ages to interact. The layout of the schools in Reggio Emilia mirrors the towns’ plazas and reflects the importance of community in the town and school culture. In our school we have an open area between all the classrooms that we refer to as the atrium. This space has started to transform into a more welcoming area where

           

   

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children from each classroom are able to play and interact with one another. The items and arrangement of this area has become more intentional.

My favorite additions in my classroom has been the light table and the projector. These items hold the students interest and exploration for an extended duration of time. The Reggio Emilia schools aspire to create stimulating environments, where students play with concrete items to learn about abstract concepts. In using the overhead projector, one of my students would refer to it as the “Sun”. During this same time we started exploring the concept of shadows. My student made a keen observation of the comparable attributes between the sun and the overhead projector.

The Reggio Approach reinforces that the environment reflects the image of the child as capable individuals. Items are not made baby proof. Materials are introduced to students in small groups. The teachers explain the potential dangers and the safe way to use materials and tools. Through this manner students become familiar with how to use items that may traditionally be considered dangerous for children to use. In October we carved a pumpkin together using a carving kit that included the tiny saw. My students have started using pencils more frequently, now in the second half of the school year. They see me taking notes with a pencil and are eager to try writing alike. Pencils and definitely a little saw are not normally seen being used by toddlers. But, with careful explanation, modeling correct usage and supervision these are more authentic materials. Sarah Lucero Lead Older Two-Year-Old Teacher A Child’s Garden Preschool Response: My journey with the Reggio Emilia Approach began in 2010 at Rosalie Cooperative School for Young Children. I was part of the NMREX volunteer group who assisted in bringing the WOL Exhibit to NM. After the exhibit arrived in June, of course I was a huge advocate for ACG staff to attend the exhibit for professional development August when we returned to school for the new year. After viewing the amazing projects I was determined to visit Reggio Emilia. I was a participant in the Summer 2015 US Study Tour with Baji Rankin Chris Simms, and my colleague and friend, Nia Sena. We went on to write a reflection piece for Innovations and provided an additional training and presentation of our trip. The Ray of Light projects were the most intriguing to me because my children were very interested in light. They asked, “where does the sun go?”, when our classroom drastically became dark and light during the course of the day. In the bathroom they constantly turning off on and on the switch. During rest time they shined flashlights on the ceiling, on their hands, and on each other. The interactive atelier of light at the exhibit was beautiful. The colors and shapes reflected on the wall were magical. The use of everyday materials in Reggio Emilia was most inspiring. They did not have fancy/expensive window colored blocks or transparent toys for the children to explore. They had ordinary materials such as colored recycled bottles, mirrors, and old CDs. They used the natural light that flowed through the windows to explore and manipulated light with old school overhead projectors.

After visiting the Wonder of Learning Exhibit, I opened the curtains and pulled up the blinds in the room. I decided to use the natural light as much as possible. I asked for donations of old CDs and searched for transparent materials around our school. I visited the WeImagination Center and collected donating materials from my community. After my Summer Tour of Reggio Emilia I was

           

   

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determined to find a projector for my classroom. My director tracked one down for me and we continued to explore light. Over the last three years in my current classroom, I have discovered light is a common theme of interest for my two-year-old children. We have explored shadows, reflection, and transparency through the use of everyday materials

New Mexico Reggio Emilia Exchange Aesthetics and Learning Group

The NMREX Aesthetics and Learning is a group of early childhood educators and parents that meet to study, explore, and discuss the role of beauty and learning environments. We meet in classrooms and different learning environments to explore art materials and study documentation strategies and the role they play in children and adult learning. The NMREX Aesthetics group has been meeting almost every month since July, 2015. We currently have approximately 27 participants. The group varies widely in terms of knowledge of the Reggio approach, from those who know a little to those who have been studying for many years. We have been meeting in different locations throughout Albuquerque to study art materials, the environment, and documentation strategies. So far, we have met at The WEmagination, New Mexico School for the Deaf Albuquerque Preschool, Elevations Children’s Center for Young Children, The Learning Garden at the Natural History Museum, and Alameda School. Our meetings consist of touring and discussing the learning environment where we are meeting, exploring art materials, discussing an article on a particular topic, and sharing and studying documentation that members bring from the classrooms. Our ultimate goal is to plan ways in which we can make visible children and adult learning in our community.

Painting by candlelight at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History’s Learning Garden

Albuquerque Public Schools

Office of Early Childhood Education Study of Classroom Art Studios

The APS Early Childhood program has continually focused on program quality with an emphasis on the learning environment and rich materials. The Wonder of Learning exhibit provided inspiration for us to think deeper about our environmental design and how it is linked directly to the learning that occurs in our classrooms. This school year APS Early Childhood engaged in a year-long professional development emphasis on the

classroom learning environment using the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scales ECERS-R and ECERS-E. Teachers developed an in-depth study of their classroom art centers using the ECERS-R as a tool for self-reflection. Teachers planned and implemented changes in

           

   

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their art centers with a focus on implementing strategies for exploring early literacy skills with expressive materials. Together teachers studied, discussed, and developed a Plan, Do, Study, Act for studying the art center in more depth. Teachers developed essential questions that allowed them to create a focus for changes that they wanted to make in their environment. These questions also took into consideration how the art center could be used to build on early literacy skills. Essential questions included:

• How can I save children’s work “in process” so that they can go back to it? • How can I support children to create 2 dimensional representations from 3 dimensional

artwork or vice versa? • How can I add more of children’s verbal ideas to the displays of their work? • How can I make art materials more accessible for children? How can I create invitations

for children to work in the art center? • What new art material can I add to the art center? How can I learn about this material

alongside children? • How can the study of lines be used to support children’s emergent literacy skills? • How can I replace manufactured posters to include children’s thoughts and ideas

alongside their art work with authentic print?

 Attention to Space and Materials: Many of the teachers revisited the organization of their art center. Decisions were made to move, enlarge, and rearrange the furniture and shelving to make materials more accessible and the space more inviting.

 Los Ranchos, classroom art studio

Teachers were able to include the feedback from the peers during professional development meetings. Thinking and planning collaboratively gave teachers new insight into their classroom design and experiences. Teachers were given an opportunity to make changes based on the feedback of their peers. These changes were revisited during additional teacher professional development meetings.

           

   

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NAREA Question: Were the educators in your community able to organize an exhibit that documents the learning and relationships of children, teachers, and parents to be shared with community members in a public context over the past year? If so, where was the exhibit and how did your community respond? If not, what plans do you have for such an annual exhibit?

Introduction: The following section describes how educators in our community have organized an exhibit at the New Mexico Association for the Education of Young Children’s Spring 2016 conference. The exhibit was an opportunity to give visibility to the creativity potential of the children within our communities.

In addition, the section describes an upcoming exhibit, “Making Sense of Play” being organized by the Collaborative Teachers Institute in Santa Fe, which is supported by the Santa Fe Baby Fund. This exhibit will share the work of children and teachers from Santa Fe early learning programs.

Children’s Creative Expression Exhibit at the NMAEYC Conference, March 2016

Marlene McKitrick, Taylor Etchmedy, Tracy Jaramillo, Olivia Natale, and Baji

Rankin A group of early childhood consultants who had been meeting since the Wonder of Learning Exhibit left New Mexico decided to take on the project of putting together an exhibit of children’s work to display at the annual NMAEYC Early Childhood Conference. The group did outreach to programs all over the state and brought work from over 25 early childhood programs. In an effort to honor the children of New Mexico and make their learning visible, children’s creative WORDS, WORK, and EXPRESSION, were collected and displayed. The exhibit highlighted works from those studying the Reggio Emilia approach but also programs using the Developmental Interaction Approach (DIA), the NM Early Learning Guidelines, and a variety of other learning approaches. The display was setup like a gallery to respect and provide proper viewing of children’s work. Some programs submitted documentation along with children’s work to showcase the creative process. There was a lot of interest in the exhibit with more programs interested in participating next year. This exhibit will definitely become an annual occurrence and the group is hoping to grow it out from the conference and farther into the community. A comment that was made about having the children’s work at this big early childhood conference is that it gave the children a presence at the conference. This was one of the intentions of putting the exhibit together. Children should have a presence across the community and beyond the classroom.

           

   

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The children’s display was intended to encourage discussion, dialogue and reflection of children’s creativity at the exhibit and conference, as well as honor the creative expressions, incredible capabilities and diverse ‘languages’ of children across the state. Children are capable in many different ways. The exhibit brought this to the attention of those attending. Comments from teachers and the public included surprise ,"I never knew children could do this” and awe at the beautiful work. Teachers also expressed interest in bringing similar experiences for children to their classrooms.

Children’s Exhibit at the NMAEYC Conference, 2016

           

   

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Collaborative Teachers Institute: Making Sense of Play Exhibit Opening: June 2016

Katie Dry, Director Santa Fe Baby Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation

www.collaborativeteachersinstitute.com

Making Sense of Play is a city-wide exhibit in Santa Fe that documents how young children play AND provides an opportunity for early childhood teachers to share why this play is important. Panels will be displayed in different locations throughout the city with images and words that document young children’s play, beginning June, 2016.

Early childhood programs that will participate in this project are part of the Collaborative Teachers Institute (CTI). The CTI provides advanced, collaborative professional development through the study of children’s interests and reflective practice. The CTI helps teachers achieve their potential so that the youngest children in Santa Fe can achieve theirs.

NAREA Question: In what ways have educators’, parents’, and community members’ abilities to advocate for the rights of children in the community strengthened over the past year?

NMAEYC Public Policy Parent Advocacy Leaderships Institutes

NMAEYC as an early childhood advocacy organization has hosted Public Policy Parent Advocacy Leaderships Institutes annually to engage the community in public policy. During this past year several new institutes were added and conducted around the state at different times of the year, which generated even more engagement in planning for our legislative session and advocating for young children. One event that was hosted in the small community of Deming NM featured Swedish speaker, researcher and author Gunilla Dalhburg, in the talks that she gave to educators, parents and professionals around the state she spoke about the art of walking on two legs when it comes to advocacy in early childhood education. She said on the one leg you need to walk with the image of the child in mind and their amazing capacities for learning especially when they have quality support and nurturing and on the other leg you need to walk on the side of what is needed to secure funding and resources to provide children with the quality they deserve. Her stories of the work she has done advocating for children in Sweden were very inspiring and empowering

           

   

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for participants who later in the day went onto discuss early childhood policy issues affecting their communities.

NAREA Question: In what ways did their abilities develop? How did educators and parents develop a better understanding of current policies regarding early childhood education and issues being addressed by school and government officials, the disposition to communicate with school and government officials?

Annual Early Childhood Public Policy and Parents Advocacy Leadership Institute

Institute where parents and early childhood professionals attend to learn about the legislative process and how to approach legislators a paper was presented that had been developed at the previous Institutes around the state that included local and statewide early childhood issues as voiced by the community. Those advocating with legislators on the opening day of the session, also the Celebrating Children and Youth Day, were able to bring the issues developed by local communities as well as statewide advocacy organizations, to legislators.

The kickoff for the day was a State of the New Mexico Children and Youth Address where several youth spoke about the issues they were facing. Representing Early Childhood were two leaders in New Mexico Head Start; the audience cheered as they read a very familiar poem which could be heard resonating throughout the Roundhouse: No Way The Hundred is There.

It is clear that having hosted the Wonder of Learning exhibit has created a context in which people are starting to approach all aspects of early childhood, including advocacy, with the image of the child in mind. There will always be more work to do in this area but hearing that poem read in the Roundhouse with a large group of advocates waiting to talk to their legislators instilled a sense that we are making progress and not only in the classroom.

     Public Policy Forum, Deming, New Mexico Photo  from  Celebrating  New    Mexico’s  Children  &  Youth  Day  at  the    State  Capitol  Building  

 

           

   

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From: Dan Ritchey dan@nmaeyc.orgSubject: It's not too late! Register for Fall Early Childhood Public Policy Institute

Date: October 23, 2015 at 12:01 PMTo: bajirank@laplaza.org

View Online

First Annual Fall Early Childhood Public Policy InstituteFriday, November 20, 2015

Deming, NM The Depot and Mimbres Valley Learning Center

NMAEYC is pleased to launch the First Annual Fall Early Childhood Public PolicyInstitute in New Mexico! For many years, we have hosted an annual public policy institutein Santa Fe, NM at the start of the state's legislative session. We are excited to supportadditional opportunities for community collaboration and engagement with early childhoodpublic policy initiatives throughout our state!

Featured Speaker - Gunilla DahlbergGunilla Dahlberg, professor of pedagogy at the Department of Child and Youth Studies atStockholm University in Sweden and an internationally recognized researcher, will bespeaking at the Institute about Multiculturalism and Communication: How differentcultures are changed and transformed as they interact with each other.Learn More about Gunilla Dahlberg

Register for FREE to the Fall Early Childhood Public Policy Institute byMonday, November 9, 2015!

           

   

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