The visit to Colombo and Colegio Bolivar were both very different experiences for me. One school was a mirror of where we were a year ago and the struggle we are going through as teachers now. The other school was a reflection of where we want to go and a reassurance that we are headed in the right direction. This positive reassurance was much needed after a year of hard work and self-doubt. It is just what I needed to motivate me to keep going and continue with the struggle of understanding, connecting and making sense of all I see, read and hear about in regards to a child-centered, emerging curriculum classroom. I never thought that as a teacher of twenty years, I would now be going through such a huge transformation in that way I teach, the way I see children and the way I plan and organize my classroom. This transformation has been wonderful because it really does make more sense to me than anything I was doing before and despite my training, my teaching experience and my teaching degrees. Observing El Nido gives me the image I was missing after all the theory we have been discussing and reading about. I hope the rest of our team feel as accomplished as I do after visiting both schools and seeing that we are not so far off!
Analisa
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When I think about my time in Colombia this past weekend, I could elaborate in many sentences on how the El Nido is an inspiring example of the Reggio Emilia way of learning and teaching and how much I felt the magic there that I so wanted to feel. I could also name some reasons why BBC did not feel quite that way for me. Simply put, when observing classes during our time at BBC and in our conversations with the teachers and Claudia it became clear that they were in the process of figuring out how to put the Reggio philosophy into practice they knew in theory.
What
I would like to reflect on is how good I felt being part of our MET EC team. We
all have different personalities, backgrounds and personal lifes yet we all
respect each other and like to be together. In Cali, we had fun and celebrated
being a team. In many ways, I felt that we all realized that we are on the road
to create a very special place together, our own El Nido here at the MET. Only
collaboratively, as a supportive EC team where everyone works together, is
visible and feels valued, we can go far in our Reggio journey. During our time in Cali, I felt we took each
other by the hands and walked many steps forward in the same direction. I am
really looking forward to continue on our wonderful Reggio journey together.
Stephanie
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Our professional development trip to Cali last week was truly a definition of the word development: the process of developing. I really saw (and see) myself in the middle of a process of experiencing and growing in understanding what early childhood education feels and looks like with reggio-inspiration. I found the trip helping me to realize that expansion of teacher understanding and growth, maturation of systems (how to document, making learning visible, collaboration), and student learning is constantly evolving. Sometimes you hit that sweet spot and sometimes not. The whole tango of what to say and when to say it as a teacher and honoring the students' individuality in an emergent-curriculum has those "sweet-spots" that one can find, I believe, using the mantra that El Nido's atelierista Juan shared: "stop being a teacher".
I would have to say that this trip has made it evident to me that being reggio-inspired is different for each school because the dynamic of each EC team the, administrative influence and directive, and physical space and structures among many other things all trickle down to affect student-led exploration and discovery. Observing these two different schools has made me proud of where we are given our limitations and has given me a lot of confidence in my own journey. I appreciate the chance to bond with all the EC team members outside and away from our usual routines and spaces. It is clear that we were all lit with that spark that you can't help to feel the poetic expressions found in an early childhood space that has just got it. Put into song, I felt kind like this: click me!
~Shuruq
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Our professional development trip to Cali last week was truly a definition of the word development: the process of developing. I really saw (and see) myself in the middle of a process of experiencing and growing in understanding what early childhood education feels and looks like with reggio-inspiration. I found the trip helping me to realize that expansion of teacher understanding and growth, maturation of systems (how to document, making learning visible, collaboration), and student learning is constantly evolving. Sometimes you hit that sweet spot and sometimes not. The whole tango of what to say and when to say it as a teacher and honoring the students' individuality in an emergent-curriculum has those "sweet-spots" that one can find, I believe, using the mantra that El Nido's atelierista Juan shared: "stop being a teacher".
I would have to say that this trip has made it evident to me that being reggio-inspired is different for each school because the dynamic of each EC team the, administrative influence and directive, and physical space and structures among many other things all trickle down to affect student-led exploration and discovery. Observing these two different schools has made me proud of where we are given our limitations and has given me a lot of confidence in my own journey. I appreciate the chance to bond with all the EC team members outside and away from our usual routines and spaces. It is clear that we were all lit with that spark that you can't help to feel the poetic expressions found in an early childhood space that has just got it. Put into song, I felt kind like this: click me!
~Shuruq
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If I had to describe my experience in Cali, Colombia in three words, I would say it was eye-opening, inspiring and meaningful. I am so grateful for the amazing opportunity that was given to us and for all the knowledge I gained and the things I learned from this experience. At first, I was very intrigued to see how the Reggio Emilia approach could be implemented in different schools, and during our visits, I was amazed to see how different school had their own vibe, their own characteristics. As we know, no schools can’t totally be ‘’Reggio Emilia’’ but they can be ‘’reggio inspired’’. Through this experienced, I also got a better understanding that when we include this approach to our classroom, we let the children search out the knowledge through their own investigations and the importance of letting them be driven by their interests to understand and know more because as we know, children are capable of constructing their own learning.
It was truly interesting to learn that those teachers went (and some still are) through the process of implementing the approach in the classroom and having the same struggles but knowing that at the end, every single struggles going to be worth it, not only for the children but for the teachers as well. In my opinion, even though we are in the early stages of implementing the approach, we can already see the difference and how it greatly affects the children in the most amazing way. We can see how much they learn through play and the enthusiasm they show when they are learning something that they truly care about and not something that ‘’must learn from the book’’.
As I mentioned previously, I believe this experience was truly inspiring. We returned with many ideas and excitement to share them with others and implement them in our class. One of the things that really stuck in my mind from our trip was the forever remembered quote from Juan, the Movement/ Atelierista from ‘’El Nido’’ in Colegio Bolivar: ‘’Stop being a teacher’’. Those words really had an impact on me and I think we all need to keep that in mind, no matter how hard can be sometimes, we truly need to step back and let the children inquire.
Andreina
I appreciated the opportunity to interact with other educators in Cali, Colombia this past weekend for a number of reasons. Reflection: Before our trip, I had already felt the importance of visiting my own colleagues' classrooms (everyday!) and researching ideas for my own pedagogy of merging the PYP curriculum and Reggio ideas. Every time I observe someone else, I can't help but to think about "why did the person do that?", "I did something similar, but it went another direction", "Should I try that too?, "If I do try it, how can I make it my own to fit my specific students and myself as a teacher?" I feel I am constantly developing my own learning about teaching everyday and having a chance to see different classrooms and schools furthered my reflections even more of my own teaching practice!
During an observation at "El Nido" I remember saying to my colleague "It feels like I'm researching hands on vs. only searching the internet with ideas (pinterest). I enjoyed the excitement and respect of our group. We were constantly reflecting with each other about our own school and were quickly writing down ideas or taking snap shots to discuss in the future. We have a journey ahead of us, but I think all schools do, that's the beauty of teaching! Just when you think you have got it right, a child comes along and bites everyone! I'm happy to not only have our MET team partnerships, but we have now formed a partnership with these schools. They have opened their arms to us, and I hope they come to visit us sometime! I hope we also create a network in Panama with other Early Childhood programs (reggio-inspired).
Liz
I appreciated the opportunity to interact with other educators in Cali, Colombia this past weekend for a number of reasons. Reflection: Before our trip, I had already felt the importance of visiting my own colleagues' classrooms (everyday!) and researching ideas for my own pedagogy of merging the PYP curriculum and Reggio ideas. Every time I observe someone else, I can't help but to think about "why did the person do that?", "I did something similar, but it went another direction", "Should I try that too?, "If I do try it, how can I make it my own to fit my specific students and myself as a teacher?" I feel I am constantly developing my own learning about teaching everyday and having a chance to see different classrooms and schools furthered my reflections even more of my own teaching practice!
During an observation at "El Nido" I remember saying to my colleague "It feels like I'm researching hands on vs. only searching the internet with ideas (pinterest). I enjoyed the excitement and respect of our group. We were constantly reflecting with each other about our own school and were quickly writing down ideas or taking snap shots to discuss in the future. We have a journey ahead of us, but I think all schools do, that's the beauty of teaching! Just when you think you have got it right, a child comes along and bites everyone! I'm happy to not only have our MET team partnerships, but we have now formed a partnership with these schools. They have opened their arms to us, and I hope they come to visit us sometime! I hope we also create a network in Panama with other Early Childhood programs (reggio-inspired).
Liz
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