Reggio Educators' Training at Sabot Institute

Are you learning forward or backward? ... Do you attend conferences or workshops year after year, yet rarely adjust your teaching or leadership as a result of what you learned? - Frederick Brown, Education Week Teacher. 

Voila! A Reggio-educator professional development opportunity surfaced in town; courtesy of Jon Becker. I jumped at the opportunity. These events are short in supply.

Event: The 2015 Sabot Institute 

As a visible deliberate action of learning forward, this blog-post is a reflection of my learning experience. I'll try along the way to provide some information about the learning beliefs and values I cherish about the Reggio approach.

1. The environment is the third teacher.

The city, the countryside, and the nearby mountains serve as additional teaching sites. - Loris Malaguzzi 

Idyllic setting of Sabot School

The Gardens at Sabot at Stony Point

The children have outdoor learning time. In the woods nearby, they built some simple structures to hold their backpacks together and planted some daffodils.

Learning in Nature, Sabot at Stony Point

2. "Our walls speak"

Throughout the school, the walls are used as spaces for both temporary and permanent exhibits about what the children and teachers have created; our walls speak and document. - Loris Malaguzzi.

Documentation of children making sense of light

Documentation of children making sense of materials/paper

Documentation of children making sense of time?

3. "What children learn does not follow as an automatic result from what is taught. Rather it is in large part due to the children's own doing, as a consequence of their activities and resources." - L. Malaguzzi. 

Children shape their own learning experience

Reggio schools have no preplanned curriculum. (Yikes? :)) But this does not mean they start with nothing. Reggio educators use themes to guide student learning. Children are listened to; they shape their mainly project-based school experience, rather than being shaped by any advance curriculum planning or textbook (Edwards, Gandini, & Foreman, 2012).

The Reggio image of a child is...

A child who is competent, a child to whom we must offer many opportunities, so that each and every child can find possibilities for his or her individuality and subjectivity to be expressed, enriched, and developed. (Carla Rinaldi, President of Reggio Children Foundation). 

I saw this concept illustrated and discussed in many of the presentations and workshops. In one hands-on workshop at the Atelier (French for studio), the atelierista (Studio Teacher) gave us a prompt and some inquiry questions. She asked how we would represent the following idea:

• The teacher forms a connection between the city and the child.

There were about 8 or 9 of us in this workshop. At first, we asked the atelierista some questions which she didn't answer. I got the message. We have to analyze the questions ourselves and come up with our "make" collaboratively.

We tried to doodle on paper what we might want to express. Not used to making things in a studio instantaneously, I decided to just dive in and make as I think. That ended up being our approach. As we each made something with the resources available to us, we found that we were able to build upon each other's "make" (artifact). The final product came together as we saw each one building something and hooked on to each other's ideas. In a very organic spontaneous way, we created something together in the moment.

This is what our model looked like in the end. Using the resources in the city/environment, the child explores and negotiates layers of understanding about the city (hence the wires protruding out).

Group product after the Atelier Studio workshop

Learning forward, there are many rich nuggets I've collected and continue to unearth as I probe further into this philosophy. I bought 3 books to add to my growing Reggio library. There are too many ideas to share but here are two I'll document in this space. I feel that they connect to a challenge raised by #rhizo15 in the discussion of learning subjectives:

I. Untie the cultural knots we have about teaching and learning (Benjamin Mardell, author/professor, Lesley University)

We tend to think of several concepts about teaching and learning in dichotomies: teaching/learning; theory/practice; curriculum/assessment; individual/group learning; thinking/feeling. [And may I add another pair: art/science.] Mardell noted that in Reggio Emilia schools, these dichotomies are non-existent (Mardell in Project Zero, 2001, p. 282). I am not suggesting that learning science research is useless or that it doesn't matter. Research is important as scholars continue to build upon existing knowledge for future generations. For me, the Reggio approach unveiled more layers about the complexity of learning, one that I continue to be fascinated and inspired by. Since my encounter with this approach, I will share that I don't write learning objectives in my own teaching courses/workshops anymore, if I have my way. I much prefer to explore open questions in a course with learners, including myself.

II. The role of a teacher in Reggio Emilia and implications for my teaching and design.

Although the Reggio approach is originally used in early childhood and in Sabot, applied up to 8th grade classes, it has transferable concepts to learning at higher levels (The core learning principles of Visible Thinking and The Arts and Passion-Driven Learning courses I'd taken in the past are connected in many ways to the Reggio approach). The Loris Malaguzzi International Centre of Reggio Emilia regards the Reggio Emilia approach as

an educational philosophy based on the image of the child, and of human beings, as possessing strong potential for development and as a subject of rights, who learns and grows in relationships with others.

Comparison of traditional versus Reggio educator roles

Text Equivalent of Image (Word Document) 

P.S. Of course, not every teacher is strictly one or the other, as I had written above, but I believe learning in contemporary society, as Reggio schools and children have shown, will become more engaging as we move towards ideals on the right.

Application: My learning goal is to seek to apply some of these concepts in my teaching and design in higher education. 

How will we apply these Reggio Educator roles in our professional contexts?

What Could've Been: #et4Online68425 2015 Presentation Notes

Hello to all who are / may / might be thinking of attending session #et4online68425, I'm sorry I couldn't be there to present in person due to personal reasons.

Title of Presentation:

When Graduate Students Become Online Instructors:
A First-Time Online Instructor's Teaching Toolbox

The proposal can be retrieved at

http://olc.onlinelearningconsortium.org/conference/2015/et4online/when-graduate-students-become-online-instructors-first-time-online-instruc

The website for our presentation is at: http://rampages.us/gradtoonlineteach/


This presentation started when my colleague and I met a group of students from PSYC 795 Practicum in the Teaching of College Psychology (Fall 2014). The provocation to create a resource arose when I observed that graduate students who had not taught or had limited teaching experience were concerned about teaching in a different learning environment.

How does one teach online? Especially when one is just learning to teach in person? Also, when asked about specific questions they might have about teaching online, what might they be? I observed that they found it challenging to articulate their concerns. They expressed very broad concerns about challenges they might face and wanted to know more about teaching strategies.

I took their concerns and my observations of their behavior to heart and wrote the proposal. Stan and I both created the website as documentation. As a Visible Thinking/Visible Learning/Reggio-inspired learning proponent, I believe in documentation for retrospective but also prospective reasons. I hope this website will provoke different interpretations and sharing of ideas.

If you feel at times like the students we encountered, I hope that you would feel free to enter a question or more, into the web form at: http://rampages.us/gradtoonlineteach/chime-in/ 

Metamorfosi website: Screenshot of Chime In page

I had intended to raise 3 questions with participants at the session and I hope readers will comment on this as they feel led:

• How do you conduct needs assessment about something learners know little about?
• What are novice instructors' first thoughts about online teaching? How do you begin to extend their knowledge and practice?
• How do we integrate technology seamlessly into our teaching sessions?

I am attaching our proposal for anyone who might wish to download it.  Proposal PDF

I miss being there in person, but life unfolds, and we deal with it. Wishing all a great conference! 

Designing a Course Worth Learning Part 2

I learned about assistive technology when I was on a graduate teaching assistantship and tasked with shadowing a senior graduate assistant before she graduated. I was to then take over her Assistive Technology course for pre-service teachers.

Over the years, I've gained a greater awareness and understanding of disability and accessibility. But I still have a lot to learn. I believe every instructional designer (and instructor) must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to design accessible courses.

As I plan to teach a summer online course, I want to make my course worth learning to students. In order to do so, all students enrolled in the course must be able to access course information. If any of them has a disability and would be using some form of assistive technology to access course information, I want to plan with that in mind. Mostly, I strongly desire to make my online course materials universally accessible to all learners, with or without disabilities. Last Friday, I was fortunate to have a JAWS user check out some pages on my course site. I've seen JAWS on YouTube and read of what it can do. To actually see a blind/low-vision user use JAWS is an eye-opener. (JAWS is a screen reader. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_reader ). This post outlines three important things to bear in mind when designing online courses.

I tried to video-record the session at the important parts, but the videos didn't turn out so well. My colleague who arranged the session for me, Debbie Roberts, from the Division of Academic Success (MCV campus), videotaped a few clips with her iPhone. Below is one of her clips I edited.

1. JAWS provides a summary of the layout of the page. [30 sec video]

My Welcome page contained 1 frame, 13 regions, 13 headings and 162 links (really?). The summary by JAWS points to the importance of course content organization and the use of appropriate headings.

2. Use Style Options on the HTML Editor 

If you are using WordPress, make sure you use Headings offered by the Editor.

WordPress HTML Page Editor

3. Add ALT TEXT Descriptions to ALL Images

When we asked our blind friend what were the top 10 issues faced by blind web users, he listed this as the top challenge. I heard this illustrated myself as JAWS scanned the course site and attempted to read the images on the Twitter stream and on my course pages. JAWS kept saying:

Link to image... Link to image... Link to image...

There were links but there were no descriptions to images on my Twitter stream. No one thinks about it when they tweet. Fortunately, there is Easy Chirp, an alternative web option to Twitter. You can sign in on Twitter through EasyChirp [http://www.easychirp.com/]

@NeilMilliken @EasyChirp @dboudreau Thanks for the feedback. It's an important area that is all too often overlooked. #AXSChat
— Ability First (@AbilityFirstLdn) April 14, 2015

When JAWS read the alt text to the image on my Welcome screen, Mr. MF, the JAWS user, turned to me and said, "Thank you for including the alt text."

Such a simple thing to do and he was so grateful. Could we all just make that little effort?

3 More Myths about Instructional Designers

[Draft 1: April 6, 12:38am; Updated: April 6, 9:45am]

In the past, I've written about the myths and mischaracterization of instructional designers (ID). I realize that such perceptions (or misperceptions) exist across many fields and disciplines, but I think I found more to add to my growing list of misperceptions about IDs as I work in the field. This post seeks to increase understanding about IDs and filter more silt from the muddy waters.

[FYI, I'm not going to tread on contentious turf about learning designer vs. instructional designer. Joshua Kim has written about this and a few others. This post is about IDs working in higher education.]

1. Instructional designers don't understand the challenges of faculty members. 

"Edufolks versus Non-Edufolks." (Terms coined by a professor).

• Faculty members who have ed psych or learning science backgrounds versus faculty with no learning science backgrounds. 

• IDs who work with faculty members who have learning science backgrounds and IDs who work with faculty with no learning science backgrounds (Non-Edufolks). 

Some Non-Edufolks think IDs apparently don't "get" faculty or "understand" them. IDs are too full of theory and don't teach (can't teach? no chance to teach?). "What do they know about our challenges?"

I happen to have many of these attributes: I'm an Edufolk with a PhD in IDD&E, (Yes, I can teach, design, develop, evaluate, do research. I'm a social scientist. Quant or qual, I can do both, and write a mean IRB), who has real-world teaching experience in Singapore and in America, in higher education. I'm also trained in a Teaching College in Singapore and certified to teach in the schools there.

I do get you. And I believe a majority of IDs do get you, in the best and worst of circumstances.

2. Instructional design and teaching are two separate responsibilities.

Are we creating a false dichotomy between IDs and those who were hired primarily as Professors?

I'm an Administrative and Professional faculty, not an Assistant Prof. But I've spent more than 10 years in Syracuse University working with faculty as an instructional technology consultant/Blackboard LMS administrator, working on e-portfolios, implementation of new software, working in a faculty development center, teaching workshops to faculty and graduate teaching assistants, teaching higher education courses, etc. Does this indicate somewhat (plenty?) that I understand faculty?  We seem to see ID as being separate from teaching. IDs are teachers too, and vice versa. They may not teach fulltime but I believe many of them teach and have significant experience working with faculty before attaining ID credentials. (P.S. I also think it is important for them to be affiliated as faculty with the School of Education in the institution they work in. This continues to give them opportunities to teach and enriches them professionally.)

3. Instructional designers are too full of learning theories, mostly stuff that the "average" faculty member doesn't need to know. 

By way of training, IDs are learning scientists. It is essential that we studied and continue to study how people learn so we can offer the best service to our clients. But, have you heard me spout learning theories in front of faculty members? Does any ID do that? Maybe in my blog, I may use a bit of jargon, because I'm writing to and for IDs. If you have written a dissertation before, you do understand that we were trained not to write in jargon because some defense committee readers will come from other disciplines. One of the reasons why I chose to do a qualitative research study is so that I will write and sound more like a human being, and not write in a formulaic way. Also, one interesting tidbit: the first thing we learned in ID grad school is to talk about ID to an audience such as our grandparents. If they don't get me, I've failed abysmally.

Dear Professor, with yes/no learning science background or teaching certification, it doesn't matter any one way to me if you are Edufolk or Non-Edufolk. I get you. Please let me help you.

For Marj DeVault

Marj DeVault, Professor (Just Retired),
Maxwell School of Public Administration, Syracuse University

I meant to post this for you, Marj, on the Day of your party. I'm sorry I missed your BIG DAY.

Remember the Acknowledgments page in my dissertation?

"I am indebted to many people for the completion of this dissertation, not all of whom I
am able to list in a detailed fashion. To the following I owe my utmost gratitude:

Marjorie DeVault, my advisor, for taking me "from crayons to perfume" (To Sir with Love). You continually teach and model for me, in exquisite ways, the knowledge and practice of research, scholarly writing, mentoring, teaching, service and so much more. The thrill and pleasure I derived in crafting this study and writing it up are entirely due to your astute and gentle guidance.

Other members of my dissertation committee ... etc. etc." Someday I will post the full Acknowledgments. Now, I'd like the spotlight to be entirely on you.

When no one had time for me, you were always there.

Success in achieving a PhD depends upon a close and effective working relationship with one’s advisor and mentor. And yet, while virtually every doctoral student has a research advisor, survey data from the PhD Completion Project and other studies show that not every student has access in their doctoral program to someone they consider a mentor. (Council of Graduate Schools)

I am very blessed to have you as my advisor-mentor. Even when I was miles away from Syracuse, I knew I would complete my dissertation, because I had every trust in your support.

Happy retirement Marj! Much love!

Much Love