I have been very blessed this past year to be able to travel, learn from, and talk with educators from all over the world. The initial purpose of my travel has been to enhance my study and understanding of the Reggio Approach which began over 17 years ago. The most recent reason is the other important facet of our school, and that is our duty as a public school to insure the academic success of all our students. My background in education began with early childhood and Reggio, but evolved into a professional practice devoted to the language arts and teacher preparation. As a professor at Aquinas College, and an instructor at Michigan State, I worked to prepare teachers, especially in the area of literacy. My approach to learning to read is very much aligned with the Reggio philosophy. That is, it is holistic in nature and cannot ignore the developmental levels of the child. The six language arts: reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and visually representing cannot be separated from one another, which means each is necessary for all of the others. Just as humans cannot learn effectively in isolation from one another, all subjects must coordinate for each of us to make sense of our world and the knowledge we gather.
As I sit and listen to all of the research, ideas, and innovation from my colleagues, mentors and peers, I see that the work each of us engages in each day cannot be separated either. The professors and researchers need our classrooms to further their work, and understand more about how children learn, and how teachers instruct. As educators, we need the findings and professional opinions of those in higher education and the field-at-large to help us improve our practice and increase the achievement of our students.
The greatest parts of this past weekend at the International Reading Association Annual Convention is the validation for the work we are currently doing, and the opportunity to do even more, I attended several thought provoking and valuable presentations, on topics such as current research, the value of summer reading programs, using literature to address bullying, helping English learners, the importance of professional development, trends in children’s literature, culturally relevant practice and much more. I look forward to sharing these experiences with my staff and families over the coming months as we move to draft a strategic plan aimed at helping us set clear goals to enable us to overcome current challenges and enhance our many successes. One way to begin the conversation is by your participation. We have several opportunities coming up in these last few weeks of school [Portfolio Day, Parent and Principal Coffee, Spaghetti Dinner]. The GRCDC works because of the dedication of staff, the motivation and interest of our students, and especially through the involvement of our parents.
Monday, April 22, 2013
A Wealth of Knowledge....
I have been very blessed this past year to be able to travel, learn from, and talk with educators from all over the world. The initial purpose of my travel has been to enhance my study and understanding of the Reggio Approach which began over 17 years ago. The most recent reason is the other important facet of our school, and that is our duty as a public school to insure the academic success of all our students. My background in education began with early childhood and Reggio, but evolved into a professional practice devoted to the language arts and teacher preparation. As a professor at Aquinas College, and an instructor at Michigan State, I worked to prepare teachers, especially in the area of literacy. My approach to learning to read is very much aligned with the Reggio philosophy. That is, it is holistic in nature and cannot ignore the developmental levels of the child. The six language arts: reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and visually representing cannot be separated from one another, which means each is necessary for all of the others. Just as humans cannot learn effectively in isolation from one another, all subjects must coordinate for each of us to make sense of our world and the knowledge we gather.
As I sit and listen to all of the research, ideas, and innovation from my colleagues, mentors and peers, I see that the work each of us engages in each day cannot be separated either. The professors and researchers need our classrooms to further their work, and understand more about how children learn, and how teachers instruct. As educators, we need the findings and professional opinions of those in higher education and the field-at-large to help us improve our practice and increase the achievement of our students.
The greatest parts of this past weekend at the International Reading Association Annual Convention is the validation for the work we are currently doing, and the opportunity to do even more, I attended several thought provoking and valuable presentations, on topics such as current research, the value of summer reading programs, using literature to address bullying, helping English learners, the importance of professional development, trends in children’s literature, culturally relevant practice and much more. I look forward to sharing these experiences with my staff and families over the coming months as we move to draft a strategic plan aimed at helping us set clear goals to enable us to overcome current challenges and enhance our many successes. One way to begin the conversation is by your participation. We have several opportunities coming up in these last few weeks of school [Portfolio Day, Parent and Principal Coffee, Spaghetti Dinner]. The GRCDC works because of the dedication of staff, the motivation and interest of our students, and especially through the involvement of our parents.
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