Reggio Emilia Aotearoa New Zealand

REANZ – Schedule – Outdoors event Oct 2010
Stepping Outside: Embracing & documenting
learning in the outdoors

Date: Saturday 30th October 2010
Venue: St Cuthberts College, Market Rd, Epsom, Auckland
Time: 10.00am – 3.00pm
Cost: $65.00 (refreshments on arrival & lunch provided)
This event will provide new opportunities for teachers to consider the potential of the outdoors – how do we foster children’s relationship with the outdoors? Is it under utilized as the 3rd teacher in your context? Are you looking for inspiration and ideas?
The day will include 2 presentations from ECE educators who are leading the way in their commitment and recognition of the outdoor ‘classroom’ & for promoting sustainability. The day will also include opportunities for group discussion, facilitated by REANZ trust members Lesley Pohio & Helen Aitken and will provide an opportunity to visit and experience the outdoor environment of St James Kindergarten.
Presenters & Presentations:• Adrienne Wilkins (Sophia Preschool, Taranaki) ‘Citizenship, Community and Sustainability in a Taranaki Garden’
• Shelley Jolly, Tracey McAllister & Elaine Smith (St James Kindergarten, Auckland) The Greatest Tool – Natures Gift – The Outdoors’
REANZ Flyer – Environmental Sustainability Oct 2010

A window on Reggio pedagogy through the eyes of Aotearoa New Zealand
This seminar will explore the pedagogy and practice of Reggio Emilia including the pedagogy of listening, centrality of relationships, the environment as third teacher and teacher as researcher. We will also talk about ‘projectazzione’ that have been undertaken by the community of learners from schools in Reggio. Alongside this, we will show how this pedagogy has inspired the work of teachers and children at Browns Bay Preschool.

Saturday 9th October: 9.00 – 3.00
Venue: City Impact Church
3 Hansen Rd, Queenstown.
Chris Bayes and Therese Visser are Trustees of REANZ and have been working with the pedagogy of Reggio Emilia for many years. Therese and Raewyn Brown teach at Browns Bay Preschool and they have been used the pedagogy of Reggio Emilia as a protagonist for thinking deeply about children’s learning.
Click here for registration form Queenstown Oct 9th

The power of pedagogy and teaching in the early years 

 “We have the knowledge and the wisdom to change; early years teachers can take the lead”

Join Janet Robertson, Associate Professor Alma Fleet, Anthony Semann, Wendy Shepherd and Toby Honig, presenters from the ‘Unpacking Conference’ held in Sydney, for this wonderful professional learning opportunity.

These Seminars were held on April 12th, 16th & 17th

Please read a personal reflection from one participant.  Others are welcome to send in their thoughts and reflections to start an on-line discussion.  Reflective Notes   Click here. Embracing Educational Change Reflection

Anthony Semann – Director Semann & Slattery
Unleashing the potential of play: moving from ages and stages to equity and social justice and Social justice and equity: curriculum and beyond. NZ Social Justice  Click to read presentation notes

Toby Honig – Consultant Semann & Slattery
Out of the mouths of babes: what infants and toddlers tell us, if only we had the eyes to see and the ears to listen

The Auckland Symposium is proudly supported by AUT

About the presenters and their topics:

Janet Robertson – Mia Mia Child and Family Study Centre
The Gardenista: exploration of thinking outside and Stories past, present and future from the outside

Janet Robertson has taught at Mia-Mia Child and Family Study Centre at Macquarie University for 13 years, prior to that she was an Advisor and Director.  Her move forward to teaching was prompted by the thinking from the educational experience in Reggio Emilia.  Since 1992, after her first visit to Reggio Emilia, Janet has spoken and written about the implications arising from the work in Reggio Emilia for Australian education. Janet is co author of Insights, which she co-edited with Catherine Patterson and Alma Fleet.

Associate Professor Alma Fleet
Associate Professor Alma Fleet is the Coordinator of the BTeach (Early Childhood Services) Program at the Institute of Early Childhood, Macquarie University. Her interest in learning includes working with people investigating their own practice as a key component of educational change.  Her thinking is influenced by her work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as well as by her study of the educators in Reggio Emilia, Italy.  Her most recent book (Insights), co-edited with Catherine Patterson and Janet Robertson, explores relationships between pedagogical documentation and social justice issues.  She received a Macquarie University Award for Outstanding Community Outreach activity in 2003.

Anthony Semann – Director Semann & Slattery
Unleashing potentials in play: moving from ages and stages to equity and social justice and Social justice and equity: curriculum and beyond

For the past 15 years Anthony has worked as an educator, innovator and advocate with a broad range of government, non-government and private organisations.  Anthony’s achievements have been publicly recognised by his peers and the broader community and he has been awarded the Young Manager of the Year Award and the Inaugural Advocate of the Year Award. Anthony is currently completing a PhD at Macquarie University studying courage and leadership.

Wendy Shepherd
The semiotics of early childhood environments

Wendy is the Director of Mia-Mia Child and Family Study Centre and also works in the academic program of the Institute of Early Childhood in the Management and Young Children and the Arts Units. As an early childhood teacher, Wendy has had experience teaching in early primary, preschool and currently as a long day care director. Wendy is also a member of the Early Childhood Justice Group.

Toby Honig – Consultant Semann & Slattery
Out of the mouth of babes : what infants and toddlers tell us, if only we had the eyes to see and the ears to listen

Toby is an early childhood teacher graduate and he plays a critical role in a range of research projects at Semann & Slattery. With comprehensive knowledge of research methodologies, Toby takes a leading role in organising and participating in a range of research projects applying his skills with both qualitative and quantitative research frameworks. Toby is a dynamic professional who is driven by a passion for transformation.

The participants of the Margie Carter seminars gave generously to the people of Samoa and surrounding Islands following the recent Tsunami. $1,000 was donated at the Margie Seminar and this was given to the Farmers Store who matched the donation dollar for dollar which made a generous $2,000 as the total donation to help the lives of the survivors.

To all those who attended the Seminars please post your experience in the reply below.

MARGIE CARTER has been a preschool and kindergarten teacher and a child care director. When she is not traveling to consult and speak, Margie works side by side with directors and teachers in early childhood programs. Margie has co-authored seven books, the most recent of which are Learning Together with Young Children, Designs for Living and Learning, and The Art of Awareness. She has produced a number of DVDs highlighting the growth of teachers in the U.S. drawing inspirations from the Schools of Reggio Emilia.

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We are delighted to offer an inaugural event for teachers in the Hamilton area who are  interested and inspired by the pedagogy of Reggio Emilia.

This seminar day will be an opportunity to learn more about the notion of the pedagogy of listening through presentations and discussion groups.

This seminar day will be facilitated and presented by REANZ trust members Lesley Pohio, Helen Aitken & Glenys Waller along with our guest presenters Shelley Jolly & Tracey McAllister from St James Kindergarten in Auckland

The day will include a range of presentations, discussions and visual examples of visible listening within our work with children.

Central to our discussion will be how as teachers in Aoteraoa New Zealand we can be inspired by pedagogy from Reggio Emilia Italy, whilst simply avoiding replication.

Key Presentation:

GUEST PRESENTERS – SHELLEY JOLLY & TRACEY McALLISTER

In this presentation we will open our door and welcome you to share a visual feast of how our physical and social environment strives to reflect responsive, reciprocal and meaningful listening. The presentation will also provide practical ideas and inspiration through documentation and discussion. Links will be made to the pedagogy of listening from Reggio Emilia, and how we have used this knowledge to create our own unique Whāriki.

REANZ’s Commitment to connect with Regions outside of Auckland: We are hoping that this Seminar day will also be an opportunity to form a Waikato network group who can continue to foster & disseminate information relating to REANZ and Reggio inspired practice. Could this be you?

Thoughts on the Waikato Seminar Day:

‘Connecting with Reggio through the pedagogy of listening’

Seminar facilitated & Presented by Helen Aitken, Lesley Pohio & Glenys Waller

with guest  presenters Shelley Jolly & Tracey McAllister (St James Kindergarten, AKA

Seminar review written by John Menneer                                                                              

Explorers Early Learning Centre
185 Grey St, Hamilton East                      
www.reggioinspired.co.nz      

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