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Welcome Center 3
A Welcome Message For You
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0-1: Welcome! Please Introduce Yourself 30 minLecture1.1
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0-2: A Note from Victoria 30 minLecture1.2
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0-3: Share a goal or intention for this class 30 minLecture1.3
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Module One: Strengthen Your Professional Identity as a Natural Teacher 4
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1-1: Create Goals and Intentions 30 minLecture2.1
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1-2: Five Steps to Prepare your Foundation for the Best Year Yet 30 minLecture2.2
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1-3: Get Curious with Montessori, Waldorf & Reggio 30 minLecture2.3
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1-4: Use Nature as a Guide: Wonder Based Teaching 30 minLecture2.4
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Module Two: Create Your Map of Intention 5
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2-1: Five Stages to Intentional Teaching Outdoors 30 minLecture3.1
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2-2: Five Tracks for Your Road Trip to Become a Natural Teacher 30 minLecture3.2
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2-3: Learn from our National Parks: America’s Largest Outdoor Classroom 30 minLecture3.3
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2-4: Harvest Your Manifesto & Create a Vision Board 30 minLecture3.4
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2-5: LIVE Workshop #1: RecordingLecture3.5
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Module Three: Nurture A Garden Practice: The Transformation 4
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3-1: Growth through Gardening with Bobbie Mabe 30 minLecture4.1
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3-2: Ten Life Lessons for Outdoor Classrooms 30 minLecture4.2
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3-3: Become an Advocate of Nature-Based Teaching 30 minLecture4.3
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3-4: I Wonder Why: Claire Warden Keynote at Wow Conference 30 minLecture4.4
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Module 4: Behind the Scenes 5
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4-1: Live Workshop #2: Closing Circle 30 minLecture5.1
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4-2: Behind the Scenes with Jessica Kagle from Kestrel Educational Adventures 30 minLecture5.2
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4-3: Behind the Scenes with Lara Lepionka from Backyard Growers 30 minLecture5.3
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4-4: Put it all Together: What next? 30 minLecture5.4
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4-5: LIVE Workshop #2: RecordingLecture5.5
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62 Comments
I enjoyed watching the 3 videos, (thank you for sharing) I learned a lot from each one, I won’t stick with one philosophy, I rather take a little big of each one and add some of my own ideas to continue teaching children.
Yes…I like mixing nad matching too.
I appreciated the statement in the Reggio Emilia video “…we have to reinvent it, we can’t just transport it.” I think that’s a perfect idea. Because what works in a certain part of the world won’t necessarily translate to every community. Take the best parts of each that speak to you and use those approaches with your children. I really liked different aspects of each of them. I liked the continuity of the Reggio Emilia approach, for me that continuity is similar to my FCC where it’s very likely that I could have a child in my care from infancy until they move on to kindergarten. It’s very likely that I will have a child for five years in a row. I also liked and believe the idea that children are way more capable of solving complex problems and working through them than we sometimes give them credit for. As far as the Montessori Approach I find myself drawn to the aesthetic of it more than anything. I really like the use of natural materials and also the like including children in making decisions and being responsible for their environment. I didn’t care for the part of the video where they went over the shapes. Here is a cube, cylinder, sphere…and expected the child to repeat it to prove they understood. I really loved the Waldorf Approach incorporating art and creativity to reinforce learning and focusing on one task at a time is a lost art in this day and age.
Beautiful reflections!
I see value in all of the practices. The common threads appear to be mutual respect between children, parents and teachers, along with valuing and exploring the natural world. I find the classroom flow from left to right rather fascinating as stated that the flow is reflected in how we learn to read from left to right. The programs all feel very community based, valuing every individual and everyone’s contribution.
Great!
Concepts in these videos that stood out to me were:
-teaching children to take care of the environments that they are in and the living and non-living aspects of them.
-Don’t give them answers, teach them now to find things out for themselves.
-Teach them how to want to learn.
-instill an obsession with beauty.
-That it is hard to forget information that you make your own.
I would like to add to the nature elements in our classroom, and to find more ways to incorporate them into different types of play. I would like to be able to take some of the concepts here and try to figure out how they might work in our room. And to above all show respect for the children and help them love to learn.
Fantastic! I love how you are thinking.
Video One: I enjoyed a few things and took a few things away from this video. I noticed that in Montessori they stay with the same teacher for 3 year…if i understood that correct….this is very interesting, I do feel that sometimes one year is to fast to move on but I also feel that 3 years is to long. I do like that their materials are more natural based. I also found it very interesting that they taught the letter sound before the letter. I enjoyed Montessori but I do not feel that this fits me.
Video Two: The Reggio Emilia approach was very interesting, it seemed as though to be very based around kids through out the entire city, this was very nice to see. It was very exciting to see the use and ability to obtain many materials for art and that the children were not limited to the amount of the material. I especially enjoyed how they were able to have activities go on for a month and the children were still engaged in it, that was wonderful to see! I really started to enjoy the Reggio Emilia approach better!
Video Three: The Waldorf Method is the one that “spoke” to me the most. I love how nothing was “pushed” and that the children of all ages never felt overwhelmed but they were still getting their learning abilities stretched, this was amazing to see. I also enjoyed the language that I was hearing, “These are the possibilities”. Being able to have the children learn their own morals rather than morals being taught. I noticed a lot more “freedom” yet “structure” going on too…the children knew what was expected of them and they got it done in a kind manner. The learning of resilience was also great to see and hear from parents, staff and onlookers! I really enjoyed the Waldorf Method!
You have pulled some amazing things from each of the videos. Start thinking about how you can create your own philosophy of education. Great work.
Video 1:
Montessori is very interesting. I like that the classroom belongs not just to the teacher but to the child as well. I think that goes a long way. In my classroom we have a lot of plants and a fish. So when it’s time to water the plants and feed the fish I always pick a helper so they can feel like they are helping. They get so excited too. So it’s great. I’m all about art and I love that this video talks about art. I LOVE the left to right concept in the classroom and how it goes left to right since that’s how we read. That was pretty interesting. I love all the natural materials in the class. We have a box in my classroom with all natural stuff too for the children to do whatever they want. I love how they find out if they know the word with the three items. The teachers first tells the child what the three items are, then they ask where the item is, then they ask which item is this. I do that in my class and agree that it really works well.
Video 2:
I loved that the teacher went to Italy and I loved the amusement park for birds and with water. I think this is great for children. I think children learn a lot through this. I love that there’s a wind machine that was made by the 4 year olds. It’s good to let the children be involved in making those things. I believe a lot in cognitive development so I love how they are learning here. I like that the teachers write down and take pictures of the observations they see with the children. I love that there’s an art studio, this is great especially for children who maybe don’t socialize as much because art will open up a conversation for sure. I like that the woman in the video talks about how a lot of daycares go by a theme yearly curriculum which is good to a certain point. But I feel like the children do learn more here at a Reggio school.
Video 3:
Waldorf is pretty interesting too. I like that the parent talked about the smells. I really like that they focus on healthy movement. Fine motor skills is so important and they do focus on it. I like that the children do what they do because they really want to do it, no one is forcing a child to do the activity. I also think that children learn more when they decide to do the activity.
I feel like I mix all three of these in my classroom. I try to have a variety of learning. I don’t just stick to one curriculum or one theme. I mix everything in it. I want the children to choose anything they want. I’m here for the children. I want to be their teacher but also be there for them as more if needed.
YES!!! I think each theory offers so much. I’m like you…I prefer to mix them up and create my own philosophy of education. Well done!
i really enjoyed all these videos. I find all three approaches similar in their goal to educate the whole child. Back when I had a family daycare, I followed mostly Reggio approach. The environment being a teacher as well, the child led approach spoke to me.
I now teach in a traditional preschool (we have those monthly themes and teach from up down, as someone said in the Reggio video). My coworkers like this approach. I find myself forever sneaking in some Reggio inspired activities.
I love how Montessori pulls the nature right in, from environment, through curriculum and materials they use. I love the use of actual real life objects, the absence of plastic and live animals in the classroom!
For Reggio, the overwhelming feeling of respect for the child is what draws me to this approach. The recognition of the fact that children can do so much more than we usually expect them to do and the emphasis on cognitive development really makes sense to me.
Watching the Waldorf video made want to send my kids there! Their focus on the whole child, respect for where each individual child is developmentally and teaching them to love to learn.
All three approaches use nature as an integral part of their teaching and curriculum, as it should be.
Such great reflections..can you pull from each of these and create your own philosophy of education. It already sounds like you have done that with Reggio. Can you go even deeper? Keep asking yourself that question.
Yes! Montessori inspires me to bring in more natural materials to work with and learn about. And Waldorf encourages me to individualize my teaching, to make sure each child is ready for the next steps. Scaffolding and observations will be a big part of this process.
Brilliant reflections..
Although I have been introduced to these three approaches, the Montessori method is one that is most familiar. The Montessori video talked about using natural materials and in the moment I realized just how much of our classroom is filled with plastic. I am looking forward to introducing more natural materials, like wood, into our class.
What grabbed my attention most about the Reggio Emilia approach was the idea of staying with the students for longer than a year. I find, especially working with toddlers, that just when I see a huge jump in personality growth, they are moved on to preschool. I would love to be able to have my students for longer than just about a year to be able to see more of their growth and to make more of an impactful relationship.
I am the least familiar with Waldorf education, and yet, I found it to be one of the more intriguing approaches. Their approach to the arts is something that I personally love. And the balance of physical and emotional and academic opportunities is something I think all schools could benefit from. Another thing that resonated with me was the readiness of the students outside of being ready for high school or college. The ability to teach a student to think outside of the box is something I think is much needed in today’s world.
Fantastic reflections. I do know that leap of growth and they are gone. Fun to rethink possibilities.
I have experience in Montessori because I do have several months of substitute teaching experience in a child care center that followed the Montessori philosophy. I think it’s a great philosophy because children engage in activities that are part of people’s daily life routines. I find that amazing because it teaches them how things are done. However, I also believes in free play and allowing children to manipulate toys however they want to manipulate and figure out what works for them and allowing them to explore and learn in their own ways and pace.
Reggio believes in training children young and have them ready for the real world. I find it so fascinating how they do such amazing projects at such a young age and have built the patience to work hard and finish through. They believe in respect and putting children first which is a great way to think and very beneficial for children when they go into the real worlds and face situations first hand.
Waldorf is very new to be and I also find it quite fascinating how creative and artistic these children can be.
I feel like every philosophy has their benefits and want children to be the best they can be and go out to the real world ready.
Awesome…as we go through the class, think about how you can mix and match to create your own philosophy.
These videos were wonderful. Although I have heard of Montessori and Reggio Emilia, I did not know much about either one. The videos taught me more in depth how you go about using these approaches. This is my first time hearing/reading about Waldorf education and I think it is my favorite of the tree because of the usage of art in other subjects, such as math, as a way to learn. If I had the opportunity to being taught this way as a child I believe I would have thrived in school. I saw a comment here where someone said they would take parts of all three and sprinkle it on the children. I love that idea and visual so much. Thank you for the expanded info and giving me a new way to teach children.
Yea! Great reflections from the videos, but also reading other teachers’ comments. It’s awesome!
It has taken me a while to digest and analyze the information presented in the video. From watching the videos the main difference that i could tell lay in-between the different styles is where they placed the emphasis on the most important aspects of learning ie. emotional and social education, a self directed exploration, or a guided sensory experiential development. While each of these has their own benefits I personally would choose to combine the thoughts from the various schools. The videos introducing these concepts gave me quite a bit to consider and research and i feel that with enough investigation on my part I might be able to create a sensory outdoor classroom that invites the kids to learn what attracts at them. The main difference from my approach would be that i would probably still make it a guided experience but give them certain options and nudge them in the direction that the weeks involved learning is going. Like if i could build a truly interactive 3d map that the kids could walk around and over and point out the raised pieces as being mountains and the lower pieces being valleys that would be really cool.
Wonderful reflections and ideas! Love how you are integrating the ideas into your own style of teaching.
It is really interesting how children can do amazing things and solving complex ideas with out a lot resources . This videos inspire to pursue the dreams
Wonderful!!
Really nice and interesting videos. It is really impressive how kids can learn and make great thing away from electronics. I love how kids are using materials that develop their creativity and most of this materials are front nature. Kids are happy and they want to learn more. I like the way these schools are teaching and how kids start at a young eage and it helped them to do great things later when they are older.
Fabulous! I’m excited that you are excited!
I loved these videos. One of the things that stood out to me about all three of the approaches was the respect for children and their capabilities and a whole child approach to learning and education. It is one of my core values that we are to honor children. I also see a trend in the three schools that children are “stretched” but never pushed or overwhelmed in their academic pursuits or development. Each has a unique manner in which they achieve these end goals and my goal is to see how elements best fit into our school. I love Howard Gardner’s thoughts (I am a huge fan of his theory of Multiple Intelligences!) in the Reggio video about “reinventing” on our unique “soil”. You can’t simply transplant a philosophy from one setting to another in the exact same manner.
Here are some of my “grafting roots” that I’d like to borrow from each method:
Montessori: I love Montessori materials–the natural elements and textures. I have a catalog for Montessori materials and it is pure joy to look through it and imagine a classroom filled with their materials. The atmosphere of peace and independence created in the class is wonderful and helps create an environment conducive to learning and exploration. And I am a huge fan of their implementation of art appreciation into their curriculum.
Reggio: The Project approach is something I want to explore more fully and especially in our outdoor scenario when we return to our program. I’m also excited to engage in Thoughtful and Rich documentation. I love how the Reggio Documentation is detailed, organized, and displayed in a manner that honors the work of the children. I’m not a fan of hanging up “cookie cutter” art pieces and calling that documentation. And, my dream is to have a wonderful atelier in our school. We are only one room but I have a fabulous idea for it!
Waldorf: Can I start by saying that I wish I had attended a Waldorf school. I was mesmerized by the beauty, creativity, and warmth of these schools. And that was what I picked up from just watching the video! I completely subscribe to their philosophy of letting the child “unfold”. And the addition of artistic and creative expression as a function of learning is amazing. I have a 14 year old son on the Autism Spectrum and I can just see how he would greatly benefit from these tactical and visual modes of learning. I also completely agree with their philosophy about when a teacher loves a child, the child blossoms. There’s so much more too and I’m excited to learn a bit more about Waldorf.
I think it’s wonderful that we have so many incredible schools for learning and education that are “thinking out of the box”–especially when it comes to young children. I’m excited to see the energy and growth in our field over these next years.
Absolutely! Wonderful and insightful reflections! Keep up the great work. The theorists bring us back to the “why” we do what we do. Thanks for your insights.
After watching all three videos, I enjoyed watching the videos on Montessori and Waldorf. I could see that both are into teaching children hands-on and the children learning by interacting and showing what they have learned. Waldorf is a school that allows children to be themselves and make learning easy for them. It’s an inspiring school, and you could see the love of the teachers and children.
A Waldorf school is a place that the children can be themselves and be open with other children and their teachers. As I continue to watch the video, I learned how I might be able to use different methods that they use with my children that would like to learn but also learn in different ways.
Wonderful reflections!!!
It was great to watch all three of these videos and to revisit the three philosophies. First, because I learn best from seeing things in action over reading or writing but also it was a fantastic refresher from my college days so many years ago. In college, over twenty years ago, we were required to visit each of these types of schools for a whole day to observe. I loved seeing them all in action and the very different ways that they were all run and the different temperaments and learning styles of the children attending them.
I still remember the smells and the warmth of the Waldorf classroom. It was so soothing and inviting to me, peaceful even. Watching this video made my heart happy to see such love and pride in their work. I really felt my heart melt when the ‘shy‘ child was able to go to the Waldorf school and to come into the world at his own pace when he was ready. I also liked the idea that if you had a disagreement or if you didn’t like a situation, that you had to learn how to work through it because you were going to stay in this school, with this same teacher, and with this same group of children for many years. So you are truly ‘committed’ to working through problems with others.
I still remember the structure of the Montessori school and the children being very busy at activities. The sand paper letters to trace with their fingers and writing before reading. How the shelves were set up from left to right, as in reading. I love the idea of having no battery operated toys and no media use. I absolutely love the idea of having one animal in the classroom to care for from each of the animal kingdoms; reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, fish. There are so many regulations in early care school settings in Mass now that I find it near impossible to have anything other that fish in our classroom, and that is really very sad.
At my place of work, we use the Project Approach curriculum, which uses many aspects of the Reggio Emilia approach. We are constantly doing trainings or attending conferences on this, so it is very familiar to me. I love that we take the ideas for projects from the children and do our best to help them find the answers to their own questions on the subject being studied. I also see just how rewarding it is for the children and the parents when their work is displayed for everyone to see. The children look at their work, their art, their sculptures, and creations (with dictations of their own thoughts and words) and then revisit what they have learned while explaining their work to their families.
I definitely will be taking bits and pieces of each of these methods into my work as a natural teacher.
What a beautiful and thoughtful reflection! Yes…one of my favorite things to do is mix and match these theories. Thank you for such a thoughtful reflection. Keep up the great work.
I see things in all 3 styles of teaching that I like. My son currently attends a montessori preschool as soon as i walked in the room i fell in love all the natural materials made the atmosphere different. i love that they allow the children to learn on their own at their pace and with their interests.
Reggio Emilia has an awesome approach as well allowing children to lead what they learn and problem solve on their own leaving each learning experience open for more.
Waldorf i fell in love with this is an approach i wasn’t already familiar with but i love how everything is hands on and through art allowing each child to use their creativity allowing their brains to grow. It is nature based which makes it that much more beautiful. All the children interviewed that attended a waldorf school seemed creative, confident and thankful.
I love how you can mix and match these styles of teaching and create your own philosophy of education. Great reflections.
Montessori:
I have always admired Montessori schools. I love that they give the children so much responsibility in the classroom and ownership over their learning, it makes the children more excited about and receptive of their learning experiences. In connection with this course, I love that the Montessori method heavily incorporates nature in the classroom. Some of the material that they use comes from outside, which can make it easier for the children to extend their learning outside of the classroom because the world around them will reflect what and how they are learning at school. I also love the idea of having a classroom pet from each animal kingdom!
Waldorf:
“The Waldorf approach is to really wait until they’re ready for it, even hungry for it, and then when you introduce it to them, they take it on with enthusiasm rather than feeling pressured to go there.” Wow! This quote was very impacting. Too often we find ourselves worried about when a student is “behind” the majority of our class and what a difference it would make in our teaching and their learning if we look at it through a lens of, “they’re not there yet” or “they’re not ready yet”. I was excited to learn more about the artistic approach. It is interesting that art skills can influence all other academic skills but when it comes to school budgets, art classes and music classes are the first to get cut. This video was very inspiring and I am already thinking about different approaches to take with my classroom.
Reggio Emilia:
Ever since my early college days, I have always wanted to build my classroom influenced by Reggio Emilia. This approach values the natural exploration of the child. It allows children to work through problem solving with minimal adult influence, the adults ask open ended questions and reflect on what the children are doing without taking over the process. I loved that in this video, Amelia wanted to see how the city worked before she saw how the schools in the city work. That is a very important factor in children’s learning, the environment around them can be a crucial part in growth and hindrance in their educational environment. She stated on her visit that there was no part of the city that would seem as though children did not belong there.
All three videos were very inspirational and I plan on reevaluating the aspects of my classroom to incorporate ideas from all three approaches.
(Sorry for the lengthy response.)
First….I LOVE lengthy responses…so never apologize for that! Your reflections are deep and beautiful. Truly understanding the theories and pulling from each one and then to evaluate your owen space is a sign of a gifted teacher. Thank you! I look forward to what you find and how the natural world impacts your style of teaching.
I watched all 3 different teaching approaches and I found some similarities and differences. I would like to take all that I like about each approaches in and then mixed them up and sprinkled over children.
What I like about Montessori is They learn with peers and from peers. The practical life is a key to the living life I think. The one quote by Maria Montessori that strikes my head is Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed! I often think I should help or not. But I observe a child closely then I can find his strength and his weakness. From observing a child from, I will be able to see him having an ownership of learning!
What I like about Reggio is they think that the environment is a third teacher! They use the environment as a pallet and let children use 100 ways to express themselves. Also, The teacher is the facilitator, so they guide their children to solve the problem on their own. I think a child’s idea is valued. I can learn a lot from their views.
What I like about Waldolf is they are community based. Children are taught to learn what they want to learn. They respect their own values.
I must say I learned a lot from those videos and I want to apply to my teaching method.
I love the image of mixing all the gifts from each of these approaches and sprinkling them on the children. Keep up the great work!
I really enjoyed the videos. Seeing the different approaches visually as to reading about them back in college is such an eye and mind opening experience. Seems like alot of us where taught to learn and express our ideas one way. Academics was always first. The Montessori method
has a 3 year cycle and the older children will come teach the younger ones what they have learned. The classrooms have natural materials, artifacts, plants and animals from each animal kingdom. Classroom are set up to move
Left to right, like reading. They use sound over name, write before reading.
Reggie Emilia approach focuses on cognitive development. Children are designing at early ages, find the answers them selves(not coached), solving complexed problems and Art has more materials and time to express themselves. Teachers move up with their students keeping the bond. Waldorf Education is more on the creative side. They learn through the artistic aspect and through whole body learning. The younger children are sewing and knitting, which I haven’t seen in a classroom. (Not until middle school.) The older children making their text book. Such beautiful creations.
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Such thoughtful reflections. I am thrilled you enjoy a more visual experience learning about these 3 theorists. They are all so incredible….Keep up the great work.
This module has been very inspiring. I work with the Reggio approach, however I use montessori and others. I think that as a teacher we must always have an open mind to learn and put into action the strategies according to the needs of our children. At the beginning of the year I do a sociocultural study of my class, so I can organize the direction I want to take intellectually but more important in the socio-emotional side.
Looked the three videos it is beautiful to know that Teachers are the main guide to the whole Child Development. In my mind a phrase stayed about our role in the trip of our students, “Teachers are the representation of the best of Humanity “, what responsibility to take into account in the interaction within the life of our students. What kind of impact am I going to leave in their lives?
I will work in it.
What a powerful question…”What kind of impact am I going to leave in their (our children’s) lives? Wow! Incredibly inspiring and a way to re-energize your teaching practice. Thank you for your thoughts.
I too enjoyed each video and learning more about each setting/philosophy. There’s so many great things about each program and I’d love to start instilling something from each into my own program, such as, a yearlong project and documentation, more plants and animals in the classroom, and learning more with the whole body. What an amazing way to study something; not just for a week or two but for months! I believe that using things from each approach can be very valuable. I also believe it’s extremely important to engage the children in an outside classroom. One of my hurdles will be convincing some of the staff at my center the value in it.
WONDERFUL reflections! I also love taking bits and pieces from each program I really like what you have pulled out. Keep up the great work!
I loved theses videos , well made and very insightful. i really enjoyed seeing the different processes these schools are doing and comparing them to what I do. These videos have also given me many ideas on things that i might want to try. something that really resonated with me was the one parent in the Montessori method talked about her child had reduced screen time and in this day and age with all the gadgets out there i think thats extremely important and part of the reason i want to be more of a natural teacher and remind kids that there more to do outside
Fantastic reflections! It’s always interesting to me what teachers pull out from each of these methods of teaching. Keep up the great work.
After watching the videos I find that I do not favor one practice over another. Rather I would take a little bit from each as they are so valuable. Each are important and have valuable research to back up their intentional teaching knowing how important they are.
Montessori school has the hands off approach, but within reason. You want a child to explore their environment as free and safe as they can. In my practice I will use the three period teaching of first name the item, then have the child point to the item, and lastly I will point and have the child name the item. I love having the older children teaching the younger ones. I feel having the older child teach helps the younger child be excited about the subject. For the older child it is a great opportunity to grow their expressive language and social skills.
In the Reggio school Odeon my favorite part was seeing the child’s pictures and artwork up on the wall with their dictation throughout the project. The idea that the child’s thoughts are valuable, I love that! Also, I noticed that the lessons all had visuals for children to learn in different ways with the materials they were using.
The Waldorf school was amazing seeing the beautiful books they created on their own to learn about all the subjects. I like the idea of the approach from an artistic stance. They focus on the child’s interest and grow the think from there.
It was awesome to take a step back and think, what do I use and what could I use in my present classroom. I have learned about each person and their schools of thought many times. I enjoyed watching the videos to rejuvenate my teaching practices to have more meaning in each lesson.
A fabulous reflection!!! I am like you. I like to mix and match all 3 of the theorists. Incredible what each has to offer and how we can weave these teachings into outdoor learning.It is music to my ear to read that you are already feeling rejuvenated and ready to re-charge your teaching practice! Thank you for sharing such thoughtful reflections.
It really feels good to delve into theory and theorists again; it has been a good many years since this was required reading. The timing, I must say, is perfect for renewing my friendship with theorists as we re-vamp and strengthen our professional identity.
I tend to lean more toward Montessori in my teaching style. It is the most natural for me. I resonate with Maria Montessori’s “whole child” approach. I think that is a big strength of family childcare. We have the child for the whole day as opposed to a traditional prek program where the teacher has the child for just a few hours. And since most family-based programs are multi-ages, we encourage and welcome the older children to be teachers and helpers.
I love the Reggio approach and find many aspects that I would love to incorporate into our program. Next year, five of our current prek’s will miss the kindergarten cut-off and will stay with us. I have several units of child-directed themes to offer to this older group. I anticipate each theme lasting two to three months depending on the interest of the children. Also, this summer I will begin some art experiences that the children will be encouraged to work on over the length of the summer; more time and more materials like is done in Reggio Emilia.
Waldorf, I must say, is new to me. I was impressed that so many parents could speak specifically of the program and how the school excels at meeting their child’s needs. I would like to educate my parents so well that they become walking billboards for my program!
Love that you are re-inspired by the theorists! Bravo! One idea that popped into my mind was to create a video like the one for these schools…about your nature-based program. You can make a sample one and put it up in our Facebook group. 🙂 Have fun!
Ooooo! Great idea
🙂
These videos were very helpful and I found the worksheets even more so. I did a little bit more research on my own to try and understand the similarities and differences. I am even more astounded by how much traditional public schools rely so much on academics and the students’ abilities to get a certain grade. Unfortunately, I think we are very far away from a revolution in the US educational system and therefore the innovation and non traditional approaches are for the private schools where there are children from families with higher socioeconomic status (usually white) and further exacerbates bias because children don’t go to school with children from other backgrounds and experiences.
I agree so much with you, it is sad that the public schools are so regulated and geared towards grades and spiting out knowledge on tests. And sadly like you, I don’t see a change in this approach coming anytime soon for the children. I also agree with you that it is the private schools that have the ability to offer these wonderful other approaches to learning and its mostly the privileged who have access to the private schools (or the ability to home school). I wish that all children and families could have equal opportunities to education. So much work needs to be done on this subject.
Yes…very much so. We must not give up and find ways for children who do not have access to the outdoors to experience these benefits.
I loved these videos! Over the years, I’ve taught in a variety of settings and under a plethora of pedagogues. My own preschooler is attending a Montessori-inspired Jewish preschool (where I previously taught). In my own parenting and teaching style, I’ve found the most value in being eclectic and adapting to each child’s unique needs and interests at different ages and stages. I find that rigidity toward one pedagogy can be very limiting for educators and students alike. There are incredible benefits from each of these methods that can greatly enhance learning both indoors and out–and when we are flexible and open minded with those, we are truly adhering to the one commonality that I feel Maria Montessori, Rudolph Steiner and the teachers in Reggio Emilia all possessed and professed: we must meet and honor the children for who and where they are.
I am teaching in a Montessori School this week and love mixing and matching philosophies. Weaving these theorists together is not only fun…I find it fascinating.