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Panel Presentation and International Dialogue featuring the opening of "The Wonder of Learning--The Hundred Languages of Children" Exhibit from Reggio Emilia, Italy
Denver. CO
October 25 - 28, 2008
NAREA Pre-Conference
Dallas, TX
November 5, 2008
NAEYC Annual Conference
Dallas, TX
November 5 - 8, 2008
International Study Group, "Documentation - Action of Listening,"
Reggio Emilia, Italy
November 10 - 14, 2008
Atelier and Languages of Materials Study Group
April 5 - 9, 2009
North American
Study Group
May 3 - 8, 2009
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| Board Member Column
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
NAREA is pleased to launch this new monthly newsletter to our members and friends. Since NAREA's inception in 2002, we have sought to develop new styles and strategies for supporting collaboration and the building of professional relationships among educators and advocates interested in the philosophies and experiences of Reggio Emilia, Italy. We hope you will find ways to let us know how we can better serve your interests through this newsletter, and we hope you will look forward to receiving it each month. Please feel free to forward the newsletter to any of your colleagues who might enjoy it.
As we write this, we are imagining all of you eagerly and joyfully at the traditional start of a new school year, welcoming new and returning families, building relationships with children, meeting new students, chronicling your thinking and giving visibility to your work, conversing with colleagues to meet challenges, engaging in ongoing professional development, reading, writing, studying, and crafting the world to better support the rights of young children. For all the important work evolving throughout North America, we send you strength and best wishes.
Respectfully,
Margie Cooper and Jennifer Strange
NAREA Co-Chairs
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NAEYC Conference
2008 NAEYC Annual Conference
November 5-8, 2008
Dallas, Texas
NAREA Pre-Conference:
Wednesday, November 5, 9 am to 12 noon
The NAREA Pre-Conference, "Across State and International Boundaries: Collaboration, Networking and Professional Development" will share the unique experience of educators, community leaders and parents who participated in a five-state study group to Reggio Emilia in May 2008. Study group coordinators will share the intention and strategies for strengthening collaboration and communication among study tour participants, in order to enhance and enrich their professional development experience and support continuing relationships with existing colleagues from their own contexts as well as new colleagues from across the country. The voices of the participants will provide evidence regarding the power of this type of professional development experience on their learning and their plans for their work in their own communities.
Presenting at NAEYC Annual Conference?
NAREA members who are presenting at the NAEYC Annual Conference can send their presentation title and list of presenters to Judith Kaminsky j_a_kaminsky@wayne.edu for inclusion in a list of 2008 NAEYC Annual Conference presentations by NAREA members, which will be posted on the What's New Page in the NAREA section of the NAREA website www.reggioalliance.org in October. Other NAREA-Related Initiatives at NAEYC Annual ConferenceThere will not be a NAREA Annual Meeting during the NAEYC Annual Conference in Dallas. This year, the NAREA Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Early Childhood Education was presented to the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, Italy during the opening ceremony of "The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred Languages of Children" Exhibit in Boulder, Colorado in June. Beginning in 2009, the NAREA Annual Meeting, including the NAREA Lifetime Achievement Award program, will take place during the NAREA Summer Conference.
There will not be a study tour of Reggio-inspired schools in connection with the NAEYC Annual Conference this year.
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 Study Groups
During Fall 2008 and Spring 2009, there will be three study groups at the International Center Loris Malaguzzi in Reggio Emilia, Italy that are open to North American participants.
An International Study Group, "Documentation - Action of Listening," will take place November 10 - 14, 2008 in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Participants are expected to have extensive knowledge about the Reggio Emilia experience, its theories, practices and values, and especially about the value of pedagogical documentation through related readings and also through experiences within their different contexts. Registration for this study group is directly through the Reggio Children Office in Reggio Emilia. Group size: 70 participants.
The registration form and description are posted on the Reggio Children website: www.reggiochildren.it. If you have further questions regarding this initiative, contact Reggio Children:
The Atelier and Languages of Materials Study Group will be held April 5 - 9, 2009. This is a special study group led by Vea Vecchi, former Atelierista at the Diana School and current Reggio Children Consultant for Exhibitions and Publishing, who will be supported by a group of other atelieristi who currently work inside the Reggio Emilia schools. Participants will have the opportunity to be involved in different experiences and create exchanges while exploring the concept of materials and languages, and the concept of learning. The proposal of various tools will facilitate different encounters and connections in order to develop knowledge through deep creative thinking, interest, and curiosity. Participants: those working as atelieristas/studio teachers with a background in visual art, music, dance, theater, or design; educators who have a wide knowledge about materials and languages; and Children's/ Science/ Art Museum Staff. Group size: 300 participants. See Study Groups section of NAREA website www.reggioalliance.org for further information.
A general North American Study Group will take place
May 3 - 8, 2009 for those interested in developing a deeper understanding of the Reggio Emilia philosophy.* The study group will give visibility to the values of the philosophy through a combination of visits to schools, encounters with the community and in the community, presentations, meetings, dialogue and exchanges of experiences. Participants: educators who are teachers, directors, principals, school superintendents, pedagogical coordinators and consultants in infant-toddler centers, preschools, kindergarten, and elementary schools; parents of young children; undergraduate and graduate students; college/university professors; political leaders, foundation staff, funders and others involved in work with children. See Study Groups section of NAREA website www.reggioalliance.org for further information.
Angela Ferrario, U.S. Liaison for Study Groups to Reggio Emilia, will be handling the registration process and inquiries for the Atelier and Languages of Materials Study Group in April and the general North American Study Group in May. Since 1990, Angela has been organizing study groups to Reggio Emilia and has been working with Reggio Children as the U.S. Liaison since 1994, when the organization was established. Angela is also a U.S. reference point for the Reggio Children International Network and a Board Member of the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA).
A discount of $100 U.S. is available to members of NAREA who are participating in the April or May 2009 Study Groups. For information about membership, please visit the Membership page of the NAREA website. If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Angela Ferrario at: aferrario@comcast.net or 508-473-8001.
*Attention New Jersey Educators
Fifty spaces within the May 2009 North American Reggio Emilia Study Group have been allocated to the group, New Jersey Educators Exploring the Principles of Reggio Emilia (NJEEPRE). For the past five years, NJEEPRE has worked to build a community of educators and schools inspired by the work being carried out in the city of Reggio Emilia, and to connect with others eager to learn about this work. They have facilitated a series of annual Roundtables throughout the state which has resulted in the establishment of a network of diverse schools, both public and private, and of many different professionals, including both practitioners and teachers of teachers as well as parents. For more information about how to register as part of the New Jersey/NJEEPRE delegation, contact: Alba DiBello, Chair NJEEPRE, Inc. phone: 732 842 9434 email: albadibello@prodigy.net or Angela Ferrario, U.S. Liaison for Study Groups to Reggio Emilia: phone: 508 473 8001 email: aferrario@comcast.net. You can also download the May 2009 NJEEPRE Registration Form from the NAREA website www.reggioalliance.org under the Study Groups section.
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Fundamental Workshops
Fundamental Principles of the Reggio Emilia Approach Workshops
The Fundamental Principles of the Reggio Emilia Approach Workshops began in the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2004. The workshops stemmed from a desire to create an opportunity for educators, parents and advocates across the continent to engage in conversations surrounding the philosophical values and underpinnings of the Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education. The initial premise of the workshops was the need for more accessible and affordable professional development initiatives for educators, parents and advocates in order to initiate and maintain local networks and support systems. Over the years, the Fundamental Principles Workshop Series has evolved and expanded.
This springtime workshop series has become an annual NAREA tradition. Many educators offer workshops as a way to begin sharing their work and thinking with colleagues. For many, participation in the Fundamental Workshops initiatives has lead to the creation of additional professional development opportunities for educators in their unique contexts. We encourage you to open your doors and start conversations. If you are interested in hosting a Fundamental Principles Workshop, have questions or are in need of support, please contact Simonetta Cittadini-Medina at 305-662-2326.
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Membership
IS YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION IN THE NAREA MEMBERSHIP DATA BASE ACCURATE?
The NAREA Membership Office would like to ensure that your contact information in the NAREA on-line data base is accurate and up-to date. To view your membership record, log onto the Members Only Area of the NAREA website. In the Membership Directory section, you will find the Update Your Profile page, on which your contact information will automatically appear. Review the information, make edits, if necessary, and click on "submit update." If you have a change in your contact information in the future, you can edit your record in this way.
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Innovations in Early Education:
The International Reggio Exchange
Summer Issue of Innovations Published!
Innovations, v. 15, n. 3, focuses on the language of music and features "Music is a Well-Made Sound: From Listening to Composition" by Elena Giacopini, Emanuela Paglia and Mara Davoli and "In Search of Music as a Language" by Pam Oken-Wright. This issue was mailed the first week in September.
Preview of Fall Issue of Innovations
The fall 2008 issue of Innovations, v. 15, n. 4, will focus on the experience of educators from five states in the May 2008 Study Group to Reggio Emilia, Italy, "Dialogues on Education." A group of educators from Arizona, California, Illinois, Missouri and New Mexico joined together in the planning of this study group with the goal of using an intensive professional development experience to provoke collaboration, change and advocacy on behalf of children in each home community while at the same time using the shared tour experience as a source of dialogue and continuing connection between educators when they returned. This issue of Innovations will feature contributions from Reggio educators and government officials, as well as insights into the meetings and discussion groups among the study group participants. The fall 2008 issue of Innovations will be published in December.
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NAREA Summer Conference
The Fourth NAREA Summer Conference
Dialogues for Quality in Education:
The School as a Place of Research
 The Fourth NAREA Summer Conference, "Dialogues for Quality in Education: The School as a Place of Research" took place from June 28-July 2 in Boulder, Colorado, in collaboration with Reggio Children and Boulder Journey School, and in connection with "The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred Languages of Children" Exhibit. Three sessions were offered to conference participants: "The Values of the Reggio Philosophy," "Advanced Study" and "Comprehensive Experience." Presenters from Reggio included Carla Rinaldi, Vea Vecchi, Amelia Gambetti, Lella Gandini, Daniela Lanzi and Tullio Zini, and North American educators from Oklahoma, Minnesota, Colorado, Tennessee, South Dakota, Oregon and Michigan. The conference also included twelve poster sessions representing contexts in ten states and one province in Canada. An opening reception and dinner for "The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred Languages of Children" Exhibit was one of the highlights of the conference as well as a tour of the Boulder Journey School. For more details about the conference as well as a summary of participant evaluations and a participant list, log onto the Members Only section of the NAREA website www.reggioalliance.org.
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We hope you have enjoyed this new form of communication. We welcome your comments and suggestions for future eNewsletters.
Sincerely,
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