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191 To implement the theme-based curriculum, the centre focused on art activities also known in the field as crafts, creatives, or arts and crafts. The activities that were presented represented a step-by-step teacher-initiated and directed process often involving painting or gluing on a representation of an adult’s conception of the theme. In other words, a “cut out” or precut of whatever the week’s focus was: a turkey for Thanksgiving, a ghost for Halloween, a tree for Christmas, a shamrock for St. Patrick’s Day. With the top-down direction from her supervisors to move to an emergent curriculum, Rose was faced with cognitive dissonance. She had two choices, leave the centre or accommodate the new information and change her practice. As Rose is an amiable colleague, who prides herself on working with others, her resistance slowly dissipated. During the focus group session, Rose laughed in recalling her earlier reliance on themes. “I miss my cutouts! I had the most beautiful bulletin boards.” She recognized the visual uniformity that a board of same-sized butterflies produces and, at the same time, understood the limitations that themes presented to a meaningful curriculum. For Rose when you give children a cutout of a squirrel or a flower you are presenting “only your view of what something looks like.” Introduction to emergent curriculum. Rose and her colleagues were initially resistant to emergent curriculum. She describes the Director’s insistence on change as “a losing battle.” Her partner at the time was the strongest resistor, “she loved her worksheets – something to show the parents at the end of the week.” While acknowledging that it was “very tough to switch over,” Rose felt that the team spirit aided implementation. “You have to have everyone on board be
192 willing to learn. It is not something that can happen overnight. It didn’t happen for us that way.” Guided by the work of Chard and Katz (1989) Rose read some literature, visited other centres, and attended workshops before trying her first project. The “bagel project” emerged from the children’s fascination with dough. As the children visited the local bagel bakery, experimented with yeast, baked their own bagels, and created artistic representations, Rose became convinced that emergent curriculum had been the right choice. It had all started with pizza dough and ended with children knowing what yeast was and how it worked after we visited a bagel bakery. The teachers and the children filled the place and there was no room for anyone else. The children made their own bagels with their favourite toppings. We took them back to the centre and the children got to eat their own bagels. Current practices. With school-age children, Rose and her colleagues have established a particular process for project work. A display of resource books is incorporated into the classroom and available daily. Possible topics often emerge from the children’s encounters with these books. A meeting is held to discuss possible topics. Once a decision is made with the children, activities related to the project are available daily. With the time constraints of a before- and after-school program, the intrusion of homework, and the real need of these children just to play and socialize, maintaining interest is a challenge. For Rose, the limitless potential for learning makes it worth the extra effort. With emergent curriculum, you never know everything. You are continuously learning with the children. If they are interested in a topic and you don’t know all the information there is you need to be willing to do the research with them. You get to learn along with the children.
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REACHING THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN: T
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Acknowledgements I wish to express
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Teacher as Theory Builder .........
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Dedication This dissertation is ded
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2 are inextricably linked to issues
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4 2. What is the perception of the
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6 educators who have adapted a refr
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8 constructive process. It is based
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10 Experiential or active learning
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12 through active involvement with
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14 Relevance of Study When I took a
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16 the centre of the labyrinth can
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18 without walls, the teacher calle
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20 As a very young child, the teach
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22 of completing my education and r
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24 what the learner already knows t
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26 unsure of my direction; still I
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28 the centre or return to the entr
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30 here, though, is that these expe
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32 of fixing children by teaching t
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34 relates to those aspects of acti
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36 As I articulate my experiences w
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38 An essential part of who I am an
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40 teacher-centred practice. Teache
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42 well was gradually undergoing re
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44 While education staff in public
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46 school settings, has an equally
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48 In Ontario, over 90% of the 300,
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50 knowledge and skills not possess
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52 staff members who do not have sp
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54 Content and pedagogy should be i
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56 order to remain competitive, it
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58 those employed in child care are
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60 and/or co-workers (Doherty & For
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62 exacerbated by the findings that
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64 Québec a public education campa
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66 You Bet I Care! (2000) examined
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68 coupled with feelings of inadequ
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70 dimension as “it takes place i
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72 thirds of assistant teachers and
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74 psychological and physical safet
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76 Certification. Certification is
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78 aspire to (CCCF, 1995). The beli
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80 According to Bertrand (2003), co
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82 difficulty with recruitment and
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84 childhood educators. Perhaps a v
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86 teaching staff in order to help
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88 The disappointing findings helpe
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90 curriculum. The former rather th
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92 evolves, diverging along new pat
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94 require the abandonment of a wid
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96 consideration of how children le
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98 may involve recognition of child
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100 prematurely is that those who c
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102 1996). Some of the criticism su
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104 best from activities they thems
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106 The Reggio Emilia Approach The
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108 4. documentation: teachers and
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110 change their interactions based
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112 Documentation in this form is n
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114 own evolving authentic curricul
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116 lead “into an expanding world
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118 gap between what “the child i
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120 to visit the programs appeared
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122 lack of research and its limite
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124 classroom, teachers learn and r
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126 issues, a self-directed orienta
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128 changes within the school as a
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130 of practice within communities
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132 outcomes for programs with a so
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134 This program began in 1975 and
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136 reflective practice involving j
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138 beginning teachers.” Interest
Page 147 and 148: 140 In the Forward to Developmental
Page 149 and 150: Chapter Four: Methodology What you
Page 151 and 152: 144 (multiple realities are sociall
Page 153 and 154: 146 are issue oriented and are “n
Page 155 and 156: 148 implications to halting the pra
Page 157 and 158: 150 my research participants and wi
Page 159 and 160: 152 was the child, not her teacher.
Page 161 and 162: 154 In making the study accessible,
Page 163 and 164: 156 these categories: current pract
Page 165 and 166: 158 widely used by market researche
Page 167 and 168: 160 particular project topic brough
Page 169 and 170: 162 collaboration involving mutual
Page 171 and 172: 164 The Weary Traveler: Roadblock F
Page 173 and 174: 166 Conclusion In collecting data,
Page 175 and 176: 168 the experience of teachers who
Page 177 and 178: 170 twenty bucks for Chinese New Ye
Page 179 and 180: 172 The centre now occupies space i
Page 181 and 182: 174 for the kid’s interests. You
Page 183 and 184: 176 analyzed by the group. At the p
Page 185 and 186: 178 Figure 5. The weather project d
Page 187 and 188: 180 program more theirs” Subseque
Page 189 and 190: 182 teachers, the rest see them as
Page 191 and 192: 184 It makes you pumped. Sometimes
Page 193 and 194: 186 Case Study Number Two: The Spir
Page 195 and 196: 188 the various levels of the organ
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Page 201 and 202: 194 Challenges. Given the limited h
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Page 205 and 206: 198 Emerging directions. Rose has n
Page 207 and 208: 200 There was a discernable absence
Page 209 and 210: 202 preschool age children (2 1/2 t
Page 211 and 212: 204 Mary was satisfied with this th
Page 213 and 214: 206 community helper is.” Communi
Page 215 and 216: 208 Recognizing the children’s in
Page 217 and 218: 210 Mary believes that child care h
Page 219 and 220: 212 The children are the seeds. The
Page 221 and 222: 214 Mary would advise others to est
Page 223 and 224: 216 Figure 17. Splat, splat like Ja
Page 225 and 226: 218 As a result of fees and capacit
Page 227 and 228: 220 work. Felicia was solicited by
Page 229 and 230: 222 Felicia’s co-worker was the f
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Page 233 and 234: 226 children could have a really ex
Page 235 and 236: 228 feelings of confidence mixed wi
Page 237 and 238: 230 you can answer that question ho
Page 239 and 240: Chapter Six: Discussion If nature h
Page 241 and 242: 234 The Impact of Context The situa
Page 243 and 244: 236 Feeling valued and supported in
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Page 247 and 248: 240 in the field. Rose has been tak
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242 practice with the chance to att
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244 are interested and they are pas
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246 primarily to the teachers. Mary
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248 learners. While this is a “de
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250 “not engaged” with an emerg
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252 alternative perspective, a teac
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254 had difficulty reconciling the
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256 the project determined its dire
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258 Layla recalled the experience o
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260 information. A newsletter produ
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262 order to ascertain future direc
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264 (Rankin, 2004). In Reggio Emili
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266 theory is just a proposed expla
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268 Table 1 Katz’s Model of Teach
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270 Katz’s conceptualization (200
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272 Table 2 Kashin’s Model of Eme
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274 availability could produce the
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Chapter Seven: Future Directions If
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278 as I have been, to detach thems
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280 objects created by adults remov
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282 winter semester of 2006, I am o
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284 Emilia to early childhood educa
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286 within a Reggio-inspired enviro
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288 However, the ship cannot be rep
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290 curriculum choices from a broad
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292 editor, a friend, and the parti
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294 As I envision the future, it ho
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296 of custom, of the normal, of th
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298 theory in practice take place f
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300 The question being pondered was
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302 developmentally appropriate to
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304 with this perception of my fiel
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References Adcock, S. G., & Patton,
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308 appropriate practice in early c
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310 Corbett, B. E. (1989). A centur
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312 Ferguson, E. (1994). Child care
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314 Griffin, S. (2002). To be or no
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316 Katz, L. (1999). Curriculum dis
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318 Miller, S. M., & Shoptaugh, S.
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320 Palmer, P. J. (1998). The coura
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322 Schön, D.A. (1996). Educating
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324 Weber, S., & Mitchell, C. (1995
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Appendix A: Invitation to Participa
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328 I am free to decline to answer
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330 4. What are the strengths of th
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Appendix E: The Image of the Teache
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334 Image: 1. How does the image ot
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336 obvious to me and I react with
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338 Layla: That was the place with
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340 table relates to the topic. The
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342 supply teacher has a child in h
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344 the children regarding the char
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346 conversation about A R T contin
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348 22 going on, puzzles or another
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