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271 According to Katz’s (1972) model, given her number of years in the field, Mary should have been in the third and fourth stages of development. During the time of this research, Mary was in her first year of teaching in a child care centre with an articulated Reggio philosophy. She found herself struggling for survival and more aligned with a teacher at the beginning stages of development. If Mary had had exposure to experienced colleagues in similar situations, she may not have reverted back to the first stage of survival. New Images of Teacher Development If the practice of emergent curriculum can be visualized in stages then Mary was in a transitional stage. Applying a scaffold visualization with three progressing levels suggests that the second stage or step is where reconciling past practice (themes) with the present (emergent curriculum) occurs. If a teacher ignores this cognitive conflict by maintaining the status quo, she remains on the second step. It is the acceptance of an emergent curriculum with the accompanying changes in the role of the teacher that propels the teacher up a step. Three rungs of a ladder suggest a linear and lockstep model. In contrast, Felicia’s metaphor of a teacher climbing a mountain, described in Chapter Five, is a more appropriate visualization for the process of emergent curriculum implementation. For Felicia, climbing in a straightforward fashion was impossible as various factors such as parental demands and colleague support derailed the progress up the mountain, causing detours that spiraled before she reached the peak. Table 2 attempts to represent a dynamic spiraling model of development. In this model, the metaphor of the labyrinth that appeared in early chapters becomes vertical as it spirals up a mountain.
272 Table 2 Kashin’s Model of Emergent Curriculum Stage 1 Status quo Stage 2 Transitional Stage 3 Implementation Description of Themes Combination of Projects or “projected practice theme and projects curriculum” (Gandini, 1998, p. 113) Trajectory In the valley Climbing upwards On the mountaintop Reaction to Cognitive Acceptance or Transformation innovative dissonance rejection. (With practice acceptance, the climb continues. With rejection, a return to the valley) The experience of emergent curriculum is similar to climbing a mountain in a spiral trajectory in order to reach the peak. Periodic downward descents may occur when new information informs practice. Then a teacher must toil in the turmoil of the valley of cognitive conflict taking time to accommodate the new information which will then require climbing another peak. These teachers each spent time in the valley before ascending the mountain of emergent curriculum. In the valley, their practice was characterized by the status quo of the thematic approach to curriculum implementation. This is the time of transition where cognitive dissonance occurs. If a teacher does not move forward and make the decision to climb the mountain, she remains oblivious to the transformative experience of reaching the peak of the mountaintop.
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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
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140 In the Forward to Developmental
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Chapter Four: Methodology What you
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144 (multiple realities are sociall
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146 are issue oriented and are “n
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148 implications to halting the pra
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150 my research participants and wi
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152 was the child, not her teacher.
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154 In making the study accessible,
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156 these categories: current pract
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158 widely used by market researche
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160 particular project topic brough
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162 collaboration involving mutual
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164 The Weary Traveler: Roadblock F
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166 Conclusion In collecting data,
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168 the experience of teachers who
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170 twenty bucks for Chinese New Ye
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172 The centre now occupies space i
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174 for the kid’s interests. You
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176 analyzed by the group. At the p
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178 Figure 5. The weather project d
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180 program more theirs” Subseque
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182 teachers, the rest see them as
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184 It makes you pumped. Sometimes
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186 Case Study Number Two: The Spir
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188 the various levels of the organ
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190 volunteers her time to facilita
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192 willing to learn. It is not som
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194 Challenges. Given the limited h
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196 educational model, the oppositi
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198 Emerging directions. Rose has n
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200 There was a discernable absence
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202 preschool age children (2 1/2 t
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204 Mary was satisfied with this th
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206 community helper is.” Communi
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208 Recognizing the children’s in
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210 Mary believes that child care h
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212 The children are the seeds. The
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214 Mary would advise others to est
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216 Figure 17. Splat, splat like Ja
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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 241 and 242: 234 The Impact of Context The situa
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Page 247 and 248: 240 in the field. Rose has been tak
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Page 251 and 252: 244 are interested and they are pas
Page 253 and 254: 246 primarily to the teachers. Mary
Page 255 and 256: 248 learners. While this is a “de
Page 257 and 258: 250 “not engaged” with an emerg
Page 259 and 260: 252 alternative perspective, a teac
Page 261 and 262: 254 had difficulty reconciling the
Page 263 and 264: 256 the project determined its dire
Page 265 and 266: 258 Layla recalled the experience o
Page 267 and 268: 260 information. A newsletter produ
Page 269 and 270: 262 order to ascertain future direc
Page 271 and 272: 264 (Rankin, 2004). In Reggio Emili
Page 273 and 274: 266 theory is just a proposed expla
Page 275 and 276: 268 Table 1 Katz’s Model of Teach
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Page 281 and 282: 274 availability could produce the
Page 283 and 284: Chapter Seven: Future Directions If
Page 285 and 286: 278 as I have been, to detach thems
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Page 289 and 290: 282 winter semester of 2006, I am o
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Page 293 and 294: 286 within a Reggio-inspired enviro
Page 295 and 296: 288 However, the ship cannot be rep
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Page 299 and 300: 292 editor, a friend, and the parti
Page 301 and 302: 294 As I envision the future, it ho
Page 303 and 304: 296 of custom, of the normal, of th
Page 305 and 306: 298 theory in practice take place f
Page 307 and 308: 300 The question being pondered was
Page 309 and 310: 302 developmentally appropriate to
Page 311 and 312: 304 with this perception of my fiel
Page 313 and 314: References Adcock, S. G., & Patton,
Page 315 and 316: 308 appropriate practice in early c
Page 317 and 318: 310 Corbett, B. E. (1989). A centur
Page 319 and 320: 312 Ferguson, E. (1994). Child care
Page 321 and 322: 314 Griffin, S. (2002). To be or no
Page 323 and 324: 316 Katz, L. (1999). Curriculum dis
Page 325 and 326: 318 Miller, S. M., & Shoptaugh, S.
Page 327 and 328: 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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