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within a Reggio-inspired environment and producing documentation, I would encourage
her to continue to learn from the documentation and focus on questions of learning in
addition to the accumulation of knowledge. The facts and figures about the “Weather
Project” that the children were able to recite are not as important as the theories they were
building which demonstrate a move from memorization to critical thinking.
I hope that Layla will be inspired in some way from reading this dissertation and
that she will be motivated to continue on her path to accept the infinite possibilities of an
emergent curriculum. Rather than remaining within the same classroom, perhaps Layla
and her colleagues would consider the practices of the Reggio Emilia educators who
follow the children as they move from classroom to classroom. Working with the same
children over a number of years would create more opportunities for learning and
possibilities for theorizing. Layla, who appeared to be the most Reggio-inspired of the
four teachers, still has an opportunity to change and improve.
For Mary, I predict that change will be more difficult. The disposition is there,
and with support there are possibilities. For Mary, it will depend on whether she seeks
another permanent full-time position and whether support for her development as an
emergent curriculum teacher is offered in her new setting. Without that support, the
barriers will be too high to scale. Mary had difficulty accepting the challenge of cognitive
dissonance in her practice when she had the opportunity to implement an emergent
curriculum. She could not reach the peak of the mountain. Felicia who was faced with
similar, but perhaps less insurmountable challenges recognized herself as being in a state
of cognitive dissonance. It is that application of theory into practice that makes Felicia’s
story so inspirational.