encountering, enquiring, exchanging, expressing, learning

in a hundred languages

A weekend for early childhood educators to encounter the work of Reggio Emilia and develop their own competences in working across the range of expressive languages in supporting their children’s learning and meaning-making.

How can educators:

• Actually create places for learning in many expressive languages?
• Learn when and how a new expressive language can be brought into children’s enquiries?
• Explore expressive languages themselves, to better build their own competence and familiarity?
• Show the outside world how this interwoven learning practice works, tor the deep enjoyment, benefit and learning of the children?

Both days will feature educators from Reggio Emilia & their work.

The first day will be a presentation style conference, with lots of time given to the detailed exploration of enquiry projects. It's possible to attend this day only and we welcome students to this day.

The second day is for those who wish to focus, seminar-style, on exploring participants’ issues in the development of their educational practice, with the opportunity for detailed exchange with our Reggio Emilian colleague.

POST-EVENT

Click More Details for further details including 2015 conference reviews, and Participants' Comments from the Saturday. 

Strategies for Reflection and Analysis

4.30 - 6pm

The London ReFocus group will have an open discussion - for guests and members, focussed on 'hearing and observing children's ideas.' Attendance is free for Sightlines Subscribers, £5 for guests. Everyone needs to register in any case, to give us the correct numbers (the Subscribers' discount is applied automatically.)

Using video observations, we will explore some of the ways of getting into meaningful dialogue which we have described in the diary item: 'Hearing Children's Theories'.

Today, through two meetings in different parts of the county, Dudley and Coventry, we will explore the principles of enquiry based practice and meaning-making developed through expressive languages. We will begin to work together on a small shared project. Through mutual support and participation we will challenge the dominant approaches in the field of early years education and care, making visible our optimistic and joyful view of learning and teaching.

Participation is free to Network Subscribers (please sign in on the form when you register - the form will give you the 100% discount). The cost to those who are not yet members is £10.

"We are a Reggio inspired school with a beautiful learning environment and exciting child led curriculum. As a research school, we are involved in many national and international projects linked to early learning. Our aim is to create 'a community of learning where there are endless opportunities to discover together through curiosity, creativity and play."

This day is designed for those wanting to explore the possible ways of practicing the principles of an environment of enquiry, and engage in dialogue with a committed staff group who are making keen endeavours to explore and develop their own practice. 

The day will begin promptly at 9a.m. at the Nursery, with an introduction followed by time to observe in the morning. After lunch there will be opportunities for discussion. We will explore how the principles of Sightlines Initiative can be developed in your daily practice; the influences and insprations from Reggio, and the inevitable challenges. 

Our book Adventuring in Early Childhood Education is now being read by colleagues in other countries, and many useful and interesting questions are being asked:

In this online presentation Robin will explore aspects of these questions, in live dialogue with Prof. Asami Asayama, University of Yamanashi, Japan. Robin will be illustrating the discussion with one of the narratives in the book ‘Adventuring in Early Childhood Education:

• ’What do we mean by ‘adventuring’ – and for whom? Children? Adults?
• Why ‘adventuring’?
• What is a ‘creative enabler’?
• What does ‘taking charge’ look like?

This will be a FREE live presentation: You do need to register to view and contribute, so please do this now. There’ll  be a Q&A chatline-based session at the end to ask your questions.

On the day before the event, we will send you an email which includes a link. This link will take you to a page where we will be screening the presentation at 4pm on Tuesday 20 Sept. So all you need is access to your email, a pen, a notebook and a cuppa!

We’ll also send all registrants a recording after the event, just in case you can't make it live. But please do try to make it live. Speak to you then!

Dear colleague,
this is a warm invitation to join with us to participate in a West Midlands network of people inspired by the values and principles of inquiry based learning promoted by Sightlines Initiative. We are a national organisation promoting creative and reflective practice in early childhood education, referencing the work of the preschools and infant /toddler centres in Reggio Emilia in northern Italy.

4 pm Tuesday 21st June UK time

Join Robin LIVE as he introduces you to his thoughts and learnings from The Mouse House.

'The Mouse House' tracks the development of one of the many ideas that the children conceived during a 1998 Sightlines Initiative project.

Lots of theories and stories emerged through the inspiration the natural environment had on the Children's creative and curious minds. It is available here in our bookstore. 

This will be a FREE live presentation (our first one). AND there’ll be a Q&A session at the end to ask Robin your questions.

You do need to register to be part of the presentation, so please do this now. 

Then on the day before the event, we will send you an email which includes a link.  This link will take you to a page where we will be screening the presentation at 4pm on Tuesday 21 June.  So all you need is access to your email, a pen, a notebook and a cuppa!

We’ll also send all registrants a recording after the event, just in case you can't make it live. But please do try to make it live. Speak to you then!

We know that young children are creative, strong, powerful learners; that children (and educators and parents) thrive in creative enabling environments; that early years and primary educators can be creative, critical and reflective.

However, it is not easy to turn beliefs, values and aspirations into practice. External pressures can push educators towards 'delivering' instruction rather than facilitating engaged learning; even when we encounter engaged learning, we often don't know where to start in building an appropriate pedagogy and feel disheartened.

Our Developing Environments of Enquiry framework and the related Learning to Learn in Nature context is designed for everybody who wants to resolve these dilemmas. These days are designed for educators, schools, centres, and lecturers who want to begin!

THE FIRST DAY will focus on essential principles and practice; THE SECOND DAY continues for those who also wish to build their pedagogy from deep experiences in the natural environment.