Resources and Articles
Teachers gather lots of resources over the course of a year. Peruse the links and files below to learn more about your own particular interests. If you have resources to share, add them!
Zero to Three - ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and the know-how to nurture early development.
Toys from Trash - You have to see this to believe it! The most amazing resource for working with children to create everything from a paper flute to a magnetic spinning mechanism to making wine glasses sing!
This Kindergarten Life - From the author: " am inspired daily by the inquiry model, by childrens' noticings, and by my creative teaching partner. We have a curiosity-driven curriculum. We embrace distractions as the foodstuff of learning."
The Power of Documentation in the Early Childhood Classroom - "The documentation process is best done in collaboration with other teachers, parents, and...children soon after the experience."
The Playwork Primer - Want to know what a playworker is (hint: you are one)? Check this out!
The Association for Constructivist Teaching - ACT's mission is to enhance the growth of all educators and students through identification and dissemination of effective constructivist practices in both the professional cultures of teachers and the learning environments of children. It is also to advance educators' understanding of Piaget's constructivism as a scientific theory that explains how human beings construct knowledge and moral values.
TeachReggio Blog - Link to Shelley's blog about Reggio Emilia-inspired teaching.
Takaharu Tezuka: The best kindergarten you’ve ever seen - A great TedTalk about how architecture and environment can not only emerge from our image of the child, but can change how children play and learn.
Reggio Inspired Learning - Louise Jupp is a professor in the Bachelor of Child Development degree program and the Early Childhood Education diploma program at Seneca College and is the faculty research lead for the investigation of physical literacy and well being in Forest Schools.
Reflections on this World of Kindergarten - Nancy Niessen's Blog about Reggio-inspired education in the kindy classroom.
Powerpoint of Reggio Emilia Education - Nice, summarizing overview of RE
Pedagogical Documentation Revisited - An earlier monograph in the Capacity Building Series, “Pedagogical Documentation: Leading Learning in the Early Years and Beyond” drew attention to this innovative classroom practice for early primary classrooms; this monograph invites you to consider the benefits of using pedagogical documentation to build understanding of student learning across the grades, Kindergarten to Grade 12.
Parental Engagement in a Reggio Emilia–inspired Head Start Program - "Teachers can engage parents in the program by creating an environment that welcomes them; parents, like children, have needs that must be met." A small study providing anecdotal evidence of the power of including parents fully in a school.
Math, Science, Engineering - Howtosmile.org is collecting the best educational materials on the web and creating learning activities, tools, and services – all designed especially for those who teach school-aged kids in non-classroom settings. As such, you will have to modify these activities to reach preschool children...easy to do!
Looking Closely Collaboration - Exactly what the title says! A collaborative website of kid blogs. So super cool!
Learning to Document in Reggio-inspired Education by Carol Anne Wien - This article discusses how teachers in child care and elementary schools learn to work with Reggio-inspired pedagogical documentation. While teachers grasp the value of such documentation theoretically, it is most challenging but exciting to use in practical settings.
Inquiry Learning is Deep Learning - A great article connecting our image of the child with our educational practices.
How to Talk to Children - A great article that touches briefly on the rate of speech that young children can process efficiently and effectively. Compares adult speech rates with those of young children.
Gleanings - Blog created by a teacher at the Sabot at Stony Point School, a preschool through eighth grade progressive school.
Children as Idea Makers - A TedTalk by Debi Keyti-Hartland!
Bring Back the Lost Art of Tinkering - "To be creative requires willingness to be misunderstood, sometimes for long periods of time, despite conventional wisdom"
All Kinds of Minds - All Kinds of Minds partners with all who have a stake in the teaching profession – schools, districts, states, higher education, foundations, and other organizations – to advance the understanding and use of the science of learning in classrooms and schools.
Adele Diamond: Turning Some Ideas on Their Head - Adele Diamond is the foremost expert on executive functioning in young children. Here, her TedTalk addresses common mistaken ideas about how children learn.