‘Look, my name! I can write’ – Literacy events and digital technology in the preschool atelier

2021 ◽  
pp. 146879842110589
Author(s):  
Lena O Magnusson

This article explores and displays some of the literacy events taking place in the context of early childhood education in Sweden. More specifically, the literacy events are part of the educational practices in the atelier of Reggio Emilia inspired preschools in Sweden. As parts of an ethnographic study of aesthetic activities, including digital technology, these literacy events awoke the researcher’s interest. The literacy events are analysed from a sociocultural perspective reinforced by the use of multimodal theory. The results show how the literacy events in the ateliers become playful explorations. The children use the atelier’s specific cultural and social potentiality to explore and develop written and oral language as part of the visual and aesthetic literacy practices taking place there.

2000 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Wright

In this colloquia the author responds to Richard Johnson's ‘Colonialism and Cargo Cults in Early Childhood Education: does Reggio Emilia really exist?’ ( Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 1, pp. 61–77). The colloquia paraphrases Richard Johnson's article, examining the metaphor of power and prestige and extending it in this textual interaction. The author argues that while Richard Johnson makes many valid points about ‘cargo cultism’ in early childhood education, he may have misread the literature on Reggio Emilia, and has failed to adequately deconstruct his own perceptions of Reggio Emilia programmes, and his own position as a member of a professional elite.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 321
Author(s):  
Daniela Fenu Foerch ◽  
Flavia Iuspa

This article presents the history and framework of the Reggio Emilia philosophy, an educational approach to early childhood education that places children as the main participants and protagonists of the curriculum. It also showcases the growing influence of the Reggio Emilia philosophy around the world, through key regional and national organizations. The association of the Emilia fundamental values of the Reggio Emilia with the globally competent soft skills helps this philosophy to overcome the growing need worldwide. Ultimately, the internationalization of this approach has inspired teaching practices all over the world. Within different nations, organizations that advocate the application of Reggio Emilia principles in various schools has grown, prompting a need to educate children to that they will develop emotionally and cognitively, in making thinking visible.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Odundo Paul Amolloh ◽  
Ganira Khavugwi Lilian ◽  
Milimu Gladys Shaji

Dispositions towards use of digital technologies in modern early childhood settings have dramatically transformed aspects in education sector through development and integration of technology into education policy, curriculum and practice. Digital technology as a tool in instruction benefits learner’s fine motor skills, language and communication readiness, mathematical thinking as well as positive attitudes towards learning. Conversely inadequate educational and digital competence hampers teachers in Early Childhood Education (ECE) access to digital technology. This study assessed ways in which teachers in ECE in Kenya access digital technologies. It was designed as a two-phase exploratory mixed methods study. The design allowed collection of data from two groups of ECE educators: case study and survey teachers. Case-studies of two ECE centers (low and high technology) involving 11 ECE teachers were compared in order to examine similarities and differences in access to digital technologies. Similarly, teachers (n=508) in two education zones were surveyed and drawn in terms of similarities and differences in access to digital technologies. Findings indicated that ECE teachers in Kenya have limited access to digital technologies due to non-availability in ECE teaching and learning environments. To address this challenge, the study recommends Ministry of education to put emphasis on funding technology resources in early childhood settings. Furthermore, teachers in ECE should be exposed to a variety of developmentally appropriate digital technologies in order to effectively enhance teaching and learning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-34
Author(s):  
Katrina McChesney ◽  
Jeanette Clarkin-Phillips

The quality of early childhood education and care fundamentally depends on teachers’ wise practice. However, the environments in which that education and care occur can influence, inform, and shape teachers’ practice, and children’s and families’ experiences. This article draws on a written “portrait” of the learning environment created at one New Zealand early childhood education (ECE) centre, capturing both physical and non-physical aspects of the environment and highlighting the affordances the environment offered to children and families/whānau. A Reggio Emilia lens is used to inform analysis of the learning environment and the associated affordances. The portrait (McChesney, 2020) and this article may support practitioners by providing a vision of what can be in terms of early childhood learning environments, and by providing a possible framework for self-review and inquiry.


Author(s):  
Haifa Aljabreen

AbstractMontessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia education remain three of the most popular models for alternative early childhood education. Each of these approaches has developed globally, with a rich history of supporting children’s educational freedom. This narrative analysis provides a means for early childhood educators and scholars to understand the aims, philosophical and theoretical frameworks, historical development, benefits, and challenges in these models and their methods of practice. As early childhood education evolves with technology and as re-conceptualizations about early education occur, an understanding of these alternatives to traditional education models is important. While adaptive options of these models may emerge in education systems across national contexts, this review allows educators to consider their applications and cultural appropriateness in specific local and community contexts.


Author(s):  
Dalila Maria Lino ◽  
Cristina Parente

The key role of toys and play in early years education has been highlighted by several childhood pedagogues such as Froebel, Montessori, Weikart, and Malaguzzi, among many others. It is consensual among the international educational community that children now spend far more time being instructed and tested in literacy and math than they do learning through play and exploration exercising their bodies and using their imagination. This chapter aims to reflect on the power of play for children's learning and development and to analyze how three pedagogical models—the High Scope, Reggio Emilia, and Montessori—integrate play through their curriculum development. The chapter is organized in several topics, namely (1) the role of play in early childhood education (0 to 6 years); (2) the High Scope curriculum and opportunities given to children to engage in free play and play with purposes; (3) the Reggio Emilia approach: play through 100 languages; (4) the Montessori method, from hands-on activity and self-directed activity to collaborative play; (5) final remarks.


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