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The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education takes its name from the small community in Italy where it originated after the town was nearly destroyed in World War II. A group of parents and townspeople, together with some dedicated and talented teachers worked to build a city-run school as part of the reconstruction following the war. Growing out of clear values about education and the strong conviction that children have an inherent capability to learn and problem solve from a very young age, they created an educational experience that over 40 years later continually evolves to meet the needs of the children it serves. Rather than being a defined program with a predetermined set of rules, it is a responsive approach that listens to the children, with teachers and administrators constantly questioning, reflecting, gathering data, and analyzing ways to meet the needs of the children and to support their ability to grow, learn, and solve problems. Basic to this approach toward education is the image this community has of children: they are seen as full and present citizens with inherent rights and freedom to think—right now, in the present, rather than in the future when they are “ready.” Along with this image of children comes respect for their choices as they decide for themselves the direction and intensity of their learning. Children are seen as unique, fully human beings with individual rights as well as needs. This means that an “emergent” curriculum is used, i.e., one that is created in response to the current interests and curiosity of the children as the teachers listen and observe the children in order to determine the lesson topics and identify problems to solve. There is an emphasis on symbolic language to express understanding, including drawing, writing, dramatics, painting, shadow play, music, dance, and sculpture or construction. Children are encouraged to work together in teams as they communicate their ideas to each other through dialogue, debate, problem-solving and hypothesizing. They have the opportunity to learn mutual respect and that not everyone always agrees, while developing a sense of community which also meets the individual needs of each child. The lack of hierarchical structure among the teachers and administrators reflects the community values, with co-teachers in each class learning along side of the children. They function as teacher-researchers who collaborate with their students in curriculum building and learning from each other. There is also a curriculum team person who mentors the teachers in each school building. This person is not an administrator, but rather is there solely to support the teachers in their work with the children. There are also art specialists who support the teachers with curriculum development and documentation. An integral part of the Reggio Emelia approach is the use of space and environment as an essential part of the curriculum. Architecture is planned to enhance communication, relationships, encourage choice, and promote discovery and problem solving. There are central spaces that reflect the town square model of Italian towns. There is an art studio type of room that provides access to a variety of materials for creating, building, and discovering. Classrooms also contain a variety of spaces that are conducive to different types of interactions among teachers and students. Some are large; some are small and more intimate. One characteristic of the Reggio Emelia approach that stands out in comparison to many others is the full financial support by the government and local community which reflects the high priority given children. Governing bodies are carefully selected to include diverse representation. Schooling is guaranteed to all children, from all backgrounds, from age four months to six years, with top priority for children with special needs. In summary, the Reggio Emelia approach to learning shares the underlying values of Blessing Based Spiritual Nurture that recognize the innate spirituality and agency of all individual children.
The Grandpa Program and Sunday School
GRANDPA PROGRAM MOVING TO SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR
PRESCHOOLERS PARENTING IS AN AWSOME SPIRITUAL TASK. This is a true, but rarely acknowledged fact in our present day society—at least outwardly. Rabbi Sandy Sasso, who was recently featured on public radio’s Speaking of Faith, agrees. She says that parents do not need to have all the answers, but do need to be willing to explore spiritual questions with their children, and share their thinking. When children as young as preschoolers begin to ask existential questions, such as, “Where did we come from?”, “Where do people go when they die?”, Where does God live?”, and “Why do people hurt each other?”, these questions can seem overwhelming to adults who are still trying to answer these questions for themselves. All children have these types of questions, and—whether or not they articulate them—they are part of their innate spirituality. Our attempt to answer these unanswerable questions is the essence of religion, ethics and morality. In this day and age, when so often we are not closely connected to the spiritual traditions that provided guidance to our fore fathers and mothers; when we are exposed to so many different traditions in our increasingly diverse society; and when new questions of ethics and morality arise in our ever-changing world, it seems more critical than ever that we find ways to foster spiritual strength in our children. If we as parents and spiritual leaders are to support our children’s natural spirituality, it behooves us to find meaningful ways of responding to these questions. These observations have stirred my search for a better way for us as a congregation to introduce the children in our faith community to a spiritual way of life. The Grandpa Program, which moves to the Sunday school time for three and four year olds this fall, utilizes the principles of Blessing Based Spiritual Nurture, in an effort to offer such an alternative. These principles include the following: Personal Respect “There are three basic ways of looking at children, out of which are formed our thoughts about and interactions with them and by extension with all ages: Blessing Based Spiritual Nurture follows the third way: 1. Children are born into sin and have a bent toward evil – we do to children. 2. Children are born unformed clay or blank slates – we do for children as we form them. 3. Children are born holy, in the image of God with unfolding potential as well as immediate revelatory standing – we do with children.”[1] Holy Listening Every child is entitled to be heard by others in order to affirm his or her Being. As the children engage in conversation with a Grandpa, they have an opportunity to be heard by a new friend in their church family. Holy Space An attitude of reverence is promoted as children calm down and peacefully enter the room. The atmosphere is warm and friendly, with an easy orderliness in the placement of materials and carefully spread tables with chintz table cloths and hot chocolate and muffins served from a china demitasse set. Children proceed to the altar for prayer time, entering the silence as they listen to the fading sound of the gong. A candle is lit as the children enter prayer through a guided meditation. The ritual and routine of the morning create a safe security which frees the children to open to the transcendent. Silence A time of silence allows the children an opportunity to listen to God until they are ready to share their prayers if they so choose. Blessing The children have a visible, positive response to the physical act of being touched and told they are created by God, loved by God, blessed by God, and reminded that God is always with them. They look forward to this holy time as they wait, ever-so-patiently, for each one to have a turn. Prayer Tools Children are introduced to a variety of prayer tools to facilitate their prayer life. This fall, the Prayer Shawl Ministry will be providing prayer shawls for each child. A Means of Grace In the words of theologian Pam Couture, “Children are a means of grace, a vehicle through which God makes God’s self known.” It seems that both the children and the Grandpa’s experience God through each other as they share their discoveries when opening the “discovery boxes” at the end of the morning program. An added component this fall will introduces Scripture to children. The Godly Play approach, developed by Dr. Jerome Berryman, will be used to present the parable of the Good Shepherd. Research has shown this parable to be one to which three and four year olds most readily respond. It introduces them in a developmentally appropriate way to the One who loves them, cares for them, and knows their name. This article first appeared in the Fall 2006 Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Conference, United Church of Christ. -Reprinted by permission of the author |
