Meet the Third Teacher

 

For more than a year now, PIC teachers have been dipping their toes into the deep and vast pool of the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. 

 

The educators in Reggio Emilia have shared with us the idea that the environment is the "third teacher," playing an important role in the learning of young children. Our forays here at PIC have included working hard to transform our learning environments into spaces that inspire wonder, support active exploration, and promote discovery through play. 

 

At the end of March, PIC teachers Brooks Wilson and Jacob Kerner will join me to share this work at the annual conference of the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children (DVAEYC) in a presentation titled, “Beautiful Environments for Deep Playful Learning: A Year-Long Exploration.” 

 

The teachers will talk about their experiences transforming environments with elements of nature, beauty, order and light. As we prepare for our presentation, we are having wonderful conversations about the continual process of planning, doing, and reflecting. When we keep the learning of our children at the heart of this process, both teaching and the environments are truly responsive.

 

Deb recently wrote about the myriad ways that teachers are working on professional development, and this presentation gives a platform for our teachers to share the excellent work that they have done. Such an opportunity to share professional learning with colleagues is a vital part of the learning cycle, marking the attainment of a level of expertise as well as the openness to new learning. 

 

All three of us are looking forward to sharing the good work that we do here at PIC with the wider early childhood community!