Download Teachers' Reactions & Challenges: Reggio Emilia Approach in an International School and more Lecture notes Communication in PDF only on Docsity!
The University of Nottingham
How Are Teachers’ Reactions in a Professional Learning
Community (PLC) to Change, Occurring Through the
Implementation of the Reggio Emilia Approach to the Primary
Years Programme in an International School Setting?
By Angela Schmid-Peischl (Student ID: 4311970)
PGCEi with Distinction (University of Nottingham)
Word count: 16468
Dissertation submitted to the University of Nottingham in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Education
March 2019
Marking Tutor: Tony Fisher
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Vienna International School for the opportunity to carry out my research, as well as the Early Learning Center team and all staff involved in my research, which would have been impossible without their aid and support. My sincere thanks go to my tutor Tony Fisher for his academic and personal support throughout my Master studies. I would also like to express my special thanks and gratitude to my critical friend Tamsin Roberts for proof reading my work. Thanks to my children Elias, Alina and Jacob and my husband Manfred for their patience and for sharing me with my studies. I am also thankful to the University of Nottingham and my personal circumstances which make lifelong learning possible.
Abstract
This research documents the implementation of the Reggio Emilia approach to the Early Learning Center of Vienna International School, an International Baccalaureate school following the Primary Years Programme curriculum. The study focuses on how the team members of the ELC as a professional learning community (PLC), cope with changes in different fields: environment; role of the child; role of the teacher; role of time; projects and documentation. Using qualitative methodology including questionnaires, focus groups and semi-structured interviews, this study reveals the importance of a functioning PLC and effective communication strategies in order for team members to actively and positively engage with the change process.
- INTRODUCTION page
- 1.1 Background Information and Status Quo page
- RATIONALE page
- 2.1 Introduction page
- 2.2 Historical and Theoretical Underpinnings page
- 2.3 Approach Versus Program page
- 2.4 Research Question page
- 2.5 Purpose and Significance of the Study page
- 2.6 Changes Leading to Better Practice page - 2.5.1 Influences Affecting Change page
- The Framework for Change page 2.7 Professional Learning Community (PLC) –
- 2.8 Concern-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) page
- 2.9 Areas of Change page - 2.9.1 The Image of the Child in Reggio Emilia page - 2.9.2 The Role of the Teacher in Reggio Emilia page - 2.9.3 The Role of Time in Reggio Emilia page - 2.9.4 Environment as a Third Teacher page - 2.9.5 Projects and Documentation page
- 2.10 Theoretical Underpinnings Taken Forward page
- RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS page
- 3.1 Introduction page
- and Insider Researcher page 3.2 Qualitative Research as a Participant Observer
- 3.3 Case Study page
- 3.4 Data Collection page - 3.4.1 Focus Groups page - 3.4.2 Observations page - 3.4.3 Semi-structured Interviews and Conversations page - 3.4.4 Questionnaire page
- 3.5 Limitations page
- 3.6 Analysis page
- 3.7 Ethical Issues page
- 3.8 Participants page
- 3.9 Setting page
- FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION page
- 4.1 Introduction page
- 4.2 First Questionnaire page
- 4.1.1 Summary of the Firsts Questionnaire page
- 4.3 Space and Environment page
- 4.2.1 Aula page
- 4.2.2 Open Classrooms page
- 4.4 The Image of the Child page
- 4.5 The Role of Time page
- 4.6 The Role of the Teacher page
- 4.7 Projects and Documentation page
- 4.7.1 Projects page
- 4.7.2 Documentation page
- 4.8 Decision Making and Communication page
- 4.9 Concerns Based Adoption Model page
- 4.9.1 Change in General page
- 4.9.2 Team A page
- 4.9.3 Team B page
- 4.9.4 Team C page
- 4.9.5 Team D page
- 4.10 Age and Position page
- 4.11 PLC as a Basis for Change page
- CONCLUSION page
- REFERENCES page
- APPENDICES page
1. INTRODUCTION
In our world change is inevitable, and therefore steps of action to meet changing needs are necessary. In the past decade there has been a growing interest in the Reggio Emilia philosophy of educating young children. This approach is highly regarded and acknowledged by educators and researchers world-wide (Gandini, 1993). The challenge of implementing the Reggio Emilia approach will be the choices a professional learning community has to make given what is actually feasible in their specific setting. The uniqueness of the status of the Reggio Emilia schools in Italy has to be acknowledged, and that there is no one to one implementation. A different sociocultural and political context leads to choices between paths to be taken and others to be passed by. The choices of change every individual will make will depend on the depth of understanding of the implementations to be introduced, the creativity of their strategies, the directions of their values, and the courage of their convictions (Hargreaves, 2000). Throughout the study it became clear that the Reggio Emilia pedagogies are personally driven, relying on personal initiative to make this approach happen to suit the contextual needs of the learning environment.
Surprisingly, considering the growing interest in the Reggio Emilia approach, and the complexity of implementations that accompany its introduction, there has been little research carried out to guide educators through this phase of change. This study will look into areas of change in an international school setting, induced by the implementation of the Reggio Emilia approach and its effects on the Early Learning Center (ELC) team members.
This study will start with a review of past events which led to the interest in the Reggio Emilia approach in the ELC team, to challenge the current status quo. After briefly juxtaposing the Reggio Emilia approach with the Primary Years Programme of the IB (IB PYP), influences affecting change will be discussed. A model which allows for a measurement of how change affects each team member will also be considered. This study will further highlight the role of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) as a prerequisite for change and its sustainability. Thereafter, five areas concerning the Reggio Emilia approach: the image of the child; the role of the teacher; the role of time; environment as a third teacher; projects and documentation will be analyzed in detail. The special role of an insider researcher will be explained, inter alia, in the research
● Projects are developed from the thoughts, questions and conversations of the children and implemented in team work, learning processes are documented and made visible. ● Education is seen as a shared task. Dialogue and exchange of all involved in the education are in the foreground.
After some weeks of ongoing verification of the criteria above, our school officially became part of Reggio Netzwerk Austria, the Austrian network of quality-certified Reggio-oriented educational institutions (Reggio Netzwerk Austria) at the beginning of the academic year 2018/19.
Our team could have stopped there but driven by a common Reggio Emilia inspiration we wanted to continue and deepen our understanding of this approach. It was clear for the whole team that the Reggio Emilia approach will not supersede the PYP but rather would enhance existing practice in the Early years’ education.
In the following chart I will juxtapose the Reggio Emilia approach with the PYP to show the many similarities as well as some minor deviations.
Table 1: Comparison Reggio Emilia approach versus PYP
Reggio Emilia PYP
children’s relationships with other children, teachers, parents and their classroom environment;
documentation of the children’s learning as a way to make their thinking and theorizing visible - and convey a strong image of an intelligent child;
project work, where children are engaged in explorations of their world, making choices about what they will investigate, alone and in collaboration with peers and teachers;
the many ways children express themselves, called the “100 languages” with a strong emphasis on the visual arts;
active listening, where children’s voices, thoughts and opinions are valued (as much as the teachers).
building strong relationships between students, teachers and their families; creating and maintaining responsive spaces for play; monitoring and documenting student’s learning and development for individual students and small groups;
inquiry through play is the main pedagogical approach to learning and teaching; an explicit focus on agency - voice, choice and ownership - will encourage active, inquiring students to take responsibility for their own learning; offering many opportunities for symbolic exploration and expression;
child-centered, encourages children to develop independence and to take responsibility for their own learning
curriculum: emergent curriculum – through children’s observation and interests
Time is not set by the clock – days have a sequence, but not a schedule
the school is designed in such a way to encourage desired behaviors and learning
curriculum: desired outcomes – the educator has free choice how to get there schedule: children follow a schedule every day; restrictive especially with specialist teachers (revised PYP principles in work, aiming at uninterrupted play!) the school creates flexible, inviting and intentional learning spaces that support agency, inquiry, physical and emotional well-being; international-mindedness through action, agency, languages, the learner profile and the shared responsibilities of the learning community; language is embedded throughout the learning community to support a school culture of language learning and international-mindedness; transdisciplinary
References Reggio Emilia: (Edwards, Gandini, and Formeman, 1998); (Stone, 2012); (Wardle, 2009); (Wurm, 2005); PYP – Principles into Practice pre-publication (ibo.org.,
2. RATIONALE
2.1 Introduction
This chapter gives a broad overview of literature concerning historical and theoretical underpinnings of both the Reggio Emilia approach as well as the PYP, juxtaposing approach versus programme. The underlying research question will be formulated, as well as the significance and purpose of this study. Further, influences affecting change, and the important role of the PLC are explained. A model to measure change in individuals will be introduced, followed by a brief literature review and explanation of all areas of change.
2.2 Historical and Theoretical Underpinnings
Reggio Emilia
2.3 Approach versus Programme
Both Malaguzzi’s approach and the IB programme are aimed at a progressive, child-centered, self-determined education. Whereas the IB programme is applicable worldwide, the Reggio Emilia approach is tailored for a special region in Italy with its historical and cultural background. Educators in Reggio Emilia do not follow any predetermined national framework and do not have any pre-specified goals formulated (Freeman, 2011).
The PYP is a well thought through programme which has been used internationally for 20 years and the IB celebrated its 50th^ birthday this year. It has a well-designed framework, which provides the main values, principles and goals for the curriculum but without clearly defining how these goals should be achieved. The PYP can be seen as a progression, trying to incorporate best practices from different models and approaches worldwide (ibo. Org., 2018).
2.4 Research Question
My research comprised the six months our work to improve our practice through the implementation of the Reggio approach. This occurred after the certificate was awarded to the school, and looked into the different fields of changes the teaching staff faced. These changes included
● the image of the child ● space and environment ● the role of the teacher ● the role of time ● projects and documentation
Looking at the fields of change in my research, following research question occurred:
How are teachers’ reactions in a professional learning community (PLC) to change, occurring through the implementation of the Reggio Emilia approach to the PYP programme in an international school setting?
2.5 Purpose and Significance of this Study
In a postmodern world, teachers are expected to be, and acknowledged as being the key factor in the successful implementation of change (Hargreaves, 1997). More than ever we live in times of global competitiveness, and this raises the question of how we prepare children for future challenges. Filling up children’s heads with subject based knowledge will not be enough anymore. Flexibility and learning from prior knowledge will be essential for a prosperous future. The Reggio Emilia approach with its historical as well as theoretical background offers such a framework (Rinaldi, 2010), hence, for some years now, there has been a growing interest in a Reggio Emilia inspired approach among early childhood educators (Wurm, 2005). Many schools, such as the one involved in this study, face implementation of practices in a different sociocultural and political context than those of the region where this approach originated. There is therefore the challenge not only of the change of practice itself but also the adaption of the approach to suit the contextual needs of their learning environment. Despite the growing interest in the Reggio Emilia approach and the complexity of implementation involved, there has been little research done in this field (Hall, 2013) nor in change in early childhood education in general (Hargreaves, 2008; Kilgallon, Maloney, and Lock, 2008). This study might add to the perpetual need of findings and suggestions in the field of educational change in the early years’ education.
The following section will cover educational change in general, followed by a more detailed view concerning the ELC at VIS’ situation within a professional learning community. The PLC will be explained in detail as it forms the basis for a common agreement to carry out the necessary changes.
2.6 Changes Leading to Better Practice
A philosopher promoted collective versus solitary activity, claimed that we learn and understand through arguing with others, and believed that educators should have a deep understanding of the well-being and future of their students. He also suggested that educators should be aware of the limits of their knowledge, which can be widened through dialogue and joint exploration, and that knowledge will not come from teaching but from questioning (infed.org.,2018). These views of teaching sound contemporary, and yet they are 2400 years old and come from Plato, a millennium before the
career have often already been challenged by many previous changes, and tend to spend their final years concentrating on their own classroom, believing that this is best practice. They are trying to save their energy and to follow self-interests rather than students’ needs. They tend to be more critical towards educational change and reform, having the feeling ‘they did it all already’ (ibid.). Mid-career teachers (6 to 20 years of practice) were most comfortable about their jobs and were open to change, even appreciating it but were selective about the change initiatives accepted.
Changes influenced by policymakers:
For almost 150 years, policymakers have tried to change teacher-centered classrooms into child-centered ones, promoting inquiry based and holistic learning, but except in the case of mainly private or affluent public schools, not much has changed (Cuban, 2013). Improving output and outcomes requires change (Hall, 2013) and often the what of teaching has, but when it comes to the pedagogies, the how , only minor changes can be detected (Cuban, 2013). Reformers believed, if they changed the teachers, they would automatically improve learning, confusing “teacher quality and the quality of teaching” (ibid., p. 114). Restrictions concerning change in our case could come from the ‘Stadtschulrat’ (city school board) and the ‘Schulinspektorat’ (school inspectorate), mainly relating to environmental changes and its approvals.
Before going into the different areas of change, which our team faced, I would like to highlight our - perhaps - privileged situation of being able to work within the framework of a professional learning community (PLC), followed by a short explanation of the CBAM (Concern Based Adoption Model), a model to measure and evaluate the change process.
2.7 Professional Learning Communities (PLC) – The Framework for
Change
Teacher PLCs play a central role in professional development to meet the requirements of a changing world (Vangrieken, Meredith, Packer, Kyndt, 2016), and are one of the frameworks to make change happen. The development of PLCs is highly respected within Reggio schools (Wrum, 2005). Hord and Sommers (2008) summed up the five most prominent characteristics of PLCs discussed in literature.
Supportive and shared leadership
Teachers and school leadership should work collaboratively towards academic improvement, including sharing ownership of the achievements. Teachers ability and authority to make decisions promotes positive change (Vescio, Ross, & Adams, 2008). The team in this study was given support from senior management and especially from the PYP coordinator, who organized meetings and professional development with the representative of Reggio Emilia in Austria.
Shared Values, visions and goals
PLC members try to pursue the PLC goals, sharing common views and values. The team goal was and remains focused on the implementation of the Reggio Emilia approach, and the individual goals for each team member reflect this. The opportunity to undertake this challenge was welcomed by all team members at the beginning of the school year.
Collective learning and application
Teachers continuously combine cognitive resources and apply resulting new knowledge and skills to improve their teaching (Stroll, Bolam, McMahon, Wallace, & Thomas, 2006). All team members were eager to share their findings, doubts and experiences concerning change through the implementation of the new approach. Relevant professional development is an ongoing process.
Shared individual practice
Collaboration and collective responsibility are central in the work of PLCs (Webb, Vulliamy, Sarja, Hämäläinen, & Poikonen, 2009). Teachers critically observed each other, modelled in a non-evaluative way, and talked and reflected collaboratively about their practice to further improve it.
Supportive conditions (both physical and emotional)
A supportive environment is essential to PLCs (Webb et. al, 2009). It was important for all team members to have a voice, to feel that their opinions were respected, and their contributions towards the goal mattered. Some team members found it harder than
Stages of concern (SoC )
Stages of concern address the personal side of each individual facing change, including feelings, perceptions, hopes, worries and thoughts before and during the process.
Levels of use (LoU)
Describes the different behavioral profiles of users and non-users within the team. There are eight levels of use defined, whereby team members who contribute nothing to the change will be non-users, moving through the eight steps to different levels of users depending on their input. It is important to mention that the LoU are about behavior and not about attitudes.
Innovation Configurations (IC)
IC describes a possible operational form of the change, including the review of materials and resources, bringing in experts to observe and evaluate the current situation with the team, to identify potential operational components and possible variations. As our team can be seen as a PLC we all took part in these stages.
Having covered some general issues about change, I will address specific areas of undergoing change while implementing more aspects of the Reggio Emilia approach into our international school setting in Austria. As mentioned before, the PYP programme is already very much in line with the Reggio Emilia approach, hence, I will not give a detailed profile of what the Reggio Emilia approach is comprised of. Instead I will focus on the work done by the team in collaboration with the Reggio Emilia representative of Austria into predefined areas to be considered for necessary changes. For the first half part of the academic year we gradually made changes relevant to the image of the child, the role of the teacher, the role of time, space and environment, as well as projects and documentation. These were all done in the light of the Reggio Emilia approach, and I will discuss how these changes affected our team members.
Again, the areas and literature review listed below do not show the full picture of how a Reggio Emilia inspired school should function, it rather shows some aspects of the Reggio Emilia approach, and there are other areas where the team still has work to do. This study assumed that certain implementations have already been carried out, and focused on current changes occurring due to the new implementations and effects of them on team members.
2.9 Areas of Change
2.9.1 The Image of the Child in Reggio Emilia
In Reggio Emilia every child is viewed as powerful, rich in potential and with a strong will to grow. Children are packed with curiosity and questions about the world. The children are further seen in relation to all the people surrounding them (parents, extended family, peers, teachers, community members) and observed daily (Wurm, 2005). Children are respected for their natural curiosity and their ability to come up with powerful theories about the world around them (Thornton & Bruton, 2015). Over time a ‘portrait of the child’ emerges without seeing the child encapsulated but as a whole, and especially in relation to people surrounding her. Children are in charge of their own learning, they decide individually or in groups how to spend time, discuss ideas, and find solutions together (ibid.). Starting from a very young age, children are encouraged to express themselves through graphic representations, using tools and various materials competently and skillfully. The display of the children’s work including powerful messages, is done with great care and is highly valued by the educators (Katz, 1998). Children in Reggio are further taught to be aware of their own wellbeing and to take responsibility for it (Wurm, 2005), by managing going to the toilet or getting dressed independently.
2.9.2 The role of the teacher in Reggio Emilia
“There is no creativity in the child if there is no creativity in the adult: the competent and creative child exists if there is a competent and creative adult” (Rinaldi, 2010, p. 91), a statement, which sounds challenging. What happens if children are insufficiently exposed to creativity? Research revealed that astonishingly 98% of the four to five year olds
Environment as a third teacher, next to family and teachers, follows the concept of organizing the environment in a way so children can manage their own learning (Wurm, 2005). It should further reflect and support school’s pedagogies (Fisher, 2005). Space is the unchangeable layout (floor plan) of the working area, whereas environment is the lived space with all its defined physical characteristics, its memories (Wurm, 2005), the children’s footprints over time. In Reggio all schools consist of an atelier, a kitchen, a ‘Piazza’ (group meeting place), classrooms with mini atelier, construction areas, dress up, reading areas, tables and bulletin boards (Wurm, 2005; Wardle, 2009). If there are doors between classrooms they should be left open, best, not to have walls at all between them (Wardle, 2009). Windows should be kept free and unblocked for a clear view to the outside (Wurm, 2005; DeViney, 2010), which can even increase productivity and health (Kahn, 1997).
At a young age, children’s sensory receptors are much more active than at a later stages of life (Rinaldi, 2010). For analyzing and distinguishing reality all senses are active, hence attention should be given to an environment equipped with different colors and lights, tactile, olfactory as well as auditory elements to stimulate all their senses (Rinaldi, 2010; DeViney, 2010). Within this environment, children are free to construct and design their own learning, not without being expected to be involved and engaged (Wurm, 2005).
It is further important to eliminate clutter to be able to highlight children’s work (DeViney, 2010) rather than fill it with purely decorative items. In Reggio, classrooms are filled with natural or living elements, such as rocks, twigs, shells, plants, flowers or fish to fill space with beauty (Gandini, 2008; Wurm, 2005) and to engage children in complex play for an extended period of time (Stacey, 2009).
The presence of a garden, especially in the Early Years, is a vital feature of the learning environment, giving children many real world learning opportunities (Thornton & Brunton, 2015), and consequently develop an esteem for nature and even enhance the process of children’s cognitive development (Charles, 2009; Profice, Santos and dos Anjos, 2016), self-esteem, self-discipline and problem solving capacities (Charles, 2009). To facilitate teacher’s partnership and collaboration, visual connections should be made to link the spaces and activities (Gandini, 2008). Children as well as teachers should have the possibility to see what’s going on next door and be exposed to more provocations, more experiences and educational exchange.
2.9.5 Projects and Documentation
“What children learn does not follow as an automatic result from what is taught, rather, it is in large part due to the children’s own doing, as a consequence of their activities and our resources.” – Loris Malaguzzi (in Wurm, 2005)
Projects play a major role in Reggio Emilia and emerge directly from the environment in which the children work:
● environmental projects – e.g. construction area ● daily life projects – e.g. interest in plants, animals ● small side projects, initiated by the space or creative materials at hand ● self-managed projects – e.g. experiments with lights and mirrors
Often the environment functions as a third teacher, supporting children’s learning and interaction without constant adult interventions (Wurm, 2005). Stimulating materials, displayed in a beautiful and orderly way captivate children’s attention (Thornton & Bruton, 2015) and lead to creative interpretations of children’s view of the world. Schools in Reggio are especially fond of natural and recycled materials, collected by community members (Gandini, 2008). Children are innately interested in the possibilities materials have to offer, they interact and explore with them and hence communicate through them, and make meaning of their world. Materials become tools thought which children are able to express their understanding and construct of the world (Gandini, 2008).
In Reggio, great value is given to group learning (Seryl, 2014), where children exchange each other’s prior knowledge and experiences to solve complex problems, and by this means extend their own understanding (Thornton & Brunton, 2015; Vygotsky, 1978). Every child is engaged in a project in one way or another, through expressing ideas, negotiating, problem and conflict solving or listening to peer’s ideas (Thornton & Brunton, 2015).
Documentation in Reggio offers the teacher and students a unique opportunity to revisit their work, and to re-listen to it, presented by the teacher, both individually and in collaboration with others. It is further a fundamental support for self- and group evaluation of children’s hypotheses and theories. Through documentation children are
