“From the beginning, children demonstrate that they have a voice, know how to listen and want to be listened to by others. School should be a place where first and foremost it is a “context of multiple listening” involving the teachers and children both individually and as a group”¹. This gives children (and adults) the ability to explain, to negotiate, to recognise that there are many different solutions to one problem; to give up one’s own idea in recognition that perhaps someone else has a better solution than yours and most importantly, the ability to be able to use the ideas and theories of others, to help consolidate your own understandings.

Every year, we choose, in a democratic way, a new idea or big concept. This year the concept of “place” became the lens through which our investigations began. The focus of an investigation provides a vehicle for achieving a much larger intent. The investigation should provoke children to develop theories and strategies and to test those theories in collaboration with others.

Any concept or idea we have involves choices. An important consideration with which our teachers begin is the motivation behind those choices. Why are we choosing to research a particular aspect of our work?

Among the many choices we made was one fundamental for the future; the identity, the reality, and the image we give to children and their education.

We encouraged our children and teachers to challenge their thinking, to ask questions without knowing the answers and to revisit ideas and thoughts in different ways. There is evidence that teachers, whose image of the child values collaborative relationships, creates rich learning for children and one another.

The writing of our journal was, as always, a profoundly rich period of professional development and exchange as we explored the structure of the context offered. The stories in this journal are not investigations in their entirety but rather small vignettes, part of the process, from each level as well as from cross class groups. Each investigation is documented through the recording of discussions and reflections by the children and their teachers, through photographs and other ‘languages’. This documentation is fundamental to our work with our children. It makes their thinking, often very complex, visible and open to evaluation and interpretation. In this journal the children’s words are italicised, and many of the articles are prefaced by their own words.

“When you make learning visible, you make it exist, real, shareable, the starting point for democracy”²

Click on the links below to access the classes:

BCC Aleph and Bet 2024 BCC Gimmel 2024 BCC Dalet 2024

Kinder 3 Aleph  Kinder 3 Bet     Kinder 3 Gimmel

Kinder 4 Aleph        Kinder 4 Bet       Kinder 4 Gimmel

Prep Aleph             Prep Bet              Prep Gimmel

Year 1 Aleph           Year 1 Bet          Year 1 Gimmel      

Prep/Year 1 Jewish Studies

References

1. Giudici, C., Rinaldi, C., Krechevsky, M., Barchi, P. and Harvard Project Zero (2001). Making learning visible : children as individual and group learners. Reggio Emilia, Italy: Reggio Children.
2. Giudici, C., Rinaldi, C., Krechevsky, M., Barchi, P. and Harvard Project Zero (2001). Making learning visible : children as individual and group learners. Reggio Emilia, Italy: Reggio Children.

“What is unique about learning is its dedication to possibility. When we human beings learn, the act of learning carries us beyond what we have encountered and propels us into the realm of the possible. The human learning process is not simply about acquiring knowledge about what we have encountered: it is dedicated to going beyond the information given. There is no other species on the face of the earth so dedicated to the pursuit of the possible.” Jerome Bruner  

The thought behind the whole ELC immersing themselves with one idea, is because of a willingness to create relationships and connections amongst the staff; to develop an even stronger community where everyone has a sense of belonging.

The big idea of ’Magic’ became the catalyst for our whole ELC investigation during 2023.

Documenting what has been observed in our work together with the children is fundamental to our approach. It represents a tool for exchange; for sharing and valuing different points of view.

When we talk about making the processes of learning visible, we are constantly aware of the importance of reflection, analysis, interpretation and discussion by the teachers as a rich source of professional development. The documentation is fundamental to our work with our children. It makes the thinking, often very complex, visible, and open to evaluation and interpretation. We encourage our children and teachers to challenge their thinking, to ask questions without knowing the answers and to revisit their ideas and thoughts in new ways in an effort to launch and relaunch our investigations.

The investigations in our journal have taken place during 2023 and are examples of what can be achieved during collaborative group learning. Each one is authentic and purposeful. An investigation may have been fairly short, or may have continued over many months and may still be ongoing. What follows are not investigations in their entirety but are rather small vignettes, part of the processes, from every classroom in the Early Learning Centre.

The words of the children are written in italics, and many of the articles are prefaced by the words of the children. It is our hope that in reading this journal you will be able to construct your own meanings and questions as active participants of this process.

Click on the links below to access the classes:

Creche Aleph          Creche Bet          Creche Gimmel        Creche Dalet

Kinder 3 Aleph Kinder 3 Bet     Kinder 3 Gimmel

Kinder 4 Aleph        Kinder 4 Bet       Kinder 4 Gimmel

Prep Aleph             Prep Bet              Prep Gimmel

Year 1 Aleph           Year 1 Bet          Year 1 Gimmel      

Prep/Year 1 Jewish Studies

The Concept of Connection.

Loris Malaguzzi, founder of the Reggio approach, believed that the challenge facing children today is to think how to interconnect. He stated that “this is the watchword for the present and the future – a word that we need to understand deeply and in all its forms. We need to do so keeping in mind that we live in a world made not of separate islands but of networks…”

After the last 2 years of lockdowns, the concept of “Connection” became the catalyst for our whole ELC investigation during 2022. Any concept or idea we have involves choices. The choice of this concept was chosen for its endless possibilities and not one prescribed outcome. We hoped that each investigation in each room would be authentic, a source of deep learning which would offer opportunities for children to engage in thoughtful ways.

Our children come to school asking questions. We observe and listen to the children because when they ask ‘why’ they are not simply expecting an answer from us. They are requesting the opportunity to find out for themselves. This attitude of a child means that they are real researchers. It is possible to destroy this attitude of research of our children with our quick answers and our certainty. We believe children ‘act’ upon the world in order to know it. Knowledge comes from actions which have been internalized. This construction and co-construction of knowledge is central to the Reggio Emilia approach. The role of the educator is to legitimise the children’s curiosity and knowledge.

As adults, we first explored the concept we were bringing to the children. We predicted and anticipated ideas as well as developed some questions. This research and planning by the adults both prior and throughout the investigation is critical to its success.

Our professional learning and planning allow a complex and interactive process in which teacher reflection and collaboration is viewed with the utmost importance. In fact, the process is parallel to the way that we see our children learning. Documentation as well as all the materials produced during observation is also of importance to our children as they can interpret and reinterpret their own experiences. Our seminar meetings give opportunity for teachers to share their documentation with others and to reflect, question and learn from the different perspectives of the other teachers in the group.

The investigations in this journal have taken place during 2022. What follows are not investigations in their entirety, but rather small vignettes, part of the process, from each level, as well as cross class groups in the Early Learning Centre. The investigations may have spanned a few weeks, months or even a year and some are still ongoing. Each investigation is documented through the recording of discussions and reflections by the children and their teachers, and through photographs and other languages. In this journal the children’s words are italicised, and many of the articles are prefaced by their own words.

“How complex are children’s ways of building knowledge, therefore how complex are the ways of capturing it.” (Reggio Emilia)

Click on the links below to access the classes:

Creche Aleph          Creche Bet          Creche Gimmel        Creche Dalet

Kinder 3 Aleph Kinder 3 Bet         Kinder 3 Gimmel 

Kinder 4 Aleph        Kinder 4 Bet         Kinder 4 Gimmel

Prep Aleph              Prep Bet              Prep Gimmel      

Year 1 Aleph           Year 1 Bet           Year 1 Gimmel         

Year 1 Jewish Studies

Beginnings…

The concept of “beginnings” became the catalyst for our whole ELC investigation during 2021. Any concept or idea we have involves choices. An important consideration with which our educators begin is the motivation behind those choices. Why are they choosing to research a particular aspect of their work?

When initially discussing the concept of beginnings, one of our educators asked “If we talk about beginnings, does that mean there was nothing there before?”

As adults, we first explored the concept we were bringing to the children. We predicted and anticipated ideas as well as developed some questions. This research and planning by the adults both prior and throughout the investigation is critical to its success.

The idea behind the whole ELC immersing themselves into one concept “beginnings” was because of a willingness to create relationships and connections amongst the staff, to develop an even stronger community where everyone has a sense of belonging.

The choice of concept was chosen for its endless possibilities and not one outcome. We hoped that each investigation would be authentic, a source of deep learning and would offer opportunities for children to engage in joyful ways. The importance of the connection between theory and practice cannot be underestimated. According to Malaguzzi, the separation of practice and theory within education impoverishes both. He uses a metaphor of riding a bicycle: “to go forward we have to push both pedals and maintain balance: one pedal represents theory: the other practice. Pushing only one pedal does not get us far”.

Our professional learning and planning allows a complex and interactive process in which teacher reflection and collaboration is viewed with the utmost importance. In fact, the process is parallel to the way that we see our children learning. Our seminar meetings give opportunity for teachers to share their documentation with others and to reflect, question and learn from the different perspectives of the other teachers in the group. This documentation is the foundation for the planning and reflecting that occurs in these meetings

2021 has again been a year of COVID disruption. At times during the year we have asked ourselves what future we have before us. We know that much will depend on choices we make and, on the awareness we develop as to the values and ethics that guide these choices. Among the many choices to be made, one will be fundamental for the future; the identity, the reality, and the image we give to children and their education. Despite lockdowns rich learning took place through digital Bialik. The results have culminated in our Windows into Children’s Thinking journal.

The investigations in this journal have taken place during 2021. What follows are not investigations in their entirety, but rather small vignettes, part of the process, from each level, as well as cross class groups in the Early Learning Centre. The investigations may have spanned a few weeks, months or even a year and some are still ongoing. Each investigation is documented through the recording of discussions and reflections by the children and their teachers, and through photographs and other languages. “How complex are children’s ways of building knowledge, therefore how complex are the ways of capturing it.” (Reggio Emilia)

The documentation allows for reflection and revisiting by the teachers and the children who were part of the investigation or by another group of children or teachers. It will reflect the many languages the children use as they describe their theories and make sense of their world such as the written, spoken and expressive languages.

In this journal the children’s words are italicised, and many of the articles are prefaced by their own words.

Click on the links below to access the classes:

Creche Aleph          Creche Bet          Creche Gimmel        Creche Dalet

Creche Hey

Kinder 3 Bet         Kinder 3 Gimmel 

Kinder 4 Aleph        Kinder 4 Bet         Kinder 4 Gimmel

Prep Aleph              Prep Bet              Prep Gimmel      

Prep Jewish Studies 2021

Year 1 Aleph           Year 1 Bet           Year 1 Gimmel         

Year 1 Jewish Studies 2021

 “Children can give us the strength of doubt and the courage of error. They can transmit to us the joy of searching and researching…the value of research, as an openness toward others and toward everything new that is produced by the encounter with others.” Carla Rinaldi

The idea behind the whole ELC immersing themselves into one overarching research question is because of a willingness to create relationships and connections amongst the staff; to develop an even stronger community where everyone has a sense of belonging. It is also to recognise school wide research as professional development.

Our ELC investigation this year “Crossing Boundaries” was chosen at the end of 2019 long before the challenges of 2020. More…

Click on the links below to access the classes:

Creche Aleph          Creche Bet          Creche Gimmel        Creche Dalet  

Kinder 3 Aleph        Kinder 3 Bet         Kinder 3 Gimmel 

Kinder 4 Aleph        Kinder 4 Bet         Kinder 4 Gimmel

Prep Aleph              Prep Bet              Prep Gimmel          Prep Cross Class 

Year 1 Aleph           Year 1 Bet           Year 1 Gimmel         

Year 1 Cross Class  Year 1 Jewish Studies 2020