via Sir Ken Robinson

Hip Hop Genius: Remixing High School Education from sam seidel on Vimeo.

(click on the video which will lead you to vimeo for details/credits)

For teachers of Early Childhood Education who are familiar with the Reggio Educational Approach and Philosophy which insists that children learn readily from their environment, and therefor the environment is the ‘third’ teacher’, The Diana Municipal Preschool is a mecca, so to speak.

Below is an overview of the Diana Municipal Preschool in Reggio Emilia, Italy from ‘Imagine’.

‘Imagine’ is “a database which captures school design best practice from around the world.” Case studies are selected, researched and written by a core team of architects and researchers and serve as an academic resource and research base, applicable in the practice of design, planning and construction of schools.

“The Reggio Emilia schools were established after the 2nd World War by communities who took the opportunity to redesign and rebuild their approach to preschool education in the city. Parents literally used the rubble of destroyed buildings to create learning environments whose focus was to allow children the opportunity to experience life through sensory investigation. The design of the school buildings is aimed to link inside and outside, creating an environment where ‘osmosis’ between enclosed and open spaces could occur. The buildings and pedagogy were considered and developed at the same time, each reinforcing the other.”

View full case study here

“This programme explores the Swedish approach to nursery education. What is the secret to their success? What factors combine to help Swedish children perform so well in European literacy tables?”

via Teacher TV – such a great resource – so many informative videos available here, take some time to explore their site and pass it along…

I just can’t get enough of Growing Schools. I am so thankful that this organizations has the will and the ability to share their projects with us online. Inspiring, educational and fun.

Watch more videos from Growing Schools on their YouTube Channel

Building, Designing, Exploring, Imagining, Teaching, Thinking

“A cheerleader of possibility, Public Workshop is dedicated to helping individuals, schools and communities achieve great things through design. We create projects, tools and events that help people positively change the places they live, work and play.”

…in Reggio Emilia, Italy, July 4-17, 2010 for 100 participants.

The main contents of The Summer School will be:

“- The principles of the educational project- Infant Toddler Centres and preschools, Istituzione of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia.
- Experiences of theories and practice in dialogue
- The school seen as a system of interactions and relationships
- Analysis of research projects
- Encounters with teachers, pedagogistas and atelieristas
- Parents participation in the life of the school
- The experience of the preschools and continuity with the primary school
- The hundred languages of children. Expressive and cognitive learning
- Exhibitions seen as professional development tools
- Atelier Ray of Light, Atelier of Water and Energy. Visits and workshops
- The cultural project of the International Centre Loris Malaguzzi
- Reggio Children and the role of International Networks
- Friends of Reggio Children International Association
- The town, the community, the early childhood services in Reggio Emilia
- Encounters with local administratoris, politicians, city council members
- Projects in collaboration with Univerisities
- The Italian Educational System
- Experiences from the World: dialogues and conversations with the participants

The programme will be developed through lectures, power point presentations,
plenary sessions, workshops, hands-on, working in groups, role playing,
projection of video clips, analisys of documentation tools, making the learning
visible: workshop in motion.

The two weeks will be in English. The participants are expected to have a good knowledge of the language in order to facilitate exchanges among them and to support active interactions and communications.”

DOWNLOAD PDF

…currently on my list of things to “try to do” this summer

“The African Children’s Choir™ is made up of some of the neediest and most vulnerable children in their countries. Many have lost one or both parents to poverty or disease. The African Children’s Choir™ helps these children break away from the everyday cycle of poverty and hopelessness.”

“Education is the key to positive change for Africa. Hoping to break the cycle of poverty, families make great sacrifices to send their children to school. However, most schools in Africa are poorly equipped, quite often with a student–to–teacher ratio of 100 to 1. As they come from some of the most needy families, the African Children’s Choir™ is committed to helping Choir children physically, spiritually, emotionally and academically, giving each child an opportunity to reach their God-given potential.”

Michael K. Stone and Center for Ecoliteracy.

“Throughout the United States, a movement of educators, parents, and students is remaking K-12 education to prepare students for the future environmental challenges. What would a green school or an eco-schooling curriculum look like? Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability offers firsthand accounts and strategies for greening campuses, rethinking school food, and transforming schools into model sustainable communities.
Green and healthy campuses with rooftop gardens and innovative designs are serving as living laboratories in which educators teach energy conservation, resource management, and earth sciences.

Smart by Nature documents this movement through inspiring success stories from public and independent schools across the country. Practical “what you can do” checklists and pages of resources make this a twenty-first-century guide for our educational future.”

Africa today: “Women and children walk an average of 6 miles a day to collect water. 1 child dies every 15 seconds due to the lack of clean drinking water. More than 10 million children die every year from preventable illnesses. 270 million children have no access to public health services.”

Design For The Children “is an open, international design competition asking architects and designers from around the world to develop a sustainable, culturally responsive, pediatric clinic model for East Africa.”

Competition is closed. View the winner here.

I have discovered the Resource Room @ Kids Can Press and I just can’t get enough. You have to become a member, but it is free – choose the “K to 3″ option and when it comes time to select a category, preschool shows up in the search.