Research on Two Education Theories for Young Students: Reggio Emilia Schools & Forest Kindergartens
Article “What Are Reggio Emilia Schools" by Katherine Hobson
Quotes:
His approach springs from the notion that young children are capable of initiating their own learning, a philosophy that came to share the name of the region.
Instead, children follow their own interests within a framework of activities directed by the teachers.
In that way, the curriculum emerges organically as opposed to top-down, in partnership with the children, and within the context of the community.
One thing you’ll hear from pretty much anyone involved with the Reggio-Emilia approach is that, after parents and teachers, “the environment is the third teacher.” Classroom layouts are carefully planned to encourage interaction between those in the classroom and with the outdoors, and to be open-ended, offering many options for exploration. “Everything in the schools should be facilitating encounters between children or between children and teachers,”
“Literacy and math learning are all embedded,” said Racoosin. “Will a child learn a letter of the week? No. Will they learn about literacy? Oh yes.”
“The Italians have said to us: Once children develop certain skills and concepts such as empathy or critical thinking, that’s something that no one can take away,”
Thoughts:
This school feels like even though it has “few rules” it has a lot of adult intervention. I am interested in more moments of freedom and self-directed playful and engaging moments in education.
The thing I think is really interesting here is that “the environment [of the classroom] is the 3rd teacher”. I think this quote is really exciting and interesting.
Article “Kindergarten, Naturally” by Timothy Walker
The Forest Kindergarten
Quotes
For these 5- and 6-year-olds, this forest is their kindergarten classroom—nearly 80 percent of the time.
She described this approach as “secret” learning, when children are unaware that they’re learning academic content. In the forest, these Finnish educators might lead the children to find sticks of varying lengths and organize them from shortest to longest, form letters out of natural materials, or count mushrooms.
This publically funded forest kindergarten launched several weeks ago, so regular routines are still being developed, but I was curious to hear about its daily schedule. Pelo told me that it largely depends on the day, because they provide the children with a lot of leeway to pursue their own interests, which means that they hold their own teaching plans loosely. Typically, the children have two hours of daily free play in the woods. They set aside time for lunch. Even though the children lack access to toys and electronics, they’ve never reported that they’re bored in the forest, according to Pelo. “But when the winter comes,” she said, “we’ll see.” (Like other forest kindergartens in Europe, this group plans to meet outside rain or shine, even when the temperature plummets.)
He simply stared at the brook, listening to its constant gurgling. Then after a few minutes, he pulled himself up and crossed to the other side of the water. The boy wasn’t bored, I corrected myself. He was simply resting.
“The research strongly suggests that time in nature can help many children learn to build confidence in themselves; reduce the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, calm children, and help them focus,” Richard Louv, the author of Last Child in the Woods
Improved cognitive functioning, Louv added, has been associated with nature-based learning for years.
Time spent in nature, according to Louv, is “obviously not a cure-all” for children, however, he suggested to me that something like a forest kindergarten could “be an enormous help, especially for kids who are stressed by circumstances beyond their control.”
On a forest day at the Ottauquechee School, the kindergarten teacher and the forest teacher start inside with the kindergartners. Usually, there’s a “focusing question” on the board, such as “What do we get that comes from trees?” and a few minutes for students to journal about what they want to do in the woods.
Once they complete the short hike to their forest classroom, the children visit their “sit spots,” where they’ll remain for five to 15 minutes in relative solitude, carefully observing their slice of the woods. During this time, the kindergartners sometimes make “fairy houses” or use sticks to drum quietly. Afterward, the teachers call the children together, where they predict the temperature, based on their senses. Then the kindergartners engage in about an hour of free play. Both Minnucci and Teachout lauded the benefits of this unstructured time, in which the kindergartners are often building, problem-solving, and doing a lot of physical activity as they develop their fine and gross motor skills.
Interesting Keywords:
Nature-based education
Nature-deficit disorder
Look into:
Documentary “Schools Out”
Thoughts:
I love this idea! There are moments of structure, but those have specific boundaries. The majority (or at least half) of the outdoor time is committed to self-directed or group play. And, in my opinion, then “indirect learning” or as they say in the article “secret learning”. These are the lessons that you learn by intereacting with physical space, moving around, being with other people, observing, having time to create and be independent. I love the Forest Kindergarten.