With a little help from their teachers, preschool-aged students in the Sturgeon School District are setting their own agenda this year.
“It’s student centred learning,” said Sturgeon Heights principal Garnet Goertzen, who explained that this is the second year the preschoolers at his school have learned as their teachers used the new Reggio Emilia influenced style of learning.
“The philosophy grew out of a town in Italy called Reggio Emilia. The best way to understand it, is to realize that the kids determine what they learn,” Goertzen said.
At the pre-school stage the focus is on nature and the Sturgeon Heights learning garden provided the perfect environment for the children to ask questions about seeds and bugs. As they asked questions, the teachers tried to help them find the answers.
“The program is inquiry based and the children may learn more about the environment in a garden than they do in classroom with mono-coloured walls. They learn because they are engaged,” said Goertzen.
Lana Kuntz, who teaches the Sturgeon Heights Headstart program to children aged three to five, was amazed to see how far last year’s students went when challenged.
“We studied garbage and because the children had so many questions about garbage, they went on a tour with the caretaker to see what happens to the garbage in our school. Next they wanted to know what happens to garbage in the real world, so one day the garbage truck came and our preschoolers saw the garbage truck. They saw what happens to the apple core after they finish eating it, “ she said.
Another inquiry-based project centred on Chinese New Year themes.
“The students asked how it would feel to be in a parade if you were in a Chinese dragon costume. So five kids made a costume. They used a laundry basket for the head and twin bed sheets and a broom,” she said.
When Kuntz explains the Reggio Emilia concept to parents, she asks them to imagine a game of catch.
“I throw a ball but I’m not sure where it’s going to go. So I throw out ideas and the kids throw back questions. Then I support them in finding the answers,” she said.
The trick is to make her questions open ended so that the children respond with their own imaginative queries.
“We cannot be scared to give them new knowledge and we have to learn not to feel limited. We have to let go of preconceived ideas about what they need to learn. It’s also an opportunity to teach and let them try new technology such as YouTube, or videos,” said Kasie Hoffman, who teaches the preschool enrichment program at Sturgeon Heights School.
One topic that Hoffman taught last year was called Under Sea. To her amazement, questions about dolphins led her preschoolers on a search for information about how the mammals use echo-location techniques.
“I was not prepared for the depth of their questions. They were very curious. As they learned about dolphins, they also learned the curriculum. They learned their letters and numbers, too,” she said.
The Reggio Emilia program is one more learning tool, but both teachers stressed it is not the only one.
“Our program is Reggio Emilia influenced from Italy, but we are in Canada and there are things to celebrate and learn about here, too, such as things about our weather. We’re learning together and technology is leading that way,” Hoffman said, adding that as the children get older, the new system will follow them through, allowing them to explore at the same time as they learn the Alberta curriculum.
The Reggio Emilia based programs are also being introduced this year in the preschool at Morinville Public Elementary School and in the kindergarten at Namao School.
