One hundred languages refers to the Reggio Emilia’s emphasis on offering children one hundred ways to share their thinking.  Children learn in different ways and the one hundred languages offer different means to learn, including talking, writing, drawing, painting, wire sculpture, clay modeling, dancing, acting, representing with recyclable, manmade materials or natural materials.  Teachers at this school are inspired to find new ways for children to express themselves.  One hundred languages is further explained as it is the name of a poem by Loris Malaguzzi and also part of a reference book title.

The three subjects within the Reggio Emilia approach are the children, parents/guardians and the teachers.  These three subjects together support the learning within the school community. Each subject plays a role in learning and supporting the school community. From the website: For children to learn, their well-being has to be guaranteed; such well-being is connected with the well-being of parents and teachers. Children, parents and teachers have rights; the right to safety, care and welfare, the right to be involved and the right to grow professionally.

Afternoon Meeting or originally Morning Meeting, is a gathering of families, children and teachers to build a sense of community. It occurs at the beginning or now end of the day as a way of easing the transition between home and school. This short, 10-15 minute meeting offers a natural conversation among parents and teachers. The Afternoon Meeting provides an opportunity to connect as a total group as well as individually, to influence the state of learners, to provide a venue for performances, to incorporate music, movement, greetings and announcements.

The ball toss is a visual representation of a classroom study.  It is designed to map the course of a study throughout the year.  It looks like a t-chart with headings labeled “Provocation: Teachers’ Perspective” and “Outcome: Children’s perspective.”  Teachers record what they plan for children and how the children respond. This back and forth nature is the basis for new planning and resembles a ball being thrown back and forth.  The ball toss events can also be found on teacher’s emergent forms and in portions on holding boards.  Click here for further information.

Collaboration and cooperation are intentional in a school inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to education. The entire system is designed to be connected and in relationship. Nothing is left to sit in isolation. Everything is alive and connected. Children, teachers and families join together to continually improve the system that supports our school community. At our school, collaboration is modeled within leadership, teaching teams, classrooms and the Family Team.

This term, often referred to as C.P., is the name of weekly meetings where the entire staff gathers to discuss study topics, problem solving and reflection on our teaching approach.  It is planned by the principal with input from the Pedagogista.  All staff members are encouraged to bring up topics to be placed on the agenda.  It is facilitated by the principal.  These meetings currently take place on Thursdays from 3:30-5:00 p.m.

The Cycle of Inquiry is the foundation in which teachers and children work together at the school. It is a process which combines wonder, listening, documenting and new understanding about learning among children and teachers. This process occurs frequently and informs pedagogy. The cycle begins with a framing question or a provocation (child or adult instigated), followed by observing, recording and collecting of artifacts by the teacher. Next, teachers collaboratively reflect on children’s work and analyze to arrive at new theories, inform planning and new framing questions. The cycle continues to spiral as projects emerge and learning occurs.

Good communication is critical for excellent teamwork and healthy relationships. The GRCDC has developed a process for questions and concerns to be resolved in the best interest of our students, staff, and families. The GRCDC follows these protocols to facilitate positive communication – in all forms –throughout our school community.

  1. Seek to understand: Perceived disagreements are often not disagreements at all, rather misunderstandings or the result of incomplete information. Make sure you have investigated the situation by asking questions of the person best qualified to answer them. A respectful and informative conversation can solve most of what might be perceived as problems.
  2. Engage in Open Communication: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Communicate constructively, explaining what you would like to see rather than what you do not want. Confidentiality and discretion are important. Communication should be open, forthright, and respectful. In disagreement or conflict, speak directly to the person with whom you disagree and who can help resolve the problem.
  3. Seek out the right person, using established protocol: Use the following format to identify the right person to answer your question or hear your concern. If you are not able to resolve a concern at the first step, please proceed to the second and so on.

A Discovery is a classroom team taught by highly qualified staff: two teachers and a paraprofessional. Each Discovery is designed to include two grade levels to create strong relationships, cultivate leadership and provide opportunities for children to teach each other.  Current enrollment helped to decide the Discovery configurations for 2012-13.

  • Discovery A is a kindergarten and first grade classroom
  • Discovery B is a kindergarten and first grade classroom
  • Discovery C is a first and second grade classroom
  • Discovery D is a second and third grade classroom
  • Discovery E is a third and fourth grade classroom
  • Discovery F is a fourth and fifth grade classroom

Documentation is a means to collect information, observations and learning. It can be in the form of observations, photography, video, conversation transcripts and/or visual mediums like paint, wire, clay or drawing materials. Teachers use documentation to identify strengths, ideas, and next steps to support learning. Documentation can be found on holding boards throughout classrooms or in its final form as panels or books.

Emergent Curriculum is a way of teaching and learning that requires teachers to observe and listen to the children. Teachers ask questions and listen for the children’s ideas, hypotheses and theories. After observing children in action, the teachers compare, discuss, and interpret their observations. Teachers plan activities, studies and long term projects in the classroom based on their observations. Teachers partner with children and the exchange of theories are referred to as the Cycle of Inquiry. Teachers use their interpretations, intentions and goals (social, emotional and academic) to make choices that they share with children. Learning is seen not as a linear process but as a spiraling progression.

Often referred to as the emergent form, this 8 ½ x 14 piece of paper is the tool that teachers use to reflect on work with the children.  It is typically filled out each time a teaching team reflects on work and always during reflective meetings every other week.  The emergent form is organized to capture important pieces of the emergent curriculum:

  1. Reflection and summary based on documentation review
  2. Grouping of children: Intentionally thinking about who, what and why?
  3. Brainstorms: Future ways to support and expand on children’s interests. This is the place to list all ideas that come up and the list can be later revised.
  4. Planned Provocations: Revisiting documentation, challenges and experiences as next steps.  This is the place to list what you plan to do in the classroom.
  5. Hypothesize: Teachers hypothesize what could happen, the outcomes of the planned provocations.  This process helps teachers refine and plan how to set up experiences for children.
  6. Preparation and Organization: Looking at the environment and materials to support learning experiences.
  7. Learning Outcomes: This is the space where teachers record possible connections with Common Core standards and/or developmental milestones.

Click here for more information.

The space within the school or the environment is considered the third teacher. Teachers intentionally organize, support and plan for various spaces for children. The daily schedules are planned to ensure that there is a balance between individual, small and large group activities, child directed and teacher initiated activity and inside as well as outside experiences. The hallways and bathrooms belong to children and may hold children’s work and places to learn rather than just a passage way for traveling.

The Family Team is the GRCDC’s version of a PTA or PTO or organization to include families within the life of the school. All parents are automatically included in the Family Team.  It is a group of parents that meets monthly to provide the organizing structure for a parent or guardian to become involved at the school.  All parents are always welcome to attend the meetings. It is the place to bring ideas and get connected to the school.  School staff, including the School and Family Services coordinator and the Pedagogista, attends all Family Team meetings as a way to connect staff and families.The Family Team’s purpose is to support the theory of the Reggio Emilia approach to education, which includes the rights of families to support the welfare of all children in the school:

  • To be actively involved in the daily life of the school
  • To realize the mission for the school
  • To provide opportunities for involvement  and collaboration with staff
  • To join in a partnership with teachers and community to build a quality school

“Friend” is the term that most teachers use when referring to their students.

The Hive is a room within the school to collect recyclable materials. Its mission is to foster meaningful experiences through finding, collecting, sorting and transforming reusable material found in the surrounding environment. The Hive has several purposes, including: To reuse materials, encourage creativity, highlight artists who reuse materials, to be cost effective producers, not consumers, explore a constructivist type of thinking, encourage the celebration of diversity, to transform ideas through materials and to provide resources for classrooms. The Hive is located on the lower floor in the southeast corner off the gym. The room is organized into six categories: Wood, Plastic, Paper, Fabric, Glass and Metal. Each classroom is in charge of managing one area of the Hive throughout the year.

A holding board is a bulletin board that follows work of the children and adults.  Holding boards are in each area of classrooms, outside each classroom and in the hallways.  It is a place for teachers to share information with families, trace studies.

Children are viewed as competent, curious, full of knowledge, potential, and interested in connecting to the world around them. Teachers are deeply aware of children’s potentials and construct all of their work and environment of the children’s experience to respond appropriately.

Inclusion is the foundation for meeting children’s academic needs at the Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center. Rather than have a special education classroom, our philosophy seeks to provide instruction within the classroom or least restrictive environment.  A team of general education teachers and highly qualified special education providers together set and assess goals and implement strategies designed for success.   If deemed appropriate by the team and the individualized goals, instruction may be carried out within small groups or individually.

Paraprofessionals are all highly qualified and work in collaboration with the Discovery teaching teams. The paraprofessionals offer academic support throughout the school, focusing on the areas of greatest need.

The Pedagogista elevates the Reggio Emilia philosophy within school culture. The role uses professional development, collaboration and coaching as means to support leadership, teachers and families. In collaboration with the Principal, the Pedagogista discusses observations, professional development, staff meetings and providing feedback for staff evaluations. The Pedagogista guides teachers to understand the Reggio Emilia principles by attending weekly reflective meetings, observing in classrooms and individualized pedagogy support. The Pedagogista also functions as a liaison for connecting support staff, the Board and Family Team in the Reggio Emilia philosophy.

A portfolio is a collection of a child’s work carefully selected throughout the years the child attends the school. Each year new work is added and the collection becomes a tool for observing learning and progress in academic, social and developmental domains. The portfolio serves many purposes as it is enjoyed by children, parents, peers and teachers; these purposes include:

  • Communicating experiences and learning
  • Demonstrating the learning process, thinking and problem solving
  • Assessment: paper/pencil and authentic
  • Offering children, teachers, parents opportunity to wonder
  • Reflection and to develop self-awareness and self esteem
  • To demonstrate quality

Staff members created the following guidelines in collaboration with parents to help intentionally select work for the portfolio: Work will show uniqueness, can demonstrate learning: success or failure, can be an end product or process, can show patterns of growth, improvement and milestones. The work can include subject area curriculum, real life experiences, awards or performances. Teachers sort and label each portfolio piece with one of two category descriptors: How I Learn or Who I Am. Labels also include the child’s name, date and a short description about why it was selected for the portfolio.

Portfolio Day is a day dedicated to elevating the image of the child and connecting the three subjects: children, parents and teachers. Each family is given a carefully selected 90 minute time period to join 3-5 other families to look at portfolio work. Teachers prepare the environment and portfolios ahead of time. Children and their parents take time to pull all work out of the portfolio, sort it and reflect: Who am I? How do I learn? Portfolio Day concludes with time for families to view portfolio pieces of other children, reflect on the learning of children in general and offer observations. Staff believes this elevates the work of all children and helps parents see their role in securing the welfare of all children within the school community.

Projects provide the backbone of the children’s and teachers’ learning experiences. They are based on the strong convictions that learning by doing is of great importance and that group discussion, revisiting experiences and theories is the premier way of learning.  Through emergent curriculum and the cycle of inquiry, teachers identify a meaningful context or project for children to address Common Core standards, social development and collaboration. Project ideas come from experiences of the children and teachers, a chance event or problem posed. They can last from a few days to several months. (Gandini, 2002)

The Reflective Meeting is a time to examine children’s work and learning experiences as well as teachers’ documentation.  The reflective meeting team analyzes observations and artifacts in order to plan next steps, make connections to state standards and guide a study or project.  This process is based on the Cycle of Inquiry and is the foundation for the creation of the emergent curriculum.

Staff created a list of Reflective Meeting Practice Norms:

  • Mandatory attendance by all “participants”
  • Start and end on time
  • Professionalism and collegiality are required
  • Emergent forms are used to show evidence of the cycle of inquiry
  • Work being presented is prepared and intentionally selected
  • Time is focused, purposeful and can follow an agenda
  • Evidence of emergent curriculum in all areas
  • Participants are fully present, offering challenges, ideas, etc…
  • Co-construction is possible with all team members
  • Participants propose dynamic, good tension to push thinking and practice
  • Possibility of professional development

The word retreat is used in reference to Board Retreat, Community Retreat and Staff Retreat.  All three of these events are intended to bring people together to reflect on work.

  • The Board Retreat is usually in the summer and focuses on school planning and goals.
  • The Staff Retreat is usually the day after school gets out in June and focuses on reflection for the year, planning for the next year and professional development.
  • The Community Retreats are held twice a year, planned by staff and the board

The image of the child shapes the role of the teacher and involves four major components.

Teachers are:

  • Co-constructors: partners, guides, nurtures, solves problems, learns, hypothesizes
  • Researchers: learns, observes, revisits
  • Documenters: listens, records, displays, revisits
  • Advocates for children: involved in the community, politics relating to children, speaks for children and presents work to other educators and community members.

Parents are an essential component of the school. They are an active part of their children’s learning experiences and help to ensure the welfare of all the children in the school. All families are members of the Family Team.

Tier 1, 2 and 3: RTI or Response to Intervention is an approach to meeting children’s academic and behavioral goals.  The interventions are organized into three tiers; each tier offers structure with research-based instruction, ongoing assessment, documentation, a specific duration of time and re-evaluation. A team of educators, including teachers, a special education teacher, intervention coordinator, speech and language specialist and social worker, share information and make recommendations to best support each child.   Six weeks is the minimum about of time a child will be in Tier 2 or 3.

  • Tier 1: Refers to the general classroom or Discovery where teachers use research based instruction, monitor progress three times per year with Michigan Literacy Progress Profile.
  • Tier 2: Refers to small group, intensive interventions given within the classroom for children who need more support with a specific skill.  Progress monitoring occurs bi-weekly with documentation and collaboration of adults to ensure mastery.
  • Tier 3: If the team believes a child needs more support of a specific skill and Tier 2 time and frequency is not enough, a child will receive individual instruction from the intervention coordinator.  Time and frequency may be increased.
  • If the three tiers of instruction do not help a child master a skill, the team may suggest a referral to the Special Education Tier.

The philosophy of Special Education at the Discovery Center is based on the Reggio Emilia principle, The Image of the Child. Children are rich, strong, powerful, and full of potential. Instruction of all students involves a constructivist approach, multiple intelligences, understanding of various learning styles, current research on learning, and developmentally appropriate practice. Special education services are delivered within the least restrictive environment using the inclusion model.

The strength model focuses on the strengths and what a child brings to the community rather than deficits. Working with strengths (capabilities, desires, dreams, skills, talents) ensures the whole child is understood.  Like Image of the Child, a Strength Model is evident in our language, planning of instruction, communications to families and classroom management. Building and preserving relationships is essential.

Studio or Atelier in Italian is a room available for all children and teachers. The Studio is dedicated to the exploration of ideas in connection with materials (referred to as languages too), such as clay, wire, paint, drawing materials, paper, technology, etc. The Studio in our Reggio inspired school functions as a model for a collaborative way of working, to refine abilities to listen and observe children and express learning with a variety of material choices. The Studio is facilitated by the Studio Coordinator or in Italy, the Atelierista. Together with the teachers, they reflect and plan for the Studio’s use, what material to use and appropriate groupings.

The Studio Coordinator (or Atelierista) is a teacher who works closely with other teachers and the children through the Studio, an intentional space containing materials and tools to pursue thinking and concepts. The Studio Coordinator in collaboration with teachers plans experiences for children to explore classroom concepts with materials. Other schools would consider this art class, but our school sees it not as a separate part of the curriculum. The studio’s use of materials is an integral part of symbolic expression and the learning process.

Time is influenced by the interests and activities that the children bring to life within the school. This in turn impacts schedules, groupings and routines. Teachers get to know children (strengths, needs and personality) because children stay with the same teacher and the same peer group for two years.

100 Languages: One hundred languages refers to the Reggio Emilia’s emphasis on offering children one hundred ways to share their thinking.  Children learn in different ways and the one hundred languages offer different means to learn, including talking, writing, drawing, painting, wire sculpture, clay modeling, dancing, acting, representing with recyclable, manmade materials or natural materials.  Teachers at this school are inspired to find new ways for children to express themselves.  One hundred languages is further explained as it is the name of a poem by Loris Malaguzzi and also part of a reference book title.

3 Subjects: The three subjects within the Reggio Emilia approach are the children, parents/guardians and the teachers.  These three subjects together support the learning within the school community. Each subject plays a role in learning and supporting the school community. From the website: For children to learn, their well-being has to be guaranteed; such well-being is connected with the well-being of parents and teachers. Children, parents and teachers have rights; the right to safety, care and welfare, the right to be involved and the right to grow professionally.

Afternoon Meeting: Afternoon Meeting or originally Morning Meeting, is a gathering of families, children and teachers to build a sense of community. It occurs at the beginning or now end of the day as a way of easing the transition between home and school. This short, 10-15 minute meeting offers a natural conversation among parents and teachers. The Afternoon Meeting provides an opportunity to connect as a total group as well as individually, to influence the state of learners, to provide a venue for performances, to incorporate music, movement, greetings and announcements.

Ball Toss: The ball toss is a visual representation of a classroom study.  It is designed to map the course of a study throughout the year.  It looks like a t-chart with headings labeled “Provocation: Teachers’ Perspective” and “Outcome: Children’s perspective.”  Teachers record what they plan for children and how the children respond. This back and forth nature is the basis for new planning and resembles a ball being thrown back and forth.  The ball toss events can also be found on teacher’s emergent forms and in portions on holding boards.  Click here for further information.

Collaboration: Collaboration and cooperation are intentional in a school inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to education. The entire system is designed to be connected and in relationship. Nothing is left to sit in isolation. Everything is alive and connected. Children, teachers and families join together to continually improve the system that supports our school community. At our school, collaboration is modeled within leadership, teaching teams, classrooms and the Family Team.

Collaborative Planning: This term, often referred to as C.P., is the name of weekly meetings where the entire staff gathers to discuss study topics, problem solving and reflection on our teaching approach.  It is planned by the principal with input from the Pedagogista.  All staff members are encouraged to bring up topics to be placed on the agenda.  It is facilitated by the principal.  These meetings currently take place on Thursdays from 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Cycle of Inquiry: The Cycle of Inquiry is the foundation in which teachers and children work together at the school. It is a process which combines wonder, listening, documenting and new understanding about learning among children and teachers. This process occurs frequently and informs pedagogy. The cycle begins with a framing question or a provocation (child or adult instigated), followed by observing, recording and collecting of artifacts by the teacher. Next, teachers collaboratively reflect on children’s work and analyze to arrive at new theories, inform planning and new framing questions. The cycle continues to spiral as projects emerge and learning occurs.

Communication: Good communication is critical for excellent teamwork and healthy relationships. The GRCDC has developed a process for questions and concerns to be resolved in the best interest of our students, staff, and families. The GRCDC follows these protocols to facilitate positive communication – in all forms –throughout our school community.

Discovery: A Discovery is a classroom team taught by highly qualified staff: two teachers and a paraprofessional. Each Discovery is designed to include two grade levels to create strong relationships, cultivate leadership and provide opportunities for children to teach each other.  Current enrollment helped to decide the Discovery configurations for 2012-13.

Documentation: Documentation is a means to collect information, observations and learning. It can be in the form of observations, photography, video, conversation transcripts and/or visual mediums like paint, wire, clay or drawing materials. Teachers use documentation to identify strengths, ideas, and next steps to support learning. Documentation can be found on holding boards throughout classrooms or in its final form as panels or books.

Emergent Curriculum: Emergent Curriculum is a way of teaching and learning that requires teachers to observe and listen to the children. Teachers ask questions and listen for the children’s ideas, hypotheses and theories. After observing children in action, the teachers compare, discuss, and interpret their observations. Teachers plan activities, studies and long term projects in the classroom based on their observations. Teachers partner with children and the exchange of theories are referred to as the Cycle of Inquiry. Teachers use their interpretations, intentions and goals (social, emotional and academic) to make choices that they share with children. Learning is seen not as a linear process but as a spiraling progression.

Emergent Curriculum Form: Often referred to as the emergent form, this 8 ½ x 14 piece of paper is the tool that teachers use to reflect on work with the children.  It is typically filled out each time a teaching team reflects on work and always during reflective meetings every other week.  The emergent form is organized to capture important pieces of the emergent curriculum:Click here for more information.

The Environment: The space within the school or the environment is considered the third teacher. Teachers intentionally organize, support and plan for various spaces for children. The daily schedules are planned to ensure that there is a balance between individual, small and large group activities, child directed and teacher initiated activity and inside as well as outside experiences. The hallways and bathrooms belong to children and may hold children’s work and places to learn rather than just a passage way for traveling.

Family Team: The Family Team is the GRCDC’s version of a PTA or PTO or organization to include families within the life of the school. All parents are automatically included in the Family Team.  It is a group of parents that meets monthly to provide the organizing structure for a parent or guardian to become involved at the school.  All parents are always welcome to attend the meetings. It is the place to bring ideas and get connected to the school.  School staff, including the School and Family Services coordinator and the Pedagogista, attends all Family Team meetings as a way to connect staff and families.The Family Team’s purpose is to support the theory of the Reggio Emilia approach to education, which includes the rights of families to support the welfare of all children in the school:

Friends: Friends is the term that most teachers use when referring to their students.

Hive: The Hive is a room within the school to collect recyclable materials. Its mission is to foster meaningful experiences through finding, collecting, sorting and transforming reusable material found in the surrounding environment. The Hive has several purposes, including: To reuse materials, encourage creativity, highlight artists who reuse materials, to be cost effective producers, not consumers, explore a constructivist type of thinking, encourage the celebration of diversity, to transform ideas through materials and to provide resources for classrooms. The Hive is located on the lower floor in the southeast corner off the gym. The room is organized into six categories: Wood, Plastic, Paper, Fabric, Glass and Metal. Each classroom is in charge of managing one area of the Hive throughout the year.

Holding board: A holding board is a bulletin board that follows work of the children and adults.  Holding boards are in each area of classrooms, outside each classroom and in the hallways.  It is a place for teachers to share information with families, trace studies.

Image of the Child: Children are viewed as competent, curious, full of knowledge, potential, and interested in connecting to the world around them. Teachers are deeply aware of children’s potentials and construct all of their work and environment of the children’s experience to respond appropriately.

Inclusion: Inclusion is the foundation for meeting children’s academic needs at the Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center. Rather than have a special education classroom, our philosophy seeks to provide instruction within the classroom or least restrictive environment.  A team of general education teachers and highly qualified special education providers together set and assess goals and implement strategies designed for success.   If deemed appropriate by the team and the individualized goals, instruction may be carried out within small groups or individually.

Paraprofessional Roll: Paraprofessionals are all highly qualified and work in collaboration with the Discovery teaching teams. The paraprofessionals offer academic support throughout the school, focusing on the areas of greatest need.

Pedagogista: The Pedagogista elevates the Reggio Emilia philosophy within school culture. The role uses professional development, collaboration and coaching as means to support leadership, teachers and families. In collaboration with the Principal, the Pedagogista discusses observations, professional development, staff meetings and providing feedback for staff evaluations. The Pedagogista guides teachers to understand the Reggio Emilia principles by attending weekly reflective meetings, observing in classrooms and individualized pedagogy support. The Pedagogista also functions as a liaison for connecting support staff, the Board and Family Team in the Reggio Emilia philosophy.

Portfolios: A portfolio is a collection of a child’s work carefully selected throughout the years the child attends the school. Each year new work is added and the collection becomes a tool for observing learning and progress in academic, social and developmental domains. The portfolio serves many purposes as it is enjoyed by children, parents, peers and teachers; these purposes include:Staff members created the following guidelines in collaboration with parents to help intentionally select work for the portfolio: Work will show uniqueness, can demonstrate learning: success or failure, can be an end product or process, can show patterns of growth, improvement and milestones. The work can include subject area curriculum, real life experiences, awards or performances. Teachers sort and label each portfolio piece with one of two category descriptors: How I Learn or Who I Am. Labels also include the child’s name, date and a short description about why it was selected for the portfolio.

Portfolio Day: Portfolio Day is a day dedicated to elevating the image of the child and connecting the three subjects: children, parents and teachers. Each family is given a carefully selected 90 minute time period to join 3-5 other families to look at portfolio work. Teachers prepare the environment and portfolios ahead of time. Children and their parents take time to pull all work out of the portfolio, sort it and reflect: Who am I? How do I learn? Portfolio Day concludes with time for families to view portfolio pieces of other children, reflect on the learning of children in general and offer observations. Staff believes this elevates the work of all children and helps parents see their role in securing the welfare of all children within the school community.

Projects: Projects provide the backbone of the children’s and teachers’ learning experiences. They are based on the strong convictions that learning by doing is of great importance and that group discussion, revisiting experiences and theories is the premier way of learning.  Through emergent curriculum and the cycle of inquiry, teachers identify a meaningful context or project for children to address Common Core standards, social development and collaboration. Project ideas come from experiences of the children and teachers, a chance event or problem posed. They can last from a few days to several months. (Gandini, 2002)

Reflective Meetings: The Reflective Meeting is a time to examine children’s work and learning experiences as well as teachers’ documentation.  The reflective meeting team analyzes observations and artifacts in order to plan next steps, make connections to state standards and guide a study or project.  This process is based on the Cycle of Inquiry and is the foundation for the creation of the emergent curriculum.Staff created a list of Reflective Meeting Practice Norms:

Retreat: The word retreat is used in reference to Board Retreat, Community Retreat and Staff Retreat.  All three of these events are intended to bring people together to reflect on work.

Role of the Teacher: The image of the child shapes the role of the teacher and involves four major components. Teachers are:

Role of Parents: Parents are an essential component of the school. They are an active part of their children’s learning experiences and help to ensure the welfare of all the children in the school. All families are members of the Family Team.

RTI: Tier 1, 2 and 3: RTI or Response to Intervention is an approach to meeting children’s academic and behavioral goals.  The interventions are organized into three tiers; each tier offers structure with research-based instruction, ongoing assessment, documentation, a specific duration of time and re-evaluation. A team of educators, including teachers, a special education teacher, intervention coordinator, speech and language specialist and social worker, share information and make recommendations to best support each child.   Six weeks is the minimum about of time a child will be in Tier 2 or 3.

Special Education: The philosophy of Special Education at the Discovery Center is based on the Reggio Emilia principle, The Image of the Child. Children are rich, strong, powerful, and full of potential. Instruction of all students involves a constructivist approach, multiple intelligences, understanding of various learning styles, current research on learning, and developmentally appropriate practice. Special education services are delivered within the least restrictive environment using the inclusion model.

Strength Model: The strength model focuses on the strengths and what a child brings to the community rather than deficits. Working with strengths (capabilities, desires, dreams, skills, talents) ensures the whole child is understood.  Like Image of the Child, a Strength Model is evident in our language, planning of instruction, communications to families and classroom management. Building and preserving relationships is essential.

Studio: Studio or Atelier in Italian is a room available for all children and teachers. The Studio is dedicated to the exploration of ideas in connection with materials (referred to as languages too), such as clay, wire, paint, drawing materials, paper, technology, etc. The Studio in our Reggio inspired school functions as a model for a collaborative way of working, to refine abilities to listen and observe children and express learning with a variety of material choices. The Studio is facilitated by the Studio Coordinator or in Italy, the Atelierista. Together with the teachers, they reflect and plan for the Studio’s use, what material to use and appropriate groupings.

Studio Coordinator: The Studio coordinator (or Atelierista) is a teacher who works closely with other teachers and the children through the Studio, an intentional space containing materials and tools to pursue thinking and concepts. The Studio Coordinator in collaboration with teachers plans experiences for children to explore classroom concepts with materials.  Other schools would consider this art class, but our school sees it not as a separate part of the curriculum.  The studio’s use of materials is an integral part of symbolic expression and the learning process.

Time: Time is influenced by the interests and activities that the children bring to life within the school. This in turn impacts schedules, groupings and routines. Teachers get to know children (strengths, needs and personality) because children stay with the same teacher and the same peer group for two years.