Notes from NIPEN
4/28-30/16
I can't stop thinking about the photo of Roberta's two kindergarten students who came in wearing scarves on their heads. They came in on the last day of school, dressed as their teacher, who always wears a scarf around her head. One girl wore a black scarf, as Roberta does today, and one girl wore a blue scarf, “because Roberta used to wear more colorful scarves when she was younger.” After a lifetime struggle of wanting to be seen/understood/appreciated I recognize the larger implications of the lack of trust that exists when learners don't see themselves in their teacher. I can only go so far in teaching community values at both EVCS and LREI — the one being in the world of the projects, streets and disempowerment, and the other being in the world of financial success and power. Forget adding race, gender, identity into the mix.
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Mckenzie's 1st gr — characteristics of heroes/superheroes & what 'admire' means, characteristics of people admired — thru people they know (eg. Grandparent) & read alouds — finding it in stories --> can use for EVCS 1st gr curr
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Documentation parties:
- panels, printers going, washi tape, food
- during staff mtg times
- Based on Reggio Emilia use of documentation
- Starting small — find 'the extraordinary within the ordinary'
- pieces: narrative for context, transcript, pictures — small groups look at/discuss others' documentation
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Re parent buy in/education -- parents taking on role of educating new or doubting parents -- book groups, inquiry groups, talking abt educational value of play, etc
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'Ask me about' sheets that kids take home re something that happens in class ('ask me about how we solved the block table problem')
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Classroom as microcosm of society (Dewey)--not so much about content but about community and shared experiences that build that community.












