Eve
Graduate
Elementary Education |
Eve
Graduate
Elementary Education |
It rained sometime last night or early this morning. The sound of car wheels rolling over damp pavement let me know this before I registered the scent and sight of a rainy spring day. Let’s see. It has been over two weeks since I’ve last posted a blog. Much has happened! I’ll share a brief story about my spring holiday, what we’ve been up to in school, and a glimpse into the research I am doing. It’s incredible to think we have only two and a half weeks left of the program. First of all, Italians– no, Europeans in general– know how to holiday. It isn’t the American blitz-style holiday where you only get a few days of actual rest and relaxation after coming down from work. One work week off might allow for a ‘stay-cation’ where I’d clean my house, brunch with friends, and do a day trip, but to travel and forget about the ticking clock, more days are necessary. Eight work days off plus weekends is a holiday. This is what I did on mine: Holiday Part I - Geneva, SwitzerlandI spent four sunny days in Geneva, Switzerland with Frank, my friend and neighbor from Buffalo. He was there visiting his family, as his wife, Hélène, was from Geneva. It was an emotional trip because Hélène passed away recently, and on this trip he laid her ashes to rest in the town where her family is from. I was not there for the church service, but we visited the grave site that looks out over rolling fields of grape vines and the Alps. On a clear day Mont Blanc is visible. I sat for a long time with Frank taking in the view and listening to stories. It was a peaceful place, perfect for letting memories waft into the air and become part of the landscape. We had time to soak in whatever emotions that needed to come and go. We also toured the places he loves most about Geneva, like little towns, restaurants, cafes, and parks. On Easter we had dinner with Isabelle, Hélène's niece. We also took a boat tour around Le Lac de Genève. Since my visit settled over Easter weekend the museums and cultural sites were closed, but this didn’t bother me at all. I prefer to be outside when the weather is good. I had perfect walking weather so I trekked all over the city in between visits with Frank. Geneva is stunning. It is incredibly easy to navigate because the public transportation system is modernized, well planned, and easily accessible. It’s almost impossible to get lost. My kind of place (I can get lost in a paper bag. No spatial intelligence.). Enjoy the photos and a video of a close encounter with a swan. It's about 45 seconds. Holiday Part II - Glasgow, ScotlandGet this: all six days in Glasgow were sunny days! Can you believe it? I brought my yellow rain jacket and an umbrella but never needed to use them. I visited my friend, EmmaClaire, AKA: Dude. For those who have been reading my blog and do not know our history, we call each other “Dude” and we’ve been besties since we met in drama school. What can I say, EmC and I are two puzzle pieces in a 2,000 piece jigsaw puzzle that fit. I’ve lived in Glasgow before, visited a few times, and so this trip was less about exploring and all about EmC. We walked parks and visited the Highland Cows, brunched and drank delicious coffees at unique little cafes, and even got to paddle board on a warm day! I also went to see a play that she fight directed. Scotland is gorgeous, and Glasgow is such a fun city. Lots to do inside and outside. Did you know Glasgow has the largest inner city park in Europe? It is called Pollock Park, and that’s where we visited the Highland Cows! EmC lives nearby so I walked there every morning. I also spent time with my friend Jodie, who I lived with when I studied in Glasgow, and two other pals plus their families. Glasgow, I love you and your people! Oh! And EmC is going to have a baby. Her due date is my birthday. Coincidence? Please enjoy the photos and a video of kindergarteners mooing with the Highland Cows. "If only you had seen all I had to do."The quote that kicks off this section is from Your Image of the Child: Where Teaching Begins by Loris Malaguzzi [LINK]. Tuesday morning we were back in school for planning sessions and a bit of PD. My favorite part of the day was listening to an early years discussion about Reggio and the Inspired Schools IB curriculum. The woman facilitating, Marianne Valentine, is the Head of Early Years for Inspired Schools, which means she travels the world training and advising educators. The Early Years teachers asked a variety of questions ranging from what kinds of materials they ought to use in the classroom, to how they ought to organize and utilize the learning environment, to assessment. The assessment piece caught my attention because Marianne described it as Pedagogical Documentation in which students’ work is seen and affirmed, not judged. The questions she posed that stuck with me are: “Do we evaluate what they know or have achieved, or can we assess their potential moving forward?” and “Are we recording or assessing?” While listening to her speak it made me think that this kind of assessment seems to remove the fear and threat of being wrong, making mistakes, or getting bad grades. Documenting (assessment) is what we do and how; where we go from here; and how are we learning? After the PD I introduced myself to Marianne mainly because she is Scottish and I just got back from Scotland, and I hoped to make a connection. This conversation quickly revealed that we share similar backgrounds: she trained as a ballerina in Glasgow and I trained as an actor in Glasgow. Then, later on, we made a career change into education. Over lunch I also learned that part of her job is collaborating with architects to reimagine new schools. I think I said something profound like, “Wow. That is so cool.” To which she responded, “Yes, it’s one of my favorite parts of my job.” We also talked a bit about the Atelier role in Reggio because it is up my alley [LINK]. We’ll see. There is a lot to explore and do. Meanwhile, I loved meeting yet another artist who is a game changer in the world of education. It feels good. Meanwhile, the students are full-swing into their PYPX projects. I designed a lesson with the objective of organizing and initiating their PYPX action. The ‘action’ needs to be an event or workshop in which the 6th graders engage other students in their research. Overall the ideas are quite unique. They range from writing new myths based on constellations; making dog puppets, to chemistry experiments and a Renaissance quiz game. Part of organizing the workshop included drawing a diagram of the space and materials. Now they have a road map for their workshop and I can’t wait to see how it goes! The “action afternoon” is tentatively scheduled for May 10. Research: UDL, Math and Art HistoryBefore break I observed students take to the Maths PYPX lesson with intense curiosity. They came up with excellent mathematical questions, and created very different visual representations. The inquiry-based elements of this lesson inspired me to recreate lessons on mathematical conversions using arts integration for more expression and engagement. The research I am doing uses Universal Design for Learning principles to practice unit conversions in math explored through art history. It will be place-based: Via Francigena (the pilgrim’s route from Canterbury to Rome) that passes through Siena. It will include multiple modalities of experiencing conversion: physical (walking, paper maps) and digital (VF app, website, photos, video). It will include multiple ways of expressing conversion: map making and recipes (yes, pilgrim foods that are still traditional Tuscan dishes like ribollita or homemade beer). Also, the conversion of ideas is a unique concept (e.g. artistic ideas trickling down from France to Italy; comparing/contrasting measurements of architecture, etc.). Oh, and students get to choose what kind of pilgrim they want to be, and maybe measure/convert the foods they need to carry in their rucksack for the length of time they are walking. Loads to play with here. We’ll see what sticks, what I actually choose to include. The place-based aspect of these lessons are based on using the environment of students. In Buffalo I might use the Erie Canal or the Underground Railroad (hats off to Jill for this brainstorm). It should be transferable to any place.
2 Comments
|
AuthorEve is a palindrome. She started out as a theatre artist, and now she is a combination theatre artist-teacher. She is grateful for the opportunity to finish her degree while studying abroad in Siena, Italy. It is her second time studying in Siena. Eve enjoys long meandering walks, daydreaming, creating new projects, and chilling with her husband, Dave. Archives
May 2022
Categories |