New York City Wonder of Learning

Exhibit Final Report July 2015

"This exhibit makes me think about what I can do for children so that they can explore the world as they want. I wish every child will

learn through exploration with their parents, teachers, and communities support."

Report Index (1) Summary of Hosting Proposal (3) Summary of Venue Proposal (10) All Promotional Materials (Flyers, Brochures, Posters, Press Releases, Articles, Videos) (27) Installation and Maintenance (30) Professional Development Plan Professional Development Initiative Promotional Materials and Programs Special Events (34) Fundraising Documents (Letters/Proposals to Donors) (38) Volunteer Contributions (42) Condition Report for Exhibit Before Shipping (46) Questions

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Hosting Proposal

The Wonder of Learning-The Hundred Languages of Children New York City

Dialogues for Quality in Education: Exploring Possibilities: Viewing All Children as Citizens, Researchers, and Innovators of the World

Final Report submitted by Jane Racoosin, Director Beginnings Nursery School, Chair New York City Encounters with Reggio Emilia

New York City Encounters with Reggio Emilia, Beginnings Nursery School, and Teaching Beyond the Square hosted the Wonder of Learning-Hundred Languages exhibit in Williamsburg, Brooklyn from January 15 – May 15, 2015 at The Williamsburg Northside School. Funding was secured through the following donors to Teaching Beyond the Square:

The exhibit drew 11,375 people across the United States and beyond. Over the course of the run of the exhibit and prior to the start there were four professional development initiatives that drew over 2,500 educators. We also hosted four open evenings for visitors, parent visits from various schools, and over 20 college classes took place during the run of the exhibit.

Planning and Promotion:

New York City Encounters with Reggio Emilia (NYCERE) held monthly meetings beginning in the winter of 2014. NYCERE is a group of individuals and educational organizations who believe deeply in children’s potential as citizens, researchers and innovators of the world. Since January 2014, representatives from over 25 infant-toddler centers, nursery schools, public and independent schools, and colleges in the New York City area have been meeting to organize the "The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred Languages of Children" exhibition and related professional development initiatives in New York City in 2015. We aim to reach a wide range of individuals and groups who have the potential to influence the lives of children, and to help increase their awareness and understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach. We hope to invite conversations and build collaborations that explore how the principles of Reggio Emilia could be applied in our context to enhance children’s learning and growth.

First and foremost the rationale of having the exhibit in NYC was to harness and educate those who don’t know the importance of educating young children It is a critical moment in the United States in terms of how education is viewed, with heated debate about testing, accountability, and what kinds of educational programs will best serve our children. There is also increasing recognition, especially with the recent focus on the expansion of pre-K programs in New York City, of the value of early childhood learning and its influence on children’s development and future success. The exhibit had the potential to reach beyond the 8 million people who reside in

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the New York metropolitan area, and to provide a vision of early childhood education that is deep, rigorous and relevant to all children. The hope was that this exhibit would draw government policy makers, children, international visitors, educators, and parents from all over and help them to understand the enormous potential of early learning experiences as well as the powerful and lasting impact of effective early childhood and elementary education programs. Venue The Williamsburg Northside School was an ideal setting for the exhibit. The school is Reggio Inspired and felt like a perfect fit with the impact that the exhibit had. They provided us with two floors of the their building over the period from set up in December until we closed in May. In addition to the panels we had access to two spaces for the Natural Materials Atelier and A Light Studio. It was these two spaces that provided the capability for families to use them on the weekends and for educators to develop a greater understanding of the materials during the week when we had private visits exclusively for educators and visiting schools. We had a documentation booth set up in one room to capture the comments of visitors as well as a place for them to hang and post reflections in the 7th floor.

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Venue Proposal: Wonder of Learning Exhibit NYC 1/15-6/15

Williamsburg Northside School:

Williamsburg Northside is a Reggio Emilia-inspired school and community with three distinct programs in the culturally dynamic and diverse Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Programs are provided for infants and toddlers, preschoolers, and Lower School students through the 5th grade. From the head of Williamsburg Northside School:

Upon arrival at any one of our programs, you will meet a special community of educators who are dedicated to the joy of learning and inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, one that celebrates the strengths of our students as they enthusiastically explore ideas. Each day we challenge ourselves to be thoughtful about the best way to offer creative, collaborative, and thought provoking educational experiences to our students. The perceptive and passionate faculty use the curiosities and motivations of their students. They are springboards for the creation of deep and meaningful learning opportunities, our Project Work. Out of this intelligent inquiry and thoughtful reflection emerges a deep, rich and significant school experience for our students. Everyone is part of this process. Students work together, listen, share, imagine, learn deeply, find true understanding and put their learning to use. Faculty respect their students, fully participate, listen, challenge, teach creatively and expect great things. All community members are kind, value themselves and each other. Website address: www.willnorth.org for more information Exhibit Space: The Williamsburg Northside School located at 299 North 7th Street has officially donated floors 6,7,8 of their building. (please see attached floor plans). There will be a separate entrance to the exhibit for visitors, which is on Meeker Ave. There will also be a designated elevator for all visitors that will take them directly to the exhibit floors. Please see attached architectural renderings of the building which is still in process of being built.

Hours of Exhibit: Wednesday-Friday by appointment only, Saturday and Sunday: 12pm-6:00pm Williamsburg neighborhood:

Today a far cry from the immigrant neighborhood described 70 years ago in Betty Smith’s novel A

Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Williamsburg has been rebranded as trendy, edgy and young. However, just

a few blocks from the densely packed restaurants and bars, we find an older, more traditional

Williamsburg where lifelong residents preserve customs and attire dating back centuries. Nowhere in

New York is there such a sharp contrast between the avant-garde and the ancestral, the modest and

the ostentatious, the conservative and the progressive. For visitors the Williamsburg zip code 11211

is the most visited area by tourists today. Transportation:

The L train, at Lorimer Street (2nd stop into Brooklyn) is located at Metropolitan Avenue and Union Street, only a block away from the exhibit. Taxis from Manhattan are also very easy to take across the Manhattan Bridge and to the exhibit.

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Restaurants: St. Anselm: Steaks & grilled seafood are the specialty of this unassuming brick-walled, patio-equipped spot.

Reynard: Set in the Wythe Hotel, this upscale New American eatery offers seasonal eats in an airy room.

La Superior: Authentic Mexican street food, like tacos & flautas, brings hungry hipsters to this cash-only joint.

Saltie: Great, diverse, unique sandwiches assembled on house made, fresh focaccia bread. Also boasts fantastic sweets.

Egg: Locally sourced Southern eats draw crowds to this cash-only hangout. Breakfast & lunch only.

Blue Bottle Coffee: Sleek Brooklyn outpost of a West Coast chain drawing hipsters with fresh-roasted coffee & pastries.

Zizi Limona: Low-key brick-walled cafe with an open kitchen offering modern Middle Eastern classics & a full bar.

And many, many more!

Hotels:

East Village and close to L train

Standard East Village: $425 per night

The Bowery Hotel: $425 per night

The Hotel on Rivington: $188 per night

The Inn on Irving

Williamsburg:

La Jolie: Rooms from $179

The Wythe Hotel: Room from $290 and up

King and Grove: $210 and up

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PP

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Promotional Materials

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Installation and maintenance

We contracted with the company SFDS for our installation and maintenance needs. Eric Winston, Principal, took two trips and spent consecutive days with both deinstallation in Greenville, SC. He basically became one with the crew and participated in the process. In late November 2014, he went to New Mexico with William Neumann, a freelance contractor, who has worked on many jobs with SFDS. Together they helped with deinstallation repair of crates and packing the exhibit. SFDS and Aron Dayo worked on updating the exhibit with Raspberry Pi and new monitors and the printing of new panels that were necessary for the new technology.

Installation for NYC began on December 13th with Will Newman and five other contractors that have worked on installation jobs with SFDS. The largest challenge for us is that the crates did not fit through the doorways of the building or in the elevator. We knew this would require more support to help with the unload and reload. In addition to the installation team we had 6 volunteers on three hour shifts for the 13th, 14th, and 15th. The plan was that this would be only for unloading the panels. However, we moved quickly ahead and were able to put together much of the metal framework and place panels within the framework that were not in need of the new technology.

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On December 30th, 31st, and January 2nd Will and his crew placed all hardware on the metal panels and placed new monitors in place. They placed artifacts in place and music stands. The crates were placed in storage because they were unable to fit through the doorway at any of the Williamsburg Northside School locations.

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Professional Development Proposal - Wonder of Learning Exhibit 1/2015-5/2015

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOCUS: EXPLORING POSSIBILITIES: VIEWING ALL CHILDREN AS CITIZENS,

RESEARCHERS, AND INNOVATORS OF THE WORLD

Dialogue of Two Cities: NYC and Reggio Emilia: Exploring possibilities for quality early childhood education for all children November 15,2014 Speakers: Lella Gandini: US Liaison for Dissemination of the Reggio Emilia Approach for Reggio Children Jerome Bruner: Psychologist, New York University Sophia Pappas: Executive Director of Early Childhood Education, New York City Department of Education James Heckman: Professor of Economics, University of Chicago Venue: 92nd Street Y Concert Hall Tentative schedule: 9:10-10:10 keynote speakers 10:10-10:30 break 10:40-11:40 discussion groups 11:45-12:45 keynotes Event will be publicized with Wonderplay conference, which will take place on Friday, November 14. Tentative Speaker key points: Lella Gandini: the intention would be to introduce with images the Exhibit the Wonder of Learning in its various components of learning and beauty. (If advisable also present how it tells about children, teachers, parents and a city)

Jerome Bruner: he will synthesize the experience of the Reggio Emilia preschools/infant/toddler centers (Lella’s presentation) with NYC (Sophia’s presentation) as an invitation to explore possibilities in here – in essence, he would initiate a conversation between the two cities and also within multiple NYC stakeholders, recognizing that “NYC will never be like Reggio Emilia, just as Reggio Emilia will never be like NYC”; however, it is worth exploring the two as many possibilities will emerge. The conference would serve as an intro/initiation of this dialogue, which is to continue throughout the exhibition, as more in-depth presentation of the Reggio approach and exploration of the NYC possibilities. He also believes that the Universal Pre-K initiative relates best to the Reggio schools supported/managed locally and thinks this is a good timing for the Wonder of Learning to be hosted in NYC. He believes that this is a great opportunity for NYC that should not be missed.

Sophia Pappas: The following is a bio on Sophia. With de Blasio’s focus on early childhood education I suspect that she will be focusing on how things have developed and integrating the role that the wonder of learning exhibit can play on impacting teaching and NYC.

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Sophia is Executive Director of the Office of Early Childhood Education at the New York City Department of Education. In this role, she oversees Universal Prekindergarten for thousands of four-year-olds across the city as well as other birth-age 8 initiatives. She previously served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Chancellor of the Division of Talent, Labor, and Innovation in the New York City Department of Education. A former pre-kindergarten teacher in Newark, NJ, she led the expansion of Teach for America into pre-kindergarten and Head Start classrooms across the country.

James Heckman: Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at The University of Chicago, a Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics, and an expert in the economics of human development. His groundbreaking work with a consortium of economists, developmental psychologists, sociologists, statisticians and neuroscientists has proven that the quality of early childhood development heavily influences health, economic and social outcomes for individuals and society at large. Heckman has proven that there are great economic gains to be had by investing in the early childhood development.

NAREA WINTER CONFERENCE: Exploring Possibilities: Viewing All Children as Citizens, Researchers, and Innovators of the World

March 5-7, 2015 or March 19-21, 2015 (if at Quaker Meeting House)

SPEAKERS: TBD by NAREA and Reggio Children (participation of Jerome Bruner?)

VENUE: POSSIBILITES INCLUDED

Quaker Meeting House/Sheen Center/Blue School

Some initial thoughts for conference content concern including presentations on the City Ateliers Reggio Emilia has been developing in these recent years, including the presence of the digital atelier at MOMA in New York, an important continuation of a topic in local community.

"The Hundred Languages: A Metaphor for the Extraordinary Potentials of Children and Adults" APRIL 17, 2015 AND APRIL 18, 2015 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: DAVID GERSTEN: Professor of Architecture Cooper Union College and Rhode Island School of Design as well as a former Beginnings parent. David Gersten is an architect, writer and educator based in New York City. He has been a Professor in The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union, since 1991, where he has served as Associate Dean under Dean John Hejduk and Acting Dean of the School of Architecture. He has taught studios and seminars at every level of the School’s five-year program, as well as a series of seminars titled 'The House of Poetry' in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. He has held the Ellen and Sidney Feltman Chair and is a former Chairman of the School’s Administrative, Curriculum and Admissions Committees. Professor Gersten currently heads Architectonics, the first-year Design Studio and teaches an Advanced Concepts seminars entitled; ‘A Material Imagination of the Social Contract’

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SUSAN MACKAY: Susan is currently the Director of the Portland Children’s Museum Center for Learning, which includes Opal Public Charter School and Opal Museum Preschool. She has a degree in English from Vassar College and an MAT from Lewis and Clark College. Her teaching career began when she discovered the potential of writer’s workshop to invite young children to make their voices public and imagined the power in that potential to change the world. Later she discovered the concept of the 100 languages from Reggio Emilia, Italy where adults were inviting the very youngest children to become citizens by making their ideas and experiences visible long before they could write.

BREAKOUT SESSION PRESENTERS:

JENNIFER AZZARITI: Jennifer is a studio teacher and has been since graduating from college in 1991. Currently she is at St. John’s Episcopal Preschool and consults with public schools in DC. Jennifer maintains relationships with schools around the US and colleagues in Reggio Emilia.

AMY MILLER: joined Beginnings as the Studio Teacher in 2009. She has a BS in Visual Art with a minor in art history from Pace University and an MA in Art Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Amy has taught art classes for a variety of ages, from 2-3 year olds to adults with disabilities. Amy is a visual artist who specializes in stone carving and sculpture. Amy presented a paper at the 2010 Early Childhood Research Conference in Birmingham, England. Amy is also an adjunct professor at SUNY Purchase.

ROBIN KOO: has been teaching at Beginnings since 2001. She started as a classroom teacher with the 2’s and 4/5’s, and has been the Studio Teacher since 2006. She is also the coordinator for the Materials Center. Robin has a BA in Visual Art and Art History from Bowdoin College and received her MA in Art Education from Teachers College in 2009. Robin is a visual artist specializing in printmaking and fiber arts. Robin is also currently on the teaching faculty at NYU’s Continuing Education Department.

Angie Bendezu: Former Beginnings Teacher and currently public school teacher in a bilingual K/1

Kim Turnbull: Current 3’s teacher Beginnings Nursery School

Bridgid McGinn: Former studio teacher Corlears School and Director of Girls Camp

Shelly Gargus: Beginnings 4/5’s Teacher and former Blue School Teacher

Lauren Monaco: Blue School Studio Teacher

Sonya Shoptaugh

VENUE:

CENTER FOR ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION AND BEGINNINGS NURSERY SCHOOL: APRIL 17, 2015

The first day of the conference will feature two large keynotes from David Gersten and Susan MacKay. A panel discussion featuring artists, musicians, and educators and break out sessions, which will be a combination of workshops and presentations. We will ask our presenters of break out sessions and keynotes to focus as you said to the philosophy, theory and value of the educational principles of the hundred languages of children. We will request presentation topics and pass them along as we get them for your approval.

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OPEN AIR EVENT: LOCATION TBD: POSSIBILITIES INCLUDE UNION SQUARE PARK, BRYANT PARK, POSSIBILITY IN FRONT OF BEGINNINGS OR NEAR THE LOCATION OF THE EXHIBIT: APRIL 18, 2015

Our thoughts are to have an open air community building even where different representatives would have recycled and found materials that participants could use both collaboratively and independently to express themselves in one of the hundred languages to carry on the themes from day one of the initiative. COST: Conference day $100/ open-air event free

FREE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE EXHIBIT RUN:

EVENINGS AT THE WONDER OF LEARNING EXHIBIT:

Bi-Monthly on designated Thursday evenings when the exhibit is open late, visitors will be invited to tour Beginnings and stay for a presentation by a Beginnings staff member. There will be time for questions and answers and discussion.

ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS: Monthly there will be a round table discussion on the site of where the exhibit is which will feature Sara Michael Luna from Queens College, Beth Ferholt from Brooklyn College, Dr. Christina Taharally (the head of the Early Childhood Department at Hunter College), Dr. Tovah Klein (Director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development and Associate Professor of Psychology), Rick Ellis (professor at Rider College), Amy Snider (Pratt), Carol Gross (from Lehman College), and Stan Chu from Bank Street College, educators from the NYC encounters with Reggio Group.

PROGRAM/PROMO MATERIALS:

Gunjan Prakash: Parent at Beginnings is designing logos, the website (upon your approval) save the dates and other materials. She will most likely be producing the promotional materials and programs for the conference in April and information related to the winter conference as well.

Alissa Neil, PR: http://www.alissaneilpr.com/

Alissa is a childhood friend of Jane Racoosin and has had her own pr agency in NYC for ten years. She represents slate magazine, Rodale press (biking magazine, woman’s health, field and stream), edutopia, chow.com, variety, and Pandora. She has strong media connections with ny1, the times, gma, and other sources of outreach for the exhibit

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Fundraising documents

The Wonder o f Learn ing – The Hundred Languages o f Chi ldren

January 15, 2015 to May 15, 2015

New York City

We are pleased to announce that The Wonder of Learning – The Hundred Languages of Children, an exhibit of the innovative programs for young children in Reggio Emilia, Italy, will be located in New York City at The Williamsburg Northside School in Brooklyn, NY from January15, 2015 until May 15, 2015, in collaboration with Reggio Children and the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA). The exhibit has been touring the United States, Europe, Canada, Asia, and Mexico since 1987, and has inspired government and business leaders, educators, artists, families, and communities to recognize the extraordinary potential of children’s learning and creativity.

The 7,000 square-foot exhibition of the work of the children and teachers in the infant-toddler and preschool programs of the municipality of Reggio Emilia, Italy makes visible their learning process and the strong image of the child. Through experiencing the exhibit, viewers can deepen their understanding of children’s thinking and an approach to collaboration- and relationship-based learning. The exhibit is composed of six sections and a variety of media, including three-dimensional objects, videos, booklets, audio recordings, and children’s work.

For more information about the exhibit, please go to www.newyorkcitywol.org

Related Initiatives A series of conferences and events associated with the exhibit will occur during its five-month stay in New York City. These events will enable educators, parents, and visitors to develop a greater understanding of how children learn through discussions and events related to various aspects of the exhibit. In addition, these professional development initiatives will promote conversations among educators and other stakeholders within classrooms, schools, and communities, with a focus on “Exploring possibilities: viewing all children as citizens, researchers and innovators of the world.” An important adjunct to the exhibit will be the Sixth NAREA Winter Conference, bringing educators from all over North America to visit schools and the exhibit on March 12-14th, 2015. Impact It is a critical moment in the United States in terms of how education is viewed; with heated debate around standards, testing and what kinds of educational programs will best serve our children. There is also increasing recognition, especially with the recent focus on the expansion of pre-K programs in New York City, of the value of early childhood learning and its influence on children’s development and future success. This exhibit has the potential to reach beyond the 8 million people who reside in the New York metropolitan area, and to provide a vision of early childhood education that is deep, rigorous and relevant to all children. The hope is that this exhibit will draw government policy makers, children, international visitors, educators, and parents from all over and help them to understand the enormous potential of early learning experiences as well as the powerful and lasting impact of effective early childhood and elementary education programs.

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Reggio Emilia Philosophy The Reggio approach, while having its own history and character, has been deeply informed by the thinking of theorists such as John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, David Hawkins, Jerome Bruner and Howard Gardner. It is grounded in the image of the child as having extraordinary potential for learning and change, and in the school as a site of interactions and relationships where each individual is respected and valued as part of a community. Ideas are shared between children and teachers and explored through the many languages of learning. Children are part of the organization of the daily life of the classroom where the curriculum emerges from the children’s interests and investigations and is co-constructed together with teachers and parents. All three are protagonists in the learning process.

History of the Exhibit In 1991, Newsweek hailed the preschools and infant-toddler centers of the municipality of Reggio Emilia as among the best in the world. International acclaim and interest followed and “The Hundred Languages of Children” exhibit was created to inform the world about the work of the children and teachers of Reggio Emilia. The exhibit has traveled to thirty-one countries, including forty cities in the United States. In its first iteration, the exhibit visited White Plains, Syracuse, and New York City but has not been back to New York since 1992. In each host city, the exhibit has influenced early childhood education and the local communities in positive ways. Visitors have called the exhibit “phenomenal,” “groundbreaking,” full of “fresh ideas,” and “a one-of-a-kind early childhood exhibit.”

Psychologist and educational theorist Jerome Bruner, a strong supporter of the Reggio Emilia approach, writes in relation to this exhibit: “We are entering upon revolutionary times with emphasis upon depth of knowledge rather than just upon its extent. We are discovering that thoughtful learning promotes not only human competence, but also creative dignity. The wonders of learning, we now know, are many indeed!”

Exhibit Committee New York City Encounters with Reggio Emilia (NYCERE), a group of individuals from over 25 nursery schools, public elementary schools, and colleges in the New York City area have been meeting to organize both the exhibit and professional development initiatives in New York City in 2015. The exhibit is hosted by Teaching Beyond the Square, an educational non-profit committed to working with teachers in the US and abroad to foster a greater understanding of the Reggio Emilia philosophy as well as other educational approaches, NYCERE, and Beginnings Nursery School. For more information, please contact: Jane Racoosin Director, Beginnings Nursery School and Founder, Teaching Beyond the Square jane@beginningsnursery.net

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The Wonder o f Learn ing : The Hundred Languages o f Chi ldren

January , 2015 to May, 2015, New York City

The Wonder of Learning: The Hundred Languages of Children is a highly innovative exhibit of early childhood learning experiences that has been touring the United States, Europe, Canada, Asia and Mexico since 1987. The Exhibit will open in New York City on January 15, 2015 – May 15, 2015 on view at The Williamsburg Northside School. It will inspire government leaders, businesses, educators, families and communities to value the educational process especially for young children. For more information about the Exhibit, please go to www.wonderoflearning.org.

History In 1991, Newsweek hailed the preschools of the municipality of Reggio Emilia as the best in the world. International acclaim and interest followed and the Exhibit was created to bring the work of the children of Reggio Emilia to the world. It has been to thirty-one countries, including forty cities in the United States. In its first iteration as The Hundred Languages of Children, it visited White Plains, Syracuse, and New York City but not been back to New York City since 1992. In New York City, it stands to make the greatest impact. In every city it has visited, the exhibit has influenced early childhood education and the local communities in positive ways. Visitors have called the Exhibit “phenomenal,” “groundbreaking,” full of “fresh ideas,” and “a one-of-a-kind early-childhood exhibit.”

Reggio Emilia Philosophy The Reggio approach is grounded on the notion of the child and the school as a place of interactions and relationships where each individual is respected and valued as part of the school community. Ideas are shared between children and teachers and explored through many languages of learning. Children are part of the organization of the daily life of the classroom where the curriculum emerges from the children’s interests and investigations and are co-constructed together with teachers and parents. All three are protagonists in the learning process. The 7,000 square-foot Exhibit, of the work of the children and teachers in the infant-toddler and preschool programs of the municipality of Reggio Emilia, Italy, makes visible the strong image of the child and their learning process. Through experiencing the exhibit, teachers and parents deepen their understanding of children’s thinking and a style of collaboration and relationship-based learning. The exhibit is composed of six sections of a variety of media including three-dimensional objects, videos, booklets, audio recordings, and children’s work. Initiatives A series of conferences and events associated with the Exhibit will occur during its six-month stay in New York City. These events will enable educators, parents, and visitors to develop a greater understanding of how children learn through dialogue about the various aspects of the exhibit as well as promote New York City’s focus for the six months on collaboration and co-learning within classrooms, schools, and communities. On March 12-14, 2016, New York City will host the annual winter conference for NAREA, the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance, which will bring educators from all over the US to New York City to visit our schools and the Exhibit. Impact In this critical time in our lives where there is a need to focus on early childhood education, the exhibit has the potential to reach beyond the 8 million people who reside in New York metropolitan area. The hope is that this kind of exhibit will bring government policy makers,

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children, international visitors, educators, and parents to understand the importance of how children learn and the impact it will have on the future. Exhibit Committee The exhibit is hosted by Teaching Beyond the Square, an educational non-profit committed to working with teachers in the US and abroad to foster a greater understanding of the Reggio Emilia philosophy as well as other educational philosophies, in collaboration with Reggio Children and NAREA. In addition, over 25 nursery schools and colleges in the New York City area have been meeting to both organize the exhibit and professional development initiatives in New York City in 2015. Volunteers from these schools will be on hand to act as docents during the six month period that the exhibit is in New York City. Funding As shown by the preliminary budget below, the ability to host the exhibit in New York City for five months requires substantial monetary support. All donations can be made payable to Teaching Beyond the Square and are tax deductible. Please indicate on the subject line: Wonder of Learning Exhibit NYC. Please mail the checks to Teaching Beyond the Square, 130 East 16th Street, New York NY 10003. Wonder of Learning Exhibit 1/15-5/15 New York City

Rental fee for six months required by the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance and Reggio Children $32,000 Installation, Deinstallation Shipping, and Insurance for the exhibit $15,000

Promotional Materials and PR for the exhibit $10,000

Expenses related to professional development venues – 4 planned during 6 month period $10,000

Expenses related to openings, closings, and documentation of the exhibit $15,000 Sincerely, Jane Racoosin Director, Beginnings Nursery School and Founder Teaching Beyond the Square

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Volunteer Contributions

The Wonder of Learning Exhibit NYC would not have been possible without the support of our group of volunteers. Our kickoff meeting in May 2014 drew more than 100 people mainly from schools in the NYC metropolitan area. At that meeting we had interested parties fill out their interests in how they wanted to get involved. We found chairs of the various committees and formed our steering committee. Volunteers were part of our atelier committee, November conference, outreach for colleges and schools, opening and closing, materials conference, NAREA winter conference, general volunteers.

Our location of the exhibit in a functioning school required volunteer’s onsite during any open hours. We realized quickly that open hours during the week would require prior sign up of groups for security purposes. The private visits were facilitated by volunteers who were familiar with the exhibit and the approach to be able to direct groups to places in the exhibit where their questions could be answered. We had Betsy McKenna, former head of town school, Odette Schlee, former teacher at Beginnings, Ellen Blomberg, former teacher at Beginnings, Robin Koo, Program Director for Teaching Beyond the Square, Jane Racoosin, Director of Beginnings Nursery School, Linda White and Brigid McGinn, studio teachers. For weekday private visits our volunteers facilitated more than 300 hours.

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Our volunteer co-chairs, Jahidah Diaab and Gail Rose, decided that to use a platform called shiftboard to organize all volunteer efforts for deinstallation and installation as well as volunteers that would be present on the weekends. During Saturday and Sunday we had three volunteers on 3-hour shifts in addition to Jane Racoosin, exhibit chair who was at Williamsburg Northside School to orient volunteers on shifts at 12:00PM and 3:00PM. We had a volunteer supporting the studios, one on the 7th floor exhibit spaces, and one on the 8th floor. The volunteers logged 612 hours.

We also had volunteers that worked with every professional development initiative. The NAREA conference required the most support with the conference happening in two locations and over 700 people. We had the entire Beginnings Nursery School staff volunteering at both locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. We also had our steering committee volunteering as well. Our materials day also required a great deal of support in set up and executions of the events. We had over 30 volunteers work from 7:00AM – 5:00PM.

Lastly our volunteers set up of our two studios. The light studio was designed and orchestrated by 8 amazing volunteers that put in endless hours. The natural materials studio changed over three times by 3 different teams of volunteers consisting of 20 hard working volunteers. Robin Koo handled all the natural materials studio and light studio set up, orchestration, and thoughtful decisions. Linda White and Brigid McGinn were two studio teachers who were on site for endless hours during the entire run of the exhibit.

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“The more inspirational moments came when meeting with the steering committee to troubleshoot how to encourage parents and teachers to volunteer. I found myself spending lots of time informing parents and teachers about the learning benefits the exhibit could offer them as parents and educators.”

“Many times I met parents whom I had earlier persuaded to volunteer. It was nice to see the joy on their faces when they realized what an amazing experience it actually was to see up close and personal the work of this great teaching philosophy.”

“My initial instinct was that between all the schools involved that volunteers would be plentiful. Of course, in a city like New York, nothing is easy. People are busy and it was more difficult than expected to get the necessary manpower. Fortunately for those that did volunteer, the experience was extremely fulfilling. Not only did volunteers have the chance to network with other educators but they also had the opportunity to study the contents of the exhibit in depth. I know that my own understanding of Reggio principles deepen due to the experience of having multiple visits to the exhibit and quiet time to reflect.” "The WOL exhibit provided an essential platform for dialogue around how we educate the young child. The visual documentation served as a powerful example of and testimony to the young child as being capable and competent. Visitors included parents, educators, children, policy makers; all of whom were deeply moved by the exhibit. Some visitors were awed and surprised, others were inspired and reassured…all, were motivated to create a Reggio inspired learning environment. Visitors were challenged to think through both the limitations and the potential of their respective environments. It was positively, a transformative experience for all!”

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“While volunteering at the exhibition, I had the most wonderful conversations with visitors, who usually seemed to fall into two categories: educators and families (children with parents). I spent a lot of time in the Natural Materials Atelier, which became like a sacred space for me, and I'm sure many others. What an amazing combination of a meditation/prayer studio, art space, and garden, with a stunning view of North Brooklyn and Manhattan! The whole room came alive at different points in the day, due to the change of the light through the South-facing window. Many who came and saw the room just stood there, in awe of their surroundings, this unexpected beauty, before exploring.” “I think the exhibit made the work of Reggio Emilia more accessible to educators who wouldn't be able to afford to travel to Italy. Whether it was a public school teacher, a head start program, or say a student... They had all these amazing opportunities for professional development and I would say that will have a huge impact on how they teach. I have never had the opportunity to meet so many other educators! Because of giving tours of the exhibit I met with teachers, professors, parents, and administrators, and it was certainly uplifting that all of the visitors wanted their programs to grow.” “I loved being in the ateliers watching with passion how visitors eyes and souls became transformed in the spaces. I asked visitors about how they experienced the space and listening to their reactions was a he artful learning experience.”

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Wonder of Learning Condition Report

Background

At the end of November, Will Neuman, an independent contractor (who contracts for SFDS) and Eric Winston, Principal of SFDS, traveled to New Mexico for deinstall and packing. The breakdown of the exhibit was fairly quick, however, in the breakdown 3 panels were broken. The crates seen were well worn with various screw holes that appeared to be stripped and trouble with a pallet.

December 13th, 2015

Condition of Artifacts:

Black mat is in very bad shape and could not be hung up. This was also not hung in New Mexico.

White mat also has various materials that are starting to fall off. We reattached what we could, but repairs will progress if it is not taken care of in a bigger way.

Ray of Light Tower:

We cannot comment on. We did not take it out of the box because we did not have space for the Tower of Light Section. I know there has been trouble in the past with cracks.

Light Reflection Machine:

There were pieces that were loose and evidence that it had been fixed using scotch tape. Mirror that inserts is very wobbly.

Map of Children running around columns

The columns needed to have their little sandbags in them and needed to be taped down. Also, the map which is made of a fragile translucent material needed repair in sections. Again, age is difficult on these artifacts that are made of this kind of material.

Bark from dialogue with materials:

It is hardly recognizable, as the paint has faded overtime. Again we kept away because it is so incredibly fragile right now.

Condition of Panels:

3 broken panels

Panels had dirt marks that could be taken off easily with magic erasers

All panels had Spanish conversation stickers directly on them.

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Condition of wood structures to hold artifacts:

Chipped in many places. We repainted them before we opened the exhibit

Reggio Publications:

Sculptures in Lights publication holes needed reinforcing.

Intro books to Reggio Emilia also need reinforcing

Missing Books:

My nose is as full as the world (Il mio naso è pieno come il mondo) Maybe bags (forse borse) Via Farini Spring Sound Dreaming heads (teste parlanti) The Park is... (stradina) Era via Farini trasformata 8 Marzo (English) A backwards mare

Dialogue with Places

Choreography for a dance notebook 1

Loris Malaguzzi International Center Brochure

Music Stands and Locks

The stands are loose and in terrible shape. There are many missing book locks

May 13, 2015

Condition of Artifacts

Black Mat was not used and was left in the crate. Same condition as above

White Mat continues to look, as is when it arrived. There are places where it things could be reattached.

Light Reflection Machine silver pieces that have been reattached many times continue to need support.

Map of Children running: needed some reinforcements. We took care of that, but again could use some support.

Condition of Panels:

There was one panel that has a slight crack that occurred during deinstall. Other than that panels are in good condition.

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Condition of Crates:

They continue to need support. There is no question that with all of the opening and closing and loading and unloading that they need to be replaced. I really don’t think that screwing in other places will help. We repaired at least 4 crates specifically pallets as we did when they were in New Mexico. They were all repaired and secured when they left for storage on May 16th.

Reggio Publications:

Sculptures in Light continues to need to be reinforced. I don’t think the whole punch in the corner is a great way to keep the pages together.

Intro Pamphlets also need reinforcing because again there is a hole punched system with it.

All the books were replaced that were missing, however it was difficult to find places to secure them so we didn’t put many of them out.

Music Stands and Locks

They continue to be in terrible shape. They are loose and are not effective anymore. We had developed our own system securing ones where there were missing locks to the stands using wire. That worked in most cases.

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Questions

1. How do you believe “The Wonder of Learning – The Hundred Languages of Children” exhibit and the NAREA Professional Development Series continues to provoke dialogues around quality in early childhood education in your community?

Our conversations provoking dialogues around quality in early childhood began long before the exhibit came to New York City. There are two different groups in New York City ISAAGNY (Indpendent School Admissions Association of Greater New York), DECA (Downtown Early Childhood Association) or BECDA (Brooklyn Early Childhood Director’s Association). These groups all meet monthly and generate topics at the beginning of each year which focus on holding group discussions about quality education. The topics range from issues that are regulated by the Department of Health which licenses all early childhood institutions in New York City to topics generated by the group of teachers and administrators who attend the meetings. As a group we focused on the following topics for professional development over the year that the exhibit was coming to New York. The first conference The Dialogue of Two Cities was to introduce the ideas to initiate a conversation between Reggio Emilia and NYC. At first sight they seem very different places, one has 170,000 citizens; the other almost 8.5 million. However, they share many similarities. In addition to being and prosperous places, hubs of innovation, they are also places where children are taken seriously: Reggio Emilia with its famous Infant Toddler Centers and Preschools; NYC with its Universal Pre-K initiative. There is much to learn and much to be shared, accomplishments as well as challenges.

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The keynote speakers included, Jerome Bruner, Lella Gandini, Claudia Giudici, Pietro Biroli, and Sophia Pappas. This conference which was the second day of the Wonderplay Conference at the 92nd Street Y was attended by over 600 people and included break out sessions as well as keynotes. Public School teachers were granted free admission to the daylong conference while others attending who went to Wonderplay (the conference the day before) paid $75 to attend. Highlights from the conference included Claudia Giudici’s remarks during which she shared, “education is a right from birth and is the responsibility of the community” and “creativity belongs to all children, and it is our responsibility to create spaces that encourage this.” She complemented her remarks with excerpts from experiences taking place in Reggio Emilia involving children’s work with human figures. Pietro Biroli and Lynne Pettler-Heckman continued the conversation by presenting a piece of their vast project of reviewing the economic and sociological impact that a high-quality early childhood program can have on a city.

And of course Jerome Bruner’s remarks which left a terrific feeling in the entire room. He commented on the newly launched universal pre-k program that the Mayor has put into place and how it can benefit from what has happened and is currently happening in the preschools in Reggio Emilia. It was not only a strong message but also a mandate, a call for all educators to come together in support of your children here in NYC, in Reggio Emilia, and all over the world. The hope that the conversation initiated at the conference would influence other groups to help children, all children, develop into healthy coping adults.

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Opening Gala: January 14, 2015 The opening of the exhibit was a historical event with the Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio speaking as well as Borough President Eric Adams. Lella Gandini and Ben Mardell joined them. The exhibits opening was a night full of hope and discussion about the importance of early childhood education. The mayor called early childhood education “sacred work” and addressed the impact that the exhibit can have on the teachers who are launching the Universal Pre-K classrooms throughout the city. The borough president discussed the influence of music and culture in Brooklyn and naturally cited the exhibit as further evidence that Brooklyn continues to be the center of the world. Lella noted that it was the perfect time to have the exhibit in New York, when there is so much discussion about how early childhood education can be the foundation for later learning and social interaction. Ben shared a story of how his first viewing of an earlier iteration of the exhibit twenty years ago taught him the importance of observation and listening to children. Professor Panel: February 5, 2015 A panel of professors from local New York City Colleges followed in February. It was called Piercing Together a Future for American Education. This afternoon offered reflections of the professors experience and how they have been inspired by the approach as well as a tour of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue Early Childhood Center. The conversations reflected that it is clear that there is real concern over the future of American education. At this time the panel felt that we are currently at a critical juncture. Regulations for teacher certification and as well as the implementation of the core curriculum in schools seems to place an emphasis on “teaching to the test” rather than authentic learning in the realms teacher education and the education of our children. The Reggio Emilia approach to education provides a new lens in which to articulate our vision of American education.

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Materials Conference

The Hundred Languages Conference: A Metaphor for the Extraordinary potentials of children and adults: The conference provided an opportunity for educators, architects, artists, and designers to focus on the expansive potential that ordinary materials hold as vehicles of expression for people of all ages. Susan Mackay’s keynote offered inspirations for the use of materials to build relationships between the values and ideas of the community and imagination. The project centered on the tough topic of bullying, but what was so amazing was seeing how 3rd graders dealt with it and the truly amazing art experience that happened as a result of it. David Gersten’s keynote discussed “where we know what we know” within the context of “embodied experience” and “embodied knowledge.” The break out sessions afterward that were located at Beginnings and the 14th street Y gave greater opportunities for smaller discussions to happen between teachers. There were a range of opportunities for educators to speak more about the potential for materials from deconstructing materials to discussing how using materials can be woven into standards of a public school core curriculum.

“The celebration was fantastic! I loved the way the different ways of working with materials were presented... so inviting! It was a beautiful event that brought to life so many beautiful things about the beauty of childhood, about learning and creating, about the relationship between school and family life, about the city and the school. I think that this moment in time is the perfect time for a conference like this one - a time to reimagine our image of materials, a time to re-think/re-look at the possibilities inherent in them, and develop our understanding of how materials can feed and inspire our work with children. It was so very clear that the work happening in New York City is truly Reggio inspired and honors the unique context that is one of the world's most amazing cities. The weekend was an inspiring experience, one that spoke to me and my heart on so many levels. The spaces we visited, the speakers we heard, the workshops we participated in, the exhibit, and the beautiful materials day event... it has had a powerful impact on me and my work. Thank you!” “How wonderful to have the exhibit in NYC at last and to have NYC as a backdrop to the conferences and events. At last! So timely and so fitting!” “Great ideas and it was very successful. All the tables were well represented. I heard a parent say to her child, ‘that's it! No more toys we are going to create our toys out of recycled materials.’ That is how successful it was!” “This was a wonderful gathering of families, educators, facilitators, and MATERIALS! An amazing community building experience.” “It was really exciting and inspirational. Preparing for the event also helped get me excited for things I can do in my own classroom.” “This was the highlight, worth its weight in gold. I absolutely loved this & all the ideas I got from Materials Day. Incredible, so incredible.”

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2. How did the exhibit and the professional development series strengthen the collaborative participation of educators, families, administrators, community members, and/or government leaders in the dialogue about early childhood education in your community? A true goal of bringing the exhibit to NYC was for collaboration to happen. It is unusual that in a big city such as New York that this is not happening more frequently among teachers. It is almost a reflection of what New York City is like. Everyone is consumed in their own world of being busy with no time to sit and talk to others. I found that every opportunity that we had to dialogue together with each other in the conferences that there was so much conversations happening that it was hard to stop and listen. I remember feeling that right before the Professor Panel. Everyone was in the lobby of the Steven Wise Synagogue buying books from Karen talking, seeing old friends, catching up and just delighted to be in the presence of a terrific dialogue. The panel which was free brought colleagues from all kinds of settings from public schools to colleges to private schools.

Another example of strong collaboration occurred between many of the studio teachers in New York City. In the section on volunteering I wrote about the set up of the natural materials studio and the light studio. The amount of work (into the wee hours of the night), collecting, and emails that went back and forth requiring this to happen was truly inspiring. The group of studio teachers became quite close and it was exciting to see very shortly after the exhibit close this invitation in my inbox.

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Let's get together and share ideas and inspirations for studio work with children. I'm opening my west village carriage house materials studio for you and anyone else you'd like to invite. WHEN: Tuesday June 16th. Come anytime between 7-10:30. WHERE: 61 1/2 Perry Street b/w W 4th and Bleecker b/w 10 Tall black wrought iron gate next to 61 Perry. Ring Bell. Bring a bottle of wine or your favorite dessert to share.

This is Linda White, who hosted the evening, and probably spent the most days at the exhibit other than Robin and myself. The evening at her carriage house was what I call a true success and we planned the next evening to happen quite soon in addition to discussing the structure of the collaboration with studio teachers in NYC in a more formal way and using her carriage house as the destination for these discussions to take place.

“The experience and they experienced the pure beauty and simplicity of rescued materials. It was an inspiring and exhilarating months for me being part of this collaborative project. I thank you and others who made this possible to bring to nyc area. I only wish ateliers can continue in other locations to inspire and create. It was an exhilarating experience.”

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Many public schools that came to exhibit wanted to collaborate with support regarding the environment in their schools. They wanted to bring the children’s work to the forefront. One public school that Teaching Beyond the Square collaborated with is called the Samara Community School. They were interested in looking at their classroom environment which we supported by doing a presentation and then together changing around 2 kindergarten classrooms, to let in more natural light (they hung up documentation on the window shades!), opened up each area to be larger, took down some wall/board signs and such to give more visibility to children's work, and to make the drawing/writing more organized and accessible.

There is no doubt that further collaborative opportunities will arise in the near future.

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3. What opportunities for teachers, parents, administrators, community members and/or government leaders to meet and discuss the values and goals of education and childhood were generated as a result of the presence of the exhibit and the professional development series initiative in your community? How did these opportunities contribute to a better understanding of the various perspectives that exist within your community on this subject?

Our Opening Night for the Wonder of Learning on January 14th, 2015 was our first chance for leaders to meet and discuss the values and goals of education, but it was through our scheduled private visits that there was much more evidence and more casual opportunities for this to happen. The colleges that brought students to see the exhibit were: Brooklyn College (5x), Barnard College, NYU, Hampshire College, Smith College, Teachers College, Lycoming College, William Patterson University, Keystone College, Harvard, Brookdale College, and Dominican College. Many of these colleges held their classes at the exhibit and it was not unusual for the professors to be holding discussion groups with their students or for students to be visiting on their own during our public weekend hours. The college students many of who were unfamiliar with the approach had the opportunity to study in depth a panel and really begin to understand how working with children in this way can support children’s understanding and their theories.

“The Wonder of Learning exhibition has moved me to see teaching in such a different way; I savor children's artwork, their interests, their facial expressions, their words and anything that helps me understand how to bridge the gap between not knowing and final comprehension. This I have learned from the Wonder of Learning Exhibition. I hope many; many more are reached and touched in this manner.” “I am so, so inspired by this exhibition. I don’t know why this approach is not taken everywhere. It shows the incredible potential that children have to be mini scientists. This approach is thoroughly scientific as well as artistic and creative. It teaches children to be unafraid of questions they might have or abilities that they might have. This approach does not stifle it at all but a explores and it allows it to flourish. It and it is beautiful and needs to be implemented everywhere. I am so grateful that I was taken here today.” “Teachers advocate learning through playing. Children are supposed to have freedom to explore the world by themselves. However, the educational system does not support this kind of learning. Educational departments set up the standards for all children to reach. Schools limit children’s opportunities to experience the world with joys. Teachers force children to learn the knowledge without choice. This is not the way to educate children in school. After visiting the Wonder of Leaning exhibition, the ideas inspire me to teach children in a more natural way.”

In addition I think the professor panel that we hosted in February gave people the opportunity to reflect on what has been on everyone’s minds: that there is real concern over the future of American education. We are currently at a critical juncture. Regulations for teacher certification and as well as the implementation of the core curriculum in schools seems to place an emphasis on “teaching to the test” rather than authentic learning in the realms teacher education and the education of our children. The Reggio Emilia approach to education provides a new lens in which to articulate our vision of American education and can mitigate some of the concerns our professors have noted.

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“I loved attending the professor panel last Thursday. I have become so passionate about using the Reggio Inspired approach. It was very special for me to listen to all the voices on the stage. We all need to keep a constant dialog going on and be life long learners. The more we learn, the more we don't know and them ore curious we become.”

Our Light and Shadow studio and Natural Materials Studio provided a wonderful opportunity to invite parents into the conversation. If not for these I am unsure if we would have had the rich opportunity to go in-depth about these conversations. In addition to many parents attending the exhibit on the weekends the following schools planned private visits for their parents: Beginnings, Blue School, All Souls, Parents League of New York, and Stephen Wise Early Childhood Program.

“I have been reflecting on how I could incorporate this work into working with my teenagers. I teach creative writing and poetry. I have been trying to fuse it with movement and visual art. It is inspiring in the sense that all of these genres are interrelated and how can we introduce more wonder, imagination, and the magic and curiosity into the process with teenagers and adults and there is a lot to learn from children in that respect.”

“ I am very excited to be here. I am a big fan and it reminds me a lot of my days in design school. There was a freedom to explore concepts through your own resources. The beauty of this program is it allows kids to gain creative confidence and that they can always find a way to solve a problem or answer a bigger question with the help of their minds, their hands, or their friends. Every idea I have seen here goes beyond pre-k education it is something that will linger in their heads and in their imaginations forever. I am speechless. I really enjoy poetry and philosophy and this is a foundation to see life and the world in a fantastic and imaginative way and I think we should never lose that and I think it is something that adults stop being so good at…. thinking of themselves as creative. That is the beauty of the Reggio Emilia approach it is cultivating a culture of pure imagination.”

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Nakoley Renville, principal of an elementary school in Brooklyn, enjoyed the Light Atelier with her family. "It is inspiring for me as a principal because it's reminding me of what it's like to be a child again. Putting myself back in the days where I was free to wonder, explore and feel like I could dance like there's nobody watching."

“We want to thank you for putting together this exhibit it was a beautiful inspiration for both of us we are about to have a child in a couple months and one of the things is that I noticed the most it alludes to the fact that every moment of development is ripe for learning from a child’s perspective and as parents or educators you don’t have to feel like caretaking or educating is a job, but that you get to re-experience that wonder through a child’s eyes.”

"It is so exciting for all of us to reaffirm there that, in a world that pushes Ipads and specific-use toys and structured workbooks and athletic activities on our kids, they are really happiest and most alive letting their imaginations run wild in rooms full of materials from nature and piles of what in other contexts would constitute "junk." We had a hard time convincing them to leave each time we visited the WOL!"

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4. How did the exhibit and professional development series impact the visibility of the learning and relationships of children, teachers, and parents within your early childhood education community?

The exhibit had a true impact on the visibility of learning by having our banner like this one in the picture in the faces of New Yorkers. With the help of Out-front Media we could be placed outside the L train in Manhattan and in Brooklyn. We were also on all buses that travelled along 14th street in Manhattan and on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. In addition a banner placed on the outside of The Williamsburg Northside building where it could be seen by the 1000’s of people who travel along the Brooklyn Queens Expressway each day was of equal importance.

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W i l l i a m s b u r g N o r t h s i d e S c h o o l2 9 9 N . 7 t h S t r e e t , B r o o k l y n N Y 1 1 2 1 1

J a n u a r y 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 - M a y 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 W - S U 1 2 - 6 P M N e w Y o r k C i t y W o l . o r g

E x h i b i t i o n o f t h e i n f a n t - t o d d l e r c e n t e r s a n d p r e s c h o o l s , I s t i t u z i o n e o f t h e M u n i c i p a l i t y o f R e g g i o E m i l i a I t a l y - N o r t h A m e r i c a n v e r s i o n

We valued the visibility and wanted all to know why it was this time that was so important for early childhood education. We offered private visits on Wednesday-Friday and were often overbooked with 8 groups coming on these days. The requests overflowed our in boxes. The visibility to the exhibit within Williamsburg itself was supported by bloggers and our Wonder of Learning Ambassadors that we called on to help spread the word in Brooklyn calling for the importance of seeing the exhibit and that it wasn’t exclusively for teachers and parents.

“I am honored to be a Wonder of Learning Ambassador, and to spread the word about the amazing Reggio Emilia traveling exhibition that will be opening in Brooklyn in mere days. The Wonder of Learning exhibition in NYC is a must-see for all local parents and teachers! Our city is long overdue to experience this show which offers 6000 sq ft of stunning revelations of the capacity and depth of young children's minds. The Wonder of Learning traveling exhibition was last seen in Albuquerque, NM, and I saw it for the first time when it was on view last year in a neighboring state to my NC homeland: Greenville SC. The reason for this show's amazing world travels are the true wonders of learning coming out of the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. It's only right that the many artifacts that constitute the show are making their way around the world: we outside the fold need to better understand how best practice is actually done. Thanks to expert documentation, we can see it firsthand through this show, and not have to travel to Italy. Not that we don't want to!! But this show has proven itself to be an excellent way of disseminating a world class teaching approach, and it has created a devoted following for all things Reggio.” Our map of Reggio Inspired Around the World which was thought up by some teachers from Beginnings in the wee hours of setting up the exhibit for opening night highlighted that we 565 places from around the world that people either came from to see the exhibit or identify from.

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5. How have the early childhood educators in your community learned to extend the visibility of classroom experiences of learning and relationships to include connections with the values and goals of parents and administrators, as a result of the professional development opportunities created by the exhibit and professional development series? In which way did the educators connect children’s experiences to government/district mandated curriculum standards and outcomes?

Our group formed to host the exhibit New York City Encounters with Reggio Emilia posted questions as to exactly hit on how we as educators can support the goals of parents and administrators. Some of our leading questions were: What kinds of support do you as a teacher need in order to move closer towards your newly inspired vision of education? What kinds of support do you, as parents of young children need in order to guide your child towards this renewed image of the child? What kinds of support do you, as administrators of schools need in order to shape your center towards this newly inspired understanding of community? And how do you envision your practice as a teacher, parent, or administrator changing in the next year as a result of experiencing the Wonder of Learning exhibit? Here are some responses: As a parent/teacher this would allow me to think differently, outside the box. As a parent, I’d like to see the teachers in my child’s class to think and work in a similar way, but I’m unclear how to go about starting that conversation. As a UPK coordinator the challenge is introducing this to new teachers and time. It requires time. As a teacher I need trust from administration to believe in my ideas and help me work through them. As a teacher I need flexibility in the way we teach. Being in a public school there are mandates, standards, and curriculums to follow and there isn’t space to try something new. I think heads of schools and leadership teams need PD on the value of infusing the Reggio Approach in NYC schools. A culture that supports you in your image of the child The exhibit makes me feel there is hope beyond our test driven school system. I wish our children could advocate for their right to learn this way in NYC.

6. How did the exhibit and the professional development series encourage educators to document the role of the environment in their classrooms? What did educators and parents learn about the role of the environment within the school community through the documentation of the learning and relationships that typically develop within that context? A private visit with 45 educators and their architects from Avenues, the World School, has been the one school where it was noted the most change has happened. The school is relatively new only being opened 3 years so far. The children who attend the school are 3 year olds to 12th grade. All children either choose the mandarin track or Spanish track and therefore the goal is that they are proficient by the time they graduate. Of the 45 teachers who attended the exhibit 15 were from China and 15 were from Spain and knew nothing about the Reggio Emilia Approach. "They were completely blown away by the approach," Nancy Schulman, Head of Early Learning Division told me. It was the right time for them and they had been speaking about making their curriculum more accessible to the children. Therefore after spending the day at the exhibit and continuing the discussions into the afternoon it was no surprise that not only did their rooms change and materials change, but the work of the children changed. It was noted by someone in another department by saying, "Wow, what happened?!"

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The Early Learning Division will be moving and are going through the process of designing their own space in 2017. They brought their architects to the visit so they could have discussions with them about creating the kind of spaces that would be conducive to children exploring and learning. Again, a wonderful opportunity for discussions to happen because they were able to see through the section dialogue with spaces how children interpret and direct their learning by experiencing a space.

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7. Were the educators in your community able to organize an exhibit that documents the learning and relationships of children, teachers, and parents to be shared with community members in a public context during your hosting period? If so, where was the exhibit and how did your community respond? If not, what plans do you have for such an annual exhibit? We were not able to organize an exhibit for the NYC yet, but it is not out of the question for the future. The timing of the closing of the exhibit at the same time as school closing did not leave much time for this to happen. I also feel as most of the committee agrees that we need to see what direction our conversations and work goes into in the next year. We have numerous plans and ideas as demonstrated in the Teaching Beyond the Square future ideas diagram in the addendum. Some of the first work we will start is the hosting of mini conferences in various schools around NYC next year. Our hope is that by sharing together our work that it will lead to numerous possibilities.

8. How did the presence of the exhibit and professional development series contribute to educators’, parents’, and community members’ abilities to advocate for the rights of children in the community? In what ways did their abilities develop? Did educators and parents develop a better understanding of current policies regarding early childhood education and issues being addressed by school and government officials, the disposition to communicate with school and government officials?

We really didn't know what was going to happen in terms of the government advocating for the rights of children before the exhibit came to NYC. According to all political figureheads they were pushing the new universal preschool program which became extremely important to the campaign for the election of the new Mayor for NYC. For them the program which would provide school for 4,000 children who were not eligible before than this was "advocating for children". However, we believe that there were issues regarding programing implementation (lack of training and lack of facilities). Our goal was to develop a relationship with the Mayor's office to make a difference in how children in these programs were learning. Our first step was getting Mayor de Blasio and Sophia Pappas (in charge of early childhood for the city) to come to the opening of the exhibit. That we accomplished.

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Our next step was to have the UPK coordinator and Educational Coordinators from each NYC borough attend the exhibit. At these visits we would provide a framework of the potentials of working with children in this way and how it can be fused into the common core. We also would present work that Teaching Beyond the Square presented already and what our thoughts were about the future. After sessions with Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, and Queens we did just that and started a conversation about working on a consulting basis with the Board of Education and universal pre-kindergarten sites. (please see the addendum for scope of work with UPK sites).

I think parents and educators were quite excited to see that the Department of Education was paying attention to what the exhibit was bringing to NYC and is hanging onto the potential of the relationship between Teaching Beyond the Square and the city schools becoming extremely strong. The look for the future is looking a whole lot brighter than it did in December before the exhibit arrived.

New York City Wonder of Learning Exhibit

2015 Addendum

Addendum Index

(1) NAREA Professional Development Series: Dialogues for Quality in Education Summary Question Introduction Background Collaboration Professional Development and Advocacy Exhibit Hosts Page of NAREA Website (7) Natural Materials Studio and Light Studio Learning Objectives (13) Letters (13) Letter to Beginnings Parents for fundraising (14) Volunteer Letter to Directors and Heads of Schools (15) Example of Letter to be in opening video to Professor Gardner (16) Letter to invite Mayor de Blasio to opening (18) Letter to Williamsburg Northside Community about exhibit and security (20) Letter to Visitors of the Exhibit (21) Wonder of Learning Logos (22) Wonder of Learning Map- Jack’s Important Places (25) Host Reports (25) July 31, 2014 (28) September 24, 2014 (31) November 26, 2014 (33) January 1, 2015 (35) March 2, 2015 (36) April 1, 2015 (38) May 8, 2015 (40) Word Cloud (41) Dialogue of Two Cities Conference Program (43) Dialogue of Two Cities Conference Speaker Bios (45) Breakout Sessions- Dialogue of 2 Cities (49) Wonder of Learning NYC Gala Invitation (51) Wonder of Learning NYC Gala Program (53) Piecing together Panel Program (55) NAREA Winter Conference Program St. Francis (67) NAREA Winter Conference Program Broad St. Ballroom (82) NAREA Winter Conference Letter to Volunteer Team (83) NAREA Winter Conference Volunteer Schedule example (86) 100 Languages Conference Program (88) 100 Languages Conference Breakout Sessions (90) Materials Day Poster (91) Wonder of Learning Poster (92) UPK Instructional Coordinators and Educational Administrators Workshop Wednesday, May 6th Schedule Thursday, May 7th Schedule Friday, May 8th Schedule (94) Collaboration with Brooklyn Kindergarten Society: Brevoort Children’s Center Six weeks starting in mid-May, 2015 April 20th through June 30th, 2015 (96) Projection of Programming for 2015-2016 TBTS

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Addendum:

“The Wonder of Learning – The Hundred Languages of Children”

An Exhibit from Reggio Emilia, Italy

NAREA Professional Development Series: Dialogues for Quality in Education

Summary Question

What is the rationale for hosting the exhibit in your community, including potential impact of exhibit’s presence?

First and foremost the rationale of having the exhibit in NYC is too harness and educate those who don’t know the importance of educating young children. In the recent times of core curriculum and pushing children to gain skills in a rote manner the exhibit will be able to help those seeing it to understand how teachers can help children learn and make connections through investment in their own ideas. The projects that are part of the 5 sections allow the observer to see the depth, beauty, and complexity of the work of the children. There is also the potential for incredible teacher education (something I am extremely dedicated to). In light of de Blasio’s emphasis on pre-k education in New York City there could potentially be 73,000 children who will be part of this program which means a lot of new teachers. The exhibit could be a path for some training that could happen for them so it could not be timelier to be here. I also see the impact for education for parents. In a fundraising presentation I gave the other night at Beginnings about the exhibit I suggested that one of many opportunities would be for teachers to accompany parents to the exhibit so that dialogue could begin between teachers and parents that might not have happened before.

Introduction

What is the name of the entity requesting the exhibit?

Teaching Beyond the Square, Beginnings Nursery School, New York City Encounters with Reggio

Who would be signing the contract to host the exhibit?

Teaching Beyond the Square

What is the nature of the organization requesting the exhibit? (i.e., private school, 501(c)(3) organization, public school, university, informal group)

The goals of Teaching Beyond the Square are the following:

• To support educators, at Beginnings and beyond, with formal and informal educational programs and access to educational opportunities.

• To provide career development and training opportunities through a fellowship program for teachers who are interested in pursuing graduate degrees. Fellowships will be granted through an application process.

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• To work with educators from the U.S. and abroad to foster an understanding of our work here at Beginnings and how we have been inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy as well as other educational philosophies.

• To use our materials center as a resource for educational and pedagogical experiences.

Teaching Beyond the Square is a 501 c3.

Beginnings Nursery School has been in existence for 30 years. We are a private nursery school with 205 students ages 18months-5. There is a staff of 35 which includes 5 administrators: Director, Educational Director, Business and Technology Director, Admissions and Exmissions Director, and Director of Parent Relations and Special Events. We are a developmental program based in a progressive approach that has been extremely inspired by the Reggio approach for the last 15 years. We are committed to observation, documentation, and collaborating with children and parents.

Are funds in place for hosting the exhibit?

Not yet

If not, how will funds be raised for hosting the exhibit?

We are currently raising funds both through my parent body and the exhibit committee.

Background

What is the history of interest in the philosophies and experiences of Reggio Emilia in your community, including a detailed description of the evolution of work in your community/state/province?

There has always been an interest in the NYC community in terms of the study of Reggio Emilia. I remember a gathering a long time ago that I attended at the Italian Consulate (I think) that was attended by many educators. The Reggio Study Tours are also well attended by New York City educators. What has puzzled me has been the inability for NYC to sustain a committed group of individuals who would meet to discuss their goals and challenges. I feel that having the exhibit in NYC will help the group grow, collaborate, and form a bond that has needed to happen for quite sometime. I did want to give my background and timeline in my interest in the Reggio Emilia philosophy.

I initially became interested in the Reggio Emilia philosophy in 1992 when I saw the Hundred Language of Children exhibit at the Scholastic Gallery. That followed with a trip to Saint Louis for Documentation Days, Boulder Journey School for a summer conference, University of Vermont Campus Children’s Center (which followed with a collaboration between Beginnings and UVM for 2 years. I raised 90,000 dollars from the Beginnings community to fund this. During the time I took groups of teachers and a group of parents to UVM. We heard Gunilla Dahlberg present). I also attended Reggio Emilia Study weeks in 2001 and 2011. In the winter of 2010 Lella Gandini and Amelia Gambetti had their first visit to Beginnings. They returned the following year and Lella has been twice more. Our work with them has been inspiring and transformational. I have also seen the exhibit twice since 1992. In Minneapolis and Chicago. I will be traveling to South Carolina in February and then to New Mexico in June to see installation.

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If previous versions of the exhibit have been located in your community/state/province, provide a detailed description of the impact of that experience. How has work evolved since then?

I wasn’t involved in the exhibit when it was in NYC in 1992.

Collaboration

Describe the presence of existing collaboration between educators, schools, and organizations, including the nature of the collaboration related to professional development and advocacy, and how members of the existing collaborative group will participate in the effort to host the exhibit in your community.

Until October 2013 there was not an existing group of educators that had a collaborative presence in New York City. As someone who has been following the approach since 1992 it was always shocking to me that in New York City there was not one such group. In conferences that I had attended in Colorado, St. Louis, Boston, and Reggio Emilia there was always a presence of New York City educators interested and passionate but nothing formally organized. In my work over the past 5 years with Lella and Amelia I spoke about the interest in having the exhibit return to NYC. This would be the impetus to formalize a group.

What is the composition of the team of individuals, schools, and organizations collaborating in the management of responsibilities inherent in hosting the exhibit?

The composition currently of our team that will be our steering committee is the following.

November Initiative: Leila Vujosevic (principal at Omniarch Architects) and Noah Hichenberg( Director JCC Manhattan)

Documenation Committee: Jacqueline Marks (Director of Explore Discover) and Lauren Smith (Director of Curriculum Tribeca Community School)

Hospitality Committee: Marjorie Goldsmith (Director All Souls School) and Olympia Robinson (Teacher/Administrator Beginnings Nursery School)

Exhibition Writing Committee: Laura Sedlock (Educational Director Beginnings Nursery School)

IT/Website: Alberto Alarez (Future Beginnings Teacher/cook)

Professional Outreach Committee (Schools): Bridgid McGinn (Former Studio Teacher)

Professional Outreach Committee (Colleges): Sara Michael Luna (Queens College Professor) and Ilaria Costa (Executive Director Italian American Committee on Education)

Professional Outreach Committee (NYC): Leila Vujosevic (educator and principal Omniarch Architects) and Virgil de Voldere (Director La Petite Ecole)

Materials Conference: Amy Miller (Studio Teacher Beginnings Nursery School)

Narea Winter Conference: Anna Fiore (Head of La Scuola Italia)

Opening and Closing Celebrations: Renee Rolleri (Founder Blue School)

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Ray of Light and Natural Materials Atelier: Robin Koo (Studio Teacher) and Wendy Gelsanliter (Assistant Director JCP)

In additions there are 50 other educators thus far that have joined these committees and they include representatives from: City University of New York City, Pratt College, Chelsea Day School, Family Annex, Madison Avenue Preschool, Plymouth Church Preschool, 14th Street Y, 92nd Street Y, Scarsdale Public Schools, British International Schools, Avenues, Brotherhood Synagogue, New York City Public Schools, Packer Collegiate, Town School, Williamsburg Northside School, and many more.

Describe the presence of schools in your community that might serve as a context for professional development initiatives related to the exhibit, including background information about the school(s).

Blue School: Our founders, board and faculty pose questions like these at the center of our work to build a more sustainable and harmonious world. What if, they ask, a school could speak up rather than down to the intellects of children? What if a school's curriculum could be built from children's questions and wonderings about the world, built on our human and natural desire to create and do? What if we could develop educational practices that foster -- instead of hamper -- creativity and innovation? What if, freed from the what-has-always-been that hold some schools back, and from the standardized testing that has paralyzed our nation's discourse and practice, a school could launch the inventors, artists, and change makers who would act boldly and courageously in the face of a changing world? What if we could align learning in school with the kinds of lives our children are likely to lead? The kind of lives we hope for? Blue School is a daily pursuit of these questions.

Beginnings Nursery School: Beginnings Nursery School is a community of children, families and teachers committed to learning and growing through a process of research and discovery. We aim to create a nurturing and stimulating environment in which children's curiosity is respected, creativity valued, and collaborations supported. We seek to strengthen our connection to resources in our world, including our community, neighborhood, city, and natural and found materials. Our hope is that during their time at Beginnings and beyond, children will deepen their love of learning, develop a thoughtful awareness of themselves and others, and have the confidence to pursue their passions.

La Scuola: La Scuola is an English/Italian bilingual school, offering an international education to a diverse student body. The academically rigorous curriculum provides a strong foundation in liberal arts, mathematics and science; total immersion in foreign languages from the outset; in-depth study and appreciation of American, European and Italian civilizations and cultures. Full immersion and the interaction with children of different nationalities facilitate their learning of a foreign language. The bilingual curriculum is open to English speaking students, as the languages of learning are both Italian and English. Prior knowledge of the Italian language is not a prerequisite for admission to Pre-k through 9 grade. English students not yet familiar with Italian receive special support in this subject. Full immersion and the interaction with children of different nationalities facilitate their learning of a foreign language. Our diplomas are honored both in the United States and in the European Union, and students can transfer from and to other schools in both countries.

Cooper Union: Through outstanding academic programs in architecture, art and engineering, and a Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science

and Art prepares talented students to make enlightened contributions to society.

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92nd Street Y: This community organization has held the Wonderplay conference for the last seven years. Lella and Amelia have been a part of as keynotes and presenters. In combination with the Wonderplay conference next November they will be donating their concert hall on Saturday, November 15th to host a one day initiative featuring Lella, Jerome Bruner, and hopefully NYC School Chancellor Carmen Fanna.

Professional Development and Advocacy

Describe the plans for sustaining professional development and advocacy related to the exhibit and accompanying professional development initiatives beyond the hosting period.

My hope is to continue a monthly group committed to discussing long term the impact that the philosophy can have on working with young children in NYC. The goal would be to have monthly meetings that would be able to rotate in our settings revolving around the documentation of children’s learning, parent involvement, and teacher collaboration. I am hoping in this hosting period that I am able to make even more connections with educators, artists, designers, and parents who I have not known before to be part of this group. I saw first hand the enthusiasm from a group that has formed in Scarsdale in November (I am hosting them at Beginnings next week) and I am hoping we can accomplish something like this.

Describe your ideas for possible professional development initiatives during the presence of the exhibit in your community

November Initiative: This will be a kickoff for the exhibit arriving in January. It will feature Lella Gandini and Jerome Bruner. We are also trying to get a speaker from the Department of Education in New York City. This will take place on November 15th at the 92nd Street Y.

Narea Winter Conference: Although much of the planning will be done by Narea we are thinking that the conference would take place at La Scoula with visits to Blue School and Beginnings.

Materials Conference: This will be a 2-day conference. The first day will feature speakers from the Arts and Architecture community. We have lined up one professor David Gersten from Cooper Union thus far. We are also thinking about David Rockwell. The second day will be a street fair in front of the space where the exhibit will be. We are imagining booths featuring a different material with spaces for children and families to create using the materials.

Panel Discussions: On select days we are hoping to have panel discussions made up of teachers and professors at the exhibit. We will pick different topics for the sessions.

Exhibit Hosts Page of NAREA Website

Has someone on your host committee read the exhibit hosting documents in their entirety?

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Yes, both Jane Racoosin (Director, Beginnings Nursery School) and LeeAnn Valvano (Special Events and Parent Relations Director Beginnings Nursery School have read the documents.) LeeAnn Valvano will be our exhibit coordinator during the preparation and execution of the exhibit.

Have you identified any obstacles to hosting the exhibit within the exhibit host organizational guide?

The only obstacles I have identified so far is not being able to obtain insurance until my renewal comes up which will be December 2014. I have a quote and it will be easy to obtain. I have also obtained shipping estimates (but these could change), but again with it being a year away these could change as well.

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Natural Materials Atelier:

Opportunities for Learning

Using natural materials provides many open-ended opportunities for thinking and learning. Each material comes to life in the hands of the child and invites wonder, respect, and a genuine connection with the natural world. Here are a few ways that natural materials can support everyday discovery in the classroom.

Scientific Learning

-­‐ Observations of change over time (e.g. life cycles). -­‐ Engaging the five senses. -­‐ Engaging in scientific process: theorizing, hypothesizing, prediction and building research

questions: “If I do X what will happen…” -­‐ Cause and effect.

Social Emotional Development

-­‐ Reflection: children draw on and enhance their prior experiences with natural materials from encounters outside the classroom.

-­‐ Critical thinking and problem solving: children work to manipulate and discover materials in a variety of different settings.

-­‐ Empowerment: children feel empowered when working with real objects. -­‐ Attachment: as children work with natural materials that do not lead to a permanent

product, they become more comfortable with the knowledge that creativity is within and can be called upon again and again.

-­‐ Collaboration: children work together with questions and strategies to engage with the material.

Mathematical Thinking

-­‐ Patterns in nature: materials inspire thinking about patterns as children identify and recognize natural patterns that occur.

-­‐ Counting: natural materials can be used as a manipulative for counting. -­‐ Size and measurement: when observing materials that are alive and growing, children’s

thinking about ideas of change in size inspires opportunities for measurement and data collection.

-­‐ Categorizing: categories based on a material’s attributes provide opportunities for sorting.

Creativity

-­‐ Designs with natural materials: working with these open-ended materials to create designs provides the opportunity to use symbolism (using one object to represent another) in a child’s imaginative play and design work.

-­‐ Flexibility of idea generation: children may approach materials with a pre-formed idea, or as

they touch, place, notice, and connect they may see new potential, allowing the materials to inspire new ideas.

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-­‐ Use of natural materials in the block area: natural materials can be introduced into the block area as another form of manipulation and additional decorative building material.

-­‐ Impermanence: when a child is working toward a creative “product” that is to be disassembled at the end of a work time, their work is based on the unique properties of the materials in front of them leading them to have a greater awareness of their work in the moment.

Language

-­‐ Expressive and descriptive language: children use expressive language and vocabularies to describe their observations and theories surrounding the materials.

-­‐ Writing and recording observations or theories: children document their thinking by recording what they notice.

-­‐ Story telling: natural materials offer opportunities to tell non-fiction and fiction stories about the material.

Motor and sensory exploration

-­‐ Fine motor: when working with smaller objects and tools, such as tweezers, a child is working to encourage growth in their smaller muscle structures.

-­‐ Gross motor: when working with larger objects, such as rocks and logs, a child is using larger muscle groups.

-­‐ Whole body experience: when manipulating materials in large quantities, such as clay, water etc., and a child is using their full body to engage with the materials. Both fine and gross motor skills are in use.

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Welcome to the

NATURAL MATERIALS ATELIER

We designed this atelier for children and adults to explore objects and elements of nature from different habitats and environments. Together with sources of light and sound, visitors can use various tools for observation and visual response to explore properties of nature. This atelier will change over the course of the exhibit period, from Forest/Woodland to Ocean/Beach, then on to Plants/Gardening. These themes offer visitors the opportunity to be immersed in the natural world even while in the urban, concrete setting of New York City.

The ateliers were created by the Atelier Committee of New York City Encounters with Reggio Emilia (NYCERE) to accompany the Wonder of Learning exhibit during its stay in Brooklyn, NY. We hope that you enjoy your experience and that you leave feeling inspired and re-charged in your work with young children.

Please contribute to the beauty of the atelier by respecting the materials and organization of the space.

Questions about the atelier? Please email:

NYCReggio@TeachingBeyondTheSquare.org

“We see the culture of the atelier as a sort of benevolent virus that produces creativity, and expands from the school over the territory of the city with the aim of spreading a culture that is attentive to the quality of the processes. The culture of the atelier is counter to the culture of throw-away things and indifference. It is attentive to always seeking beauty because we need beauty. The culture of the atelier is also attentive to the care taken in what we do and the care of the environment in which we live. Education should always keep in mind and send into the future the processes of play, invention and creativity as well as the pleasure, joy and excitement of thinking. This also must be the task of the atelier.”

Vea Vecchi, The Atelier: For a Richer and More Comprehensive

Knowledge of New Cultural Visions, Innovations, Fall 2012.

“Children are miracles. Believing that every child is a miracle can transform the way we design for children’s care. When we invite a miracle into our lives, we prepare ourselves and the environment around us … We make it our job to create, with reverence and gratitude, a space that is worthy of a miracle! Action follows thought. We can choose to change. We can choose to design spaces for miracles, not minimums.”

- Anita Rui Olds

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Light and Shadow Studio:

Opportunities for Learning

Fusing found materials with light presents many open-ended opportunities for children’s thinking and learning. The combined properties of these materials create another dimension for exploration that promotes and fosters expanded thought and self-awareness.

Scientific Learning

-­‐ Observations of change over time (e.g. cycle of day into night). Children will notice how natural light adds an uncontrolled dimension and provides different opportunities through the day and changes the variables of their experimentation.

-­‐ Engaging the senses. -­‐ Cause and Effect: exploring the scientific process: theorizing, hypothesizing, prediction and

building research questions. “If I do X what will happen…”

Social Emotional Development

-­‐ Feeling of empowerment to work with real objects and technologies. -­‐ Reflection: recalling prior experiences to enhance and build with materials in either a

different or similar context. -­‐ Critical thinking and problem solving: children work to manipulate and discover materials in

a variety of different settings. -­‐ Working with the idea of impermanence and mutability: materials and activities that do not

lead to a permanent product allow children to become more comfortable with the knowledge that creativity is within and can be called upon again and again.

-­‐ Dramatic play: children use light and shadow as another dimension to their dramatic play.

Mathematical Thinking

-­‐ Patterns: using materials to project, build, and create naturally encourages pattern-making which is a development of early mathematical thinking.

-­‐ Counting: when working with smaller, transparent manipulatives, children count and organize objects, expanding their ability to compare and contrast while developing number understanding.

-­‐ Size and measurement: children can explore concepts of size and measurement through shadow placement and organization of materials.

-­‐ Categorizing: objects can be grouped and sorted based on attributes.

Language

-­‐ Expressive and descriptive language: expansion of vocabulary when describing artistic and scientific phenomena.

-­‐ Writing and recording observations or theories.

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-­‐ Using story telling to explore theories and develop understanding of the properties of light and shadow. Also encouraging further engagement with the materials as their stories unfold.

Motor and sensory exploration

-­‐ Fine motor: working with smaller objects and tools allows children to engage and develop their fine motor coordination.

-­‐ Gross motor: opportunities to move large equipment such as projectors and lights, further develop strength, coordination, and confidence.

-­‐ Whole body experience: as children discover their physical relationship with shadow, they begin to use large body movements in specific and controlled ways to manipulate the effects of light. In doing so, they develop coordination and strength.

Written by Beginnings Nursery School Teachers:

Yeshnaya Dougherty, Shelly Gargus, Robin Koo, and Amy Miller

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Welcome to the

LIGHT and SHADOW ATELIER

We designed this atelier for children and adults to explore the many dimensions of light and shadow. Beginning with only monochromatic materials, visitors can focus on concepts such as transparency, translucency, opacity, reflection, and refraction using the materials and different light sources. Color will be slowly introduced one at a time over the course of the exhibition period, allowing visitors to deepen their visual vocabulary through repeated exposure to concepts and materials that change, and become more complex and diverse.

The ateliers were created by the Atelier Committee of New York City Encounters with Reggio Emilia (NYCERE) to accompany the Wonder of Learning exhibit during its stay in Brooklyn, NY. We hope that you enjoy your experience and that you leave feeling inspired and re-charged in your work with young children.

Please contribute to the beauty of the atelier by respecting the materials and organization of the space.

Questions about the atelier? Please email:

NYCReggio@TeachingBeyondTheSquare.org

“We see the culture of the atelier as a sort of benevolent virus that produces creativity, and expands from the school over the territory of the city with the aim of spreading a culture that is attentive to the quality of the processes. The culture of the atelier is counter to the culture of throw-away things and indifference. It is attentive to always seeking beauty because we need beauty. The culture of the atelier is also attentive to the care taken in what we do and the care of the environment in which we live. Education should always keep in mind and send into the future the processes of play, invention and creativity as well as the pleasure, joy and excitement of thinking. This also must be the task of the atelier.”

Vea Vecchi, The Atelier: For a Richer and More Comprehensive

Knowledge of New Cultural Visions, Innovations, Fall 2012.

“Children are miracles. Believing that every child is a miracle can transform the way we design for children’s care. When we invite a miracle into our lives, we prepare ourselves and the environment around us … We make it our job to create, with reverence and gratitude, a space that is worthy of a miracle! Action follows thought. We can choose to change. We can choose to design spaces for miracles, not minimums.”

- Anita Rui Olds

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Dear Parents,

I am very pleased to announce that the Wonder of Learning exhibit is now open in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I want to thank all of you that have helped with the exhibit set-up or volunteered to take a shift on the exhibit floor. I also want to invite everyone to visit the exhibit with your children. It will be open through May 15. On the weekends (12-6PM), you can bring your children to the studios that Robin Koo and her team of teachers has set up for exploration by children. We have already taken a small group of the AM 2/3’s to the studios (more classes will be going soon). Photos from their visit are in the Atelier Section of the website (www.newyorkcitywol.org).

The exhibit’s opening evening was a night full of hope and discussion about the importance of early childhood education. We were overjoyed to have Mayor Bill de Blasio speak and welcome the exhibit to NYC. The mayor called early childhood education “sacred work” and addressed the impact that the exhibit can have on the teachers who are launching the Universal Pre-K classrooms throughout the city. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams discussed the influence of music and culture in Brooklyn, and naturally cited the exhibit as further evidence that Brooklyn continues to be the center of the world. We also heard from Lella Gandini, United States liaison for Reggio Children. Lella noted that it was the perfect time to have the exhibit in New York right now, when there is so much discussion about how early childhood education can be the foundation for later learning and social interaction. Ben Mardell, a professor at Lesley University, shared a story of how his first viewing of an earlier iteration of the exhibit twenty years ago taught him the importance of observation and listening to children. In closing remarks I highlighted how our non-profit Teaching Beyond the Square - with the support of so many parents - spearheaded the effort to bring the exhibit to NYC. I emphasized the importance this exhibit places on respect for children as it is paramount to what we do as educators. My hopes for what parents, children, educators, and policy makers can gain from seeing the exhibit and working in the studio rooms is boundless.

So please make a day of coming to Williamsburg! I believe that once you spend some time on the exhibit floors you will begin to understand why we at Beginnings want to work in this very extraordinary way with your children.

Best,

Jane

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Dear Director or Head of School,

We are pleased to announce that The Wonder of Learning – The Hundred Languages of Children, an exhibit of the innovative programs for young children in Reggio Emilia, Italy, will be located in New York City at The Williamsburg Northside School in Brooklyn, NY from January15, 2015 until May 15, 2015. The exhibit has been touring the United States, Europe, Canada, Asia, and Mexico since 1987, and has inspired government and business leaders, educators, artists, families, and communities to recognize the extraordinary potential of children’s learning and creativity.

The 7,000 square-foot exhibition of the work of the children and teachers in the infant-toddler and preschool programs of the municipality of Reggio Emilia, Italy makes visible their learning process and the strong image of the child. Through experiencing the exhibit, viewers can deepen their understanding of children’s thinking and an approach to collaboration- and relationship-based learning. The exhibit is composed of six sections and a variety of media, including three-dimensional objects, videos, booklets, audio recordings, and children’s work. This is exhibit is free and open to the public Saturday and Sunday 12-6pm beginning 1/18/14.

Beginnings Nursery School, Teaching Beyond the Square, and New York City Encounters with Reggio Emilia (a group made up of educators from 25 schools, colleges, and educational organizations) is hosting this exhibit in collaboration with Reggio Children and the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA).

For more information on the exhibit, please go to www.wonderoflearning.org.

We are writing to you to not only tell you about this fantastic exhibit that is coming to our city, but for your help in obtaining volunteers (teachers, parents, friends) to be on site at the exhibit on a daily basis during its 5-month tenure in New York, to assist during our four professional development initiatives, and to spread the word about attending the exhibit!

It would be extraordinarily helpful if you could respond to this email with contact name and email address of the person in your school community that is in charge of finding parent volunteers. We will do the rest by contacting the potential volunteers, giving an explanation about their role as a volunteer for The Wonder of Learning Exhibit and finding what placement would match their volunteer interests. We would like to formulate the list of contacts now so that we can start organizing the volunteer schedule this fall.

We are looking forward to working with you on this amazing event.

Jahidah Diaab, Gail Rose, Susanne Steward

Volunteer Committee Co-Chairs

The Wonder of Learning New York City 2015

To Sign Up for a Shift Go To: www.shiftboard.com/nycreggiovolunteers

Or email us at: nycreggiovolunteers@gmail.com

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Dear Professor Gardner,

We are pleased to announce that The Wonder of Learning – The Hundred Languages of Children, an exhibit of the innovative programs for young children in Reggio Emilia, Italy, will be located in New York City at The Williamsburg Northside School in Brooklyn, NY from January 15, 2015 until May 15, 2015. The exhibit has been touring the United States, Europe, Canada, Asia, and Mexico since 1987, and has inspired government and business leaders, educators, artists, families, and communities to recognize the extraordinary potential of children’s learning and creativity. Please see details on the upcoming New York City exhibit at www.newyorkcitywol.org

Our group New York City Encounters with Reggio Emilia (NYCERE), which is made up over 25 nursery schools, public and private elementary schools, and colleges in the New York City area has worked for the last year organizing four exciting professional development initiatives for educators and families in New York concurrent with the exhibit’s run. For our grand opening of the exhibit which will be on January 14th, 2015 6:30-8:30 we are putting together a short video to highlight the voices of you and others alike who have been inspired by the extraordinary potential and power the Reggio Emilia approach has with children’s learning and their creativity.

We would be honored if you would be part of this exciting night by both attending, which you will receive a formal invite for very soon, and by participating in the video by doing one of the following:

a. Join us on November 22nd for a 20 minute interview that will be videotaped, OR b. If you cannot join us in person this Saturday, please send us a written response or voice memo answering the following question:

‘Why do you f ind Regg io Emil ia approach insp ir ing or impor tant w i th ch i ldren ’ s l earn ing? ’

All written responses or voice memos by must be sent by November 25th. We request written responses to be 1-3 sentences in length and voice memos 10-30 seconds in duration (voice memos will be audio-edited into the video and written responses will be subtitled over images of children’s work or Reggio inspired learning environments). The videotaped content from the in-person interviews OR written responses and voice memos will be selected for this short video which will be edited by inspired filmmaker, Joana Fittipaldi. Your participation will make this video meaningful and significant!

Please join me with ensuring the Reggio Emilia approach have greater impact for all children at this critical moment in the United States in terms of how education is viewed, with heated debate around standards, testing and what kinds of educational programs will best serve our children. This is poignant, relevant and timely, especially with the recent focus on the expansion of pre-K programs in New York City, for the value of early childhood learning and its influence on children’s development and future success. The exhibit has the potential to reach beyond the 8 million people who reside in the New York metropolitan area, and to provide a vision of early childhood education that is deep, rigorous and relevant to all children.

I look forward to hearing from you, and I strongly encourage your participation – the final video will be powerful and fun!

Sincerely,

Jane Racoosin

Chair, Wonder of Learning NYC 2015

www.newyorkcitywol.org

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“Learn ing and t ea ch ing shou ld not s tand on oppos i t e banks and jus t watch the r iv e r f l ow by ; ins t ead , they shou ld embark toge ther on a journey down the water . Through an ac t iv e , r e c ipro ca l exchange , t ea ch ing can s t r eng then l earn ing how to l earn .” Lor i s Malaguzzi , f ounder o f the Regg io Emil ia ph i lo sophy .

Dear Mayor deBlasio,

I am writing to you to invite you to the opening of The Wonder of Learning Exhibit, the hundred languages of children, is an exhibition of the infant-toddler centers and preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The opening will be at the Williamsburg Northside School on January 14, 2015 at 6:30pm.

Loris Malaguzzi was a teacher who was inspired by the residents of the village of Villa Cella who built a school brick by brick by themselves following WW II. This first government run preschool was so successful that there are now 78 municiple preschools and infant toddler programs. This method of educating children is an inspiration to educators around the world. It is deeply informed by the thinking of theorists such as John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, Lev Vygotsky, David Hawkins, and Howard Gardner.

In 1991, Newsweek hailed the preschools and infant-toddler centers of the municipality of Reggio Emilia as among the best in the world. International acclaim and interest followed, and “The Hundred Languages of Children” exhibition was created to inform the world about the work of the children and teachers of Reggio Emilia. The exhibit has traveled to thirty-one countries, including forty cities in the United States. In its first iteration, the exhibit visited White Plains, Syracuse and New York City, but has not been back in New York since 1992. In each host city the exhibit’s positive impact has reportedly led to an increased focus on the quality of early education programs in local communities.

Your focus on the expansion of universal pre-k for all New Yorkers is increasing the recognition of the value of early childhood learning and it’s influence on children’s development and future success. This exhibit has the potential to reach beyond the 8 million people who reside in the New York metropolitan area and to provide a vision of early childhood education that is deep, invigorating, and relevant to all children.

The exhibit is free and will provide an amazing training ground for the 2000 + teachers who will be teaching the universal pre-k children this fall. They will see how curriculum starts from a seed of interest in a child and expands to in depth curriculum covering all core subjects. Teachers will be able to visit as often as they like and public and private schools alike will have the opportunity to sign up for private visits as well. Many of the universal pre-k teachers who are beginning in the fall have also been invited to our kick off conference: Dialogue between Two Cities: New York and Reggio Emilia which will take place on Saturday, November 15th. This conference will feature: Jerome Bruner, (psychologist and educational theorist), James Heckman (nobel prize winning economist), Sophia Pappas ( Executive Director of the Early Childhood department at NYC DOE), and Leila Gandini (Reggio Children liason in the U.S. for dissemination of the Reggio Emilia approach).

Please visit our website newyorkcitywol.org for more information and if you should have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me at 212-228-5679 or jane@beginningsnursery.net

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Again, please let me know if you will be able to attend the opening of the exhibit on January 14th, 2015 6:30 pm. Your presence will surely be important for the exhibit to have the impact it has the potential to have. We would be honored for you to be there.

Sincerely,

Jane Racoosin

Chair, New York City Wonder of Learning 2015

Director, Beginnings Nursery School

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Dear Williamsburg-Northside Community, It is impossible for me to thank you enough for allowing the Wonder of Learning exhibit to be in your amazing new building until May 15th. It has been a dream of mine to bring the exhibit back to NYC, and you all made it possible! In only the first two weeks of the exhibit, we had so many educators and visitors who expressed the impact it has had on their thinking about how children learn and how they can change their teaching practice. My favorite visit thus far was from a special needs middle school class from MS 51. The teacher said, "Clearly, the exhibit builds self-esteem and creativity. The self-esteem brings the children to a place where they can take some risks to develop their voice to find success. Our special rights were powerful today." I also had the opportunity to work with your incredible staff and teachers on January 15th, the day after we opened. It was so wonderful meeting them and hearing details about the interesting curriculum they are developing in collaboration with your children. I want you to know that the safety and security of your children is paramount, and I wanted to outline with you the procedures we have set in place for exhibit visitors:

-­‐ Beginning this week all visits during school hours on Wednesdays – Fridays are scheduled ahead of time and are facilitated by two volunteers from New York City Encounters with Reggio Emilia (our volunteer group). The groups are free to explore the exhibit on floors 7 and 8, but are only allowed to enter the 6th floor Light and Shadow Studio with a facilitator. Visitors enter through the side door on Meeker between North 7th and North 8th and wear a badge that says ‘Wonder of Learning Visitor.’

-­‐ On weekends, either Julio Ferrara or Ephraim Rush (Beginnings maintenance and security crew) are at the front door of 299 N 7th to allow visitors to enter. We have parent volunteers and volunteers from our committee on 3-hour shifts on the exhibit floors. If you would like to volunteer for a weekend shift please visit our website: www.newyorkcitywol.org for more information. We would love for you all to be a part of it!

Your community has been incredibly generous and kind! I absolutely loved seeing your 4th grade drummers at the opening gala, and many of the guests who attended said that was the best part! I would like to invite you to be part of a couple events we are planning over the next couple months:

-­‐ The exhibit is open one evening a month to the public from 6-8 PM on the following nights: Feb. 4th, March 5th, April 2nd, and May 7th. If you plan to attend your PA meeting this Wednesday, Feb. 4th, please drop by for a visit to the exhibit beforehand.

-­‐ On March 5th, my Studio teachers from Beginnings, Amy Miller, Robin Koo, and Beau Edmondson will be holding a studio workshop for Beginnings parents, but we would like for you all to attend if you are interested.

-­‐ On April 9th, we are taking over Soul Cycle Williamsburg for a morning class for parents with Kris D'Agostino, Administrative Director from Beginnings and Claudine Zamor, Admissions Director. We will work out and then work our minds with a visit to the exhibit afterwards. Maybe we can get Gina, Tara, Bridget, Teresa, Kendra, Yolanda, or Vikas to jump on a bike as well! We will send more details on this soon.

If you have any questions about anything related to the exhibit, please feel free to contact me at anytime by email, phone, or grab me when you see me. Your school has become my second home and I am there at some point on most days! Thank you,

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Jane Racoosin Director, Beginnings Nursery School Exhibit Chair, Wonder of Learning NYC jane@beginningsnursery.net 212-228-5679 ext.11

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Hello _______,

The Wonder of Learning exhibit is open! We are looking forward to seeing your group on __date___ with _#__ visitors from _(time)___. Please let us know if your plans have changed. The location of the exhibit is:

Williamsburg Northside School 299 North 7th Street Brooklyn, NY VERY IMPORTANT: Please enter the building at the side entrance on Meeker Blvd. between North 7th and North 8th Streets. Please wait by the door and your facilitator will open it for you. Your visit facilitator will be the following: WED: Betsy McKenna: former Lower School Head Town School and Former Head New Canaan Country School, You can reach Betsy at: 203-247-5520

THURS: Robin Koo: Studio Teacher Beginnings Nursery School and Program Director Teaching Beyond the Square, You can reach Robin at: 917-881-6497

FRI: Jane Racoosin: Director, Beginnings Nursery School and Exhibit Chair Wonder of Learning NYC 2015, You can reach Jane at: 917-664-5628

Atelier Information The Natural Materials Atelier is located on the 7th floor. The Light and Shadow Atelier is located on the 6th floor. Each studio comfortable fits 12 adults for working in the studio. Williamsburg Northside School has requested, for the security of the children in the building, that exhibit visitors stay on the 7th and 8th floor and only view the Light and Shadow Studio on the 6th floor with an exhibit facilitator. Notes: The studios are process-based so the work does not go home. All materials should stay in the studio. Please clean up after your visit. We welcome you to document your experiences in the following ways:

- Leave a drawing and post to the wall in the natural materials studio - Leave a video message on the 8th floor in the video booth - Take a photograph and post to our Facebook page

Please note: - Photography, cell phone photography and videotaping are prohibited in the exhibit, however you will be able to take photos and video in the hands-on ateliers - Food and drink are not allowed - If NYC public schools are closed or delayed the exhibit will be closed. We will try to reschedule your visit. Please visit http://www.newyorkcitywol.org for more information about the exhibit. I have attached the map of the space to help guide your experience. For emergencies please call 212-238-5679. Let me know if you have any questions! Thank you, Ellen Blomberg

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in collaboration with: hosted by:

in collaboration with: hosted by:

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EXHIBIT NYCJANUARY 15 – MAY 15, 2015

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Wednesdays to Sundays 12 - 6 pm(open until 8 pm on Feb 4th, March 5th, April 2nd, and May 7th)

February 18 - 20 will be planned visits only (no regular public hours)

WILLIAMSBURG NORTHSIDE SCHOOL299 North 7th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11211

Come back to the Ateliers again and again!

FOREST / WOODLANDJanuary 15 - February 22

OCEAN / BEACH February 25 - March 29

PLANTS / GARDENING April 1 - May 15

Watch the Atelier transform from black and white to a full color spectrum.

Wednesday to Friday 3:30 - 6 pmSaturday and Sunday 12 - 6 pm

Check out the calendar for special Atelier workshops:www.newyorkcitywol.org/events

We love photography, but we can’t allow photographs of any part of the exhibit or panels. Photography is only allowed in the Natural Materials Atelier and the Light and Shadow Atelier.

Photography of students or student images is also prohibited. Thank you.

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JACK’S IMPORTANT PLACES

6

7

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We love photography, but we can’t allow photographs of any part of the exhibit or panels. Photography is only allowed in the Natural Materials Atelier and the Light and Shadow Atelier. Photography of students or student images is also prohibited. Thank you.