EDUCATION


Some of the paint


was made with dirt in an “overground-


underground” painting the children made to


envision what is under the surface. (above)


LEARN MORE: Judy Graves,


principal of Opal


School, will speak to the Parent


Association Link (PAL) on April 5.


Extra web content: Photo gallery


w w w . o e s . e d u


8 OES MAGAZINE WINTER 2013 8


recognize that an important part of children’s education is learning to work with others, sharing their ideas and respecting the ideas of others. Occasional conf lict among students or destructive behavior is not viewed as a discipline problem but as an opportunity for learning. “If I saw children building


castles with blocks and knock- ing them down, I might say that I notice there is a lot of destruction in the castle today,” Kirstin said. “I’ll ask them,


‘What is the story behind this conf lict? What would happen if you took your story to the easel, to collage, or to a blank


book? What part of the story might you discover there?’” With students working


independently and in small groups in various parts of the classroom, often there is no direct supervision, and yet students remain highly engaged and focused on what they are doing. When they have finished working on a project, they easily become involved in another activity because the classroom is full of intriguing possibilities—the light table, books, and materials for creative play. The Reggio approach emphasizes creating a rich environment where children will naturally engage


in creative pursuits so that the classroom itself is another teacher. Students’ own curiosity will lead them. “One of the main goals is for


children to be motivated by their own curiosity,” Kirstin said. “If you look at highly successful people, they really pursue ideas they are interested in. The motivation comes from themselves instead of coming from someone else.” The experience that children


have at school empowers them to pursue their passions for the rest of their lives and to work with others to construct a meaningful world.


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