What The Reggio Emilia Approach Teaches Us About Partnering With Parents

1. What The Reggio Emilia Approach Teaches Us About Partnering With Parents Gail Solit CASA, April 4, 2008

2. Welcoming and Reviewing Agenda • Introductions • Review agenda • Reggio Emilia Schools • Reggio principles regarding parents and teachers partnerships • Questioning your own beliefs/biases to better partner with parents • How to establish partnerships

3. Ideas I have learned from my study of the Reggio Emilia approach • Parents are one of the three subjects within the school (the other two are children and teachers). • To partner, you must truly listen. • Provocations can come from parents, teachers and/or children. • Each school/program has its own culture.

4. Ideas I have learned from my study of the Reggio Emilia approach • The school needs to reflect the cultures of the families • Learning happens collaboratively. • A school (society) is a community of learners. • The teachers are to make the rooms welcoming for parents. • Learning needs to be visible and transparent for parents, children, teachers and the community.

5. Ideas I have learned from my study of the Reggio Emilia approach • The classroom environment should be warm, inviting, and reflective of the families’ cultures. • Families’ lives should be visible within the classroom. • Teachers’ lives should be visible within the classroom.

6. Questions to lead our thinking about parent partnerships • What does it mean to create a climate for partnerships, collaboration and involvement? • What are the messages that you want to send to parents? • What’s the role of the teacher? • What are your memories/beliefs about your own family of origin? • How do you define family? • What biases do you have about families?

7. Questions (continued) • How do we define partnership? • Are we attending to the importance of the family’s culture in our work with them? • How do we attend to the various distinctive and unique groups of families while wanting to develop community within a program?

8. What does it mean to create a climate for partneships? • Create opportunities for: • listening • sharing information • coming together • shared decision making • input • meaningful relationship building • time • real work and contribution

9. Listening • How • individual parent meetings • group meetings • questionnaires/surveys • responding to a documentation panel (will include what the children are working on, teacher’s reflections of the project and the process or steps of what the children did). • family books/pages/bioboards

10. Sharing information • How • documentation of the child’s work (documentation boards, books, portfolios, emails) • meetings – beyond the IFSP and IEP • conversations

11. Coming Together • Why • celebrations • seasonal events • classroom activities • sharing of ideas • solving problems • planning, working on center projects

12. Shared decision making • About • Projects/studies/investigation ideas • direction for the program • fundraising • vision statement, mission statement

13. Input • On • how parents want to communicate • investigations/studies/projects • understanding and working with their child • what’s important for their family

14. Meaningful relationship building • How • listen • respect • reciprocate • trust

15. Real work and contribution • How • serve on committees • make decisions • contribute to the projects/investigations/studies • contribute to the environment • participate in activities

16. Time • For • meetings • emails/pagers (send photos and descriptions of activities through email) • drop off and pick up conversations • listening • negotiations • learning

17. What are your memories/beliefs about your own family of origin? • Beliefs need to be: • explored • acknowledged • understood

18. What biases do you have about families? • Needs to be: • explored • understood • Biases cannot be allowed to influence your work with families

19. How do you define family? • Needs to be: • explored • understood • Needs to be: • all inclusive • open, accepting • non-judgmental

20. Range of Parent Partnerships • Participate in and contribute to • studies/investigations/projects • the environment • education/learning • celebrations • classroom meetings • a plan and implement change

21. Range of Parent Partnerships • Participate in and contribute to: • fundraising activities • documentation • advocate and support • written materials

22. Outcomes for parent- teacher partnerships • Teachers and parents learn more about the child • Benefits the children’s education and development • Parents understand how to support the education at home • Strengthens the school • Shared joy and support