By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. and Gill Robertson, ECE. This post is the first of what I hope will be a series of co-authored blogs. This post is a rant and was inspired by words that rankle and undermine the view of ourselves as professionals and children as competent. “Cute” is one of those words. … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Years ago, I was profoundly influenced by the legacy of Frances and David Hawkins. David Hawkins along with his wife Frances, an early childhood educator, were “committed to the idea that in order to best serve children, teachers need to be dedicated learners as well” (Lynch, Shaffer, & Hall, 2009, … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. In less than one week’s time I will be on the road to Reggio Emilia, in north central Italy. This will be my third and maybe the last time I participate in a study tour. Reggio Emilia is home to what are considered the best preschools in the world. According to … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Recently, a kind and sharing early childhood educator posted my blog, Pedagogical Documentation: Why? When? Who? What? Where? How? on a Facebook group for Reggio-inspired educators. Since she tagged me, I looked and saw that it immediately garnered a comment. “Basic” was all she wrote. I replied “it was meant to be” … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Curriculum can emerge from outdoor play experiences in wondrous and authentic ways. The changing seasons offer invitations for learning that cannot be duplicated indoors. Curriculum can and should emerge from nature. It is in nature that children’s interests will be piqued. Whether it be building snow forts in the winter, puddle … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. I regret to say that when I worked with young children I did not fully embrace the opportunity to help them build nature connections. I have made that confession in a previous post. However, in the last five or six years, nature pedagogy has become both a passion and a research … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. and Cindy Green, BSc, RECE. One of the most significant professional learning experiences that we have engaged in during the last few years was our trip to Adelaide, South Australia. While there to present workshops focused on the possibilities of buttons as loose parts and the beauty of agates as materials to … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. This is the third summer, that the York Region Nature Collaborative has hosted the The Rhythm of Learning in Nature, which has been promoted over the years as a 5-day summer intensive – an unforgettable indoor/outdoor learning journey for about 30 early learning professionals. Previously billed as the Reggio Summer Intensive, this … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. I have been doing a lot of thinking about mentorship and leadership for some time now. Last May, I had the privilege of presenting at a conference in Manitoba with my friend of many years, Cindy Green. We spent much of our time talking to our new friends Drew and … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Well over a year ago, I wrote a blog post entitled Quotes to Provoke Reggio-inspired Teaching and Learning that has been recently shared by my friends at StoryPark and it has received some renewed attention. In my brain’s current context, I am again thinking about quotes but this time, I am looking beyond … Continue reading
