BCS PROGRAMS
Reggio-Inspired Vermont Early Education Team (RIVET)
RIVET is a Vermont-based team of early educators dedicated to learning about the Reggio Emilia philosophy and bringing it into Vermont educational settings. Each classroom at BCS has a participating teacher who uses (and contributes to) this partnership's research about children's learning, curiosity, and exploration.
The Goals of RIVET
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Bring educators together to share ideas, get feedback, present discoveries, and get support
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Promote diverse learning opportunities for children that challenge and engage them
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Develop more Reggio-inspired educational hubs around Vermont
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Bring educational presentations and resources from around the world to Vermont
Reggio Emilia Beliefs
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The child is strong, rich and powerful.
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The child is social and able to express interests and ideas, research for further information, reflect on the experience and form conclusions.
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Learning is an adventure. The curriculum is negotiated between teachers, students and parents.
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Education is based on relationships, exchange and communication.
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Environments teach beauty and richness.
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The adult (teacher or parent/guardian) is a guide, provocateur, researcher, facilitator and memory.
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Emergent curriculum is an in-depth way to study a particular topic of interest. This “thread” or interest area can provide experiences in math, art, science, language, social students and music based on the developmental needs and abilities of the children, as teachers and children reflect together as co collaborators.
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Documentation is a way to display children’s thoughts, ideas, reflections or actual growth as they construct knowledge or study a thread over time.
The Importance of Documentation
All teachers at the Burlington Children's Space are researchers and documenters. We are collecting as much information as posible to paint a picture of children's learning, creativity, and progress. Documenting individual growth requires a great deal of research, as the teacher must observe each child in a variety of areas of development over a substantial length of time. Only then can the teacher createa a piece of documentation that tells an accurate story about each child.
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The Reggio Emilia philosophy embraces the idea of the "one hundred languages" of children. This concept promotes the idea that children innately have a vast array of ways to communicate, explore, and learn. Loris Malaguzzi developed a philosophy for Early Education that uses the "one hundred languages" to center learning around children's interests and ways of understanding the world.
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It is within our documentation that we can advocate for children and share with them the knowledge that they bring to others and their world. Giving meaning to their work and choices boosts their self-awareness and confidence -- we believe in them, and their learning is valued and respected.
