Bringing Reggio Emilia Inspired Education to a High School science classroom- setting the context

Teaching within the secondary context it becomes apparent that there are a number of opportunities for teachers who are looking to bring about the philosophy of Reggio Emilia and all that it embodies. Primarily the aspect of the philosophy that I am using to inspire my practice is that of documentation. My hope is that through this blog I will document my own experience and how it has changed my approach in the classroom.

To begin, I feel that it is important to set the context with which I am working to provide some insight of the struggles I have encountered. Currently I am working within a secondary school located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The students are from a relatively high socio-economic standing. There is ample access to technology and there is a wealth of resources for students. The school has a lab science lab that can accommodate 80 students at a time. As well there is a provincial park that is within walking distance of the school and provides a great amount of potential.

Teaching in high school science in Alberta involves a great amount of accountability. Standardized testing is the norm in terms of evaluation. Students who are completing their last year of their high school education will find that their final grade is determined in large by multiple choice exams. One of which, their final exam, is a provincially administered test worth 50% of their final grade. Teaching to the test is not uncommon and students expect that school is all about preparation for those exams. Learning is reduced to a final grade in high school and learning opportunities are only valued if they are marked and are part of the grade. Test preparation dominates our understanding of learning and how to evaluate it.

How does Reggio Emilia fit into such an understanding of teaching and learning? We have embarked on a journey where we are hoping to explore the use of documentation as well ideas that gain their inspiration from the “Project Zero-Making Learning Visible” out of Harvard. What does documentation look like for this situation?

Throughout this semester I have been trying to bring the Reggio philosophy to my secondary science classroom. The intention of this series of blogs will be document the ideas that I have implemented as well as talk about the ups and downs associated with these attempts. Good reading.