One of the things that I am most looking forward to this week at the NAEYC Conference is hearing from the experts. I am always looking to further my understanding of different philosophies, especially Reggio Emilia and the Project Approach. I’ve implemented both of these approaches in my classroom and teaching this way has fundamentally changed my relationships with my students. They know that I respect them as my partners in teaching and learning, and that I want them to work to find the answers to their own questions. They also know that they can count on me to support their efforts, and to encourage them to look at things differently if they get stuck.
I have attended a number of seminars led by the leaders in these particular approaches, and am very much looking forward to seeing many of them at the conference this week. Their sessions are at the top of my list! Here are some of my favorite Reggio and Project-related books. These are all must-reads if you are interested in learning the basics of the Project Approach and the Reggio Emilia Philosophy;
Young Investigators by Judy Harris-Helm is one that I’ve been working my way back through this year. I love the way that Ms. Helm writes, her books are truly easy to read, and her examples are so true to preschool – I can picture them all taking place in my own classroom.
My copy of
Engaging Children’s Minds (by Silvia Chard and Lillian Katz) is heavily highlighted. This book defines and outlines so many basic components of the project approach that I can’t possibly summarize it in one paragraph. This is the first book that I ever read about the project approach and I have returned to it a number of times throughout my journey.
Infants and Toddlers at Work is a must for anyone attempting to introduce child-centered learning in an infant or toddler classroom. Infants and toddlers participate in project work differently than preschoolers because they are not often able to have the verbal discussions or complete technical drawings like preschoolers can. This means that teachers often have to modify the way that they observe and encourage children when doing projects with infants and toddlers. There are not a lot of resources that support infant and toddler teachers through project work, I started my project journey with toddlers, so this age group holds a special place in part heart, and so does this book.
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Authentic Childhood is so helpful because it breaks all of the different components of the Reggio Emilia Philosophy into easily digestible pieces. This book lets the reader explore one facet of the approach at a time, allowing teachers to fully understand and implement each component in their classroom one little bit at a time.
Inspiring Spaces for Young Children is just that – inspiring. The full color photos are amazing, and will leave you with a million ideas for transforming your classroom. Even if an overall classroom decor transformation is not in your budget, you are sure to find a number of easily attainable ideas for all areas of the classroom.
I’m linking up with
Mrs. Jump’s Class for Book Talk Tuesday, please head over there and see what other awesome books are linked up today!
All of the books included in this post are available on Amazon. This post was not sponsored by Amazon or any of the authors featured. All opinions are completely my own.
