Turning Sun- Radical is Vital
They decide what they want to do everyday whether it be art, gardening or construction, they ask for the materials they want, they take care of their physical needs independently, and learn how to resolve conflict with their peers. This may sound like the work of teenagers of maybe even adults, but I am describing the day to day of 4 to 5 year olds at the Turning Sun School, a Reggio inspired preschool. The Reggio approach is student led and social constructivist. This means that students decide what they want to do every day, and learn from their peers instead of teachers. Seeing the beauty of how each child learns independently is an essential part of the Reggio mentality. Teachers are meant to be observers, closely studying the work of each student to help support their work, and intervening as little as possible.
When I first started working at the Turning Sun Clairmont campus as an intern this August 2019, I was surprised by how much freedom and independence was given to every student. Initially compared to my lifelong experience of public school, the lack of clear top down teaching felt slightly chaotic. But this view was almost immediately shifted as I began working with the more experienced educators at Turning Sun. By observing the children, over time you can see their process of learning and how even the smallest experience can be a building point for a larger idea.
I can give an example of the public school mindset vs a Reggio mindset that I have noticed in my own life. When I was younger I would always take the labels off of jars. This bothered my mom who told me that it would be harder for me to know what I owned. Now, having more experience in a Reggio system, I can see a different way to handle this situation. I would ask the child what they were doing and closely listen to them. I would document their actions and question how they relate to the child’s development. Was taking labels off of jars serving as some type of physical challenge? Or did the jars need to be clear for dramatic play that was being impeded by a brand? Did the clear jars just please the student aesthetically? I would come up with predictions and try to scaffold the activities of the student by giving them the resources to clean the jars better, or something else to build off of this activity. If it is purposeful, it is important. As an adult I take the label off almost of every glass jar I buy and I recycle them into my home, as cups or storage containers. Taking the labels off of jars was an important skill I felt the urge to learn as a child that is now serving me in my everyday life. This is not a skill they teach in school, in fact I am sure if it was a teacher who saw me removing labels, she would have had the same reaction as my mom. That is because the learner is not valued as an individual in our current systems which expect students to all learn the same thing at the same time. That seems so blatantly unrealistic to me after studying Reggio students this year. Every one of them has strengths and weaknesses and I do not believe they should be held to a singular standard when they all have different ways of learning.
In our changing world where anything can be learned from a YouTube video, and it is valued to be a self-starter, but so many of us have no idea what we really want, what type of educational system makes the most sense? I would argue that the traditional systems of education that view the student as an empty vessel to be filled up with basic facts and repetitive skills are becoming more and more outdated. Students are active learners and have always brought something to the table when it comes to learning. This is different today because anyone can learn anything by referencing the internet. I believe it is more important to foster a sense of independence, community, and joy in learning. With those skills the student is equipped to follow their own desires to more powerfully research and discover the things that really interest and inspire them. This is something I have been able to observe at Turning Sun and I know I will take these values with me wherever I decided to teach.
