Substack is the Place to find me

 In 2012 I started blogging here on blogger... and eventually moved to creating my own website - but leaving blogger as a space to save past posts until I shared them on what was my new website.

I have now moved to substack - because I found the owners of my website, and who I was paying money to, were in fact based in a country committing a genocide - and I did not want my money contributing in anyway to financing a genocide or giving a signal that I support genocide or am complacent about it in any way.

You can now find me actively writing on

https://substack.com/@suzanneaxelsson

At the moment (the start of 2026) I am looking at play and pedagogy through the lens of the Moomins... a little rabbit hole of exploration that is fun, exciting and also illuminating. But other posts pop up inbetween. There is a paid function there - but this is ONLY for those who want to. The main reason for having the pay function turned on, is that I have free access to creating podcasts - which really I should commit to creating one every month! Maybe this could be my 2026 challenge?

I am also open to collaboration - workshops, presentations, keynotes and consultations connected to play, risky play, philosophy with children and of course the Original Learning Approach which has taken shape in all three forms of my blogging.

You can contact me on suzanne@interactionimagination.com and we can come to some arrangement based on your needs and hopes. As everything I do is unique to the context (there may be many similarities, but I do not do the same presentations as rote)

in 2024- 2025 I have worked with preschools and schools in Greece, Vietnam, Indonesia, Italy, USA, Canada, Thailand, UK, Netherlands, Khazakstan, and multiple cities in my home country of Sweden stretching from north to south and west to east. 2026 will see me in Canada again, but also Australia and New Zealand (and hopefully some stop offs in Asia is possible for all parties - reach out to me is October/November is of interest)

I have also enjoyed collaborations and visits to schools, preschools and playspaces over the years in China, Germany, Australia, Norway, Finland, Spain, Turkey, Palestine, Israel, Iceland, and South Korea - which has provided me with so much inspiration, new perspective and a deeper and broader understanding of play, pedagogy and childhood.

I have also been digging deeper into anti-colonial understandings of play, pedagogy and childhood and how the Original Learning Approach can be a reflective space for everyone to think deeply about inclusion, equity, autonomy and flow.

Here are some direct links to posts that will introduce you to Original Learning and being Play-responsive

https://suzanneaxelsson.substack.com/p/play-responsive-principles

https://suzanneaxelsson.substack.com/p/being-play-responsive-lies-at-the

https://suzanneaxelsson.substack.com/p/the-ten-principles-of-original-learning

The Original Learning Approach and Anti-colonial Kindness

Illustrating learning and play

Today will just be a brief post... because I have been busy all day and I need to rest... but I promised myself a post a day... even if it was just a short one.

Yesterday I wrote a children's story based in Jenin with the idea of introducing magic, imagination and also points of learning...

I read the story today to the advanced group and then with their shadow playing skills from Tuesday they were asked to illustrate the story in six scenes.
First they needed to agree on which scenes from the story should be illustrated, and then each chose a scene.

I provided materials for them to choose and they explored light and shadows again to create the illustrations, which we then took photos of.

Afterwards we explored the learning... but also how this one story could offer months and months of exploration... I helped them break down each scene into science and geography explorations... into philosophical inquiries, into art projects and biological investigations - as well as language and literacy and math... we basically had the curriculum covered...

It is always so much fun to see how much learning and play can be found in a story - and my illustrating the story they found further learning and play  potential.

It is unlikely you will be able to work out "our" story from these images... but maybe you could make another story?

Learning to be free

Today was my first session with the the group of educators that are on the introduction course... so we spent essential time getting to know each other... I shared my history, my experiences and my education with them... and they did likewise...

part of teaching is understanding the learners... if I want to be a good educator for this group of women then I need to know who they are, what they are interested in so that I can create learning experiences that are meaningful.
This should be the same for all educators... whether we are working with adults or children... developing real relationships allows us to better understand how we learn and how we can create environments suited to this learning.

By listening it became clear that these women are passionate about what they are doing. They are eager and open to learn. And they are striving to offer children the very best they can. There was talk of freedom, of resistance ... not the kind of resistance that means fighting... but the resistance to be formed by someone else's story of them.

In a way the dialogue reminded me of why the preschools Reggio Emilia in northern Italy first started at the end of the second world war... parents and educators striving to ensure that their children would not follow blindly another fascist leader... but to have the ability to think for themselves, to make informed decisions and to act with humanity... to value others, to respect others and to participate in making the world a better place for all and not just a few...
Here are educators and children living in an occupied territory... they desire freedom, respect and value and peace... to be able to live without fear, without trauma and to be open, creative and participate with equality. it is powerful.

So we have decided that this course shall proceed to meet those needs... to provide learning situations that will give children the strength to feel brave, to feel valued, to feel respect, to feel loved... so that they know how to protect others, value others, respect others and care for others...
This will give them the emotional space to feel safe, to find joy, to play and to learn.

As we discussed what made a good teacher, based on their memories from their childhood of the good moments from school it was clear that we need to make each child visible... to see them, to validate them, to care about them, to listen to them and to create a space that is safe... not only physically safe but emotionally safe too.
We discussed how important it is that the whole community gets involved... it is not enough that the educators do this, the parents should not put pressure on children to learn in a certain way, but should support children to learn.

We then did some sorting exercises... this hand-on activity had several points...

1.  the educators needed to collaborate, 
2. two the educators were sorting things, as we had been sorting our thoughts
3. there are many ways to sort the same things as there are many perspectives
4. an opportunity to expand out thinking about the materials, what materials can be used, how we use them
5. an opportunity to see learning in a different way
6. an opportunity to reflect on what aspects of collaboration are easy and are not
7. a way for me to observe the hierarchy of the group
8. a way for me to observe how they first tackle the task and then respond to instruction

The first two times they got to sort without instruction... well I gave them the pots and a box of loose parts and told them to sort... they did this individually, sorting themselves, making their own individual collections. This is as I thought they would... each working well side by side

Then I asked them to sort together, but still I did not tell them how to sort the things... and this took me by surprise as they sorted by imagination... they created a work of art and sorted the loose parts into sky, sun, stars, water, ground, tree... I love to learn a whole new way of sorting.
The I told them to sort by size... biggest at one end, smallest at the other.... which they said was easy because the instruction was so well given - so I gave them another "well given" instruction - to sort by beauty... the most beautiful at one end and the ugliest at the other - this was not as easy and they needed to dialogue with each other a lot to find compromises... thus learning that clear instructions are not always about what makes it easy...
The they sorted on a time limit... and felt the stress of that...

To end the session we watched a film about button play... images of young children playing with buttons in different ways... from sorting, to creating art, to stacking, to telling stories to making stop motion films... etc

I am looking forward to sharing more and learning more with this group of educators.

sorted by their individual choices

sorted by collaboration... which turned out to be by imagination

sorted by beauty... most beautiful closest to the camera... they could not decide so chose to have two as the most beautiful as a compromise.

time for much dialogue... a way to support language building with children, participation, sorting skills, negotiation skills... the teacher can observe how the children interact with each other... does one child dominate not allowing others to make decisions... why? Is there a child not participating... why? Are the children able to compromise... why/why not... what can you do as a teacher to help them be better at making compromises or making decisions together as a group? Do the whole group agree? If not, why do they not agree? Did all children feel they could participate? Why? Why not? Finding out the why will help making other lessons and play work better, finding out the why not, might help with individual needs as well as group needs.
Do some children prefer to talk about this on their own because they feel shy? Maybe do the same activity with fewer children so they can feel more safe before trying to do it in a large group.
Do some children need more language support to be able to participate?
Fine motor skills are being given plenty of chance to be exercised here.
and there is so much more that could be discussed that a whole blog post on its own could be written... so I will end there.

The Reggio Emilia Approach... facebook group

About seven or eight years ago I became a member of the Reggio Emilia Approach facebook group - it was a small group back then... with a few active members... in fact Leigh Ann Yuen, Rachel Waxman and Naomi Yalkowsky Foster and myself were like a core group... we seemed to meet most nights online and chat about pedagogy and challenge our way of seeing learning, the children and our roles as educators... these three amazing people/educators will always have a special place in my heart.
Not all places I have worked at have been the quality that I have hoped for... and this group became my sanctuary to explore the pedagogy that I should have been exploring together with my real life colleagues (but they just weren't interested... or there was never the time)

The group has got bigger and bigger over the years... and I have had the great joy to meet and exchange ideas with more incredibly inspirational people... and I would love to write them all down here... but really this post is not about shout outs... it is about how do we create a group in the spirit of  the Reggio Emilia Approach when there are well over 33,000 people from ALL over the world?
How do you create a group that can discuss and inspire when there are so many different levels of knowledge and understanding?
How do we create a group that stays true to the spirit of the Reggio Emilia Approach when there are images posted that are more about showcasing than actual sharing reflections and knowledge... and what happens when images are shared that have nothing to do with the Reggio Emilia Approach, or practices that do not seem to tally with the approach? What responsibility do we, as a community of learners, have for those just starting out on their journey and seeing these images and seeing these strategies and are then under the belief that this is what "being Reggio" is? They are getting to learn the wrong approach!!

If you want to read a short account of what the approach is please read this post - I have many  many posts about the Reggio Emilia Approach... in many different ways... this will be my 180th post that I will put under the heading of the Reggio Emilia Approach. (The post I have linked here has further links to posts about the REA if you have the time to read more)

Finding out that there are those within the "inner circle" of the Reggio Emilia Approach that criticise groups like this for allowing non "Reggio" approach inspiration to be spread under the name of  Reggio Emilia  has saddened me but this is also understandable.
For me this approach has always been about collegial support and dialogue... of challenging ideas, but also about listening to know how to appropriately challenge - so that we grow rather than shrivel.
So for me to hear that there are those who feel the standard is not high enough, and yet do not take the time to drop by and write a comment to guide, or share something that will help others understand are therefore contributing to the fact that the group cannot truly grow. If EVERYONE with great knowledge and experience about REA shared one thing a week or even a month... or reacted to one post in the group a week - with advice, challenge and inspiration I truly believe that this would make a massive difference for everyone... and also help keep the group closer to its true intentions (group description and rules are included at the end of this post)

As educators (and others) that have enjoyed and embraced the Reggio Approach for a long time, and have gained experience and knowledge I therefore ask you to PLEASE PLEASE take the time to share your thinking... not just an activity, but the thinking, the process and how this links with your interpretation with the Reggio Emilia Approach.

If you are new to the approach, please ask questions... by answering questions we can also learn... I wrote a whole post yesterday based on the questions asked to me within the group... the questions got me thinking and rethinking, even to the point that I started to doubt what I believed in... i started to research and read and learn and then found greater clarity in how to answer, and that what I believed still held true... just now richer.
Doubt is not a bad thing if you take it as a springboard to learn and research and explore

If you are posting in the group... ask yourself first.. why am I posting this? what is the purpose... is it to share some good practice, is it to seek advice, is it because I feel proud of what I have just learned/experienced and want to share?
Then ask ... how does this help others to understand the Reggio Emilia Approach?  it might be that your question and search for advice will be useful to others as well, that the practice/activity/documentation/experience showed an interesting element of the approach... maybe how to better observe, or what you learned, or how moving a piece of furniture impacted the play etc etc etc
then ask yourself Do I have the time to spend a few minutes writing about my reflections? and Do I have the time to respond to people's questions and comments? Because if you don't, what is the purpose of sharing... be honest now?
Importantly you need to ask yourself Am I prepared for others to criticise what I have shared? Because if you are not then please wait until you feel ready. Criticism should be BOTH respectful and constructive... with the sole purpose to help others learn.

A few years ago... maybe more than a few now... there used to be the most horrible dialogues about the Reggio Emilia Approach versus Montessori in this group... where sometimes is got quite nasty... enough in fact that I had to step in and ban all talk about the Montessori method and Montessori inspired - recommending other groups that were specifically for these kinds of dialogues or just about Montessori (I provided links to those groups back then too)... I felt it was sad to need to do that... but it was taking unnecessary energy and creating a negative vibe in the group.

Then two years ago I started writing regular reminders about being respectful... as there were some members that would disrespectfully say to others that they were not being "Reggio" - and yet the "Reggio" they were sharing was not how I saw Reggio... it was more product than process - you had to have loose parts, you had to have nature, you had to have mirrors and a light table... it was about having the right things rather than having the "right" approach and the "right" view of the child.

I wrote posts in the group saying No photos without texts about the process where I got bombarded with negative comments about how a photo speaks more than words... but I was continuously seeing people misinterpret photos. I spent time reminding people to write and explain their process... I asked questions to stimulate thought... the VAST majority got ignored. I still think it is reasonable to ask that photos that are shared also require a thought process with them - this will not only benefit others in the group... but is also a great tool for you sharing to practice reflection - it can be seen as part of your work as an educator. If you do not have the time to write a few sentences then wait until you do have.

If your mother tongue is not English do not worry... ALL languages are welcome... this is not exclusively an English speaking group.. it is a group for all... to celebrate all languages - not just one... this is after all The Reggio Emilia Approach and 100 hundred languages is a pretty famous part of that... although I understand that this was not entirely what was in mind when the poem was written by Malaguzzi. ;-)
We can all help out with translating - please do not think that you can not join the dialogue because your English is not strong enough... take the time to communicate in the language you ARE strong in. The great part of it being international is that we should be seeing how the approach has evolved in all of these different places... how the culture and context has impacted... what will unite us is our view of the child, how we strive to create spaces of equality, participation and creation etc....

If you are answering or commenting then please always be respectful... listen to where the person is on their journey and how you can support them with advice, inspiration, appropriate challenge.
Never just say that is not Reggio without explaining why you think that or give examples of how it could be more "Reggio"... otherwise we are just criticising and we are not giving constructive criticism that others can build on.


Also when pressing the like or love button to a comment or answer... think that this means you are giving this statement power... if a person has ONLY given criticism and not constructive criticism, then you are also doing the same.. unless you go on to give examples or support, or ask questions to find out more... as maybe it was your misinterpretation... by asking we learn more about the process... often it is hard to share the process as a photo will look very product like...

This is not easy.
It is not easy to take critique from others. I blame schools for that with their tests and right and wrong answers. But I think that if we all strive to follow these rules then we will be able to create a fabulous group dedicated to exploring the Reggio Emilia Approach.
it is not easy to get things "wrong" to make mistakes... but this group should be a place we strive to make safe... so that mistakes are only seen as part of the learning curve.

This blogpost will become a part of the new pinned post at the top of the group. so that it is easy to find in case you need reminding of the rules or vision of the group..
 new members... and long time members should confirm that they have read this post, please do this by saying agree in the comments of the facebook group. ALL MEMBERS should do this. It is also a good way to see how active the group is.... and also to ensure that all have read the vision and the rules.
if you have any comment about how to improve the group then please write a comment in this blogpost... so that it can be easily read by those interested.

here is the information from the current pinned post...

Please, once you have joined this group take the time to read the description and the rules... so that you can like it or comment that you agree with it... as the group gets bigger and bigger, we need to have some kind of structure to ensure that this remains a group that is supportive, that we challenge each other's thinking respectfully, we enter dialogues with an open mind, willing to learn new things and to have our perspectives broadened.
A group where we share our processes... as this IS an approach that is about the process rather than the product.
All members are encouraged to do this... so even member who have been with us for MANY years, please take the time to read and agree... 

PLEASE if you share images of inspiration make sure that you give credit to the owner of each photo! Many photos get shared on an individual basis... so it is important that each photo is given the right credit... not only so that we can give recognition to the intellectual property but also so that if others want to find out more about the source of inspiration we can take the time to look it up.

PLEASE also observe there are two sibling groups...
The Reggio Emilia Approach - product group share - where you can share products and find ideas about products - if sharing please write something small about why you think the product will suit the Reggio Emilia Approach. This is the perfect space to explore the third teacher.
Also
The Reggio Emilia Approach - courses and book share where you can share book tips, and course tips both online and in real life so that others can find them...
By using the sibling groups we can keep THIS group as a place of dialogue
many thanks.

There is also a new group for jobs... if you are looking for a job or have a post you are wishing to fill... the link is in the pinned post in the group.


The guidelines/rules for the group are... (and the problem with this is that you are not given enough words to write what you want) - I have just updated the description - so here on the 22nd July 2018 I have updated this post too. Also in the about section of the group you will see 8 rules of the group - they are, hopefully, clear guidelines for the group

             Description

A platform to promote DIALOGUE between Reggio Emilia Inspired educators all over the world. ****** TO JOIN THE GROUP It will help us a great deal if your work or education experience is in your public profile. If not, please answer the questions in the joining process. Thanks! This is to keep out spammers ****** PURPOSE OF THE GROUP The main purpose of this group is as a learning platform... a place to start learning about the Reggio Emilia Approach, but also a group that will allow you to enter dialogues to help expand your understanding of the Reggio Emilia Approach. This means that when you post in this group you must be prepared to answer questions, to be in a position where you use those questions to think critically about your own post so that you can gain a better understanding of your own work as an educator (school, ECE or as a parent). This is not a group where we just pat each other on the back and say good job (although that is a good thing too) - but a group where we dig deeper to explore what lead us to these amazing decisions... so that others can learn from our experiences. This means you must be prepared to accept constructive criticism Ask questions so that we can learn from each other, but ask those questions in a respectful way, so that everyone feels that we can post. If you do happen to receive constructive criticism for something you post or a comment you make - please do not take this as a personal insult or attack... please take it as an opportunity to learn a new perspective... we do not HAVE to agree with each other, but we should all be open to each other's perspectives in this learning journey we are taking together as a group. All ideas and theories are welcome. Since we come from many different parts of the world, with our own unique context, we can support each other in our development as educators in applying this philosophy in our classrooms. Please come to this group to listen, share, learn, and challenge our own perceptions as Reggio Emilia Inspired Educators. KEYWORDS - LISTEN - REFLECT - EVOLVE GROUP RULES - Posts on thoughts and experiences on education only - Receive critique as an opportunity to learn. - Be honest, but be respectful and sensitive to others - As we say to parents: seek first to understand, then to be understood (in regards to miscommunication on posts) - No offensive language/articles/pics/no gifs! - NO quotes/images - unless posed to start a DIALOGUE Breaking these rules may result in having your post erased or being blocked from the group In the pinned post there are links to other groups for books, course, products and jobs... use THIS group for dialogue... use the other groups for those needs. THE REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH

THE REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH

(http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningandteaching/approaches/reggioemilia/about/index.asp)

So now you have had plenty to read about the rules, the guidelines and also the vision for this group... not just another group about pedagogy... but a group to really learn about the Reggio Emilia Approach...

here to end are a few quotes to inspire (in no specific order)... and hopefully over time... people will comment and add their reflections to this post too... so check after the quotes.

the reason why Interaction is the first word of my blog name...

New Perspectives...

It has been an interesting two weeks...

8 educators from Jenin, Palestine have been with me (that work on the refugee camp there) and we have visited various preschools, schools, and the teacher training college on a quest to learn more... I have held a full day play workshop and a two day outdoor learning workshop as well... with a BIG focus on imagination and creativity.

The aim has been to give them a new perspective... ideas and inspiration to take back with them and to adjust to fit in with their own context. Of course this time I have spent with them (starting in January with a 3 week visit to the camp, and then April for 2 weeks in the camp) has been an opportunity for me to see education from a new perspective... to appreciate the spaces available for children  here in Stockholm, the money invested by the state into preschool and education and the fact that there is not the fear of my home being invaded by soldiers, or the sound of weapons EVERY DAY AND NIGHT that disturb sleep and make learning and concentration even harder.

There are many areas of life that need improvement in Stockholm... there are still far too many prejudices that are limiting far too many people's potential... and also forcing them to live without the feeling of safety and belonging that is the right of all people. There needs to be equality... for all... no matter where we originally come from, or what religion we believe in, what our gender is or what our sexual preferences are etc... we ALL have the right to reach our full potential, we have the right to be respected and to be valued. Sweden is a country that is not under occupation, it is a country not terrorised by nightly outbursts of weapons that wake whole neighbourhoods... we have the chance to really address these issues and create a country of equal opportunities.... and yet during my visits it is quite clear that this is not the case, there is still so much left to do so that ALL  preschools in all areas are provided with the resources to give children the best start... and its not just academics but also the social interactions, integration, the feeling of really belonging.

Investing in all the people that work in preschools is essential... making each and everyone feel valued, and giving them all the training, the inspiration and the time to practice in order to give children that best start.. that the scaffolding is meaningful, reflective and joyful.

Adults need time to play. To find joy. To use their imagination and to train that creativity muscle that enables them to better connect with children, enables them to be a more inventive teacher - and also gives them the strength to dare... to try new things, to dare to make mistakes as part of the learning process.

and for these educators... being in a boat was all about joy... about awaking their inner child and laughing out loud. To forget their reality for a while to experience a bit of magic... and once filled with magic it becomes easier to create magic for others... to take magic back home to Palestine with them.

In the coming weeks I will be writing more about this last two weeks together with the educators from Palestine, my role in The Freedom Theatre's preschool teacher training programme... and what I have learned in this journey.

The BRIC - project conference...

In mid June I went to Gothenburg to listen to the participants of the BRIC - project...
you can read more about the project here - but basically it was a three year project where preschools in Sweden, UK and Italy collaborated on a project about children using and being in public spaces.


"Background

The BRIC Project last for 3 years, from 1st September 2014 to 31st August 2017. The project involves preschool teachers, young children and parents in exploring democratic engagement in public and civic spaces. The project is funded by the European Union and led by Professor Tim Waller at Anglia Ruskin University (UK) with Patti Benedetti Progettinfanzia (Italy) and Monica Hallborg Barnpedagogiskt Forum (Sweden). 

Aims and objectives
BRIC aims to achieve the following objectives: 1) An exchange of ‘good practice’ between preschool teachers in three countries (Italy, Sweden and the UK); 2) Systematic education and training around democratic engagement in public spaces; 3) The development of open educational resources and targeted activities to engage early childhood professionals, parents, the local community and key stakeholders, including local politicians and representatives from business."

So as you can see it is very much in tune with what I have been exploring in this blog the last four years... democracy, listening to the children and their rights in public spaces.

Tim Gill was the keynote speaker in the morning and professors Sonja Sheridan and Pia Williams were the keynote speakers in the afternoon. There was a morning workshop and afternoon workshop where we got the time to listen to some of the projects and enter dialogues and reflections in response to their experiences shared. There was also time to look at the boards of documentation created by the various projects in the three countries.

It did feel like they were squashing too much in one day... there was not really enough time for genuine deep reflections, but in a way conferences are often like this... I do hope though that there is a chance for the project to be continued to be reflected upon in the future and more publicly, so more educators, more adults in general, have the opportunity to explore the concept of children being public participants in society - and not just constitutionalised in various settings.

Tim Gill has a website called Rethinking Childhood - and you should really take the time to check it out (if you have not done so already) (The link is his name) - as he is passionate about children's rights in the public sphere, and how designing cities where children are welcomed as active participants is not only good for the children, but for the whole of society - as cities and towns that do this tend to have a public space that feels safer for everyone. 

My blog-page "Parks and Play in Stockholm" does not only include spaces that are specifically designed as play spaces for children, but also spaces that are designed for everyone including children - meaning these spaces are filled with play for all ages. Play-spaces does have a tendency to not only be filled with young children but also their parents... which means they are not always desirable for older children - so where do older children go, where do they get to play?

Back to the BRIC-project conference...

I found listening to the participants very interesting, but at the same time nothing really new was learned, except maybe for the fact that being out in public spaces is seen as a big deal, and that not all adults feel comfortable with all public spaces - and also there is still a huge amount of comparison... "we can't do that because we don't..." - which I found rather strange after thee years of sharing reflections...

I have been fortunate living and working with young children in Sweden, because I have been given a freedom to explore public spaces with them without the need to write risk assessments... further my experience since the start of 2013 has been working in a preschool without a play space of their own - so excursions have been something we simply had to do - we were thrust into the public sphere whether we wanted to be or not. We did not just keep to the play spaces, but have explored all of Stockholm - a whole six month project was dedicated to our local square... playing there, getting to know the people there, planning designs for the square, designs that connected to our own dreams, but also were inclusive for everyone that lived there (we interviewed parents (the children did this with us) as well as people who walked by and some of the people living in the retirement home located next to our preschool (and shared an entrance onto the square). 

I hauled out tables onto the square so that we could do activities there, I have hauled out activities... including lots of mud and utensils for International Mud day and also for National Preschool Day, where we encouraged others to join in our fun. etc etc etc

So in part these experiences that were being shared was nothing new, they were almost everyday experiences for me and the children I had worked with for the last 4 years... so the learning for me is that this is something special, something different, and apparently not all children are getting access to it.

There is one experience that has troubled me - it did then, and it has continued to trouble me... it was when one of the participants said with envy that the educators in Gothenburg were so fortunate because they could explore the amazing rail station with the children and they were not able to because the station where they lived was not as nice.

I argued the case somewhat during the session, as the initial response had been the station was not as nice... I felt that children would have seen the beauty and the fascination of the station anyway... the reason was then changed to the educators did not feel safe enough as the station was on a main road and also there was building going on... safety is important I agree.

BUT I still keep coming back to this... this town in the UK has some absolutely amazing historical buildings in it, courtyards, places of learning and bridges... all of these would be of equal value to the station in Gothenburg, if not even more relevant... 

the problem of comparing is that we are sometimes limited by this comparison and forget that it is supposed to be inspiration... so the children in Gothenburg got to see a station, and the statue there and a project arose from that... the children in this UK town could have got a great buzz from the renovation of the station (but the educators deemed this not safe enough) - but there are MANY other buildings and statues that could have been explored... for me all those bridges - the metaphor of a bridge - the idea of bridging the gap between children's rights in the public space and the reality of children in public spaces - would have been so interesting to explore...

just googling online I see there are three sculpture trails in this town - and checking these out there are some amazing sculptures - including ones designed for interaction that would be an absolute dream to work with as an educator.

And there are 30 something bridges... not all suitable to walk on with preschoolers... but many are - and very many different designs (including covered bridges)...

We enough amazing things for any educator in Sweden to feel envious of!!

It comes back to context... learning in your own context, with the resources available to you and the culture you find yourself in... not trying to emulate what someone else is doing, but to find your own journey, your own relevance... and to find help the children find their voice in their own context.

Again there is admiration for the participants... they have pushed themselves out of their comfort zone - all of them commented on this. I AM comfortable exploring the public sphere with young children, and maybe this is why I can see further in the sense of possibilities... when we are nervous we are seeing the risks more, the dangers more, it is first when we feel safe and comfortable that we can see the possibilities and the potentials. This is the same for children's learning... when they are not feeling safe it is hard to focus on the learning.. but when they are safe then more energy can be spent on play and exploring and thus learning. As Malaguzzi said "Nothing without joy" - if we are nervous, afraid and worried then it is so much harder to be joyful... and I think this is important for children and educators...

and the only way to feel safe with exploring the outdoors... whether it be playspaces, forest/nature or other public shared spaces (indoors and outdoors) is by getting out there together with the children and experiencing it, learning about these spaces and getting comfortable with them... to then explore them even more.

As I commented at the conference in both workshops... I was told all of my preschool career that it was not possible to take the youngest children out on excursions, and if done, they should not be done often or far...

well, working in a preschool without a yard/pay-space of our own has shown that the youngest children can go out every day on excursions, for it to be filled with joy and meaningfulness... for there to be play and learning, and to be a part of society right from the start, not hidden away in an early years setting. These youngest children are fully competent - it is us adults that maybe are not... and maybe it is us that have to re-learn this competence? And re-learn what children are competent of...

I am not saying that all children can do all things... we need to be aware of the young children's needs - that they differ from those of older children - that maybe sometimes walking 10meters is all that is needed and to stop by a puddle and splash and discover the joys of water... 

basically we need to listen.. to the children - and we will know how to explore the villages, towns and cities where we live... and then we need to communicate this competence and the rights of children to other adults who have closed their ears to the voices of children.

We also need to keep on inspiring each other to be brave and to explore public spaces with children. To take the time to observe and listen to how children see their own town... and to also observe how others react to the children being there... what is the dialogue that we need to take up?

The BRIC-project has been an important step in exploring all of this... and I really hope that it continues to inspire those who participated in the project, in the conference and also others that get to hear about it in the future...

I have started a facebook group... for those of you that have facebook... with the idea that we can share inspiration about children and public spaces there... projects that we have done, projects we want to do... lessons we have learned, experiences we need support with...
it is a closed group, but all are welcome to become members... the group is specifically for those interested in children using public spaces, being an active participant in society and exploring children's rights and a democratic approach to play and learning where the child's voice is an equal.

The group you can find... Children and Public Spaces

Collecting information about space and children's play...

Please could you write in the comments here... or in the comments of the groups where I share this post, so that I can collate some information about how space affects children's play and learning outcomes and also, more importantly, how it affects your teaching.... if you cannot teach the way children learn, then it is going to have a HUGE impact...

How much does the curriculum, the space and the size of the group impact your ability to teach/educate? especially educate the way you understand children learn.

So please, could you take the time to answe these questions... it would be REALLy interesting to see if there is a geographical difference in how much space per child is dedicated to children's learning, and whether this is enough space for children to learn through play....
the focus will be on children 0-6 years of age.

1. location - town, country
2. size of space for one class/group (preferably in square metres)
3. number of rooms available to JUST this class/group
4. other rooms available, and how often during the day/week/month
5. number of children and age of children in group/class
6. number of teachers (teachers and assistants, would be interesting to write 1 teacher, 2 assistants or whatever, just to see if there are any big geographical differences there too)
7. size of overall setting/school - how many classes,
8. what curriculum do you follow, do you feel it limits you in any way? (this is YOUR personal feeling as a reaction to your teaching style) - does it empower you?
9.do you have a no running rule inside... ? Why? (and there can be good reasons for this, so be open and honest please)

thank you for all the information, if you manage to ... it would be so interesting to understand more about how we use our indoor space... and also if we as teachers are limited/empowered by this space too. I will put all of this into a future post and share with you of course...

if you have any other thoughts that you feel would be useful for finding out whether there is enough space for us to teach children the way they learn or not, then I would very much appreciate it... 

Many thanks for your time. 

Suzanne

Challenging ideas (My Reggio)

During the last few weeks I have been reflecting quite a lot on what the Reggio Emilia Approach means to me... since I have been interviewed for online conferences, podcasts and written some articles about the Reggio Emilia Approach (check this link to find out more about the free online conferences) ...

I have also had time to read blogposts, articles and books that have got me thinking and making pedagogical somersaults...
In the last few days Diane Kashin wrote a post Playfulness and Playlessness: The Politics and Pedagogy of Play on her forever inspiring blog Technology Rich Inquiry Based Research... her reflections were inspired by a post by Debi Keyte-Hartland Pedagogical Documentation in Challenging Times .
Not surprising really that educators who appreciate the Reggio approach should read each other's posts and be inspired to write... taking the thinking further, adding their own reflections... allowing an idea to expand, to be diverted, altered or challenged.
I think the "challenging" part is the hardest... not only to do the challenging but also to be on the receiving end of having your ideas challenged.
But I do believe that this challenging part is incredibly important... especially in the political climate we have today that both Debi and Diane talk about in their posts... the need to be humane... to be a positive part of the social fabric... not just following, but making informed choices... this can be done through making the humane visible as Debi writes and by giving freedom as Diane writes.

There is a phrase in Swedish which I feel is often thrown around but seldom truly exists - "högt i tak" which means high in the ceiling. This refers to that we are open to all ideas, that we accept the opinions of others, that we can talk frankly with each other, and that ALL are valued. Nearly every workplace I have worked at has used this phrase... seldom has it been active.
So why is it so hard to have a high ceiling? And why is it so important in "my" Reggio?

I feel it is important because if we are to evolve as educators we need to be open... to our own limits, to our failures, to the ideas of others, to the concept of having our ideas challenged... not to be proven wrong but as part of the process of expanding the idea, to be open to the idea that it is ok to challenge others and that they will not get offended... to learn how to do this respectfully... but at the same time I hear about the heated dialogues of Reggio Emilia and feel are we being too polite all the time with each other... is our politeness getting in the way of us evolving as educators, of being able to see pedagogy from a new perspective?

Time and time again there are dialogues in the facebook group Reggio Emilia Approach where people get uncomfortable with the challenging bit... which I think is a shame... there needs to challenging... of course with it being a group with well over 23,000 members from around the world there is a need for respect... not just being polite but a  respect that we view pedagogy from different perspectives... the Reggio Emilia Approach is not about lifting the pedagogical approach carried out in the city of Reggio Emilia, Italy and recreating it elsewhere... it is about redeveloping the approach to suit the needs of your own context... where we meet as educators is our view of the child as competent, ourselves as co-researchers/co-learners with the children, a pedagogy of equality and a pedagogy of listening. To have equality means valuing all of those 100 languages, valuing the potential of all... no matter gender, religion, ability, age etc etc; listening means understanding the children, understanding your own context... including your political context - understanding how stereotypes influence your teaching/interactions with the children in your care.
So how can we be respectful and not just polite... so that we are open to the challenges and can challenge in a meaningful way...

I think part of the problem is school... we have all been trained in a school system that has its focus on reading and writing... communication though is much more than reading and writing... it is MOSTLY listening...

communication - listening 40%, talking 35%, reading 16% and writing 9%

As you see in the above image (free Swedish lesson here) despite writing being only 9% of communication an awful lot of school time is spent on this area, and often from a far too young age, when there could still be more focus on the other skills - especially the listening and talking. There are next to no learning opportunities for children in listening... real genuine listening... not the kind of listening that lets you hear words, but the kind that allows you to understand the point of view of another... because if you know how real listening feels then you can also recognise it in others... then you feel more free to share your opinions and ideas with others...
The last four years I have worked philosophically with children... I also saw that I needed to support the children in their listening skills to make those philosophical dialogues more meaningful... so through play and art we explored listening and became better listeners... this blog shares that listening journey. But it was not only the children that got better at listening... so did I... I was learning with the children... I am still learning and one day I hope to be a great listener. I was told that i was a good listener when i was in Palestine... that I listened with an openness and with respect; and really I have my preschoolers to thank for helping me get to that place where other adults comment on it...

So I think it is hard for people/educators to have that high ceiling because we never get enough time to hone our listening skills, to practice being open... to let go of our own agendas so that we can understand the perspective of another. TIME. We need so much of it... time to practice, time to make mistakes, time to reflect, time to communicate with each other. So much time is filled with "must-haves" that often we are not give the chance to let go of our agenda, that we feel is important... that is important.
So how can we give each other more time, give ourselves more time so that we can build that ceiling high and use its full potential?

Free thinking... free speech... it also comes with the risk that we have our ideas criticised... but we need to be open enough, free enough, to explore these criticism as a way to expand your own thinking or solidify your own thinking... even, possibly, make a pedagogical somersault and change your thinking...
pedagogical somersault... was first used in connection with viewing the child as rich and full of potential to learn with the educator rather than being empty and  being needed to be filled by the teacher...

some quotes to reflect on about free speech, a high ceiling, the need to stand up for the right to express our opinions... and the hundred languages...

“Do not make the mistake of thinking that you have to agree with people and their beliefs to defend them from injustice.” 
― Bryant McGill, Voice of Reason

“No idea is above scrutiny and no people are beneath dignity.” 
― Maajid Nawaz, Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A Dialogue

“The idea that you have to be protected from any kind of uncomfortable emotion is what I absolutely do not subscribe to.” 
― John Cleese

“Discourse and critical thinking are essential tools when it comes to securing progress in a democratic society. But in the end, unity and engaged participation are what make it happen.” 
― Aberjhani, Splendid Literarium: A Treasury of Stories, Aphorisms, Poems, and Essays

“[T]he imagination, like certain wild animals, will not breed in captivity.” 
― George Orwell

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” 
― George Orwell

“I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an ass of yourself.” 
― Oscar Wilde

“Because if you don't stand up for the stuff you don't like, when they come for the stuff you do like, you've already lost.” 
― Neil Gaiman

“Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage.

― Winston S. Churchill

The Hundred Languages

No way. The hundred is there.

The child

is made of one hundred.

The child has

a hundred languages

a hundred hands

a hundred thoughts

a hundred ways of thinking

of playing, of speaking.

A hundred always a hundred

ways of listening

of marveling, of loving

a hundred joys

for singing and understanding

a hundred worlds

to discover

a hundred worlds

to invent

a hundred worlds

to dream.

The child has

a hundred languages

(and a hundred hundred hundred more)

but they steal ninety-nine.

The school and the culture

separate the head from the body.

They tell the child:

to think without hands

to do without head

to listen and not to speak

to understand without joy

to love and to marvel

only at Easter and at Christmas.

They tell the child:

to discover the world already there

and of the hundred

they steal ninety-nine.

They tell the child:

that work and play

reality and fantasy

science and imagination

sky and earth

reason and dream

are things

that do not belong together.

And thus they tell the child

that the hundred is not there.

The child says:

No way. The hundred is there.

-Loris Malaguzzi (translated by Lella Gandini)

Founder of the Reggio Emilia Approach

 (The FB group mentioned above "Reggio Emilia Approach" is a closed group for educators and parents interested in learning about REA and also sharing inspiration, a place to ask questions)