What is Learning With a Twist?

Hi! I’m Nicole and I’m thrilled that you’ve found my newsletter!

I’m a teacher and a mom of two. During this unprecedented time with sheltering in place, I’ve found that my skills as a teacher have really come in handy and I’d love to share some of these tips with you!

I’ve taught for about a decade and my most recent teaching experience was with a Reggio Emilia school. You can read more about the Reggio Emilia philosophy here. In a nutshell it says that children have 100 languages with which they explore their world. They learn through the use of story, movement, sculpture, etc.- you name it! You’ll notice that worksheets are not listed as one of these 100 languages. Instead, these languages are all hands-on, meaningful experiences. The children (and the adults, for that matter) are researchers, exploring their world in a hands-on, constructive way that allows them to make meaning. And when they make meaning, they remember.

One of the tools Reggio Emilia uses to teach is through the power of questions. Ask a child a question and then encourage him or her to explore it using various materials. Another tools is the idea of project work. Find a topic that a child is naturally interested in and then weave different learning experiences, including reading, math, writing, science, and social studies, into that project. It’s amazing to see what children learn, and more importantly retain, when learning is introduced in this way.

So, by subscribing to my newsletter, you will receive various teaching tools and ideas to help your child learn in meaningful ways, with easy-to-come-by materials and no worksheets. I hope you’ll join me!

~Nicole