February 25, 2008
The School of Education at St. John’s University is again
offering an extraordinary three-credit graduate program in Early
Childhood Education in Italy this summer.
In its third year, the Travel Abroad Program in Early Childhood
Education is now offering 10 Pacini scholarships, twice the number
awarded last year, generously funded by an endowment established by
University benefactor Josephine M. Pacini.
Hosted by Professor Smita
Guha, Ph.D., and Professor Grace
Ibanez-Friedman, Ed.D., the program gives graduate students the
unique opportunity to explore the inextricable relationships
between Italian culture, history, art and their influence on early
childhood education. It shows students the ways profound and
comprehensive early learning begins with individual perspective,
with color, light, nature, form—the legacy of the Italian culture
which has been based on their sense of aesthetics and their
voracious will to create.
All early childhood teachers and administrators are eligible to
apply. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in Education or a
related field from an accredited university. St. John’s alumni and
staff are also invited to apply as are others who do not need the
three graduate credits offered for the course. Brescia, located in
the northern region of Lombardy between Milan and Venice, is known
as the “lioness of Italy.” With its industrious and steadfast
population, Brescia has a rich legacy of history and art dating
from prehistoric times. Amidst orange tiled rooftops, sunny piazzas
and intimate cloisters, students will learn about Italian methods
and approaches to preschool education from experts and network with
practitioners. “The world is indebted to Italy for early childhood
education,” says Dr. Guha.
Monday morning begins with seminars on the history of European
early education followed by two interactive workshops with experts
specializing in crafts and puppetry and in storytelling. In each,
students will learn how “to bring a story alive.” A new addition to
the program—a morning trip to the Steiner’s School, where art in
early childhood education is the focus—will be held on
Tuesday. In the afternoon, students can explore the narrow
laneways, famous art, and ancient architecture of Verona, a city
about which Shakespeare wrote, “There is not world outside these
walls.” That evening they have the option of attending the opera
Aida, by Verdi, in the open-air Roman amphitheater. On Wednesday,
students may choose to visit Florence to see world-renowned art and
architecture.
Thursday, students will visit Reggio Emilia International
Children’s Center, an example of one of Italy’s best early
education models. Reggio uses art and a cooperative short-term
(one-week) and long-term (school year) project approach towards
early learning in which the curriculum is directed by the child’s
interests. The Reggio model is based on a foundational belief that
children learn through interaction with each other, parents, staff
and the community in a positive, nurturing environment.
At the school’s museum, students will learn how children make
and complete these projects, such as sculpture or painting,
independently. Guha says this approach encourages in-depth early
learning. Children are responsible for their own learning, she
says, and “what they learn depends on what their interests are,
what they want to learn.” Teachers, she adds, are more like
facilitators helping children to gather knowledge.
Originating in the beautiful city of Reggio and developed by
teacher and psychologist Loris Malaguzzi, this model enhances each
child’s creativity and intellectual prowess. Art is integrated
through every aspect of learning—through stories, puppets, and
drama. Guha believes it is important for students to go to
Italy and see where some of our education methods originated
because first-hand information is more valuable.
Friday, students will visit the Institute Pasquale Agazzi and
Summer Recreation Program, founded by the Agazzi sisters who based
their education model on creating societal equilibrium through
self-care. The core of the Agazzi approach is to teach children
self-discipline, to take care of themselves and their own
environment.
On Saturday the group will travel to Rezzato and tour the
International Children’s Center for Arts. Here, educators present
drawings and paintings to students and ask each one about their own
interpretation, conveying the diverse and infinite ways to
interpret art, ideas and the world. Also, they explore the many
ways one piece of art, such as an iron gate, can be used to
stimulate a child’s creativity and curiosity.
The deadline for applications is March 7, 2008. For
additional information please contact Smita Guha at guhas@stjohns.edu (718)
990-2454 or Grace Ibanez-Friedman at friedmag@stjohns.edu (718)
990-5666.