From teaching to learning the best preschool methods

The world of childhood and preschool education is in constant development and for preschool teachers is crucial to keep up with the new trends and stay on top of what's current. This training course for preschool teachers will be a springboard for exploring the main principles, features and benefits of the best preschool approaches. 

The new edition of the course “The best for preschool teachers​” took place in Bologna from 30/10/2022 to 05/11/2022. The participants were a group from OSMOPE - Organização Social Movimento Pontes Educativas in Porto. The close group of collegues was formed by Silvia Maria Berény Teixeira Lopes, Sandra Oliveira Vaz Carvalho, Maria Alzira Mendes Silva, Maria Albertina Moreira Machado Silva Pereira, Joana Catarina da Silva Tavares, Ana Sofia Cruz Vilaça, Raquel Martins Sousa Vales, Cristina Isabel Ferreira Alves, and Rita Brandão de Vasconcelos Aguiar Pinto. 

Even though the teachers have known each other for years, they were ready to re-break the ice, taking part to some practical activities to share expectations and contributions and discuss about the best practices linked to preschool pedagogy. They also had the chance to present their school introducing a former Erasmus+ project they took part in, aimed at sharing the importance of children participatory projects through art all over Europe. An introduction on the Italian pre-school system was reinforced by a discussion on the importance of playing for children.
Then it was time for speaking about non formal education and putting it into practice through activities and games between the school desks - in which the teachers found themselves as students for the first time in a while – and outdoor, thanks to the sunny weather we had all the week long. 

Sun kept on shining on the “Asilo nel bosco” we visited: off to Pianoro to meet the educator Maddalena. No bricks or chairs in this remote corner of outdoor pre-school, but tents and trees. We visited the spaces and witnessed the wonder of learning in their eyes. Thanks to the passionate teachers who accompanied us, this experience was an eye opener on the deep need of nowadays society to bring our kids back to the authentic and real world, and the benefits this might entail for learning to respect the environment. After this little trip, bodies and minds were regenerated and ready to come back to class for the theoretical introduction of the Montessori method, a philosophy and pedagogy developed by Maria Montessori in the early 19th century. A virtual tour of Montessori authentic environment and materials was the starting point for discovering the method in a practical and experiential way.

It was then time for another visit: the teachers and the course trainer headed to Reggio Emilia to visit the Loris Malaguzzi Centre where the expert guide Sara lead us throughout the wonderful exhibitions of the Centre. Teachers had a chance to learn more about the history, the materials, the projects, and the experiences, which make the Reggio Emilia approach unique in the world. 
The intense week came to an end and it was time for the teachers to come back home with a shared luggage full of memories and reflections, one of which seems the perfect sum-up for the whole experience “bridges are devices that unite, connect and allow access from one place to another. They allow us to know, to go to the future, to walk from one person to another, which is the same as saying from one universe to another. This is the raw material of education”. Silvia Maria Berény Teixeira Lopes

Discover more about this course here