Teacher Professional Development Experiences
Demita Hill
Sunshines Teacher
Professional development: NAREA (North American Reggio Emilia Alliance) in Atlanta, GA.
What did I gain from the experience? It was a very informative conference. There were two key speakers who came all the way from Italy to share their experience with us. They showed us photos of their awesome Reggio classrooms and how the classrooms and materials are arranged for the children to explore. We also toured two Reggio inspired childcare centers. I felt like those centers were perfect examples of what Reggo Emilia inspired centers should look like.
How I have implemented newly acquired knowledge in my classroom? I learned so much during the conference and was looking forward to sharing what I learned and the photos I took with my colleagues. I immediately changed the space right outside my classroom to a more welcoming space inspired by some of the entrances I saw in front of some of the Reggio Emilia classrooms. I also asked for more Reggio Emilia inspired toys/activities to include in my classroom.
Katherine Seitel
Leapfrogs Teacher
Professional Development: NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) in Nashville, TN.
What did I gain from the experience? I had such a great experience connecting with fellow PIC teachers and meeting teachers from all over the country. I felt invigorated by attending the conference and I think all teachers would benefit from such large scale professional development opportunities.
How I have implemented newly acquired knowledge in my classroom? I also learned new tools and approaches that I was able to implement in my classroom- a nonfiction workshop really resonated with me and I am excited to apply the knowledge from this workshop.
Manny Harris
Chipmunks Teacher
Professional development: NAREA (North American Reggio Emilia Alliance) in Atlanta, GA.
What did I gain from the experience? What I gained from my experience with professional development has been immense, I learned classroom management, dealing with challenging behaviors, classroom environment, collaboration with teachers and strengthening partnerships with families to name a few.
How I have implemented newly acquired knowledge in my classroom? These tools helped me with creating a warm and inviting classroom as well as created lasting partnerships with families as we are still in contact till this day. These opportunities also shaped me as a culturally responsive teacher which helped me establish strong relationships with the children that I work with.
