Niente Senza Gioia (Nothing Without Joy!): Lessons Learned from a Year-Long Sabbatical in Italy Studying the Reggio Emilia Approach
Date: Monday, November 6, 2023
Time: 4:00pm to 6:00pm
Location: Hanahau’oli School Professional Development Center, located at 1922 Makiki Street
Cost: $15 per person, includes light pupu and refreshments
Sarah DeLuca, early childhood educator at Hanahauʻoli School, spent the 2022-23 school year on a sabbatical in Italy to study the Reggio Emilia approach to teaching and learning. She participated in graduate coursework, school visits, literature reviews, and study tours in the town of Reggio Emilia. Her goal was to incorporate fresh ideas into her own practice as a progressive educator, by focusing on three major aspects of the Reggio Emilia approach:
The teacher as a researcher of children's thinking
Documentation as part of "making children's thinking visible”
The environment as educator, with a focus on a sense of place
In this talk she will share all that emerged from her incredible year of learning and growth, richer and more meaningful than she could have ever imagined. She will explain how she gained an even broader and more beautiful schema of learning, education, and children, and detail the many parallels between progressive education and the Reggio Emilia approach. This will include highlighting the ways in which these learning outcomes were inextricably linked to her experience as a parent of children at an Italian Forest School, and her family’s immersion into Italian culture, and its way of life. The talk will conclude with Sarah’s major takeaways from her sabbatical year, and the unexpected learning outcomes of her experiences.
Sarah DeLuca is a K-1 early childhood educator at Hanahauʻoli School, where she has been teaching and learning with and from her students, colleagues, and families since 2009. Sarah was born and raised in the Kaimuki area and is an alumna of Iolani School. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon in International Studies and her (MEdT) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has lived and studied in Italy and enjoys traveling to spend time with extended family there. She finds great joy in working alongside young children, particularly exploring our beautiful island home, creating art, and getting lost in the wonderful world of books.