With more natural lighting filtering in and objects displayed at a child’s eye level, the gifted and talented Kinderstart class at Sturgeon Heights School looks and feels a little different than traditional classrooms.
A number of workstations are set up around the room leaving children free to explore them as they please. Several parents stand at the back or help out where they can.
Starting this school year, Sturgeon Heights began offering the gifted and talented class for pre-kindergarten students. The school is using a unique Italian educational philosophy known as Reggio Emilia.
Also popular in Australia and England, the philosophy considers teachers as both learners and collaborators who should frequently observe students to determine their needs and interests.
Reggio also says children should have some control over the direction of their learning.
“They decide when it’s time to move into a new topic so there is a lot of depth that happens. A deeper learning into various concepts,” said principal Garnet Goertzen.
“That philosophy is one that we see as being very positive for the way kids learn, where it focuses on what kids are most interested in.”
Reggio also prizes the relationships children have with their environment, and parents are encouraged to spend time with teachers and children in the classroom.
Emphasizing the experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing and hearing, the program encourages schools to create natural, relaxed and flexible environments that are inviting to children.
“In Italy, it’s a little bit easier because they have open-air classrooms and plants growing up and down the walls,” said Bev Sagert, director of early childhood education at the Sturgeon School Division.
Alberta Education defines gifted and talented students as those showing exceptional potential across a wide range of abilities like general intellect, creative thinking, social, artistic and kinesthetic.
In order to be accepted into the program, children undergo an IQ test and an assessment by a psychologist, who makes the final decision. The process also includes a questionnaire for parents.
Jill Hill decided to enroll her son James, 4, in the program last year after he scored well on the assessment.
Although she admits he does seem a bit distracted when she volunteers in the classroom one day each month, James loves every minute he’s at school.
“He’s excited to come to school,” she said.
“The kids are so full of potential in that class. Kids are never too young I think to start branching out and developing their potential.”
Cindy Vanderberg, whose son, Nicholas, 4, also is in the program, said her expectations were exceeded, thanks to teacher Kasie Hoffman.
“One thing I really like about this program is that it teaches social skills as well as the academics and she introduces the academic concepts in a fun way. They learn through play without realizing they’re learning,” Vanderberg said.
Although it’s been suggested that gifted and talented children can be vulnerable to social isolation, Vanderberg said she doesn’t have any concerns. “They really integrate all the kids together in the school.”
Currently, Sturgeon Heights is using Reggio in its Kinderstart and Headstart programs and may expand it to Grade 1 next year. There are also plans to introduce the program at Namao School for the 2011/12 year.
“It’s really an open-ended approach where the kids can learn and develop and continue to learn,” Sagert said. “It’s just an awesome idea for gifted and talented, for all children, but especially gifted and talented.”
At Sturgeon Heights, the regular curriculum is weaved into the Reggio program.
“If we could move that right up through the school over the years, it would be tremendous,” Goertzen said.
However, he said this would require a different mindset, as well as some facility changes.
“It takes a while to be able to do that, you just can’t change a school overnight to that kind of philosophy,” he said.
With special lights intended to create a more natural effect plus a plan to add lofts in several classrooms this year, Goertzen said adapting the Reggio philosophy also comes with added costs.
“Of course, we’re just on the road to that kind of thing. It’s an evolution that has to happen in terms of transforming your school to something that’s really Reggio.”
The Sturgeon School Division will be holding an information session about their gifted and talented program and the Reggio Emilia approach on Feb. 16 at Sturgeon Heights School and on Feb. 17 at Namao School.
Both presentations run from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
