Making the parts ‘whole’ – developing observation and assessment in transdisciplinary classrooms. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Making the parts ‘whole’ – developing observation and assessment in transdisciplinary classrooms.

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Pedagogy and didactics; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

This project was carried out between early childhood educators and school leaders in four European countries, UK, Sweden, Spain and Romania. It has a clear focus on the development, evaluation and dissemination of innovative classroom approaches for children from birth to 7 years old and the educators who work with them.

The project title, Making the parts ‘whole’ – developing observation and assessment in transdisciplinary classrooms, arose from the similar pedagogical perspectives or aspirations of the schools involved and was an evolution and expansion of ongoing school improvement research between some of the schools. It included school leaders, managers, teachers, assistants and regional advisers.

We developed, tested and evaluated school environments and practices that recognise and promote cross-curricular learning, and also defined conceptual, theoretical, methodological, and translational innovations that integrate and move beyond discipline-specific approaches to curriculum. The objective included a focus on creating, observing and assessing how transdisciplinary environments can promote young children’s pro-social and self regulation behaviours, and how they increase inclusion by changing classroom culture to recognise and value diversity as enhancing education for all.

The objectives for all schools were to:
1) Develop innovative classroom environments for children that support transdisciplinary pedagogies.
2) Create descriptions and analysis of how children learn in transdisciplinary classrooms that show the creativity generated through interactions between concepts and curriculum areas.
3) To create new observation and assessment materials that support transdisciplinary classrooms and which are relevant for children in the pre-primary and primary phases and in different national contexts.
4) To increase the development of pro-social skills and self-regulation in children through transdisciplinary classrooms.
5) To increase the inclusion of children from vulnerable groups by revealing the strategies that all children use to express ideas and make meaning in their learning through reports, case studies and pedagogical documentation arising from the project.
6) To develop the knowledge, skills and confidence of educators to describe, understand and communicate children’s learning and adults teaching in the transdisciplinary environment.
7) Include the participation of parents.

This project was built around learning, teaching and training weeks in other schools in other cultural, social and historical contexts. Through previous project work we have found this to be a dynamic strategy for change, both with the practitioners visiting other schools and for those receiving visitors.

This professional exchange is more powerful in a transnational context for three main reasons; as our observations are less focused on the singular, dominant language, we will be observing the holistic communication of children and not relying so heavily on their verbal skills. Also we focus on the relationships of teaching and learning and are less likely to feel restrained or hindered by preconceptions of limitations imposed by local or national curriculum frameworks and educational regulations. Lastly, the active presence of educators from other countries within a school also has many benefits for promoting positive cultural relations with parents, families and the wider community of the school, supporting the development of participation, tolerance, value and understanding in the community.

In the framework of the project, we developed our project based in formal and informal education methodologies. We started with an introduction of the new transdiscplinary methodology and also with a theoretical approach based on the work of Gregory Bateson that challenges us to see the connections, relations and intra-actions in our methods of teaching and children’s learning arising from Loris Malaguzzi’s proposition of the ‘Hundred Languages of Children’.

At a local and regional level the desired impact was:
– increased awareness of how children learn.
– increased confidence to promote and engage in classroom innovation.
– increased use of innovative methods of observation, evaluation and assessment that result in rich, engaging classroom environments and curricular opportunities for children.
– increased commitment, confidence and actions to promote inclusion and equality.

At a national and European level the desired impact was:
-that learning from the project is shared through pedagogical documentation and case studies and open access observations and assessment tools that will be shared through professional networks through organisations involved in the inspiration of working with Reggio Emilia values and principles and other early years organisations such as Early Education, Sightlines Initiative, the Reggio Emilia Institute in Stockholm and Modern Childhood magazine.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 101205 Eur

Project Coordinator

Madeley Nursery School & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Liceul Teoretic ELF
• ESCUELA INFANTIL MUNICIPAL HELLO BUZTINTXURI
• Woodlands Primary & Nursery School
• Skarpnäcksfältets förskolor
• Lange Erik
• Phoenix Nursery school
• Södra Kärrtorps Förskolor