TWO WEBINARS FOR PRACTITIONERS FROM THE SYSTEM OF PRESCHOOL EDUCATION IMPLEMENTED BY REGGIO CHILDREN TEACHERS, ITALY

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, within Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care project, is implementing project activities related to the improvement of professional development of practitioners in the system of preschool education. In order to improve the digital competencies of educators, one of the project tasks entrusted to the CIP – Center for Interactive Pedagogy is the development of the Framework of digital competencies of educators and the Concept of application of digital technologies in preschool institutions.

In the work on this project task, cooperation was achieved with the organization Reggio Children, since it is one of the leaders at the international level when it comes to the combination of modern pedagogies and the use of digital technologies in the educational process.

Reggio Emilia’s approach is an educational program – a philosophy based on a holistic approach to the child, the image of the child as a right holder, with the possibility of development through a hundred ways of expression (100 languages) that are inherent to all human beings, including a child who grows and learns through relationships with others.

The support of the Reggio Children organization was realized through the realization of 3 webinars which were designed and realized by their pedagogues – practitioners using Zoom platform on topics that are relevant to our practitioners and experts.

The first webinar, on the topic: DIGITAL COMPETENCIES OF EDUCATORS FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, was realized on May 11, 2021, from 12:00 to 13:30. Participants, primarily the professional public – representatives of ministry, school administrations, ZUOV, ZVKOV, representatives of institutes, colleges and faculties for teacher education, UNICEF, during 90 minutes were able to get acquainted with certain principles and values ​​of the Reggio Educational Approach: team work and relationships between professionals, learning as a subjective and group process of building knowledge and skills, art center and the role of art pedagogue, then organizing space, the process of documenting that will allow creative knowledge processes to be visible. Participants found out about strategies for using simple digital tools and different materials and ways to support children’s curiosity, imagination and learning.

The second and third webinar on the topic: EXPERIENCES OF USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN WORKING WITH CHILDREN, THROUGH THE PRINCIPLES AND EXAMPLES OF INSPIRATIVE REGGIO EMILIA PRACTICE were realized on May 12, 2021, from 14:30 to 18:00, and on May 14, 2021 from 12:00 to 15:30.

The participants of these 2 webinars on the same topic were primarily practitioners from all preschool institutions from the territory of the Republic of Serbia, representatives of professional associations from the preschools system but also interested representatives of ministry, and partner institutions and organizations on the Project.

During 3.5 hours, webinar participants were able to learn about the use of digital technology in the Reggio educational approach, where digital technologies are seen as an environment that can connect knowledge and multidisciplinary research, which supports children’s ways of learning, promoting new forms of socialization and divisions in which each child can find ways to present themselves. In such digital environments, children act as authors and creators of their own knowledge and individual and collective fantasies, presenting one idea of ​​applicable and generative technology that can communicate with other possible worlds or environments. Through a presentation organized as an interactive visit, participants were introduced to the art workshops of the International Center, with a focus on how digital culture and tools can contribute to art culture and other ways of expression.

After the presentations, the participants were able to ask questions that were immediately answered by the implementers, but also to express their great satisfaction and gratitude that they had the opportunity to attend these webinars from which everyone learned something new.

For both webinars, realized during three days, about 200 accounts were registered, through which a significantly larger number of participants attended.