Working with A Pedagogist

Introduction

As early childhood educators we have learned much about and been in awe of the work pedagogists do, inspired by the world-renowned pedagogical approach of Reggio Emilia, originating from Italy but creating their own localized and situated emergent pedagogies in the communities they work with. When news of having our very own pedagogist to work with here in BC was announced, imagine the excitement at our centre! The BC Early Childhood Pedagogy Network (ECPN), funded by the Ministry of Children and Family Development, introduced the new role of pedagogist as support to early childhood educators across the province. Pedagogists collaborate with licensed ECE programs and centres in localized community settings to provide resources and to engage in pedagogical processes. They work in post-secondary institutions to support educators who are mentors to ECE students. ECPN works in partnership with BC Aboriginal Child Care Society to provide support within First Nations early years programs. (Pacino-Ketchahaw et al. 18)

Our Pedagogist

Our ECE team was curious and ecstatic to have a pedagogist working with our centre. We met our pedagogist through online Zoom meetings due to the unfolding pandemic at the time, and have continually met periodically thereafter for online learning circles to collaborate and engage in curriculum discussions. We started off with talking about the pedagogy of listening and tying it into our newly refreshed BC Early Learning Framework. Such learning circles have really facilitated and provided opportunities for us to think critically and reflect deeply on our practices and our curriculums. Our pedagogist has been most attentive and responsive to our inquiries and learnings. She provided us with a variety of resources such as webinars and articles regarding topics of inquiry ranging from learning about and incorporating Indigenous cultures into our program planning to assessing safety and risks versus learning and benefits in tree climbing. She has assisted and provided us with additional information and resources to better help us with decisions and planning regarding our programs. It has been extraordinary having someone so present, open, and respectful to learn and grow alongside us educators as we explore this pedagogical learning journey.
 

By Novem Fung

Novem is our Library Assistant at The Westcoast Early Learning Library and also works as an Early Childhood Educator in a program in Metro Vancouver, alongside Golda Lewin, our ECPN pedagogist.

Sources:
Pacini-Ketchabaw, Veronica, et al. "Pedagogists and the Early Childhood Pedagogy Network", The Early Childhood Educator, Winter 2020, pp. 17-19,