Landscapes of Literacy:
From Library to Studio in the
Early Childhood Centers of
Pistoia, Italy
Sunday, August 8 – Monday, August 9, 2010
The Carle is once again honored to host teachers and administrators from Pistoia, Italy, internationally-renowned for its early childhood services. With an emphasis on the quality of space and its potential to promote meaningful relations and exchanges between adults and children, this year’s institute will focus on the library and studio. Presentations will underscore the importance of creating literacy-rich environments that stimulate the child’s imagination, support their sense of individuality and community, and encourage research and meaning-making. Drawing on the children’s interests, their home-life, and the traditions of the city, these programs are designed to provide the opportunity for aesthetic experiences and cognitive and social development. (10 PDPs)
Landscapes of Literacy Brochure (PDF)
Conference Program
SUNDAY, AUGUST 8
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Optional Pre-Conference Studio Experience
Explore Eric Carle’s paper-painting and collage techniques while creating unique personal collage papers of one’s own. (Limited to 40 participants; register early and reserve your spot!)
1:00 – 2:00 pm
Optional Pre-Conference Program with Ashley Bryan
Conference registration entitles you to arrive early, visit the Museum, and enjoy a special presentation in the Auditorium featuring award-winning author and illustrator, Ashley Bryan.
3:00 – 5:00 pm
Optional Pre-Conference Visit
We invite you to visit one of these centers and learn more about the ways in which they have been inspired by and have implemented aspects of the Pistoia and Reggio Emilia programs.
- Smith College Center for Early Childhood Education at Fort Hill (www.smith.edu/forthill)
- Hampshire College Children's Center (www.hampshire.edu/childrenscenter)
5:00 – 6:15 pm
Registration / Light Supper
Visit the Galleries, Art Studio, and Museum Shop.
Your conference badge entitles you to a 10% discount in the Museum Shop (Members 25%)!
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Opening Session
Museum Auditorium; all other areas of the Museum will be closed.
Welcome
Alexandra Kennedy, Director, The Carle
Introductions
Rosemary Agoglia, Curator of Education, The Carle
Connection and Collaboration: From Pistoia to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
Lella Gandini
Innovative Thoughts and Intentional Choices from a City Committed to Children
Annalia Galardini
Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and Where We’re Going: The Evolution of the Art Studio at The Carle
Rosemary Agoglia and Meghan Burch
MONDAY, AUGUST 9 8:30 – 9:00 am
Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 am
The Encounter of Reading and Writing through Books and the Imagination
Alga Giacomelli, Donatella Giovannini
10:00 – 11:00 am
Reflections on Leaves and Letters
Susan Etheredge
11:00 – 11:15 am
Refreshments
11:15 am – 12:00 pm
The Studio: A Place of Transformation, Discovery and Learning
Angela Palandri, Donatella Giovannini
12:00 – 1:30 pm
Lunch
Staggered lunch and time to browse the Museum
1:30 – 3:00 pm
Creating Landscapes of Literacy
This hands-on, minds-on opportunity is designed to create links between experience and understanding while highlighting the importance and interconnectedness of art and literacy with learning and development. Each participant will be assigned to a smaller working group.
3:00 – 4:00 pm
Closing Session
Registration Information
Conference fees include materials, Sunday light supper, Monday continental breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and PDPs. Members of The Carle and/or the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA) may deduct $20 from the Conference Fee.
Early Registration (Postmarked by June 30th)
$270
Regular Registration (Postmarked after June 30th)
$295
To Register
Download the registration form (below) and mail with payment to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Attn: Ann Rea, 125 West Bay Road, Amherst, MA 01002 or fax to (413) 658-1139, Attn: Ann Rea.
Landscapes of Literacy Registration Form (PDF)
For further information please contact the Education Department at 413.658.1113 or programs@carlemuseum.org.
Refund Policy
Refund requests received on or before July 15th will receive a 50% refund of the Conference Fee. No refunds will be issued after July 15th.
Accommodations
A limited number of rooms are available for Conference participants at the hotels listed below. You must call the hotels directly and reference “The Eric Carle Museum Room Block” to receive the discounted rate. We urge you to make your reservations early. Rates include breakfast.
EconoLodge
(413) 582-7077
329 Russell Street, Hadley, MA
Standard Room Rate – $68 plus tax
Holiday Inn Express
(413) 582-0002
400 Russell Street, Hadley, MA
Standard Room Rate – $102 plus tax
For information about other area hotels please visit www.hampshirehospitality.com.
Conference Presenters
Rosemary Agoglia
Rosemary Agoglia is Curator of Education at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. She has a B.A. from the University of Buffalo and an M.A. in Education from the University of Massachusetts. Rosemary plans and implements all the educational programming of the Museum. As an educator, she has taught students of all ages, designed curriculum, conducted workshops, and presented at national conferences. Trained in Visual Thinking Strategies, she works with visitors of all ages providing links between visual and verbal literacy and fostering the confidence to appreciate and enjoy art of every kind.
Meghan Burch
Guided Art Programs Educator and practicing artist, Meghan Burch holds a BFA in Illustration from Massachusetts College of Art. With a commitment to visual expression, she designs and implements the art-making portion of each guided group and conducts professional development workshops. Drawing on the richness inherent in materials, process, design, relationships and imagination, Meghan works with artists and educators of all ages.
Susan Etheredge
Susan Etheredge is Professor and Chair of Education and Child Study at Smith College. She teaches undergraduates, collaborates with teachers in areas related to professional development and teacher education, and writes about inquiry-based teaching and learning. She is co-author of Introducing Students to Scientific Inquiry: How Do We Know What We Know? and co-editor of Insights and Inspirations from Reggio Emilia: Stories of Teachers and Children from North America. Susan recently spent a sabbatical year in Pistoia, Italy, studying the city’s innovative early childhood schools.
Lella Gandini
Lella Gandini, Visiting Scholar at Lesley University in Cambridge 2007-9 and at the University of Arizona 2010, introduced the Italian education of young children from Pistoia and Reggio Emilia in the United States in the early 1980s. For Reggio Children, she serves as the Liaison for the Dissemination of the Reggio Emilia Approach. She is co-author and co-editor of The Hundred Languages of Children; Bambini: The Italian Approach to Infant/Toddler Care; Beautiful Staff; In the Spirit of the Studio: Learning from the Atelier of Reggio Emilia; and Insights and Inspirations from Reggio Emilia: Stories of Teachers and Children from North America.
Annalia Galardini
Annalia Galardini was a founding leader of early childhood services in Pistoia, Italy and is now Director of Education, Social Services, and Cultural Affairs in the city administration. Prominent at the national and international level, she has organized in-service workshops in several Italian cities and has published articles and books about the organization and goals of services for children.
Alga Giacomelli
Alga Giacomelli has been a teacher for many years at the Filastrocca preschool in Pistoia, a school for children from 3 to 6 years of age. She has designed the lending library for parents, run by children, and a program that includes the invention of stories, as well as the design and illustration of books by children.
Donatella Giovannini
Donatella Giovannini is Pedagogical Coordinator for Infant/Toddler Services of Pistoia, Italy. She is involved in research carried out by the Psychology Institute of the National Research Council in Rome and in collaboration with several European programs for young children. She has published many articles and book chapters and has been instrumental in supporting the professional development of infant-toddler educators in Pistoia and its sister city, Palermo.
Angela Palandri
Angela Palandri, in her long career in Pistoia, went from preschool teacher to studio teacher. She is in charge of a beautifully designed art studio where children from preschool and elementary school come during school hours, and for after-school programs, to explore materials and represent their ideas through diverse art media. She develops drawing itineraries in the city for children, dedicated to a study of design and the visual aspects of art history.