Mara Krechevsky - Visible Learners

Table of Contents

More Praise for Visible Learners

Visible Learners is the most comprehensive approach to the values of documentation and how to go about it yet published. This volume makes clear that documentation can serve a wide range of important purposes for learners and their teachers, their families, and even their larger communities. The authors' discussion of the positive uses of documentation in connection with formal state standards is not only very timely, but also very helpful and practical. This book should be available to all teachers of all ages and subjects, not only during their training, but also throughout their work with our children.
Lilian G. Katz, Ph.D., Professor Emerita & Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting, University of Illinois

This smart book begins with a series of stories about reciprocal learning by young people at different levels of schooling. Next it proposes that readers analyze those stories in terms of multiple insights gained from documentation, which can make learning, whether by individuals or groups, visible, and can indicate how this learning can be further sustained. The authors then face head-on the questions now so frequently asked about how documentation can support standard-based practice. Leaving no stone unturned, the authors construct on the basis of their extensive experience, a practical guide to structures, strategies, and tools for fostering learning in groups through documentation. Where the authors suggest that readers refer to the earlier book they produced together with Reggio Children, Making Learning Visible, I instead would insist that readers regard it as fundamental for understanding the principles that underlie this generous new work.
Lella Gandini, U.S. Liaison for the Dissemination of the Reggio Emilia Approach

With the challenge of preparing all students for college and career readiness and Common Core State Standards, there is agreement on this: students need to be independent, reflective learners, critical thinkers and problem solvers. How do we develop these attributes in students? Visible Learners offers a powerful answer: classrooms dedicated to the process of looking closely at student ideasobserving, documenting and analyzing to improve the quality of student work and understanding.
Ron Berger, Chief Program Officer, Expeditionary Learning

Dedication

For Andrew, Liz, Steve, and Terri for their support

Copyright 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Michael Cook

Cover image: Copyright 2013 by Melissa Rivard

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Krechevsky, Mara.

Visible learners : promoting Reggio-inspired approaches in all schools/Mara Krechevsky, Ben Mardell, Melissa Rivard, Daniel G. Wilson.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-118-34569-6 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-118-42032-4 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-118-41692-1 (epub), ISBN 978-1-118-67038-5 (mobipocket)

1. Group work in education. 2. Reggio Emilia approach (Early childhood education)

I. Mardell, Ben. II. Rivard, Melissa, 1964 III. Wilson, Daniel G., 1969 IV. Title.

LB1032.K68 2013

372.21dc23

2013006255

Acknowledgments

In keeping with this book's focus on individual and group learning, our work has been inspired and sustained by the contributions of numerous colleagues and organizations. We would like to thank the Atlantic Philanthropies, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Barr Foundation for their support in funding Project Zero and pre-K12 teachers and teacher educators in the Boston area. In particular, we are grateful to Angela Covert and Kim Haskins for their vision and commitment to this work. We would also like to thank the Ohio Department of Education for its support of the Making Learning Visible (MLV) work at the Wickliffe Progressive Community School in Upper Arlington, Ohio.

An enormous amount of gratitude goes to the teachers, administrators, and high school students who participated in the MLV seminars: Aaron Levy, Adeleine Rodene, Amanda Van Vleck, Annie Sevelius, Ariela Rothstein, Betsy Damian, Bobbi Rosenquest, Cathy Milne, Char Skidmore, Cheryl Sutter, Chris Bucco, Chris Low, Cindy Snow, Clancie Wilson, Dan Monahan, Danikka Giarratani, David Ramsey, Deb Dempsey, Debi Milligan, Doug Anderson, Ellen Goldberg, Frances Farrell, Gene Thompson-Grove, Gerardo Martinez, Gina Stefanini, Gizelle Dizon, Graciela Hopkins, Heather Moore Wood, Heather Nord, Heidi Lyne, Ian Hamel, Jennifer Hogue, Jill Berg, Joan Soble, Joanne Cleary, Johanna Grochowalski, Jon Hirst, Karen Daniels, Kendra McLaughlin, Kerrie-Lee Walker, Kevin Depin, Kyle Dodson, Lesley Strang, Lin Tucker, Lindy Johnson, Lisa Dittrich, Lisa Fiore, Lori Rivera, Lynn Hurley, Lynn Stuart, Maggie Donovan, Marc Kenen, Maren Oberman, Marguerite Hicks, Marina Boni, Masami Stampf, Melissa Tonachel, Molander Etienne, Nicole Chasse, Pam Richardson, Phyllis Bretholtz, Rachel Hayashi, Rachelle Milord, Rawchayl Sahadeo, Sarae Pacetta, Sarah Fiarman, Sarah Mayper, Sevan Marinilli, Stephanie Cox Suarez, Tassia Thomas, Tavia Mead, Tina Blythe, Todd Curtis, Una MacDowell, Yvonne Young, and Zoe Cohen. We are honored to be your colleagues and deeply grateful for your dedication to exploring new possibilities for teaching and learning. Each of you contributed enormously to our understanding of how to put these ideas into practice in US schools across the grades. Without you, there would be no book.