In Gillian Judson’s news update she mentioned a thriving LiD program at Great Torrington Bluecoat Primary School, in North Devon, UK. (Read more about the program here: “Recommendations For Running A Successful LiD Program In Your School”.) Ian Thomas introduced the program there and was a driving force in its successful implementation and expansion. In a recent conversation with Ian he told me over 200 students there are working on their LiD projects and the program is going “from
strength to strength”. Ian is now Headteacher at another school and will be introducing LiD there.

Towards the end of 2017, Kieran gave talks in Italy and Poland, witnessing the start of LiD in those countries. In Italy, following a conference and school visits in late 2016 at which Kieran gave talks about LiD, he returned in December 2017 to make additional presentations about the program but also—more fun—to be present at the starting ceremonies for, he was told, 624 students in a number of schools in the Bressanone, Modena, and Reggio Emilia regions. He enjoyed visiting a number of schools at which somewhat different opening ceremonies were created to encourage the students’ enthusiasm.

Unfortunately, some kids had the idea of getting him to sign the folders they received at the ceremonies, which then meant a very tired hand. Kieran’s favourite occasion involved entering a large room with around 60 9- or 10- year olds. He was introduced to the students who offered polite applause. Being a bit punch-drunk after a few school visits during the day, the grey and funereally-dressed professor stood up waving his arms demanding louder applause, to which the kids happily responded, but then the demand was for more, until whistles and shouts and stamping went on and on, as though Verona had just scored the winning goal in the final minute of the game. Not quite as planned, but it certainly set the ceremony off in a good mood.

In Bressanone, the children picked their topic out of a basket, and then their “starter kit” was given out in the white bags by Drs. Federico Corni and Enrico Giliberti. Dr. Federico is leading the push for LiD in the north of Italy. Kieran also met with senior educational leaders in Modena, who seemed keen to spread LiD to other schools in the region. A major conference is being planned for September 2018 in Italy.

Below are some pictures from Modena schools.

In Poland, the main proponent of IE and LiD is Dr. Stanislaw Dylak. He arranged a series of meetings with schools, professors, and educational institutes, mainly in Poznan and Warsaw, and arranged initial contacts for IERG with, among other groups, the Copernicus Institute. Kieran gave a series of talks, mostly about LiD to teachers, and IE to more general audiences. This visit was rather like that made the previous year to Italy, which led to the implementations this year. Dr. Dylak is working to help teachers begin LiD programs in a number of schools in September 2018.

Dr. Stanislaw Dylak outside the university in Poznan.

Colegio Tricahue, a new primary school in Requinoa, Chile, has started LiD. Parents and children gathered first for a description of how they would engage with the LiD program. Their topics were written in colourful paper birds hanging from the classroom ceiling. Parents lifted their children up so they could select a bird and discover the topic they were going to become an expert on. The school has taken to LiD with great enthusiasm.

Carolina Lopez, Director of Imaginative Education, Mexico, and Soledad Acuña, of the Cultural and Imaginative Education Teacher Network, Chile, recently visited Tricahue College in Chile to see how they were implementing LiD in the school.
They were shown around by Rosario Michea and Felipe Poblete, two of the LiD teachers, and met with Sandra Lobos, Rosita Caceres and with many students.

At the conclusion of their visit, both Soledad and Carolina said they had a good impression of how LiD is being implemented in the school. They were especially impressed by the creativity and energy of the teachers and the enthusiasm and engagement with their topics that the students displayed.

Magdalena Merbilhaa, one of the International Associate of IERG and Director of the Cultural Network and Director of Outreach Activities at Finis Terrae University, had earlier spoken to parents about Imaginative Education in general, and discussed the LiD program at that time.

A group of kindergarteners at Llewellyn Elementary School in Portland, OR (USA) embarked on their LiD journeys this month. The program is being initiated by a dedicated team of parents who are advocating for project-based learning opportunities. LiD is being piloted this year, with the goal of school-wide adoption in subsequent years.

https://llewellynlid.wordpress.com/

Our ceremony took place during the school day, with parents and family in attendance. The children talked about LiD the previous week and discussed what it means to be an expert. The excitement and anticipation was building. Because they are kindergartners, rather than an introductory speech, an “ancient scroll” with words of wisdom (in the form of a poem) was read aloud to kick off the ceremony.

The kids chose their topics from a “magic LiD bag.” The bag contained medals and topics were engraved on one side, while “I’m a LiD expert” was engraved on the other side of the medal. Children were also bequeathed their own LiD kit, which contains a dossier, a research journal, and a “did-you know” crazy fact sheet about their topic. Additionally, three topic specific books were provided for use in the classroom for each expert.

We wanted to give our kindergarteners an opportunity to reflect on their topic before talking about it with others. And we decided that art was the best way to accomplish this. Tables were set up with paper and markers. After the last medal had been chosen, the kids were asked to draw whatever came to mind for them as they thought about their topics: something they already know, something they wonder about, etc. Of course, the children were eager to express themselves this way, and they had so much fun drawing! During this time, we spoke with parents in attendance about how to “wonder” out loud with their children, rather than guide the next stage of their children’s relationship with their topics.

After 10 minutes, the parents joined the experts in small groups, and the children talked about their drawings and “wondered” together about their topics. The room was buzzing; all of them wanted to share and dream and think out loud. Connections were made and even at this early stage, children were finding passion for their topics.

Directly following the ceremony, the fourth grade “buddy” class joined the children and the buddies helped the kindergartners document some of their wonderings and look through magazines to find pictures of their topics. The sense of pride and ownership was already evident as the kindergarteners talked to their older buddies about their topics.

We’re excited to have started this journey with the kindergarten class. And we are hopeful that LiD can become a cornerstone of our whole school community in the near future. Parents, teachers and students are uniting to excavate the current educational standards – finding creativity, joy and the value of learning together.

Watch the opening ceremony!

Visit Linda Holmes’s great resources for teachers and parents interested in using LiD with their students and children. On her Living with Learning in Depth pages, Linda writes: “If you are interested in learning more about Learning in Depth or you want help with implementing LiD into your world, please contact me through this website. LiD is what I do!” Go to: http://livinglearningindepth.com