One way of supporting professional learning is to walk beside teachers as a ‘pedagogista’.

A pedagogista is a mentor who works with a school and teachers to facilitate conversations that consider:

·          current ideas in educational theory and practice

·          political developments

·          needs, interests and priorities of families

·          the cohesiveness of the school

·          the skills and experiences of teachers

·          emerging threads and themes in the children’s conceptual development

·          the rights and needs of the children

The goal is to promote autonomy

·          to develop powerful opportunities that enable children to take responsibility for their learning

·          to work collaboratively with teachers as they become creators of knowledge

·          to support teachers abilities in observing, recording and documenting learning

·          to strengthen parent/teacher relationships

·          to develop cohesiveness.

Usually, Marie visits a teacher in the classroom, observing the teacher and the children. The teacher and Marie then visit together, talking about interests and concerns the teacher might have. These ‘learning conversations’ are rich conversations which lead to reflective practice and are highly effective professional learning experiences.