Elizabeth Perry and Akshaya Krishnamoorthy from International School Prague (ISP) have been working with 5–6 year olds, using weaving and technology to explore the question, ‘What stories would pieces of weaving share if they could talk?’
LEEDS 2023 have commissioned them to explore how this project can be applied to a Leeds context, working in partnership with Leeds schools.
This workshop is a chance to learn more about their project and find out how simple hand-weaving and inexpensive technology might allow very young children to tell their own stories, using Reggio Emilia-inspired pedagogy. The workshop will be practical and hands-on and an opportunity for Elizabeth and Akshaya to develop links with artists and educators in the city as part of their research.
The session will also include a visit to Tiny Tetley Studio.
About
If you would like to know more about this project, please email kathrynwelford@leeds2023.co.uk.
Elizabeth Perry is a teacher, writer, and artist with a particular interest in making and play. At the International School of Prague she helps faculty use technology in new ways. She has consulted for Google in K-12 education and outreach, and has been a fellow at the Studio for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie-Mellon University, Pennsylvania. Her formal educational background includes a BA in English from Yale University, and an MFA in fiction writing and PhD in English from the University of Pittsburgh.
Akshaya Krishnamoorthy is a visual artist and an Early Childhood Atelierista at the International School of Prague, working within a Reggio Emilia-inspired program. Akshaya has a Masters in Visual Arts with a focus on installation work. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Innovative Early Childhood Education from the University of Colorado, in partnership with the Boulder Journey School. Together with the children in her classrooms, Akshaya has explored charcoal, made natural pigments, watched out for a seed robber while holding a massive sunflower captive, and in the latest edition of their adventure, started to weave with the pedagogical support of Elizabeth Perry.