Provocations and Invitations

What is a provocation?

A provocation can come in many different forms, but it is always intended to provoke thoughts, ideas, and actions that can help to expand on a thought, project, idea or an interest.

What learning/ thinking or discovery are you trying t provoke? How will the children interpret this? What do you see, think, wonder as the children explore? What competencies are they displaying?

Inviting children to explore materials is an important role of the educator and the environment as a partner.

Provocations allow and encourage children to experience the world for themselves through open-ended activities without being overtly guided by a teacher or parent. The idea behind provocations is to encourage children to think independently by encouraging their interests and the exploration of those interests.

What is an Invitation?

Invitations, another common concept found in Reggio Emilia-inspired schools, are a more direct piece of encouragement for exploration to children. Either written or verbal, through invitations a teacher asks or invites the child or class to think about or explore a concept. In Reggio Emilia, this is encouraged, but what is preferred in a child-focused learning environment is to encourage the child to begin “to do” in order to learn more about something through action or occurrence.