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balanced life with meaning and wisdom (VESS). Through these cultural forces, the
actions and interactions within the classroom are also enhanced. Originally proposed by Dr.
Ron Ritchart of Harvard University for work in the classrooms and educational institutions,
in Edu1st these forces have been integrated and are a fundamental component of our analysis,
strategic planning, work with parents and teachers, and our projection for community.
These forces are: environment, language, time, expectations, routines, opportunities,
interactions - relationships and models will be addressed more in depth in another section.
Curriculums and educational models that inspired our work
Several different educational models, like the Reggio Emilia approach towards the
children of the region of Reggio Emilia in Italy, the British curriculum, the primary years
curriculum of New Zealand, the Australian curriculum, the Primary Years Program (PYP or)
program for IB primary School, and the High Scope curriculum, among many others, were
studied during the process of creating the curriculum for Edu1st which later turned into what is
now known as the VESS educational model.
The VESS model is inspired and integrated from elements of different approaches that,
along with the PEP (Thought as Pedagogical Strategy,) advance these ideas to an optimal
education for the 21st century.
Reggio Emilia
The Reggio-Emilia model is a model of preschool education that was established in a
region of Italy of the same name, after the Second World War. It was a reaction to the rigidity of
the public system of the time and as a result takes into account the cultural effect of the
environment (the environment as the third teacher, the documentation that is created with the
children and is part o