The Reggio Emilia Approach The Reggio Emilia Approach to preschool education was started by the schools of the city of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy in 1945; when a group of parents decided to offer care for children in their community to enable parents to rebuild their city after World War II. The Reggio Emilia approach, which was developed by a young teacher by the name of Loris Malaguzzi, can be viewed as a resource and inspiration to help educators, parents, and children as they work together to further develop their own educational programs. Moreover, it values the ability of children to learn spontaneously, as well as the potential of all children to think, learn, and construct knowledge. It is based on a child centred learning, creativity and aesthetics, collaboration, environments, documentation, and working partnership with parents. The Reggio Emilia approach is supported by a philosophy which still continues to grow and develop. Its early foundations were rooted in well-known sources such as Maria Montessori's teaching, the British nursery/infant tradition; Piaget's insights into children's construction of knowledge; and Vygotsky's principles about adult and group engagement in children's learning. The following aims are included in the Reggio Emilia Approach: To communicate a forceful idea of childhood and of children's rights, potentials, and resources, which are often unrecognised or neglected. To promote studies, research, and experimentation in education, with particular emphasis on children's active, constructive, and creative learning processes. To advance the professionalism and culture of teachers, promoting a greater awareness of the value of collegial work and of meaningful relationships with the children and their families. To highlight the value of research, observation, interpretation, and documentation of children's knowledge-building and thinking processes. To organise guided visits to educational programs, cultural initiatives, exhibitions, seminars, conferences, professional development courses on the issues of education and the culture of childhood. The Reggio Emilia approach is based upon the following principles and features: Emergent Curriculum The curriculum is emergent and originates from the children s ideas and interests; it is a curriculum that builds upon the interests of children. Topics for study are captured from the talk of children, through community or family events, as well as the known interests of children (puddles, shadow, dinosaurs, etc.).
Team planning is an essential component of the emergent curriculum. Teachers work together to formulate hypotheses about the possible directions of a project, the materials needed, and possible parent and/or community support and involvement. For example, the children where once interested in learning about dinosaurs, so we started thinking about activities we could do, and asked the children what they would like to do. After a few weeks, the children started showing interest on the environment dinosaurs lived, in particular volcanoes. So after having a talk with the children at circle time, the children decided they wanted to make a volcano, and so we did! We first gathered ideas from the teachers on how to make it, then gathered the children s ideas, and eventually started building the volcano with chicken wire, paper mache, paint... Projects or topics of study can be short or long-term, evolving as children learn and/or ask new questions, and discover new problems to solve. Inquiry and problem-solving are a major focus of the Reggio approach. Project Work Considered as an adventure, projects may last one week (short-term) or could continue throughout the school year (long-term). Therefore, they are developed over time through the discussion of new ideas, negotiating over, inducing conflicts, revisiting, seeing progress, seeing movement of ideas, recording, playing, exploring, hypothesis building and testing, provoking... Throughout a project, teachers help children make decisions about the direction of study, the ways in which the group will research the topic, the representational media that will demonstrate and showcase the topic, and the selection of materials needed to represent the work. Based on children's responses, teachers introduce materials, questions, and opportunities that provoke children to further explore the topic. While some of these teacher provocations are anticipated, projects often move in unanticipated directions as a result of problems children identify. Thus, curriculum planning and implementation revolve around open-ended and often long-term projects that are based on the reciprocal nature of teacher-directed and child-initiated activity. Representational Development Consistent with Howard Gardner's notion of schooling for multiple intelligences; the Reggio Emilia approach calls for the integration of the graphic arts as tools for cognitive, linguistic, and social development (presenting concepts and hypotheses in multiple forms
of representation such as print, art, construction, drama, music, puppetry, and shadow play). As children proceed in an investigation, generating and testing their hypotheses, they are encouraged to depict their understanding through one of many symbolic languages; they work together toward the resolution of problems that arise. Media: When a media is presented, the children explore first what the material is, what it can do, what could be done with the material before... Teachers help them see the colour, texture, pattern, tones, hues... as well as encourage them to comment about similarities and differences with other materials. Documentation The documentation of children's work in progress is viewed as an important tool in the learning process for children, teachers, and parents, and is believed to be necessary for children to express, revisit, and construct and reconstruct their feelings, ideas and understandings. Pictures of children engaged in experiences, their words as they discuss what they are doing, feeling and thinking, and the children's interpretation of experience through the visual media are displayed as a graphic presentation of the dynamics of learning. In Reggio inspired classrooms, teachers use a variety of documentation methods, such as cameras, tape recorders, and journals, to track children's thoughts and ideas as they play together or work with materials. They as recorders (documenters) for the children, helping them trace and revisit their words and actions; and thereby making the learning visible. The Image of the Child The Reggio approach sees a child as a very competent protagonist and initiator, who interacts with their environment. Children come into the educational setting with a wealth of knowledge, and teachers need to tap into that knowledge and build upon the strengths of the children. Children have the right to use many forms of symbolic representation: words, movement, drawing, painting, building, sculpture, shadow play, collage, dramatic play, music. In using many materials they discover, communicate what they know and understand, what they wonder about, question and imagine; Through energy and curiosity the children construct their own learning.
Reggio educators believe strongly in a child with unlimited potential who is eager to interact with and contribute to the world. We believe in a child who has a fundamental right to realise and expand her potential; who is driven by curiosity and imagination, a capable child who delights in taking responsibility for her own learning; who listens and is listened to; a child with an enormous need to love and to be loved, and who is valued. Collaboration Collaborative group work, both large and small, is considered valuable and necessary to advance cognitive development. Children are encouraged to dialogue, critique, compare, negotiate, hypothesize, and problem solve through group work. Within the Reggio Emilia approach multiple perspectives promote both a sense of group membership and the uniqueness of self. The Role of the Teacher The teachers or educators are partners, nurturers and guides because they facilitate children's exploration of topics in short or long term; they guide experiences of openended discovery and problem-solving; they know how to plan, observe and listen closely to children; they know how to document children s work; they know how to provoke, coconstruct, and stimulate thinking; and they know how to ask questions, discover children's ideas, hypotheses and theories and provide occasions for discovery and learning. In addition, through discussion and interpretation of their own work and the work of the children, educators see themselves as researchers and are engaged in continuous ongoing training and theoretical exploration, as well as learning alongside the children (being co-teachers). Some of the teacher s roles are to: co-explore the learning experience with the children provoke ideas, problem solving, and conflict take ideas from the children and return them for further exploration organize the classroom and materials to be aesthetically pleasing organize materials to help children make thoughtful decisions about the media document children's progress: visual, videotape, tape recording, portfolios help children see the connections in learning and experiences help children express their knowledge through representational work form a collective among other teachers and parents have a dialogue about the projects with parents and other teachers
foster the connection between home, school and community act as researcher Parents Role The parent is considered the child s first teacher. Parents are highly respected and valued in a Reggio classroom, and are encouraged to participate in the program as much as they would like (field trips, visits to the centre to talk about hobbies, work, talents...). Moreover, because of the importance of families, Reggio based schools will host events throughout the school year directed to parents. For example, we have weekly parent groups were meal and child minding will be provided, and were guest speakers will come to inform about several different topics. Children, teachers, parents and community are interactive and work together; building a community of inquiry between adults and children. Classroom Environment The classroom environment is considered to be the child s third teacher, and is carefully designed to be a warm and inviting place for both children and adults. Space is designed to encourage encounters, communication and relationships. There is order and beauty in the organisation of materials; every corner of space has an identity and purpose. Great attention is given to the look and feel of the classroom. Therefore, natural light is considered very important, as well as plants and homey touches that will support a close home-school connection. Also, mirrors are placed in interesting places around the classroom; the materials are beautifully displayed in baskets to invite children to come and play with them; the layout of the physical space can include a common space for children to gather for group work and play (i.e. dramatic play area, art table...); and the children s artwork and documentation panels are displayed on the walls throughout the centre.