REGGIO EMILIA

Reggio Emilia Philosophies And Practices

Reggio Emilia Philosophies And Practices

Hailed as the best pre-schools in the world by Newsweek magazine in 1991, the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education has attracted the worldwide attention of educators, researchers and just about anyone interested in early childhood education best practices. Even the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)'s revised version of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) guidelines also included examples from Reggio approach. Today, Reggio approach has been adopted in USA, UK, New Zealand, Australia and many other countries.

Loris Malaguzzi (1920-1994) founded the 'Reggio Emilia' approach at a city in northern Italy called Reggio Emilia. The 'Reggio' approach was developed for municipal child-care and education programs serving children below six. The approach requires children to be seen as competent, resourceful, curious, imaginative, inventive and possess a desire to interact and communicate with others.

The 'Reggio' vision of the child as a competent learner has produced a strong child-directed curriculum model. The curriculum has purposive progression but not scope and sequence. Teachers follow the children's interests and do not provide focused instruction in reading and writing. Reggio approach has a strong belief that children learn through interaction with others, including parents, staff and peers in a friendly learning environment.

Here are some key features of Reggio Emilia's early childhood program:

The role of the environment-as-teacher

Within the Reggio Emilia schools, the educators are very concerned about what their school environments teach children. Hence, a great attention is given to the look and feel of the classroom. It is often referring to the environment as the "third teacher"

The aesthetic beauty within the schools is seen as an important part of respecting the child and their learning environment

A classroom atmosphere of playfulness and joy pervades

Teachers organize environments rich in possibilities and provocations that invite the children to undertake extended exploration and problem solving, often in small groups, where cooperation and disputation mingle pleasurably.

Documentation of children's work, plants, and collections that children have made from former outings are displayed both at the children's and adult eye level.

Common space available to all children in the school includes dramatic play areas and work tables for children from different classrooms to come together.

Here is a link to view some of the environmental pictures

Children's multiple symbolic languages

Using the arts as a symbolic language through which to express their understandings in their project ...