Reggio: An Overview
Hailed as an exemplary model of early childhood education (Newsweek, 1991),
the Reggio Emilia approach to education is committed to the creation of
conditions for learning that will enhance and facilitate a child's
construction of "his or her own powers of thinking through the
synthesis of all the expressive, communicative and cognitive languages"
(Edwards and Forman, 1993).
History
Reggio Emilia is one of
several small, wealthy cities in Emilia Romagna, a region in northern
Italy with a history of collaboration and political activism. The
groundwork for what is now regarded as "the Reggio Emilia approach" was
established shortly after World War II, when working parents built new
schools for their young children. Parents did not want ordinary
schools. Rather, they sought to create schools where children could
acquire the skills of critical thinking and collaboration essential to
rebuilding and ensuring a democratic society. This strong sense of
purpose inspired the late Loris Malaguzzi to join in this collaborative
effort. In 1963, well in advance of the national system, Reggio Emilia
opened its first municipal preschool. By the late 1970s, a system of
municipally funded preschools and infant-toddler centers was in place;
it has since served about half of the city's young children. U.S.
interest in Reggio began with the first presentation on Reggio Emilia
at an annual conference of the National Association for the Education
of Young Children (NAEYC) in Anaheim in 1987. Since that time, inspired
by the exhibition "The Hundred Languages of Children" and fueled by
delegations of educators who have seen firsthand the city and its early
childhood classrooms, American interest in Reggio Emilia has grown at a
remarkable pace. The revised version of NAEYC's guidelines for early
childhood educations is filled with examples from this Italian city
(Bredekamp & Copple, 1997). Reggio Emilia now has an institute for
educating teachers from around the world and hosts over a thousand
teachers annually.
The Reggio Emilia approach is based upon the following principles:
Emergent
Curriculum: An emergent curriculum is one 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, shadows, 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 community
support and involvement. *Important note- While student interest is the
core, teachers are still the primary planners of the curriculum and
units of study; students are not simply following their own interests
and doing whatever they want to do.
Project Work: Projects are
in-depth studies of concepts, ideas and interests which arise within
the group. Considered as an adventure, projects may last one week or
could continue throughout the school year. 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
medium that will demonstrate and showcase the topic and the selection
of materials needed to represent the work. Long-term projects enhance
lifelong learning.
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. Presentation
of concepts and hypotheses in multiple forms of representation --
print, art, construction, drama, music, puppetry, and shadow play --
are viewed as essential to children's understanding of experience.
Children have 100 languages, multiple symbolic languages.
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.
Teachers as Researchers: The teacher's role
within the Reggio Emilia approach is complex. Working as co-teachers,
the role of the teacher is first and foremost to be that of a learner
alongside the children. The teacher is a teacher-researcher, a resource
and guide as she/he lends expertise to children (Edwards, 1993). Within
such a teacher-researcher role, educators carefully listen, observe,
and document children's work and the growth of community in their
classroom and are to provoke, co-construct, and stimulate thinking, and
children's collaboration with peers. Teachers are committed to
reflection about their own teaching and learning.
Daily
Documentation: Similar to the portfolio approach, documentation of
children's work in progress is viewed as an important tool in the
learning process for children, teachers, and parents. 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 daily as a graphic
presentation of the dynamics of learning. Documentation is used as
assessment and advocacy. Other benefits of documentation include:
* Making parents aware of children’s experiences
* Maintaining parent involvement
* Allowing for teachers to understand children better
* Evaluating children’s work
* Providing a venue for children to recall and value their own work and
the process of that work
* Facilitating communication and exchange ideas among educators
Environment:
Within the Reggio Emilia schools, great attention is given to the look
and feel of the classroom. Environment is considered the "third
teacher." Teachers carefully organize space for small and large group
projects and small intimate spaces for one, two or three children.
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. The “Atelier” or art studio is
a key feature of a Reggio-inspired classroom, as is an “atelerista” or
art specialist trained in early childhood education and fine arts. The
atelier should be beautiful and inspiring, and allow children to
actively investigate, explore and problem solve.
Role of the
Parents, Teachers as Partners: Parents are a vital component to the
Reggio philosophy. Parents are viewed as partners, collaborators and
advocates for their children. Teachers respect parents as each child's
first teacher and involve parents in every aspect of the curriculum. It
is not uncommon to see parents volunteering within Reggio Emilia
classrooms throughout the school. This philosophy does not end when the
child leaves the classroom. Many parents who choose to send their
children to a Reggio Emilia program incorporate many of the principles
within their parenting and home life. Teachers also conduct frequent
meetings with parents to help educate them about children’s social,
emotional, creative and academic development.