The Reggio Emilia Approach
Hailed by Newsweek (1991) magazine as the international role model for preschools, the Reggio Emilia approach has caught the attention of early childhood educators. In 1999, current Secretary of Education, Richard W. Riley visited the schools in Reggio Emilia to better understand its benefits (Dunne, 2000). It’s principals are understood by only a few, however, and has limited following with approximately 1200 Reggio inspired preschools in operation, most of them private (Sipprelle, 2009), making the innovative ideas offered by this approach available to only a few. Why have so few schools emulated those so successful in Reggio Emilia, Italy? Is Reggio Emilia applicable in the American classroom? A look at the history, theory, practices and application of this approach reveals both the benefits and difficulties in adapting it to the current educational system in the United States.
From its very beginnings, the Reggio approach places a high priority on children. After the devastation of World War II, the Italian government gave each town a subsidy to use in any way they saw fit to re-establish a sense of community that was taken away during the war. While many towns used the money to create communal public spaces, the town of Reggio Emilia decided to use the money to build a school for young children, ages birth through six, as an investment in the future of the entire community. Led by Loris Malaguzzi, known as the father of the Reggio Emilia approach, the school was developed with the mindset that children were active and capable contributors to society. The philosophy was shaped by a number of constructivist theories, including those of Vygotsky and Piaget. The idea of community collabora...
... middle of paper ...
...ned by words such as standards and performance. Theory and best practice has been set by academic scholars and is expected to be carried out by teachers, requiring them to perform to a certain standard. Teachers themselves are not always trusted to create appropriate curriculum in response to the needs of the children and they must be for the Reggio approach to be fully successful.
Works Cited
Sisson, Jamie Huff. "Making sense of competing constructs of teacher as professional." Journal of Research in Childhood Education 23.3 (2009): 351+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
Abramson, S., Ankenman, K., & Robinson, R. (1995). Project work with diverse students: adapting curriculum based on the Reggio Emilia approach. Childhood Education, 71(4), 197+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA16864617&v=2.1&u=lom_accessmich&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w
Wallis, Claudia. “How to Make Great Teachers.” Time Online. 13 Feb. 2008. Web. 16 March 2011.
The occupations that I have chosen to analyze using the three elements for this assignment are paraprofessional, what I am currently, and a teacher, what I am going to college to become. Teachers and paraprofessionals work side by side, collaborate, plan, and share many of the same experiences. However, paraprofessionals are often not treated as equals and has created some ethical judgement regarding treatment of the paraprofessionals from other teachers and administrators in the business of education. I want to use this assignment as an opportunity to distinguish the true professional using the elements designed for this course.
Soler, J., & Miller, L., 2010. The Struggle for Early Childhood Curricula: A comparison of the English Foundation Stage Curriculum, Te Whariki and Reggio Emilia. International Journal of Early Years Education. London: Routledge.
Origin from a city in the north of Italy, the Reggio Emilia approach in Early Childhood Education is adopted by multi-countries over the past decades. This approach has a core philosophy, that children should play a leading role in education. Children are seen as full of knowledge and intelligence, with full capabilities to express themselves if only given the proper ways to do to so. They are protagonists of their own learning and have a say in what topics and problems they will study and research. Teachers provide resources to assistant children’s learning and developing. The curriculum is emergent, meaning the teachers choose topics and projects based on careful listening and observations of their student’s interests, needs and inquiries. Children are encouraged to use materials and media to demonstrate their learning and understanding of a topic or project. Documentations and environment have direct influences in helping children’s learning. Parents and community also play a supportive role in children education (O.E.C.D, 2004).
The results of quality preschool programs can be seen early after they begin. Children learn many important life le...
The Reggio Emilia approach best support a quality learning environment because children get experiences though all five senses. They will be touching, seeing, hearing, moving, speaking and listening. Children have control over their own learning through exploration and discovery. Children participate in many different projects where they can observe, hypothesize, question and clarify to create their understanding. Children to gain a deep understanding of materials in their classrooms and the world around them. They look at materials from a variety of ways, and participate in long term projects designed to let them view things from many angles.
Pufall, Peter B., Richard P Unsworth, and Inc NetLibrary. Rethinking Childhood. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 2004.
When composing my interpretation of this assignment, I have found many purposes for this paper. The first purpose is focusing on the materials in the math/science center. After focusing on the materials, the next step is analyzing the materials to see if they support a math and science based learning. In addition to analyzing the materials, connecting my observations to the resources provided is a core part of this assignment as well. The final purpose involved in this project is exposure to the Reggio Emilia approach in early childhood education. I have never been in this type of environment before. I thought it was very interesting.
The importance of having a curriculum that accommodates diverse learners, it allows the child to learn at their own level or ability. A child with emotional and intellectual challenges may not have the verbal or comprehension skills or the ability to control their body as their peers. With this in mind, classes with diverse learners can excel with an adjusted curriculum. An activity for example, using large Legos to teach the entire class their colors or numbers can help the intellectual challenge by asking to build a building by using on certain colors or amounts. By doing this activity the students can have fun and learn at the same time with using very little words. Also in a group activity the emoti...
Morrison, G. S. (1976). Chapter 6: Early Childhood Programs APPLYING THEORIES TO PRACTICE. In Early childhood education today (10th ed., pp. 5-31). Columbus, Ohio: Merrill.
381). From a socio-cultural perspective Lasky (2005) claimed that “teacher professional identity is how teachers define themselves to themselves and to others” (p. 901). Kelchtermans (1993) described the professional self as “a conception about themselves as a teacher and a system of knowledge and beliefs concerning ‘teaching’ as a professional activity” (p. 447) and that it is “formulated in terms of the general principles that govern the teachers’ professional behavior” (p.
In contrast, Reggio Emilia curriculum offers a social constructivist, whereby students construct their own meaning and thinking within a social domain. The Reggio Emilia curriculum believe children as self-learner of their culture. Consequently, what works in Reggio teacher teaching in one learning center will not necessarily work at any other learning center. Reggio Emilia teachers documented and record both social progress and academic change in children. They record everything from paper, pencil, games, observations, the changes on the child. (Edwards, Gandini and Forman, 1998)
...ate practice, teachers and administrators must make decisions about what to teach and when, and how to best assess that learning has taken place.
Calabria is one of the oldest regions of Italy. The first evidence of human habitation dates as far back as 700,000 BC. Around 3500 BC the first villages in Calabria appeared. Calabria became a very important area for the Greeks in the eighth century BC. It was later conquered by the Romans in the second century BC, and after the collapse of the Roman Empire the region was dominated by the Goths, the Byzantines and later the Longobards. In the early tenth century, the Byzantines again controlled the region and expanded the existing monarchy thus helping to reunite the region. Calabria was made whole and became part of the larger region
First, I realized that, teachers carry a lot of weight on their shoulders and have great responsibilities. They have to balance the curriculum, students, parents, lesson plans, common core, and upper management and still maintain a professional demeanor. Second, educators must follow a strong code of ethics. They must be professional at all times with students and colleagues, keep confidentiality, not have or show any prejudice or bias, maintain safe and positive learning environments, help students with problems, and hand out disciplines accordingly. Lastly, I found that when you’re a teacher, your education never stops. Teachers are always trying to improve their own education and professional growth, both for the benefit of their students and for the benefit of themselves.