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Most parents, teachers, education experts, and private and government agencies agree that early childhood education is an important component of the child’s ability to discover his self-identity, determine his ability to cope with more challenging learning and develop his life skills. However, when it comes to the methods, approaches and philosophies to be applied in early childhood education, opinions vary. With the Reggio Emilia philosophy, however, you will have no doubts as to its usefulness and effectiveness in early childhood education.

Brief History

The Reggio Emilia philosophy came from the Italian city of the same name and from the villages surrounding it. According to Wikipedia, it was the parents’ proactive response to fascism and the destruction wrought by World War II.

In time, the philosophy spread through the rest of the world mainly because of its sound approach to early childhood education. Nowadays, most American schools adopt the philosophy.

Principles of the Philosophy

Upon closer inspection, the Reggio Emilia philosophy develops on the writings of famous scientists and philosophers like John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, David Hawkins, Jerome Bruner, and Howard Gardner. Today, new innovations and interpretations are applied on the basic philosophy in light of new studies and interactions, but these principles are still adhered to:

• An emergent curriculum is adapted wherein the teachers build upon the interests of the children as the lesson progresses, called spiral progression, and team planning between all parties is necessary to achieve sustained learning.
• Children are treated with respect and responsibility such that their observations, ideas, theories, and hypotheses provide the direction teachers will take during the lessons.
• The power of documentation is used for both assessment purposes and advocacy concerns. Pictures, transcripts, and other representations of the children’s activities are carefully taken and studied to enable both teachers and parents to understand the children better and therefore to educate them better.
• Project work is based on the premise that learning by doing, discussion in groups, and intensive studies of ideas and interests are of great importance. This may start as either a planned or a chance event and may be for either a short-term or a long-term period.
• Great stress is placed on the environment as the “third teacher.” The physical layout suggests a learning environment where communication, interaction, and relationships are optimally fostered. Thus, there is ample and amiable space in Reggio Emilia schools.
• Parents are expected to become active partners in their children’s education. Their support can take many forms, but the basic premise is that the children’s welfare within the program is their responsibility, too.

Weaving through the above-mentioned basic principles is the so-called “hundred languages of children” that represent the many symbolic language components of the Reggio Emilia philosophy – the spoken and written word, dramatic play, drawing and sculpture. Through the hundred languages, children learn to work together to solve problems, learn new things and discover new knowledge.

The practitioners of the Reggio Emilia philosophy profess neither to be the best in the field nor advocate the approach as the ideal model for education. Instead, you have to view the philosophy as an experience wherein early childhood education centers on treating its recipients with respect and responsibility in a supportive environment where teachers and parents work in collaboration with the children. What more can you ask for in education?

Other Items You May Be Interested In:

The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach Advanced Reflections, Second EditionThe city-run early childhood program of Reggio Emilia, Italy, has become recognized and acclaimed as one of the best systems of education in the world... Read More >

Bringing Reggio Emilia Home: An Innovative Approach to Early Childhood Education (Early Childhood Education Series)This is the first book to integrate the experience of a year-long internship in the preschools of Reggio, Italy, with a four-year adaptation effort in... Read More >

Authentic Childhood: Experiencing Reggio Emilia in the Classroom"Authentic Childhood: Experiencing Reggio Emilia in the Classroom" explores the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. The Reggio appr... Read More >

We Are All Explorers: Learning and Teaching with Reggio Principles in Urban SettingsThis is the first book to systematically examine a program-wide, multisite implementation of the Reggio Approach in the United States. The authors pro... Read More >

Insights and Inspirations from Reggio Emilia: Stories of Teachers and Children from North America

The Reggio Emilia Approach to early childhood education is transforming how our children learn. This famed method puts ... Read More >