EDU 361 Arts in ECE “The Reggio Emilia Approach” “Integrating the Arts into the Daily Curriculum” Session #12

The Reggio Emilia Approach… (G. Morrison, text) Reggio Emilia is a city in northern Italy that is widely known for its approach to educating young children. The Reggio Emilia approach was founded by Loris Malaguzzi ( ). The Reggio Emilia approach sponsors programs for children from 3 months to 6 years of age.

The Reggio approach, a constructivist program, is a model program that has been adapted and implemented in many U.S. early childhood programs. Basic Principles of the Reggio Approach: –Relationships, Adults’ Role, The Environment, Program Practices, and Considerations.

Relationships: Education focuses on each child and is conducted in relation with the family, other children, the teachers, the environment of the school, the community, and the wider society. How can this approach be adapted and implemented in an urban setting such as Minneapolis Public Schools? Teachers just need to consider the whole child and try and incorporate things and people from the urban setting into their curriculum. Things that the children can relate to.

Adults’ Role: –The Teacher= observes and listens closely to children to know how to plan or proceed with their work. –The Atelierista= a teacher trained in the visual arts, who works closely with teachers and children at all age levels. –Parents= an advisory committee that runs the school; parents participate in day-to-day interaction, work in the schools, discussion of educational and psychological issues, special events, excursions, and celebrations.

The Environment: –The Physical Space= an arrangement of structures, objects, and activities that encourages choice, problem solving, and discoveries in the process of learning. –The schools are aesthetic, personal, and are full of the children’s own work. –The Atelier= a special workshop or studio; it is set aside and used by all the children and teachers in the school; it contains a variety of tools and resource materials; it also contains records of past projects and experiences.

Program Practices: Documentation= Transcriptions of children’s remarks and discussions, photos of their activity, and representations of their thinking and learning using media arranged by the atelierista and other teachers. Curriculum and Practices= the curriculum is not established in advance; the curriculum emerges from activities or projects of the children; ideas for projects originate in the experiences of children and teachers as they construct knowledge together.

Considerations: –(1) The Reggio theoretical base rests within constructivism and shares ideas compatible with those of Piaget, Vygotsky, Dewey, Gardner, and Diamond (the concept/process of learning by doing). –(2) The emerging curriculum method of this approach does not ensure that children will learn basic academic skills valued by contemporary American society. –(3) There is a very high level of financial support from the state government in Italy to implement this program.

Additional References Schirrmacher, Robert (text): Art and Creative Development for Young Children, pages See Reggio Emilia Handouts