An understanding of the key theorist and contemporary approaches of early childhood education and the image of the child these perspectives postulate is essential to an educator’s pedagogy. Loris Malaguzzi, the founder of the Reggio Emilia approach argues that “the image of the child is rich in potential, strong, powerful, competent and most of all, connected to adults and other children.” Contemporary approaches such as Forest, Steiner and Montessori schools all construct an image of a child that is unique and agentic that both complement and contradict the above image of the child. As a future educator, it is imperative that one can challenge the norms of education and see through societies image of the child, as the implications of these …show more content…
The Reggio Emilia approach to education was introduced by Malaguzzi in Northern Italy after World War II and was constructed by “the collaborative efforts of parents, teachers and general community” as a part of the post war reconstruction (Hewett V.M., 2001). The approach is best described by Malaguzzi (1993) when he said, “The educational approach based on relationship best reveals how a classroom is composed of individual children and subgroups of children with different affinities and abilities” The different ‘affinities’ and ‘abilities’ refer to the hundred languages, or hundred ways, that the child learns (RPNS, 2012) that are all shaped by the child’s curiosities and the resources made available to them through relationships. Together this means that the constructors of learning, the teachers, parents and students themselves, must create a space that is suitable to the multiple ‘languages’ of the child in which they learn. Through the approaches philosophy, an image of the child emerges that is rich in potential to learn in many ways, strong and powerful constructors of knowledge and meaning and competent learners. This perception is supported by the teachers and parents who respect the image of the child and construct a learning environment tailored to a children’s individual learning styles. Carolina Rinaldi (2001), suggests the approach sees the child as one who experiences and feels a part of the world, who is full of curiosity and a desire to live and communicate from the start of their life. For a future educator, it is imperative that the child’s multiple ways of learning are respected and appreciated for the child’s curiosities to foster into a deep love of learning. The teacher must become a guide and a co-constructer of learning that tailors the learning environment to the child.
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.
Early childhood education, although constantly evolving, was actually established and practiced as early on as the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. The foundation that early childhood education is based upon is to instill in children the skills needed to succeed later on in life, while making sure young children enjoy their time in schooling. Throughout chapter 3 in the textbook Who Am I in the Lives of Children, the reader is capable of evaluating just how greatly the methods for teaching today’s youth have evolved and changed for the better.
From the perspective I have at this stage in my journey in the early childhood education field, I would like to share what I have come to value and believe in regards to early learning and care by looking at my philosophy statement. To begin we will look at the statement and highlight three key features and find out why they are important to me, then we will see what they will look like in my practice, and lastly we will examine these ideas closely by looking at where they originated. By taking an in-depth look at my philosophy statement we will better understand the motivation behind my practice which I hope to continue to refine and refresh as I gain more knowledge and experience.
Preschool is a highly debated area of a child’s educational journey. One of the primary goals of preschool is to prep the child for traditional elementary school. There are various contemporary models of early education that have been constructed to help children develop their educational career. A few examples of these models are the Bank Street Approach, The Reggio Emilia Approach, The Montessori Approach, and the Head Start Program just to name a few. The Waldorf approach is the program of discussion in this particular paper. The Waldorf Approach was originated in 1919 with the basic analysis that children can learn traditional educational subjects through artistic activities. The assumption is that children should dictate the classroom curriculum, and that the material learned should benefit the child as a whole. There are four conditions that teachers focus on when using the Waldorf Approach. The four conditions are Aesthetic, Social, Symbolic, and Sensitive conditions. In a classroom setting these four conditions are put into practice by ...
Community and parent support is considered a valuable and vital part of the Reggio Emilia system. The exchange of ideas between parents and teachers is essential and favours the development of a new way of educating. The approach encourages interaction and communic...
I believe that teaching and learning is both a science and an art, which requires the implementation of already determined rules. I see learning as the result of internal forces within the person student. I know that children differ in the way they learn and grow but I also know that all children can learn. Students’ increased understanding of their own experience is a legitimate form of knowledge. I will present my students with opportunities to develop the ability to meet personal knowledge.
There is a significant body of literature in this area - reflecting families, diversity, difference, culture and values in today’s society and the role to be played by early childhood educators in today’s society. It is apparent that these areas are must be understood to be able to process the data within this research report. The first key element is families, families are considered far more complex than most would first think and in today’s society there is no one universal way of doing family (Robinson & Diaz, 2006) . Educators recognise that families are a child’s first and most significant link to the world around them. Respect of the family and their ways are essentially the fundamental ...
The philosopher who I have chosen to talk about in this essay is Maria Montessori. Maria Montessori’s method and theory has quite inspired me, any child would enjoy coming to school because it is a place for him or her to work in their own environment. The Montessori franchise is a global success story. Montessori schools provide a carefully prepared environment. It also provides opportunities for children to grow intellectually and emotionally.
This essay examines the components that contribute to being an effective early childhood educator. Effective early childhood education has been shown to be an evolving and complex process, and is influenced by many factors. These factors include a deep understanding of the theories and philosophies of many pioneering and contemporary pedagogues, such as Piaget, Montessori and Vygotsky and studies emerging from Reggio Emilia in Italy. Researchers have found, that unless the educator is working in a specific theory based environment, for example, a Montessori school, or a school where Piagetian practice is implemented, the contemporary pedagogy will base lesson plans on a selection of these theorists ideas and concepts rather than the entire philosophy ( Edwards & Hammer, 2006). To be an effective contemporary early childhood educator, one must be empathetic.
In order to promote the best outcome from the curriculum we must consider that each child is an individual in their own right. Tricia David (2001: 55) states that early childhood should be a time of “spontaneity and of exploration according to individual interests”. Thus accounting for the child’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as their likes and dislikes, provides a curriculum, which will promote optimum development. This is also known as a ...
The Montessori Method has been and is very popular around the world with early childhood practitioners and parents. The Montessori approach is designed to support the natural development of children in a well-prepared environment. Some of the principles and philosophy are respect for the child, sensitive periods, the prepared environment, absorbent mind, and observations. (hardy, 2013) (Notes, 2013)
Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870 and influenced childcare massively in the 20th century. Montessori believed that children learn best through using their hands. She felt that one of the main factors that contributed to the child’s development was the ‘prepared’ environment. Children learn through exploration and the adult’s role is to create an environment where they can do
The education of children has existed since the beginning of time as parents have taught and molded their children into the young adults they desired them to be. Initial training of children was not in a formal setting, although history would see numerous settings, purposes, and methodological changes. Philosophies of education have also changed through the years as various voices have seemed to grasp the purpose of educating the next generation, thus laying out objectives to reach those goals of teaching children.
Learning initially begins with one's attitude toward themselves, others, and the world we live in. It is our attitudes that play a major role in shaping our experiences, which in turn affects the way in which we learn. We must first be able to interpret the world using information we already know, in order to understand something entirely new. As a teacher, I could only hope that I can provide children with a positive educational experience, one that will broaden the scope in which they view themselves, others, and the world on a larger scale. Children already acquire a desire to learn, however, it is up to us to sti...