The Reggio Emilia Approach- Italy In Italy, Reggio Emilia is an educational philosophy that espouses creativity and expressiveness in learning, based on a interpretive approach. It developed out of Italian preschools begun shortly after World War II. In 1963, teachers and parents, with the help of Loris Malaguzzi, a local teacher, founded the first formal Reggio Emilia school near the town of the same name in Italy. Initially, the program served 3- to 6-year-olds, but by 1970 it had expanded to serve children as young as 3 months old. The town has a strong ‘tradition of co-operation and inclusion that cuts across social and economic boundaries, and politically the people continue to show their support for the Socialist Parties.’(Edwards et …show more content…
In common, both approaches take a child-led approach and the adult to act as a facilitator in learning. This is supported by Vygotsky who theorised ‘The zone of proximal development, which is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can do with help. (Vygotsky 1978). Having conserved this, the EYFS is underpinned by a reassurance in instrumental beliefs, as it aims to provide guidance to early childhood practitioners so that children can be prepared children for the next stage of schooling. The practitioners role is to ‘map children learning and development in order to ensure a broad balanced curriculum’ (Palaiologou 2009.p.180). Bruner was also a psychologist and was influenced by the work of Vygotsky. His theory of constructivism known as Scaffolding theory, proposed the idea that providing support in learning can help children read their ZPD (Brunner 1960), This theory is also in accordance with the Reggio approach. (Rose & Rogers 2012.p.13) states that the ‘adult role viewed as a guide, support, prompt or scaffold’. Therefore there is a lot of times where there is adult -led activities in order to meet curriculum targets for each subject. The Welsh Assembly Government set out a project to support early years teachers in their desire to engage further with Reggio philosophy and to explore Reggio-inspired approaches in their classrooms. The main aim of this project, then, was to encourage teachers to use Reggio as a ‘different lens’ in order to gain a greater understanding of their own professional practice. However, teachers found challenges in trying to support children in following their own interests and exploring their own theories. Furthermore, teachers feared that it was not appropriate to allow children to continue with misconceptions and they ‘needs to be told the right answer’.Given the requirement to meet prescribed targets and outcomes this have been
The students are building on the knowledge they have gather from their daily routine, and are able to more easily grasp the concept of place value. Furthermore, in Piaget theory “children need many objects to explore so that they can later incorporate these into their symbolic thinking” (Gordon, & Browne, 2010, p. 106). The teacher gave students a variety of materials to understand the lesson in a pleasurable way. Equally important, the students’ scheduling was derived from Piaget as the students had “plenty of time to explore” (Gordon, & Browne, 2010, p.
This article points out the flaws in our modern education systems. Students should enjoy school and feel as though they are learning important things in the subjects offered. The classes can be altered to tend to the interests of children, so they can properly express themselves. School should be preparing children to be mature, how to handle hard situations, and ultimately prepare them for their future lives. Overall, Gatto’s article has its flaws, but it can be used to help improve the education system for upcoming
... my classroom I have created an environment where we are a family and as a whole school we are a village where interdependence is celebrated and we work together to do the best for our children and each other. In our village we all need to love and be loved. If I didn’t love my children I would not be catering for their needs. For successful learning to take place the children need to feel a sense of worth and meaning. Each child in my class is here for a reason and are valued as individuals whose lives are meaningful and so worthwhile (Groome, 1998, p. 93).
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.
Any school curriculum should aim at enabling children to be able to think in broader terms, motivate them to want to be more knowledgeable and above all, allow them to come up with new approaches to problem solving. However, more too often teachers tend to limit the students to only the known facts in text books, something which prompts them to remain in their comfort zones. Additionally, the purpose of any formal education is not only to gain formal knowledge but also to gain social knowledge. Different teachers will have different approaches to achieve this. Despite the approach used, in the end of the day, they are expected to have involved and impacted positively on the different characters of children in their classrooms that is, the shy,
Swiss theorist Jean Piaget constructed the multi-stage cognitive-development theory, which suggests that as a child develops and explores their different environments, their brain is also developing, these advancements are characterised by different ways of thinking during the different stages (Lamdin & Lamdin-Hunter, 2012). Using John Bowlby’s theory of attachment in conjunction with Piaget’s cognitive-development theory, we can conclude that the secure environment formed from a child’s early caregiver type relationships allow them to explore these different environments safely allowing for cognitive development during early childhood and beyond. Between the ages of approximately two to seven years, a child enters the preoperational stage, a time in which symbolism is used to express sensorimotor discoveries and the development of language and the ability to pretend occurs (Berk, 2008). During this stage the child’s thinking lacks the logic that is typical of the concrete operational and formal operational stages (Berk 2008). To assist my own development my mother ensured I attended pre-school from the age of four to supplement my cognitive, social and physical development. This environment was stimulating with elements of play incorporated into each
Through working closely with teachers of both the public and Catholic school boards, I have observed that children are expected to learn mostly through dri...
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).
Educators produce a wide variety of experiences, perceptions, prospects, learning and abilities to their education (DEEWR, 2009, p. 9). In my career and through my studies, my philosophy and pedagogy have been closely linked with the constructivist theory from Piaget. Being able to focus on a child’s interests and creating learning activities that are implemented as fun is a big part of my motivation as an educator and teacher. The educational environment needs to sustain every single child along with inspiring significant work that can result in more advanced thinking (Evanshen and Faulk, 2011, p. 225). Following Piaget’s ideas while implementing the EYLF has made for a simple straight forward way of supplying quality learning experiences for children from birth to 12 years old and it has helped me widen the scope of each experience to allow for multiple levels of developmental stages. Using a constructivist approach to learning allows for the breaking down of the experience as a whole into smaller parts which brings the focus around to the process of learning (Evanshen and Faulk, 2011, p. 667). Overall I believe Piaget’s Theory to be one of the most important influences in modern teaching, allowing scaffolding of learning in a place that that
First, it is necessary to examine the current paradigm within education in order to determine exactly what it is about the modern system that requires changing. One of the most immediate concerns comes as a result of the school facilities the...
I believe children should be encouraged to learn, that as a teacher it is my job to help them find the way of learning that works best for them. I feel that students should be able to explore the world around them and learn from hands on activities. This type of learning style goes along with both Piaget and Vygotsky’s theories on learning. My theory leans more closely to Vygotsky’s theory due to the fact that I believe that the “play and exploration” should be structured and directed so that as a teacher I can help to guide the information that the students are learning. Such as in the case of the students exploring the playground outside, I feel that I should tell them what we are focusing on the insects that we can find in the playground. This directing helps to keep the students on topic and task while
With the success of working with these children she was asked to open a school in a housing project in Rome, which was opened on January 6 1907, which was called Casa dei Bambini or Children’s House. Montessori was focused on teaching the children how to develop their own skills at their own rate, which was a principle Dr. Montessori called “spontaneous self-development”. [Early Childhood Today, p. 74.] Montessori discovered that children’s innate power for learning worked best when the children were able to be left alone in a safe, and a hands on environment. When the children were given furniture, equipment, and supplies they were able to work by themselves, they were also self-motivated to explore experiment and reach new understandings. Montessori found self...
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
As an early childhood educator my job is not to simple play with children. I must plan, provide and supervise all while “playing” with my students. The classroom serves as the physical environment for the children for most of their waking hours. These classrooms need to be attractive and function effectively. Concerns for any early childhood educator should always include space, equipment and materials used, outdoor space and the daily schedule to ensure that all students are provided ample opportunities to learn and grow within a safe and secure environment.
Doing the weekly readings and watching the videos, my mind exploded with possibilities for change - not unlike Raphael’s “brain popp[ing] open” (Senge, 2012, p. 64). Senge brings to our attention that schools were organised due to the necessity of the industrial age. However he also states that it’s time to move on from this out-dated mode, as i...