The Reggio Emilia Philosophy - Essay Example

? Reggio Emilia research Reggio Emilia research Introduction The Reggio Emilia philosophy is an educational Approach that focuseson early childhood and primary education whose origin was from the villages around the Reggio Emilia area in Italy. Malaguzzi Loris was the founder of this philosophy because of the situation witnessed after the Second World War that influenced a fresh Approach to teaching. The argument by the parents residing in Reggio Emilia felt that a child’s early years were essential in helping them form themselves as individuals. Malaguzzi developed a learning program or self-guided curriculum that had basis on respect, obligation, and community principles that influenced self-discovery and contributing to the enrichment of the environment basing on the interests of the children. The basis of this curricular was to provide education coupled with care where the parents of Reggio Emilia influenced its development through their sale of military equipments that had remained after the World War II. 1. The Reggio Emilia curriculum Since its inception, the Reggio Emilia Approach to offering education has experienced immense improvements in an attempt to improve the learning standards of children. The Reggio curriculum is the Approach that emerged in which the adopters of this philosophy became the Reggio educators. As per the curriculum, the educators are responsible for developing the educational goals that are in line with the intensive expansion of knowledge. In the Reggio application, most of the curriculum implemented through projects results from the input of children or teachers meaning that it is a flexible education Approach. Ideally, children tend to be curious beings especially when at a tender age meaning that the learning project may change depending on the subjects that have caught their eyes (Grotewell & Burton, 2008). In this learning process, the project developed by either the children or the teachers signifies that children conduct this curriculum while their teachers guide them (Arnstrong, 2006). The Reggio curriculum projects may take months before completion depending on their length meaning a shorter Reggio Emilia project may take shorter to complete. 2. What does Reggio Emilia mean? When a child starts going to school, this means that from that point forward there would be lesser parent involvement, which might be a scary thought for many parents. The lessons rely heavily on structures developed by teachers meaning that there is less play and more study work for the children. As per the Reggio Emilia Approach, the application is different because parents, teachers, and children become equal stakeholders in the learning process. Presently, the Reggio Emilia application is a module that preschools and kindergartens in the world have adopted with plans to include the program in the elementary classes in the piping. In essence, Reggio Emilia is not a philosophy that bases on a set of established beliefs, but rather it is a philosophical approach whose fundamental values focus on the learning outcomes for children. In this approach, there are several core principles embedded in the execution of this philosophy in learning that include significance of the learning environment, the child being an active participant to the learning process, making the learning visible, and having the three stakeholders of the learning process to collaborate. The most critical part of the process is influencing the children to learn more within the program through the support of the parents and the teachers alike as curiosity heightens the quest for knowledge for young children. Key beliefs that the Reggio Emilia model promotes regarding the learning and development of young children According to Morrison (2010), the Reggio Emilia program is applicable to children from the age of three months to those age six years in which many schools in the USA have incorporated it into their early childhood learning systems. Ideally, the execution of this program relies on the creating cohesiveness between teachers, children, other children, family, and the study environment. The idea behind this thinking was that children have the ability to learn more from socially interactive surroundings as compared to the normal uptight classrooms (OECD Directorate, 2004). The other belief that forms part of this philosophy is that children can be by themselves then behave as compared to being on the constant watch of their teachers or their parents hence allowing them to be creative. Ideally, group interactions for children with their peers tend to influence learning and acquisition of knowledge because of the interactive exchange. In these groups, children have the possibility of listening, developing curiosity, being on the conversations made with their peers, making queries, heightening their interests on various subjects and also responding to the questions raised among themselves wit ease (Miller & Pound, 2010). Therefore, the Reggio Emilia Approach helps in developing the communicative aspects for children within a classroom and beyond through the groups that teacher establish for learning purposes. Ideally, children can communicate in many languages that may not necessarily be verbal to include modeling of clay, building blocks, sculpturing and discovering among a list of other communicative ways, which the Reggio Emilia Approach enforces (Fraser & Gestwicki, 2000). Another belief in this philosophy is that the clock does not set the time and neither does the annual calendar interrupt this learning program. This principle relies on the time created by the children and their pattern of doing things influences the execution of this program. Therefore, it is imperative foe teachers to learn the patterns and rhythms of the children of doing things rather than planning for activities that the children would not feel as engaging to them. Lastly, this program believes in the need for having dialogue between children and their teachers, which allows the children to reflect on their experiences as part of an ongoing learning process. 3. Theoretical influences that have been used in the development of the Reggio Emilia curriculum model Many educators in the globe have used the Reggio Emilia model in its modified state in order to suit the unique needs of each society. In the development of a more effective model, Professor Malaguzzi applied other theoretical models in order to establish the Reggio Emilia Approach as a way of influencing better learning standards for children. In essence, Reggio Emilia is socio-constructivist model that drew influence from the Vygotsky Lev’s theory, which states that children and adults develop fused theories and acquire knowledge through the interactive ties that establish between themselves and others within an environment (Pramling, 2009). Malaguzzi also drew influence from the researches by Gardiner Hugh, Montessori philosophy, Biber Barbara, Dewey Jean, and Piaget Jean whose core principles surrounded the promotion of image of a child as they considered this the influencer to a child’s learning and their rights as human beings. In essence, Piaget’s philosophy was that of a series of cognitive development, Gardiner’s theory denoted multiple intelligences, Dewey’s theory used role-play and influencing a child to view themselves from the societal context while Biber’s theory applied collaboration and positive imaging for the learners. The Montessori philosophy focuses on observing, turning, and following on the lead of the child in order to achieve learning objectives (Smith & Koza, 2007). The core commitment of this theory was that of ensuring that research in the learning and teaching process is applicable to foster commitment between students Attention in this model is on the documentation and observation of the learning process rather than focusing on the learning outcomes. The Reggio Emilia town in Italy is a highly prosperous area in Italy, which boasts of a cultural heritage and immense architectural history. The town’s tradition and inclusion to the activities surrounding the town are part of the reasons that influenced Malaguzzi to develop this learning model to integrate the culture of the Reggio Emilia town. 4. The role of observations in the Reggio Emilia model The practice of observing and documenting the progress of children is a relevant practice in the Reggio Emilia model and in other programs in early childhood education. With thin this model, observation, and documentation focuses on the experiences of a child, their thoughts, memories, and their ideas during their learning process. The act of keeping records drawn from the observations that a teacher makes is influential as it helps in providing examples to other children in order to display the importance of the work of children. Typically, the documentation aspect in this Approach provides inspiring evidence and samples of children’s work within the various stages of the learning process, which also indicates their progress. In the samples, there are also comments made by teachers regarding the progress of the child, which also helps a child and their parents to gauge the impact of the teaching provided. Observation may also include photographs that may indicate a learning process in progress or the accomplished stages by a child while learning. A teacher may also communicate their observation of the children through discussions, explanations, comments made by parents and reasons validating the intentions of certain activities in the learning process. In order for the Reggio Approach to be effective, teachers tend to mount observations, transcripts, or photographs that narrate the progress of students on the hallways of learning institutions to engage children and their parents in this learning program. According to the Reggio Approach, the mounting and documentation of the work done by children contributes majorly to influencing an improvement to the quality within the early childhood program. 5. The purpose of observations and documentation as an assessment strategy in Reggio Emilia The observation made by teachers is significant to the learning process where the Reggio learning is applicable because it helps in extending the depth of their learning from the projects formulated. In this curriculum, documentation is the applicable strategy used in assessing the progress of children rather the conventional tests and grading. According to Professor Malaguzzi, documentation of observations helps children to heighten their curiosity, interest, and increase their confidence as they internalize the meaning of their achieved results (Lippman, 2010). Additionally, the revisiting of the observations made by teachers gives a sort of debriefing experience as the concepts that the children might have not understood may sink in if revisited. The children of the Reggio Emilia region are proof that the display of each other work by their teachers stimulates learning. The children may opt to preserve the records or observations made on them by teachers’ influences their learning of the topics displayed as children may seek advice regarding the same to other children or adults. The second purpose attached to observation in the Reggio Emilia Approach is the fact that carefully and neatly presented documents is helpful in communicating the learning intentions of the children hence inclining towards taking their ideas with the seriousness that they deserve. Mounting of the findings by children established through group work allows children from the works of others hence illustrating that their work is serious and applicable. Planning is the other purpose of using observation with the Reggio Emilia learning Approach as it helps in evaluating and making changes to the continuous learning process as teachers realize the areas of weakness for the children then plan on the ways to improve on them. In this aspect, the decision to prioritize the improvement of the children’s weak areas relies on planning the decisions based on the group or on individual children. Children and teachers have to plan together while taking into account the ideas of each party as this enhances the interest the interest of the child in undertaking the activity. Therefore, the purpose of documentation of observations is to assist in ongoing planning and evaluation of the Reggio program done by adults or teachers that work directly with the children. The purpose of documenting the observations made can also be for the aim of allowing parents to involve themselves intimately with the experiences of their children and realizing the visible changes in their schoolwork. In turn, parents can also contribute on their children’s experiences in the field as they can give advice on the relevant areas that may be applicable to the subject that they are learning and can offer ways of gaining access to these areas. In the end, this aspect creates involvement of the parents in the learning process of their children without having to spend their finances as they assist their children in exploration (Grotewell & Burton, 2008). 6. How Reggio Emilia Approach supports the ELECT principle The ELECT principle is an abbreviation for Early Learning for Every Child Today, which is a document that serves as a guide to teachers that develop programs for kindergarten children (Gestwicki &Bertrand, 2011). In essence, the Reggio Emilia Approach applies the six principles stated in the ELECT document. The first principle of ELECT states that early childhood education is the foundation for learning, health, and behavior of the rest of a child’s life. The Reggio Emilia Approach applies this principle through the way in which the parents access the observations made by teachers through the documented comments made fro the children. This is helpful because it creates cohesiveness and partnership between the three stakeholders of the learning process. The second principle stated in the ELECT document is that of fostering partnerships between the families of the children and the communities that they come from as a way of meeting the learning needs of those involved in the early childhood learning process (Lippman, 2010). The Reggio Emilia Approach supports this principle as teachers, parents, and their children become co-learners through the display of photographs that remind them of their progress and where they have come from. The respect for diversity, inclusion, and equity is the third principle under the ELECT document, where these components are necessary in upholding the rights of the children (Gestwicki &Bertrand, 2011). Reggio Emilia Approach is in support of this principle because it supports the involvement of family in influencing the learning outcomes of a child, which is their optimal right. The fourth principle is that of planned curriculum helps in early learning in which the execution of projects is in depth and detail. The objective of planning a curriculum is to ensure that the projects are in line with the interests of the children meaning that the children are the centre of the Approach. In relation to the Reggio Approach, the determination of the learning projects would squarely lie on dialogue between the children themselves, their teachers, and their surrounding environment. Moreover, the Reggio Approach also supports the fifth principle in the ELECT document that states that play is a component ingredient in the development of a child’s early childhood learning and enhancing their natural curiosity. The Reggio philosophy applies the same principle of active play in its execution as play influences learning and growth for the early childhood learners (Fraser & Gestwicki, 2000). The last ELECT principle is that early childhood professionals are essential in that the educators need to be responsive and impactful for the learning process to be successful. In relation to the Reggio Approach, teachers are responsible for developing projects and study goals for themselves and for the other stakeholders involved in the learning process while focusing on understanding the children that they work with. The implication of his is that teachers in Reggio schools may not have distinguished attributes, but they can learn from other teachers and the children in order to enrich their teaching and interaction capabilities. 7. Conclusion Ideally, the objective of the Reggio Emilia Approach is one that centers on the child and is a combination of various principles to formulate a working curriculum. In this Approach, the study environment for a child represents the third teacher to the child after the teacher and the parents. In this curriculum, teachers, the children, and the parents work as stakeholders for the early childhood learning with the aim of influencing the learning curiosity of the children. The key aspects of this Approach are documentation and observation of the progress made by the early childhood learners within the learning projects. Additionally, allowing children to communicate in their diverse ways and to indulge in play helps the learners to learn and explore their world in order to acquire knowledge. Therefore, the Reggio Emilia Approach in early childhood learning is a combination of philosophies that Professor Malaguzzi used to develop a functional model as it also supports the principles embedded in the ELECT document. References Armstrong, T. (2006). Early Childhood Education Programs: Play. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved on October 19, 2013 from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/106044/chapters/Early-Childhood-Education-Programs@-Play.aspx Fraser, S., & Gestwicki, C. (2000). Authentic childhood: Exploring Reggio Emilia in the classroom. Australia: Delmar Thomson. Gestwicki, C. & Bertrand, J. (2011). Essentials of early childhood education. Toronto: Nelson Education. Grotewell, P. G., & Burton, Y. R. (2008). Early childhood education: Issues and developments. New York: Nova Science Publishers. Koza, W., & Smith, J. L. (2007). Managing an effective early childhood classroom. Huntington Beach, Calif: Shell Education. Lippman, P. C. (2010). Evidence-based design of elementary and secondary schools. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons. Miller, L., & Pound, L. (2010). Theories and Approaches to Learning in the Early Years. London: SAGE Publications. Morrison, G. S. Reggio Emilia. Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall. Retrieved on October 19, 2013 from http://www.education.com/reference/article/reggio-emilia-approach/ OECD Directorate. (2004). Five Curriculum Outlines. Retrieved on October 18, 2013 from http://www.oecd.org/education/school/31672150.pdf Pramling, S. I., & Fleer, M. (2009). Play and learning in early childhood settings: International perspectives. Dordrecht: Springer. Read More