Reggio Emilia Philosophy
The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy focused on preschool and primary education. It was started by Loris Malaguzzi and the parents of the villages around Reggio Emilia in Italy after World War II. The destruction from the war, parents believed, necessitated a new, quick approach to teaching their children. They felt that it is in the early years of development that children form who they are as individuals. This led to creation of a program based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment based on the interests of the children through a self-guided curriculum.
Parents are a vital component to the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Parents are viewed as partners, collaborators and advocates for their children. Teachers respect parents as each child's first teacher and involve parents in every aspect of the curriculum. It is not uncommon to see parents volunteering within Reggio Emilia classrooms throughout the school.
The Reggio Emilia philosophy is based upon the following set of principles:
~Children must have some control over the direction of their learning
~Children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing and hearing
~Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in the world that children must be able to explore
~Children must have endless ways and opportunities to express themselves
~Children should have opportunities to extend their knowledge and thinking skills to achieve their personal best
The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy focused on preschool and primary education. It was started by Loris Malaguzzi and the parents of the villages around Reggio Emilia in Italy after World War II. The destruction from the war, parents believed, necessitated a new, quick approach to teaching their children. They felt that it is in the early years of development that children form who they are as individuals. This led to creation of a program based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment based on the interests of the children through a self-guided curriculum.
Parents are a vital component to the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Parents are viewed as partners, collaborators and advocates for their children. Teachers respect parents as each child's first teacher and involve parents in every aspect of the curriculum. It is not uncommon to see parents volunteering within Reggio Emilia classrooms throughout the school.
The Reggio Emilia philosophy is based upon the following set of principles:
~Children must have some control over the direction of their learning
~Children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing and hearing
~Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in the world that children must be able to explore
~Children must have endless ways and opportunities to express themselves
~Children should have opportunities to extend their knowledge and thinking skills to achieve their personal best