Why is reggio emilia

The Reggio Emilia approach encourages children to use every tool they have to express themselves. It enables uninterrupted exploration, play and learning. Outdoor spaces are valued just as highly as formal classrooms, and the design of the space should allow children to move freely between the two.

In addition, it is important that children have free access to stimulating resources, as they cannot be the owner of their learning journey without this. Teachers are encouraged to observe children rather than to direct them.

It is important that children are allowed to experiment in their own way, make mistakes and find new solutions. The role of the teacher is to gently move students towards areas of interest to them, and this can only be done through careful observation carried out over time. To learn more about the benefits of this approach, read this blog or learn more about why children should live what they learn.

So how will your child benefit from this Philosophy? Below we have listed several factors that explain this:. Most of the educational experiences within Reggio take the form of projects, where children have opportunities to actively participate, explore and question things. There is also a very strong emphasis on the social development of children as part of the community and their relationships to other children, their families and teachers.

The Reggio approach starts from the premise that children use many different ways to express their creativity, understanding and thoughts the languages. This perspective has been endorsed by many artists, who state that these different ways of thinking, exploring and learning are expressed through drawing, sculpting, music, dance and movement, painting and drama. Children are given learning projects that provide extensive research opportunities, including real-life problem solving among peers, and opportunities for creative thinking and exploration.

Inspired by this pedagogy for the last 2 decades. You can listen to the podcast here. Is Reggio Emilia a curriculum? How is it different from other approaches and curricula? Reggio Emilia is an educational philosophy; it is an approach to education where we believe children are exploring life in itself.

Rather, it is an innate way of living that is unique in each of us because every one of us is very passionate about this approach that even when we interact with others in our personal lives, it is very similar to the way we interact in our professional lives. Our classrooms include real elements and real materials that children have a natural connection to.

In the home corner of our pre-nursery classes, we have actual items instead of plastic representations of them. This allows children to experience them naturally as they are already familiar with these items having seen them at home or in a restaurant. You will also be able to find complex items like wires, wire cutters and scissors where children are supported to understand the purpose of these tools and work with them in a safe manner, building on their life skills.

You will find ateliers in our school, which are filled with creative materials that children are able to use to express their thinking and explore bigger concepts. Taking painting as an example, in other curriculums, these concepts are seen as play whereas our teachers will use this opportunity to observe children while they are engaged in this painting experience and notice if a child is exploring a big idea, transformation or movement.

It stems from respecting young children as individuals who have their own thoughts and competencies. The Reggio Emilia approach can be adapted in all contexts and is universal. Documenting children's voices is extremely important to us. Physically experiencing and entering the environments around our services are important and our teachers promote ongoing outings and excursions to local attractions such as parks, shops and local services.

Explorers recognise and value the importance of making documentation and learning visible to both the children and families. Explorers endorses project work as it supports the enquiring mind, connects our practice to the wider community, embeds the importance of the physical environment and emphasises the role of the educator. Our documentation is real, it captures the things that matter and represent actual learning and experiences at our service.

Our documentation is supported by a strong pedagogical team which enhances the learning opportunities for the children and ensures a rich and meaningful journey for each child. Explorers Early Learning are thrilled to have recently sent 7 of our team to Reggio Emilia Italy on a study tour where they are expanding on their understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach. We are taking enrolments! Places are limited, we recommend you Book a Tour today! To register for enrolment today click here.