Reggio Emilia approach

The Reggio Emilia approach is an educational philosophy in which the child becomes the protagonist in their own learning process. It made me think of an advanced and more structured model of the Ablany Free School. The philosophy is based on the assumption that children learn best in groups and are resourceful enough to come up with their own ideas for lessons. Thus, children generate knowledge and meaning from an interaction between their experiences and their own ideas. Instead of a simple transmission or depositing of knowledge, it is a leaning-by-doing approach. What fascinated me about the Reggio Emilia approach is the role of teachers and the community support and parental involvement.

The teacher is seen as a facilitator and constant researcher. Whenever children encounter disturbances and conflicts, the teachers avoid over assisting a child and creating an unhealthy dependency between the child and adult. Rather than introducing adult solutions they encourage children to construct and negotiate solutions among themselves. Instead of getting involved, the teacher documents the children’s experience and development and uses the material to deepen his understanding of the child’s learning process. I believe that teachers who are only concerned with teaching become stagnant and lethargic over the years. By viewing every child as a “research opportunity” and a chance to learn something new, the teacher nourishes his enthusiasm. I believe that happy, passionate, and enthusiastic teachers are curial for an optimal learning process for children. Children and teacher learn from each other.

The Reggio Emilia approach is based on a system of interrelated relationships between the community, families, teachers, and children. It is a collaboration as they constantly collect data, question, analyze, and reflect upon how to best support and nurture young children’s developmental needs. The child is respected as a citizen and is able to develop a social consciousness.

The only disadvantage of the Reggio Emilia approach might be that it leaves the children bereft of basic academic skills in a cutthroat testing culture, making it even more difficult to find a decent job or a place at a top school.

Marco