What do teachers do in Reggio Emilia approach?

Teachers as Researchers: The teacher's role within the Reggio Emilia approach is complex. Working as co-teachers, the role of the teacher is first and foremost to be that of a learner alongside the children. The teacher is a teacher-researcher, a resource and guide as she/he lends expertise to children (Edwards, 1993).

What are the teaching practices of Reggio Emilia?

Reggio Emilia is an emergent curriculum built upon the interests of the children. This way of teaching requires teachers to observe and have discussions with children and their families to discover their abilities, needs, and skills and build them into classroom learning, activities, and play.

What is the role of the educator in the Reggio Emilia playroom?

Teachers as Co-Learners

Teachers in Reggio Emilia classrooms are seen as co-learners alongside the children. They guide and facilitate learning experiences, ask questions, and explore topics together with the students, to model a lifelong love of learning.

How is Reggio Emilia used in the classroom?

The Reggio approach supports four essential vehicles for learning: an emergent curriculum, in-depth projects, representational development and collaboration. An emergent curriculum is derived from the child's interests and ensures engagement in the learning topic.

What are the activities of Reggio Emilia approach?

Through project work and guided experiences, they learn to work with their friends and teachers. The Reggio Emilia philosophy, as the guiding principles suggest, is about self-expression. Young children are curious, so the best way is to let them play an active role in their learning.

Reggio Emilia Education

What is an example of Reggio Emilia method?

The Reggio Emilia Approach in Practice

Example 1: Students are playing with a set of blocks. They build houses, bridges, and towers. To encourage their learning, the teacher may prompt the students by asking, "How tall will this tower get?

What you can expect in a Reggio inspired classroom?

For this reason, teachers in a Reggio inspired classroom do not follow a specific or fixed curriculum. Instead, they create an evolving learning environment that empowers students' curiosity, exploration, and response. Children can pursue topics that interest them, while educators can facilitate that learning.

How are Reggio Emilia classrooms different from traditional classrooms?

Unlike traditional elementary schools where the curriculum is extremely structured, a Reggio Emilia curriculum is flexible, hands-on, and largely interest-based. This approach allows children to guide their own learning experiences, based on their passions, interests, thoughts, and observations.

What does a Reggio Emilia classroom environment look like?

In a traditional Reggio classroom, you would find an atelier (creative expression area), loose parts, a sensory/sand play area, building area, writing center, math/numbers center, and a meeting area (in the larger school setting, this is called a piazza).

What is the role of the child in the Reggio Emilia approach?

Kate from Aneverydaystory.com (linked to above), explains how the Reggio Emilia approach views children as capable of acquiring knowledge within themselves through their natural curiosity and creativity. What they are and become interested in, becomes an important element in their own learning process.

How do teachers and parents work together to promote children's learning in Reggio Emilia?

In the process of learning, the teachers, parents and child are viewed as collaborators. In the Reggio approach the parent is viewed as an essential resource to the child's learning. The exchange of ideas between parents and teachers is vital in creating a more positive and productive learning environment.

What is Reggio Emilia in simple terms?

In its most basic form, it is a way of observing what children know, are curious about and what challenges them. Teachers record these observations to reflect on developmentally appropriate ways to help children expand their academic and social potentials.

What is the criticism of Reggio Emilia?

A criticism of the Reggio Emilia curriculum has been that in the absence of a written curriculum there is a lack of accountability to the wider society. Advocates of the Reggio Emilia approach argue that there is a detailed recording of the curriculum process, which opens their practice to criticism and scrutiny.

What makes Reggio Emilia unique?

The Reggio Emilia curriculum is emergent and child-centered, meaning that it is developed based on the interests and needs of the children in the classroom. Teachers design learning experiences that allow children to explore and discover, and they document children's learning processes to inform future experiences.

What is the best description of the school of Reggio Emilia?

Per the Reggio Emilia philosophy, children are in control of their own learning and exploration. Emphasis is placed on the child's “voice,” actions, passions, and wonder as they self-direct their own learning to understand the world around them.

What is the role of a parent in Reggio Emilia?

Here, parents are seen as partners who participate actively in a child's educational experience. Parents, after all, provide the ultimate welfare of students, and are therefore granted total respect by Reggio Emilia instructors as the child's first teacher.

How is Reggio Emilia different from Montessori classroom?

Reggio Emilia focuses on kindergarten (pre-prep) education, Montessori is also found up to schools of adolescent age (12-15 years). The environment of a Reggio Emilia classroom is flexible and open-ended with Montessori learning areas being more structured. Reggio Emilia teachers are considered to be co-learners.

What are the criticism of Reggio Emilia schools?

Disadvantages of the Reggio Emilia Approach

In the United States, Reggio Emilia-inspired schools are primarily private and too expensive for many families. Also, many of these schools are spaces with predominantly white families and educators, which can feel jarring for children of color.

What does art in a Reggio classroom look like?

Art Inside the Reggio Emilia Classroom

Rather than leading children through product-oriented art activities, teachers offer students mediums like colored pencils, tape and glue, watercolor paints and brush, clay or collage artifacts, allowing them to experience the process of creating art.

How is curriculum planned in Reggio Emilia?

Reggio inspired teachers observe, record, analyze, represent, and respond to the teaching and learning that is occurring in their classrooms. The curriculum is evolving, not planned in advance. Teachers define broad goals and make hypotheses about what direction the activities and projects might take.

What are the 5 characteristics of Reggio Emilia approach?

What are the main components of Reggio Emilia? The main components of Reggio Emilia include the role of the environment as the third teacher, the importance of documentation and reflection, the use of project-based learning, and the involvement of parents and the community in the learning process.

What are the cons of Reggio Emilia?

This child-led approach also has drawbacks, as you can't consistently see the results of learning. The emergent curriculum means that children learn on a different timeline than mainstream schools and can seem disorganized.

Why Reggio is the best?

Why Is the Reggio Emilia Approach Important? The Reggio Emilia approach is a unique method of early childhood education that allows children the freedom to explore, create, and learn. Instead of traditional teacher-led classrooms, this approach puts the child at the centre of their own learning experience.

What is Reggio Emilia famous quote?

“Learning and teaching should not stand on opposite banks and just watch the river flow by; instead, they should embark together on a journey down the water.

What does Reggio Emilia say about play?

The opportunity for children to create their own play and explorations helps to develop independence and creative thinking. As child guide their own play, social interactions take place and relationships are built.