This blog post was written by Cate Heroman. Cate Heroman is an author of The Creative Curriculum for Preschool and a friend of the LSU Early Childhood Collaborative. As the LSU Early Childhood Collaborative prepares its first trip to Italy and Reggio Emilia this spring, we asked Cate to share her experience with us.
Italy. It’s famous for so many things…pasta, gelato, wine, architecture, fashion, beautiful scenery and warm, friendly people. But to those of us in the early childhood world, the municipality of Reggio Emilia is known for its high-quality, innovative approach to educating young children. Reggio is not a prescribed curriculum with lesson plans and activities to follow. There are no international training programs to become a Reggio teacher. Outside of the town of Reggio Emilia, programs that adapt the approach to their community are referred to as Reggio-inspired.
Last spring Dr. Sallee Beneke invited me to join her group from St. Ambrose College on a study tour of the schools of Reggio Emilia. Dr. Beneke is a co-author with Dr. Lilian Katz on many publications about the project approach. Since I am an author of The Creative Curriculum for Preschool, I knew it would be fascinating to reflect with Dr. Beneke on what these three approaches have in common and how they are different.
Each day of the trip about 200 U.S. early childhood educators gathered at the Loris Malaguzzi International Center to hear presentations and gain a deeper understanding of the schools of Reggio Emilia. The International Center also has exhibits to explore about light, digital landscapes, paper-making, and more. It has a documentation center where you can examine the different long-term projects that have taken place in the schools.
For me, the highlight of each day was going into the schools and observing them first hand. After an orientation, we were free to wander in and out the classrooms at our own pace. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures. Each school usually had photo booklets of project documentation for sale. After the classroom visits, we gathered to ask more questions and to talk to the pedagogista, the atelierista, and to parents.
One of the schools I visited was 8 Marzo, a preschool for children ages 3-5. The layout of the school was similar to the layout of the town. There was a central piazza or meeting place and all classrooms surrounded it. The environments are breathtakingly beautiful. You won’t see bright primary colors, plastic furnishings, cheap toys or commercial bulletin boards displays! Natural materials, “loose parts”, and interesting displays provoke curiosity and wonder. Documentation of children’s learning is everywhere. Each classroom had its own atelier (art studio) where children were free to use materials to represent their thinking. The flow of the day was seamless. Children were deeply engaged in finding answers to their questions, solving problems, and representing their ideas through the arts. Teachers would observe, document, and help children clarify their thinking.
8 Marzo was involved in a school-wide project about a nearby park. Each classroom investigated a different aspect of the park. The three year olds studied the animals and insects of the park. They referred to photographs as they recreated them with clay and other art materials. The four year olds investigated the animals that flew over the park. The five year olds created maps of the park and were studying different types of maps. A small group looked at their observational drawing of a park bench and then used clay to recreate it. A mixed-aged class created a 3-D digital landscape of the park. The teacher projected a photograph of the park on one wall of the classroom. The children used art materials to create animals and scenery and positioned them in front of the photo backdrop of the park. They problem-solved as they figured out how to make them stand or suspend them in the air. The children then played in this digital landscape they recreated. Simply amazing!
My memories of this study trip are filled with beautiful images and lots of questions. What impressed me most about Reggio Emilia was that children were a priority in their community. It was clear that they were viewed as capable, competent individuals. Teachers took time to really listen to and observe children. They used that information to follow children’s interests and guide learning. They were open to learning along side of children and investigating real-life projects. The parents and community were active participants in planning and carrying out the long-term projects.
For those of you who are traveling to Reggio Emilia, I hope that you will be inspired by their approach. Learn from their example about what is possible when a school is built around genuine respect, careful listening, and thoughtfully responding to children’s ideas.
Italy. It’s famous for so many things…pasta, gelato, wine, architecture, fashion, beautiful scenery and warm, friendly people. But to those of us in the early childhood world, the municipality of Reggio Emilia is known for its high-quality, innovative approach to educating young children. Reggio is not a prescribed curriculum with lesson plans and activities to follow. There are no international training programs to become a Reggio teacher. Outside of the town of Reggio Emilia, programs that adapt the approach to their community are referred to as Reggio-inspired.
Last spring Dr. Sallee Beneke invited me to join her group from St. Ambrose College on a study tour of the schools of Reggio Emilia. Dr. Beneke is a co-author with Dr. Lilian Katz on many publications about the project approach. Since I am an author of The Creative Curriculum for Preschool, I knew it would be fascinating to reflect with Dr. Beneke on what these three approaches have in common and how they are different.
Each day of the trip about 200 U.S. early childhood educators gathered at the Loris Malaguzzi International Center to hear presentations and gain a deeper understanding of the schools of Reggio Emilia. The International Center also has exhibits to explore about light, digital landscapes, paper-making, and more. It has a documentation center where you can examine the different long-term projects that have taken place in the schools.
For me, the highlight of each day was going into the schools and observing them first hand. After an orientation, we were free to wander in and out the classrooms at our own pace. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures. Each school usually had photo booklets of project documentation for sale. After the classroom visits, we gathered to ask more questions and to talk to the pedagogista, the atelierista, and to parents.
One of the schools I visited was 8 Marzo, a preschool for children ages 3-5. The layout of the school was similar to the layout of the town. There was a central piazza or meeting place and all classrooms surrounded it. The environments are breathtakingly beautiful. You won’t see bright primary colors, plastic furnishings, cheap toys or commercial bulletin boards displays! Natural materials, “loose parts”, and interesting displays provoke curiosity and wonder. Documentation of children’s learning is everywhere. Each classroom had its own atelier (art studio) where children were free to use materials to represent their thinking. The flow of the day was seamless. Children were deeply engaged in finding answers to their questions, solving problems, and representing their ideas through the arts. Teachers would observe, document, and help children clarify their thinking.
8 Marzo was involved in a school-wide project about a nearby park. Each classroom investigated a different aspect of the park. The three year olds studied the animals and insects of the park. They referred to photographs as they recreated them with clay and other art materials. The four year olds investigated the animals that flew over the park. The five year olds created maps of the park and were studying different types of maps. A small group looked at their observational drawing of a park bench and then used clay to recreate it. A mixed-aged class created a 3-D digital landscape of the park. The teacher projected a photograph of the park on one wall of the classroom. The children used art materials to create animals and scenery and positioned them in front of the photo backdrop of the park. They problem-solved as they figured out how to make them stand or suspend them in the air. The children then played in this digital landscape they recreated. Simply amazing!
My memories of this study trip are filled with beautiful images and lots of questions. What impressed me most about Reggio Emilia was that children were a priority in their community. It was clear that they were viewed as capable, competent individuals. Teachers took time to really listen to and observe children. They used that information to follow children’s interests and guide learning. They were open to learning along side of children and investigating real-life projects. The parents and community were active participants in planning and carrying out the long-term projects.
For those of you who are traveling to Reggio Emilia, I hope that you will be inspired by their approach. Learn from their example about what is possible when a school is built around genuine respect, careful listening, and thoughtfully responding to children’s ideas.