Introduction Loris Malaguzzi was an Italian educationalist. In the latter half of the Twentieth Century his name became synonymous with teaching in a municipality in Northern Italy called Reggio Emilia. Malaguzzi's educational philosophy was based on citizenship, exploration and building relationships. What is unique about the education in Reggio is that its citizens had to make a fresh start after the destruction of the Second World War, from building new schools to adopting a new pedagogy. It is because of this that many educationalists believe that the Reggio Emilia approach is not transferable in its entirety to another location. As Moss explains, it is not ‘a recipe', but rather it ‘provides us with a sort of lens for looking at our own situations' (in Abbot and Nutbrown, p.133). A Brief History Loris Malaguzzi was born in 1920 in the Italian town of Correggio. He became a primary school teacher and went on to study psychology in Rome. In 1945, as the Second World War ended, he was working near the town of Reggio Emilia. He had heard that the parents of the town were building their own school after the wreckage left by the war, and he decided to visit the project. He later wrote that this first school was ‘created and run by parents in a devastated town, rich only in mourning and poverty' (Pound, p.52). Malaguzzi was inspired by the determination of these parents, and he began to work with them. It was a community effort, and this sense of citizenship and cooperation became central to Malaguzzi's theories and to the Reggio approach in general. Many more parent run centres followed, but as time went on it became harder to fund the schools. The Catholic Church and politicians in Rome were opposed to the preschools, believing that the child care they provided would encourage mothers to go out to work. In order to diffuse this opposition, Malaguzzi took his schools to the public: ‘We would teach school and show exhibits in the open air, in public parks or under the colonnade of the municipal theatre. The children were happy. The people saw, they were surprised and they asked questions' (Malaguzzi in Thornton and Brunton 1, p.4) Almost twenty years later, in 1963, city funding was provided, and in 1967 the municipality of Reggio Emilia took over the running of the schools. In 1987, global interest in the teaching at Reggio schools inspired Malaguzzi and his fellow teachers to set up an exhibition in the United States called The Hundred Languages of Children. Malaguzzi died in 1994, but his philosophy of education remains in Reggio schools today. The Theories Behind the Reggio Emilia Approach The Learning Environment The space in which children learn is thought to be fundamentally important in Reggio schools. Thornton and Brunton explain that ‘the physical environment is regarded as a partner in the learning process' (1, p.33). The schools are open, bright and beautiful places, designed or adapted through consultation with school teachers and parents. There is plenty of light, with large windows, mirrors and artificial lights that can be brightened or dimmed. Children have open access to the outside area and quete spaces to rest in. The buildings are modelled on the layout of the city itself, with a central piazza that allows opportunities for paths to cross, places to meet and time for talking. Malaguzzi believed that ‘we live in the tradition of the city, with its squares and porticoes, which provide an irreplaceable model for meetings, negotiations, dialogues of various human encounters' (in Edwards, p.76). The other key spaces, radiating out from the piazza, are the classrooms, the kitchen and dining area and the ‘atelier'. This room is a workshop that is stocked to meet the creative needs of the children where they carry out short and long term projects. Resources are designed to excite curiosity and are freely available to the children. Malaguzzi returned to his image of a school being like a town when he explained that resources should be presented to children ‘like market stalls, where customers look for the wares that interest them, make selections and engage in lively interactions' (in Edwards, p.173). The schools have links with community recycling projects so that resources are environmentally friendly and varied. Children's work is displayed as a process rather than a finished project, with teachers' annotations and reflections, recordings of the children speaking and photographs contributing to a display. The work on show is by children who are currently at the school, and by children who attended it in the past. This gives the space a sense of continuity and of being part of the wider community. Malaguzzi believed that the while building should be alive with learning, explaining that ‘our walls speak and document' (in Edwards, p.64). How Children Learn Malaguzzi had a deep sense of respect for children's ability to be partners in their own learning, and this is at the heart of the Reggio approach to education. He is well known for his expression ‘the hundred languages of children', by which he meant that children understand the world and communicate their thoughts in so many different ways. There is no fixed curriculum at Reggio schools, as Malaguzzi believed that this would confine children. Instead, they are encouraged to explore their own ideas which can evolve into short and long term projects. Children are thought to learn creatively:' Creativity should not be considered a separate mental faculty but as characteristic of our way of thinking, knowing and making choices' (Malaguzzi in Edwards, p.75). Much of the work on a project takes place in the stimulating and creative environment of the atelier. In Reggio Emilia, education is a communal activity, and children with similar interests are invited to explore their ideas together. This exchange of information is another key part of the educational philosophy. Malaguzzi wrote that ‘for children to be in a group is a situation of great privilege, as if inside a great transforming laboratory' (in Thornton and Brunton 1, p.73). By working together, they learn to negotiate, debate and adapt, and to build relationships with others. The Role of the Adult Malaguzzi felt that the job of the teacher was constantly evolving to meet the needs of the children in their care. He likened it to being in a theatre: ‘We need a teacher who is sometimes the director, sometimes the set designer, sometimes the curtain and the backdrop and sometimes the prompter...and who is even the audience - the audience who watches, sometimes claps, sometimes remains silent, full of emotion, who sometimes judges with scepticism, and at other times applauds with enthusiasm' (in Rinaldi p.73). Teachers learn with the children, rather than dispense knowledge. They are required to expect the unexpected and maintain an open mind: ‘willingness to explore a topic that might not work very well is part of their commitment to experimentation' (Edwards, p.33). Malaguzzi believed that the absence of a set curriculum gave teachers the opportunity to develop professionally, rather than to remain a consumer of prescribed methods. He often described the teachers and the children as participants in a game of throw and catch as they learned together. Malaguzzi's expectations of teachers were high, but the staffing systems that are still in place at Reggio Emilia schools were designed to support them. Firstly, practitioners work in pairs, and the children remain with this teaching team throughout their time at a school. Co-teaching is part of the philosophy of relationships and sharing of ideas that is mirrored in the way children learn in a Reggio Emilia school. Secondly, teaching staff are supported by two other key figures: The Atelierista is a practicing artist who is permanently employed by the school to maintain the atelier and to collaborate with the projects undertaken by the children. The Pedagogista provides an umbrella for all the work that goes on in the school, promoting dialogue and cooperation. As well as these important adult roles, there is also the contribution made by parents to the schools. Historically, parents are seen as partners in the education of children in Reggio Emilia and their skills and opinions are highly valued. Observation and Record Keeping Record keeping is known as ‘Documentation' in Reggio Schools. The term refers to the detailed and meticulous notes that are kept on each child as they work on their projects. Teachers use annotation, personal reflections, transcripts of children's conversations and recordings of their speech to build up a picture of the learning process. Thornton and Brunton write that ‘observation in this context is more than looking or seeing, it also involves listening and emotional awareness' (1, p.84). It is part of a quest to understand children, and is supported by the cooperative approach to teaching which gives practitioners time to observe and document. Children and families are encouraged to participate in the documentation process as it is often on display with children's work, or revisited by children as their projects evolve. As Rinaldi explains ‘documentation is thus a narrative form' (p.71). It tells a detailed, personal story of a child's learning. Linking the Reggio Emilia approach to today's practice Although it is widely agreed that the Reggio Emilia philosophy is unique to a particular time, place and culture, there are still similarities to UK early years practice and much that could be adopted. In this country, one of the signs of good practice is the sharing of knowledge and the cooperation of practitioners as they work with young children. Abbot and Nutbrown would like to see this valued even further by allocating more time to this area of nursery education: ‘Perhaps the foundation stage will be fully realised when those who are charged with the responsibility of making it work for children are required to spend some of their working day really thinking together about the children' (p.5). Record keeping continues to evolve, and it is now expected that children's achievements will be recorded in a variety of ways, from annotation to digital photographs. Although perhaps not as detailed as the Reggio approach to documentation, many settings keep a special book for each child that is accessible to children and contributed to by parents, telling a story of the child's time at the centre. Malaguzzi's belief in the importance of building relationships is mirrored in the current EYFS guidelines: ‘Establish constructive relationships with parents, with everyone in the setting and with workers from other agencies' (‘Positive Relationships', p.22). Early Years centres support children in having a concept of citizenship through outings in the community and by inviting visitors into their settings to talk about their jobs or to celebrate festivals. Although the EYFS provides a certain standardisation that Malaguzzi would not have approved of, it is built on the principle of starting from the child's interests and potential. Conclusion Based on the concept of collective responsibility and communal learning, the Reggio Emilia schools mirror the finest aspects of town and community life. By beginning again, the municipality has built a system of education that continues to evolve, thoughtfully, collaboratively and creatively. As Malaguzzi said ‘we think of a school as a sort of construction in motion, continuously adjusting itself' (Edwards, p.62). Links with other educational pioneers John Dewey, 1859-1952 Jean Piaget, 1896-1980 Lev Vygotsky, 1896-1934 Maria Montessori, 1870-1952 References Abbott, L. & Nutbrown, C. (2001) Experiencing Reggio Emilia: implications for pre-school provision. OUP, UK. Edwards, C. Gandini, L. & Forman, G. (1998) The Hundred Languages of Children: the Reggio Emilia approach-advanced reflections (2nd ed), Ablex Publishing Corporation, USA Pound, L. (2005) How Children Learn, Step Forward Publishing Ltd., UK Rinaldi, C. (2006) In Dialogue with Reggio Emilia: Listening, researching and learning, Routledge, UK Thornton, L. & Brunton, P. (2005) (1) Understanding the Reggio Approach, David Fulton Publishers, London. Thornton, L. & Brunton, P. (2007) (2) Bringing the Reggio Approach to Your Early Years Practice, Routledge, UK.
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