TeacherServant: REGGIO EMILIA FOR THE PUBLIC SCHOOL

The Reggio Emilia Model of education hails from northern Italy and evolved from the response of one devoted teacher, Loris Malaguzzi, to the devastation of post WWII and the need to rebuild the City of Reggio Emelia and attend to the education of its children. In its origins, one might imagine the impulse that shaped it—the valuing of the community, the collaborative ethic, the organic adoption of topics to study, the importance of the arts and children’s creations, and the documentation of children’s work among them.

The Piazza or shared area in the Reggio school

The Reggio program is unique in that it is largely determined by the interaction and collaboration of the students and their teacher. As might be imagined, this organic process allows children to have a voice about what they learn, but also requires the teacher to guide the process and integrate the various subjects and desired standards as the study evolves. The Reggio classroom most often has two teachers who collaborate and share the responsibility… although many schools employ a dedicated paraprofessional as a “copilot”.

“The Reggio approach uses social constructivism along with symbolic languages to support and sustain learning,” says a 2015 article on the subject. (1) “It pays exceptional attention to the learning process” and seeks to follow these key principles:

· The image of the child: All children have preparedness, potential, curiosity

· Children’s relationships and interactions within a system

· The role of parents: Parents are an essential component of the program—a competent and active part of their children’s learning experience

· The role of space: amiable schools

· Teachers and children as partners in learning

· Not a pre-set curriculum but a process of inviting and sustaining learning

· The power of documentation

· The many languages of children

· Projects: Projects provide narrative and structure to the children's and teacher's learning experiences (1)

The Reggio Atelier or art studio

Although the majority of Reggio Emilia schools are preschool and primary schools, there are a score of K-5 and K-8 programs across the country. Some of these are private schools and others are affiliated with public schools. Since Reggio follows no prescribed curriculum, special provisions must be made to guarantee its proper functioning and to ensure that its principals and mission are clearly enunciated to all stakeholders.

One of the striking distinctions of Reggio Emilia is the importance of art as one of the child’s “languages” of expression. Reggio schools generally feature an Art Studio, called an Atelierista, in which children spend far more time since much of the outcome of student work is in the form of projects and constructions in various media. Although the Reggio school may not have a significant investment in texts or programmatic materials, it will have need for more resources in this area with a dedicated art teacher and a multitude of supplies for the studio.

Another distinction of the formal Reggio school is the presence of two heads of school. One is the principal who runs the day-to-day operations and performs the more normal administrative duties. The other is the “pedagogista”, a role which is responsible for the spirit of learning in the school both among the students and the teachers. In some ways similar to the instructional coach, the pedagogista is responsible for meeting with teachers and helping them reflect upon all sorts of educational issues and problems. The pedagogista’s task is to support teachers in their daily work with children and their relationship with families. In consultation with teachers, they play an active role in the formulation of long-term explorations in classroom projects.

The Reggio classroom environment

A third important element of the Reggio Model is the role of the classroom environment. Ideal learning spaces “are generally filled with indoor plants and vines, and awash with natural light. Classrooms open to a center piazza (large gathering area), kitchens are open to view, and access to the surrounding community is assured through wall-size windows, courtyards, and doors to the outside in each classroom. Entries capture the attention of both children and adults through the use of mirrors (on the walls, floors, and ceilings), photographs, and children's work accompanied by transcriptions of their discussions. These same features characterize classroom interiors, where displays of project work are interspersed with arrays of found objects and classroom materials. In each case, the environment informs and engages the viewer.” (2)

The Opal School is located at Portland Children's Museum

Because of Reggio Emilia’s emphasis on organic choice for topic study as well as its

expectation for long-term projects with visible outcomes, the Reggio program seems in a better position to coexist with other currently popular models such as Project Based Learning and STEM (or STEAM) type programs. As a matter of interest, the Reggio school can also benefit by an organic relationship with local community institutions such as a museum, nature center, gallery, or the like. Several Reggio schools around the US are directly affiliated with a local organization to provide educational stimulation for students and enliven wider community collaboration. (3)

There may not seem to be a significant expenditure needed in the Reggio school for published materials or supplies since the program evolves its own curriculum. And although teacher training is available, many schools ascribe to a more organic “on the job” training. This, however, assumes that the selected teacher understands well the Reggio model and has an affinity for the role which he/she will play. What does appear crucial is the presence of a trained pedagogista, a staff leader who can exemplify the Reggio spirit, coach teachers on their observations of children’s learning needs, and inform the dialogue over the nature and outcome of the projects being spun out over the year. In addition to the investment required for the pedagogista, there will be ample need for artistic and “construction” materials (some of which may be “upcycled materials” donated by families) and for equipment and media necessary to document the learning projects which children produce.

Included among the Resources below, see also articles pertaining to the Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center (5, 6) as well as an older, but very informative CNN video introduction to Reggio Emilia, its origins and American interest in the Model. (7)

RESOURCES

1. Reinterpreting the Reggio Emilia Approach in the USA: An Approach for All Children

Community Playthings, Accessed March 23, 2015

http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/2009/reinterpreting-the-reggio-emilia-approach-in-the-usa-an-approach-for-all-children

2. Reggio Emilia approach

Wikipedia, Accessed March 23, 2015

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggio_Emilia_approach

3. Investing in Early Childhood” Research Project: A Conversation with Claudia Giudici

Quarterly Periodical of the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance, PP 2-5,

Accessed March 23, 2015

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/512340b7e4b0b5151b78916d/t/52494123e4b0bae68e5cb366/1380532515869/NAREA+Innovations+Summer.pdf

4. Investing in Early Childhood” Research Project: A Conversation with Claudia Giudici