Written by Sania Ayushi
Understanding the Reggio Emilia philosophy and its working in the real world context.
Founded by Loris Malaguzzi, in its namesake town in Italy, Reggio Emilia is an educational philosophy that came to life after the second world war, in the 1940s. It started with an idea to provide the children of the town with an environment that was free of prejudices and biases.
"Our task is to help children communicate with the world using all their potential, strengths and languages, and to overcome any obstacle presented by our culture.”
-Loris Malaguzzi
This is a teaching-learning pedagogy that views children as leaders of their learning and is based on an open-ended, relational and experiential ideology. There are some key features that can be used to identify the Reggio Emilia Philosophy:
- Children are seen as competent
- Environment is the third teacher
- Children express in 100 languages (many creative expressions- dance, music, movement art and craft)
- Focus is on the process (how’s and why’s) than on the end result
- Children and teachers are co-creators
- End consequence of learning is multi-layered
- Learning goals are more broad than singly focused
The Reggio Emilia approach to teaching can be a bit tricky to implement, just because it is so diverse in its application. In fact, many teachers might actually be practicing the approach in their classrooms in some capacity. However, there are a few key ways in which the Reggio Emilia philosophy can be put into effect within a space. Here’s how:
- Regular observation of learning
- Consistent documentation (photos, videos, notes, recordings)
- Inviting table top setups and provocations
- Following the children’s cues in conversations or gestures
- Encouraging their questions
- Revisiting their learning
"Creativity becomes more visible when adults try to be more attentive to the cognitive processes of children than to the results they achieve in various fields of doing and understanding."
-Loris Malaguzzi
I have been a personal fan of the Reggio Emilia philosophy and I believe it has helped me in being a better teacher for my pupils. I really hope that this quick assimilation of the Reggio style to teaching inspires you and shapes your teaching practice as well!
Ps: if you found this helpful, then pass it on to your fellow educators and parent families and spread the joy of learning.
Taught for the Day 
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