Reggio

1. Reggio Emilia
An Approach to Achievement
Genoveva Ortiz
SOE-115 Psychology of Learning and Teaching
Kendall College

2. Overview of the Strategy
The Reggio Emilia approach grew from a small town in Northern
Italy after WWII by the parents in the area searching for a
new way to educate. Loris Malaguzzi came shortly after. They
created an educational community that built relationships
between children, parents, and community members. This
approach is a progressive philosophy. It will be different for
each community because it is dependant on what the educator
and student’s evolving needs and interests are. Reggio-
educated teachers know the importance of listening. This
approach makes the children’s learning visible through
observation, documentation and reflection/assessment. I wanted
to learn about this approach because I am interested in
operating a daycare that reflects a Reggio Emilia philosophy.

3. Credible Source #1
According to Newsweek Magazine (Dec 1991) they rated the Reggio Emilia region
as one of the top ten schools of the world for its preschool, “a grassroots project
that has become an international role model.” That, in itself, is quite an accolade.
The magazine wrote a more indepth article that highlighted one of the region’s
schools, Diana School. The school is adorned with children’s art everywhere.
Projects, classwork, and curriculum are “organized around themes that allow
children to learn a variety of skills and help them understand their world. The
children appear to be working on an art project but are actually learning math,
science and art. The children’s progress and achievements are documented
through all these works that furnish the walls for everyone to see.

4. Credible Source #2
Reggio inspired teachers know the importance of
listening to a student’s interests and
dispositions. In Making Learning Visible
(2001)Rinaldi says “Documentation is seen as
visible listening...that not only testifies to
the children’s learning paths and processes but
also makes them possible because they are
visible.” Teachers can gain insight through
children’s words, actions or work, thus proving
achievement and progress.

5. Credible Source #3
Many institutions have been inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach. Reggio
Emilia preschools have collaborated with prestigious universities all over the world
to prove the importance of observation, documentation, reflection and assessment
for student’s achievement. Harvard University’s Project Zero, which was a
collaboration with Reggio Emilia, has outlined five practices essential to
documentation; 1.) A specific question that guides the learning. 2.) Many
educators should analyze, interpret and evaluate the child. 3.) Documentation
should be expressed through many media. 4.) It is shared with the public. 5.)
“Documentation is not only retrospective, it is also prospective. It shapes the
design of future contexts for learning.” as stated in Windows on Learning. These
practices are valuable tools for an educator to prove children’s progress.

6. Analysis of Information
The Reggio Emilia approach has been through
many obstacles since its conception. But there
Is a main theme that they all follow which is
the importance of documenting the children’s
progress to show the child, parent and
community the growth, learning and thinking
that is taking place within the school.Some
people feel, as though, it a dream school. And
can not be attained. The reality is it is real
and attainable

7. Connections
In the Reggio Emilia approach the children
learn to send “letters” which can be a simple
piece of paper with a line drawn on it to
their friend’s box. They send the letter or
candy to them. This process is a pre-writing
stage that turns into the student’s phonemic
awareness. This will, eventually, teach them
to write and read. This motivates the children
to send letters because they, then, might
receive them too.

8. Conclusion
The Reggio Emilia approach has inspired many
teachers, parents and institutions across the
globe. The proof that the students are
achieving is their schoolwork, projects and
portfolios. Any person can look around a
Reggio inspired classroom and see the
children’s progress. This is important for
the child to see and know, as well.

9. Communication with Families
If I had a parent approach me and ask me about the Reggio
Emilia method, based on the information I gathered, I might
respond: The Reggio Emilia approach proves to the child,
parent, and community that the child is an able learner, very
unique to his peers, as is the way they learn. I would like to
collaborate with you to find out what interests your child. I
would also like to show you some documentation of children’s
progress, so you could visibly see their learning. There is a
lot of research on this topic for you to google, as well.

10. References
Helm, Judy; Beneke, Sallee; Steinheimer, Kathy; Windows on
Learning Documenting Young Children’s Work (2nd edition)
Teachers College Press, Columbia University
Rinaldi,Carlina; Making Learning Visible: Children as
Individual and Group Learners (2001) Reggio Children
Publications Wingert,
Pat [Retrieved Feb. 15] www.newsweek.com