MODERN EDUCATION STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH THE REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH-THE BEST FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS?

REGGIO EMILIA IS NOT…… A woman a man spelt Reggio Emilio or Reggia Emilia Academic theory e.g. Piaget, Skinner, A curriculum A set method of instruction using specific materials e.g. Montessori In its origins done in English It is however a place – a city in Italy where after the second world war a traumatized community vowed ‘Never again’ and with a teacher called Loris Malaguzzi formed a collective of schools and developed the approach (Gandini 2012)

‘The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy based on the image of the child, and of human beings, as possessing strong potentials for development and as a subject of rights who learns and grows in the relationships with others.. characteristics: the participation of families, the collegial work of all the personnel, the importance of the educational environment, the presence of the atelier and the figure of the atelierista, the in- school kitchen, and the pedagogical coordinating team. Focusing on the centrality of the hundred languages belonging to every human being, in the atelier spaces young children are offered daily opportunities to encounter many types of materials, many expressive languages, many points of view, working actively with hands, minds, and emotions, in a context that values the expressiveness and creativity of each child in the group’( Reggio Children,n.d.)

“Many adults tend to overestimate young children academically but underestimate them intellectually” ( Katz, 2000,p.7) “Children are remarkable for their intelligence and ardor, for their curiosity, their intolerance of shams, the clarity and ruthlessness of their vision.” ( Huxley,n.d.) “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.” ( Lewis,n.d.) “What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.” ( Shaw, n.d.)

COMPARISON OF STANDARD APPROACHES AND REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH (ICT) Standard ICT skills are often taught and assessed operationally e.g. the pupil can log off, find a program etc. Reggio Emilia Early years centers do teach computer and technology skills but stress the ‘why’ of it and the desired result.

COMPARISONS BETWEEN STANDARD APPROACHES AND REGGIO EMILIA (SEND) STANDARD Special Education The child is assessed and this is filed as a tick sheet. Emphasis on them not holding others back. REGGIO EMILIA As much as is possible children with ‘special rights’ are fully incorporated with an emphasis on peer acceptance

THE EXAMPLE OF MARCO (UNABLE TO SEE) ‘To make a way for Marco to find his way toward the bathroom the children thought of the idea to create a tactile path, using a strip made with a solid plastic rug with bumps in relief that he could feel with his feet as he walked. They experimented with different surfaces and types of carpets by walking with their eyes closed until they found the one they thought would be best. For the pathway to the kitchen, they thought about a rope with bells attached…..Marco participated in the small group discussions…..These discussions seemed to activate in Marco some spontaneous and independent movement’ (Soncini,p.201, 2012)

COMPARISON BETWEEN STANDARD APPROACHES AND REGGIO EMILIA (NUTRITION) STANDARD Healthy eating Charts and tick lists are put up. Parents are given guidelines for lunch boxes or meals are provided but with no consultation of pupils REGGIO EMILIA Hot lunches are provided every day with full consultation between children and the kitchen. Kitchen staff are part of the educational team.

ASSESSMENT REGGIO STYLE The Hare versus hair experiment

DEVISE A FAIR TEST TO DISCOVER THE STRENGTH OF A HAIR The assessment criteria asked that the pupil come up with a test along the lines of attaching the hair to a surface and then attaching paper clips until the hair broke. The task took place after a topic on the human body and the child was thus expected to know the context. Being far more interested in animals the boy said ‘Well catching the hare would be the hardest part as I would not want it to be frightened but when I had caught it I would attach a belt to its tummy but stroke its ears to calm it and then I would attach the belt to a toy cart and fill it with blocks. At the point that the hare could no longer pull the cart I would know its strength was equal to that number of blocks.’

REFERENCES Forman, G. (2012) The Use of Digital Media In Reggio Emilia In C.Edwards,L.Gandini & G.Forman (Eds), The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Experience in Transformation (pp.27-73).Oxford, England: Praeger Gandini,L (2012) History, Ideas, and Basic Principles; An Interview with Loris Malaguzzi. In C.Edwards,L.Gandini & G.Forman (Eds), The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Experience in Transformation (pp.27-73).Oxford, England: Praeger Compass School Cincinnati (2011). Reggio Emilia Philosophy [PowerPoint slides –slide 18]. Retrieved December 15 from Huxley, A. (n.d.) [Quote] Retrieved December 15, 2014 from Katz,L. &,Chard,S. (2006). ‘Engaging children’s minds. The project approach’ (2 nd ed.) USA:Greenwood OCED (2011), “Foreword”, in Starting Strong 111: A Quality Toolbox for Early Childhood Education and Care,OCED Publishing. Lewis,C. (n.d.) [Quote] Retrieved December 15 th, 2014 from Reggio Children (n.d.). Retrieved December 15,2014, from Shaw, G.B. (n.d.) [Quote] Retrieved December 15 th, Soncini,I. (2012) The Inclusive Community. In C.Edwards,L.Gandini & G.Forman (Eds), The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Experience in Transformation (pp.27-73).Oxford, England: Praeger