Reggio Emilia

Junior Preschool, DDEC/USU

What is Reggio Emilia?

In the aftermath of WWII, parents and community members in the Reggio Emilia region of Italy
worked together to build a school for their young children. With the help of teacher Loris Malguzzi,
these municipal early childhood education centers and their child-centered method for teaching has
been studied, copied, and adopted worldwide.

Reggio Emilia schools are known for a project-based approach, which many preschool programs
have borrowed. In a project-based curriculum, lessons are based on the interest of the students.
As Wana explains, if children playing outside encounter a flower and start to ask the teacher
questions about how it grows, instead of directly answering the questions, the teacher
encourages the group to find out together. The class may then build a garden and learn all
that entails, while acquiring other important premath, prereading concepts. Another example
would be setting up a restaurant in the classroom based on the classs interest in playing in the
kitchen. As Wana explains, projects become child-originated and teacher-framed. (pbs.org)
Reggio Emilia programs are also known for documenting what children do, taking photos,
Whywriting
Reggio?
making videos,
observations. Then children and teachers can review what theyve done
throughout the year. (pbs.org)
Meri Cherry (Reggio-inspired
atelierista) lays out the basics:

Children use a hundred

languages to express
themselves. Words, symbols,
sounds, music, art, etc.

Children learn through

interacting with peers. The
environment is the third
teacher- the teacher, parent,
and classroom are all teachers.

The atelier, or art studio, plays

an especially important role in
enhancing and guiding the
community.

Children are capable people

who can drive their own
learning.

Documentation acts as a
reflective learning tool to guide
teachers and students.

Reggio Emilia
Junior Preschool, DDEC/USU
The DDE already utilizes several Reggio
principals in our classrooms:

Child-directed learning
Quarterly assessments by teachers
Dedicated art centers in every
room
Emphasis on peer cooperation
Research among teaching staff
Use of natural materials and light
On-site kitchen

Now were adding:

Longer-term projects
Even more flexible lesson plans
Increased use of documentation
o Video
o Written stories and
reflections
o Individual work portfolios for
each child
varied art mediums
increased opportunity for parent
involvement

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.
(www.reggiochildren.it)

The atelier
is a space for children to
utilize more of their
hundred languages to
express their thoughts
and learning, usually with
a designated teacher (the
atelierista).
Well rotate between
these three categories for
our art center projects.

Meri Cherry, www.mericherry.com

1. Observational art
2. Working with clay
3. Loose parts/
collage