Reggio Emilia
The ideas coming out of Reggio Emilia in Italy have been enthusiastically received around the world, including Australia in recent years. Like many others I am on a journey towards understanding the implications for my practice. I read, reflect, talk with others and try ideas. I am not an expert of this subject, but an enthusiastic fellow traveller, willing to share ideas .
Some of the challenges have been:
- Preparing and providing an environment that can become ‘the third teacher’.
- Aesthetics without clutter, excitement and interest without adult domination, displays and documentation that matter, space and time used effectively.
- Reflecting on my own Image of the Child. What does this mean in practice?
- Learning how to make children’s learning and development visible in portfolios that are interesting, informative and most importantly, individual.
- Creating ways to document the reality of each day in a journal that is reflective, informative, authentic and meet statutory requirements of Licensing and/or Regulations.
- Taking digital photographs that record wondering, exploration, co-operation, involvement, movement and emotion not just the end products or pictures we would normally associate with the family holiday photographs.
- Finding ways to record conversations that matter and share these with families.
- Developing practices that encourage creativity, wondering and problem solving, and
- Most significantly [I think] finding ways to explore the point where Loris Malaguzzi and Howard Gardner meet!
Seminars and workshops offered address some or all of these challenges in ways that share the journey and encourage fellow travellers. The books that are available from us are chosen because they can add to our understanding and the links given are for your information.