Reggio Emilia: Beauty as Education

Reggio Emilia Learning Objectives To gain a clear overview of the Reggio Emilia approach to Early Childhood Education To develop an understanding of how the centres operate and how the individuals within act to produce a communal and positive learning experience for all To appreciate the importance of the learning environment and understand its role within a Reggio Emilia context To value documentation as a pivotal task for the Reggio Emilia Practitioner and to understand the connection between this documentation and professional reflective practice What is Reggio Emilia? Reggio Emilia is a city in northern Italy that has a unique and internationally admired approach to early childhood learning. The majority of Early Childhood Education services in the city are supported by the municipality – an organisation similar to our own County Councils. The Operating Structure in a Reggio Emilia Early Childhood Learning Centre All municipality supported services have a unified system of organisation. The municipality pays all salaries directly and pays for the building and equipment. The parent’s contributions through fees are spent on food and bills such as electricity. There are six professional roles within centres. These are; Infant Practitioners Toddler Practitioners Preschool Practitioners Atelierista (Artist in residence) Pedagogista (Educational philosophist) Cook Each of the practitioners are educated to degree standard in a three year full time format. They are then apprenticeshiped to a Reggio Early Learning Centre where they are trained on site for three years in the Reggio approach. After this period they are considered fully qualified Reggio Practitioners and are given great freedom in the running of their groups in line with the professional respect their training warrants. In general there are two practitioners per group, although sometimes one of these may be an apprentice practitioner training in the Reggio approach. The Atelierista is the artist in residence. They have a degree in Art and experience of individual and group art. They are there to support the children in art projects each day. They work alongside the practitioners and children in ongoing works in progress and sometimes make suggestions for art projects that the children discuss at morning assembly. They manage the Atelier (art room) and/or mini Ateliers (smaller art spaces and art material storage rooms adjacent to each classroom) and ensure the constant supply of fresh and interesting art materials and equipment. The Pedagogista is a Pedagogical or teaching philosophy specialist. They have a degree in Early Childhood Care and Education, have completed their Reggio Apprenticeship, gained experience as a Reggio Emilia early years practitioner and undertaken a further two years study to qualify at masters level in Early Childhood Education. They work with the practitioners in a group of settings (3-5) centres. They support existing and ongoing dialogues on pedagogical approaches and facilitate group decision making on arising pedagogical issues. They also initiate discussions on pertinent debates and international or local research. They organise ongoing training courses for staff based on staff identified training needs. They visit each of their centres regularly and are available to support the staff at all times. The Cook manages the food budget and the weekly menus. They prepare and serve all food. All meals are communal with all age groups eating together in the large central piazza. As children are free to roam around the whole centre just as they are free to roam around at home, they sometimes enter the kitchen and help the cook with the food preparation. Cooks are considered full members of the professional staff and while they do not generally possess the degree qualification in Early Childhood Care and Education, they are offered ongoing training and development including training on engaging children in the kitchen and child safety in the kitchen. Each centre also has a number of volunteers and helpers who support each area of work in the centre. These are usually parents, grandparents or community members. The centres are ordinarily open from 8.00am until 4.00pm five days a week. However, they can be open from 7.30am until 6.20pm by parental request. The learning year runs from September 1st until June 30th but can be extended until July 30th by parental request. Centres that don’t open for July run summer camps for that month instead. All centres are closed for the month of August. The teaching staff start a week earlier than the children and finish up two weeks later than the children. This time is used for in-service training, organising the environment for the term ahead and meeting the children and families who will be starting at the centre for the first time when term starts. The Reggio Emilia Learning Environment The Reggio Emilia approach is centred on the belief that learning is enabled by human interaction, the physical environment and the cultural environment (Strozzi in Barchi et al, 2001) The human interaction occurs between the children themselves, between the staff and between the children and staff. The physical environment refers directly to the physical space and equipment while the cultural environment is the atmosphere and energy that create the personality of the centre. The Physical Learning Space A Reggio Emilia centre of early childhood learning is primarily a place of beauty and light. The aesthetics of the physical space are of paramount importance and creating and developing its beauty is seen as a collective responsibility between all staff and children. Every Reggio centre has lots of both indoor and outdoor space and plenty of natural light. Mirrors are used to maximise the sense of space and light that is central to the principle of beauty everywhere. This principle is further evident in hundreds of small details throughout each centre. Scented candles, hanging crystals spraying rainbows, handmade shell and mirror mobiles tinkling in windows, muslin sheeting draped from the ceiling, beautiful china and pottery delph, essential oil burners, atmospheric and classical music, handmade curtains, cushions and tablecloths in beautiful materials, fresh cut flowers in vases, plants, cared for spaces and equipment and countless other small details that combine to create a beautiful physical environment are all evident in any Reggio Emilia setting. The large physical space allows for free and confident movement by the children throughout the building where they are free to wander, engage with the adults in any room, join other groups, help younger children and learn from older children. The centres are circular in design although many of the buildings are square. This is achieved through the creation of a large central space called the piazza. All other rooms lead off this space. The piazza is used for the morning assembly, intergroup socialising, eating together, events and large group projects. Every centre also has an art space called an Atelier or Mini Atelier. Sizes vary in accordance with the size of the school. This is a space where art is the central theme. All children have access to this space and can create art projects on their own or in consultation with the Atelierista. The Atelier is a larger space where all children can engage in art projects whereas the Mini Ateliers are smaller spaces adjacent to each classroom. A dress up area is also a feature in each centre. This is a space where role playing and storytelling projects are supported through the provision of costumes and props. This area is a favourite among the children and it often utilised during the free play morning sessions for spontaneous games and dressing up as well as for group projects mini plays. Each centre has a reading area where soft seats, couches and bean bags are available beside a large and varied, well cared for book collection on easy accessible shelving. The children can seek out books and spend time here alone or with friends. The practitioner also uses this space to read aloud to the children. Other areas of designation play are a shop area and a home play area. There is also a separate room for sleeping and resting. The majority of spaces in the school are spacious free play areas where the children’s imaginations can determine their function on an ever evolving and changing basis. The Learning Materials and Equipment as an element of the Physical Environment. The equipment used is largely made up of natural and recycled materials. The purpose of materials is seen as supporting a landscape of possibility and suggestion. Therefore obvious toys and fabricated plastic reproductions of real things are not used. Instead the real items themselves are used. This is the case in relation to tools, delph, cutlery and so forth. Raw materials make up the majority of equipment in a Reggio Emilia setting. That is, boxes of shells, buttons, spools, stones, sticks, pieces of material, mesh, bottles, sand, water, leaves, clay, elastic, wood, blocks, bricks, coloured glass, string. Used materials such as old and cleaned engines, pipes large and small, barrels, nuts and bolts, spare parts and metal are all used in construction, engineering and invention projects. Children have access to paper, pens, pencils, paints, glue, scissors, paper and all manner of art support materials in the Atelier. Every centre has at least one projection box which is an electric light filled box with an opaque top. All materials can be examined in great detail and clarity using this projection or light box. All materials are provided with the aim of enabling the children to pose questions, elicit hypothesis and foster their innate desires to experiment, create and learn (Strozzi in Barchi et al, 2001) The Culture, Atmosphere and Energy as an element of the Learning Environment ’ A school is a very complex and fluid organism. It is made up of individuals, spaces, rhythms, desires, expectations and emotions’ (Strozzi in Barchi et al, 2001) The culture, atmosphere and energy of a centre come from the people within it, both adults and children. Being aware of this helps the often unperceived to be seen and understood. The feelings and values that exist at any one time are what creates an ever evolving culture within each centre. In this way, happiness, contentment, joy, curiosity, interest, possibility, fun, longing, desire, individuality, belonging, identity, love, affection, friendship, intimacy, peace, autonomy, confidence and freedom together with rights, responsibilities, stimulation, understanding, respect, diversity, equality, openness, trust, nurturing, mindfulness, care, integrity, attention, democracy, beauty and comfort all combine to create an ‘amiable school’. An amiable school is one where the children, staff and parents are happy. An amiable school is the Reggio Emilia goal (Malaguzzi, 1993) This happiness, enabled by the culture of the centre, is a central component of the learning environment as it frees all within the centre to enjoy and learn unencumbered. Documentation and reflective practice. Documentation plays a key role in the Reggio Emilia Philosophy of both teaching and learning. It is most valued as a recall tool ( Rinaldi in Barchi et al, 2001)). Documentation that allows for recall enables both practitioners and children to revisit and progress projects through their examination, analysis and discussion. This process allows for all involved to reflect on the work and its meaning. Documentation provides material which enables the practitioners to reflect on each project. This reflection enriches their input and guidance through thorough and informed awareness of each child’s learning. Documentation refers to any record of the children’s projects, interactions, work and processes. Often these are written notes but audio and video recordings as well as photographs and copies of the children’s work are also kept and used for reflective purposes by children and practitioners alike, in groups and individually. The function of this reflective practice is to seek the ‘meaning’ in what the children are doing. Once the meaning is identified, it is the practitioner’s role to understand it to the extent that it can be employed as a tool for maximising both the children’s enjoyment and their learning. Observing, listening and paying careful attention are therefore key skills of the Reggio Emilia Practitioner. Writing up notes after each session, attaching other forms of supporting documentation to them and making the time to revisit them and reflect on their content as an exercise in ascertaining the meaning of the work for each child is a commitment made by the Reggio Emilia practitioner and a skill build up over the three years of their apprenticeship. The Daily Routine in a Reggio Emilia Centre of Early Childhood Learning In the morning, children and their parents arrive between 7.30am and 9am. This period of time is viewed as the welcoming time. Children and their families are welcomed with warmth and delight. Time is given to families to say their goodbyes for the day. The pace of leaving is set by the families and respected as a delicate moment full of meaning and feeling for both the children and their parents. It is understood that a positive and unhurried departure has an impact on both the children’s and their parents’ sense of well being for the day ahead. The children greet each other and their practitioners and are free to mingle, catch up, play and talk together. The atmosphere is one of ‘overall softness’ (Ceppi & Zini, 1998) which is described as an ecosystem where there is diversification, stimulation and a great welcome where children open to their group but where there are also spaces for privacy and opportunities for pause from the general rhythms of the group. Respect and listening to children is paramount in a Reggio setting, to the extent that a strategy of ‘attention’ is employed by practitioners at all times. The principle of ‘overall softness’ serves to ensure that the centre is a serene, amiable , liveable place. The children wait for friends to arrive and welcome them with delight. Groups are organically formed in this space and projects organically initiated or continued from previous work. Children move around the centre in a free and confident manner, occupying all spaces, talking, sharing, making plans, forming groups which expand and reduce as the children get involved in various projects following their own interests and needs. The practitioners warmly greet each arrival, they also are available to support any of the children’s organically developed activities. In addition, they spend this time talking with colleagues, discussing possibilities for the day based on preceding days, sharing ideas, offering advice and making decisions about arising issues. By 9.00am all the children have arrived and together with the practitioners they tidy up the mornings work, put away the materials and shelve works in progress for continuation another time. Children in the middle of a project or game are given time to wind it up naturally and join the group when they have done so. Usually all are ready to sit down by 9.15am. This is a time for discussing the day ahead. It is called Morning Assembly. During the Assembly, fruit is served and the children eat and discuss their ideas for the day ahead. Projects from previous days are examined and how to progress them is discussed. For children who are pre-verbal, the interests they displayed during the morning’s free play session is taken by the practitioners as indications of interest and incorporated into the daily plan. An outline structure is given to the day with set resting and eating times but otherwise the children’s interests and desires determine the activities and how they progress. Different groups of children can embrace different activities and follow divergent paths for the day. The morning assembly is seen as an important element of democratic learning. It gives the children a sense of participation and inclusion that leads to a higher degree of self regulation and lower levels of challenging behaviour as it promotes a sense of belonging which results in lower aggression levels (Strozzi in Barchi et al, 2001) Loris Malaguzzi – founder of Reggio Children, describes the morning assembly as follows; “ So ideas fly, bounce around, accumulate, rise up, fall apart slowly, or spread, until finally one of them takes a decisive hold; it flies higher and conquers the entire group of children” Once the assembly has been wrapped up, the children and practitioners organise themselves in accordance with the plans they have made. Each group is free throughout the day to collectively agree to change direction or focus. Projects are developed that can last for minutes, hours, days, weeks or even months. A project that I observed during a study visit to Reggio Emilia is a good example of how projects evolve. The project involved a group of children working on self portraiture. First they drew a series of pictures of themselves, then they painted self portraits. They traced the outline of their bodies onto large sheets of paper, they sculpted their image in clay, they photographed their face and body, their belongings and clothes, they videoed interviews with themselves. They stopped regularly to discuss their progress and their learning with their practitioner, each other and their Atelierista. They helped each other with cameras, materials and equipment. The project was still ongoing by the time I left Reggio Emilia. The children did not know when it would end. It would reach its own natural conclusion, they felt. Children can work on more than one project simultaneously, deciding at the morning assembly how much time they wish to give to each project that day. Lunch is served at 12.00 noon and the children all take a siesta after lunch. Children who do not wish to sleep, rest in their bed and enjoy a quiet time. This resting period lasts for two hours. Most of the children sleep with even those electing to ‘rest’ slipping in and out of a snooze. This is culturally supported by the Mediterranean idea of the ‘siesta’ an afternoon napping and quiet time observed by the whole community. The staff use this time to reflect on the morning, discuss projects, share information and ideas as well as archive documentation on the children’s work. Projects continue after siesta until going home time with a snack being served in the piazza at 3.30pm. The day’s projects are discussed at the following day’s morning assembly. References and Recommended Reading Barchi, Barozzi, Cagliari, Filippini, Gambetti, Gardner, Guidici, Krevevsky, Mardell, Piazza, Rinaldi, Rubizzi, Seidel, Strozzi,Vecchi (2001) Project Zero: Making Learning Visible- Children as individual and group learners. Reggio Children. Reggio Emilia. Ceppi, G and Zini, M. (1998) Children, Spaces, Relations –Metaproject for an Environment for Young Children. Reggio Children. Reggio Emilia Katz, L and Cesarone (1994) Reflections on the Reggio Emilia Approach. Urbana, IL: ERIC/EECE. Malaguzzi, L. (1993) For an Education Based on Relationships. Young Children 9-13. Italy Malaguzzi, L (1996) The Hundred Languages of Children, Catalogue of the Exhibition.