Below is the article that just came out published in Bambi magazine in Thailand, a magazine for parents of young children. I was emailed before planning last year's trip to Thailand by Dina, the editor of Bambi. She discovered Spring Hollow from our website, www.springhollowschool.com and was requesting to interview me via email about our Reggio Emilia inspirations. I told her she could interview me during my month long visit to Thailand last November. We sat for three hours over coffee at a restaurant in Bangkok talking about Spring Hollow. Below is the excellent outcome of this interview by Dina:
Can Children Lead Their Own Learning?
38 • July - August 2014
In our on going educational series, we explore the Reggio Emilia educational approach and its image of a powerful child.
By Dina Kassymbekova
Photo credits: Spring Hollow Early Learning Center (there are photos of Spring Hollow throughout the article)
Child-centered has become a popular word in the world of education. Most schools and approaches claim to be “child-centered”. The term is used to state that students are respected and seen as individuals; sometimes it stands for active learning; and it is also used to express that teachers consider children’s interests, while shaping the curriculum. The Reggio Emilia approach takes the concept of child-centered learning one step further. Reggio schools don’t have a pre-planned curriculum. They develop it out of children’s individual interests. This innovative approach is based on the idea that children don’t need to be taught particular knowledge, instead, they need adults’ support to learn from their own play and exploration.
History and philosophy
It all started in Reggio Emilia, a town in the northern Italy, and its surroundings. After the end of World War II, a group of teachers and parents motivated to provide their children with a better future built a system of preschools, which offered children beautiful and nurturing environments and a non-traditional approach to learning. The inspiration came from Loris Malaguzzi, a young teacher, who supported the ideas that children learn best through active participation and that play is an important part of learning. Malaguzzi believed children possess great potential and resources.
Outdoor play area Mud kitchen (photo from Spring Hollow)
In Reggio Emilia schools students learn in context of long-term projects with the ideas for which they come up in collaboration with peers and teachers. In the same way they plan the projects and work on them. A teacher stays with the class for a period of three years to be able to learn to know the children and to build a relationship of trust.
In the late 1980s, the Reggio Emilia approach received international recognition and now there are Reggio inspired schools (mostly preschools for children up to 6 years of age) in different parts of the world.
Curriculum
The curriculum in Reggio schools emerges from children’s interests. Kate Ratliff, the founder of the Spring Hollow Early Learning Center in Franklin, Tennessee, United States uses the term scaffolding to explain this. Teachers recognize and respect the children’s own ideas and interests and build the learning around them, helping to bring the child’s knowledge to the next level. They support their students when needed but give them as much freedom as possible.
How does it work in practice? “There is more post-planning than pre- planning,” says Kate. While children play and explore, teachers observe them, take notes and pictures. During “collaboration meetings” teachers sit back and let children discuss. Peers talk and listen to each other and teachers document the process. In these discussions the ideas for projects are developed. Most of the projects last for several weeks. Different projects might go on simultaneously. The focus is not on the facts that are learned or results that are achieved but on the process of learning itself.
Examples of projects could be art installations; designing of houses, castles, bridges, cities etc.; making journals, calendars or charts; designing bags, toys and Christmas decorations. In Spring Hollow, children designed and built a playground for their pet guinea pig. Art is considered a natural way for children to express themselves. Children paint, work with clay, create 3-dimensional art out of natural and recycling materials, etc.
Teachers document children’s thoughts, ideas and work in journals, tapes, pictures and videos to make the learning visible and to allow the children to “revisit” their projects and reflect on them later.
Environment
A Reggio environment is beautiful. The original Reggio Emilia schools are located in natural surroundings and have a big outdoor space. Reggio classrooms are designed to encourage children to explore and communicate. Children can choose between different stations like dramatic area, dress up center, block area, trains, puzzles, science center, etc. One of the typical Reggio features is an art studio, an atelier. An atelier offers children a variety of materials to express themselves and the concepts they are learning through art. Reggio schools usually display their students’ work to allow the children to take pride in it and to show it to the parents.
Teacher’s role
“Observing, listening, documenting, and giving specific encouragement,” Kate lists teacher’s responsibilities, “understanding and validating the point of view of the child; being aware of your own nonconscious values that may keep you from accepting the true construction of learning from the child; knowing when to hold and fold.”
Parents’ involvement
In Reggio schools, parents are traditionally deeply involved in the school life. In Spring Hollow, parents volunteer to take care of animals, supply the school with resources and get involved in developing ideas for the curriculum and even teaching in the classrooms. Schools will organize education and workshops for parents.
Benefits for children
“Children learn to be true to themselves, not to what adults want them to be,” says Kate. She tells how a former student at Spring Hollow, who changed to a traditional school describes the differences:
“At my school now, we can only go down the slide; at Spring Hollow, we can go up the slide too. At my school now, we have to swing only on our bottoms. At Spring Hollow, we can swing all different ways. At my school now, we cannot hold hands. At Spring Hollow we can hold hands.”
Criticism
Critics say the Reggio approach is missing a structure, which is necessary to provide teachers with a framework to ensure classrooms do not become too chaotic. In some countries, preschools are expected to prepare children to school. Reggio education may not meet this demand.
Another point of criticism is the Reggio approach is not formalized. There is no accreditation system for schools and training requirements for teachers. As a result, it can be difficult to find out if a school truly follows the Reggio inspired schools.
Finally, there is the controversial question: Is it possible to transfer an educational approach which originated in a small Italian village and is deeply connected to its environment and community to other places in the world, which have different cultures.
Resources:
www.reggiochildrenfoundation. org The website of the non- profit foundation that aims to promote the values of the Reggio Emilia approach. Contains short information about the approach and Loris Malaguzzi.
http://reggioalliance.org/reggio- emilia/international-network/ lists organizations that represent Reggio approach in different countries.
http://www.springhollowschool.com The website of the Spring Hollow Early Learning Center in Franklin, Tennessee, US, a school inspired by Reggio Emilia education.
http://www.aneverydaystory.com An Australian mother inspired by Reggio approach blogs about homeschooling her two children.
Interviews on YouTube with Carla Rinaldi, pedagogical consultant to Reggio Children and professor at the University of Modena and Reggio in the faculty of Science and Early Education
www.bambiweb.org
