What is the Reggio Emilia approach?

The Reggio Emilia approach fosters children's intellectual development through a systematic focus on symbolic representation. Young children are encourage to explore their environment and express themselves through all of their available "expressive, communicative, and cognitive languages," whether they be words, movement, drawing, painting, building, sculpture, shadow play, collage, dramatic play, or music, to name a few.

Classroom are organised to support a highly collaborative problem-solving approach to learning.

Other important features are the use of small groups in project learning, teach-child continuity, and the community-based management method of governance.

In Reggio Emilia, education is seen as a communal activity and sharing of culture through joint exploration among children and adults who together open topics to speculation and discussion.

- "Hundred languages of children"




Glossary of Reggio Emilia Terms:

Atelier: workshop, or studio, furnished with a variety of resource materials, used by all the children and adults in a school

Atelierista: Teacher trained in art education, in charge of the atelier; supports teachers in curriculum development and documentation