UNION CONGREGATIONAL NURSERY SCHOOL IS NAEYC ACCREDITED
What is a Reggio-Emilia inspired school?
Loris Malaguzzi (1920-1994) founded the Reggio-Emilia approach at a city in northern Italy called Reggio-Emilia just after the end of WWII. The 'Reggio' approach was developed for municipal child-care and education programs serving children below six. Its premise was (and still is) that children are competent, resourceful, curious, imaginative and inventive, possessing a basic need to interact and communicate with others.
The 'Reggio' vision of the child as a competent learner produced a strong child-directed curriculum model with purposeful progression but not scope and sequence. Teachers follow the children's interests and do not provide focused instruction in reading and writing. The Reggio approach has a strong belief that children learn through interaction with others, including parents, staff and peers in an inviting, beautiful learning environment.
Some key features of the Reggio Emilia approach include:
The role of the environment-as-teacher
Within the Reggio Emilia schools, educators are very concerned about what their school environments teach children. Attention is given to the look and feel of the classroom, often referring to the environment as the "third teacher". The aesthetic beauty within the schools is seen as an important part of respecting the child and their learning environment. A classroom atmosphere of playfulness and joy pervades. Documentation of children's work, plants, and collections that children have made from former outings are displayed both at the children's and adult eye level.
Children's multiple symbolic languages
Children use the arts as a symbolic language through which to express their understandings in their project work. Consistent with Dr. Howard Gardner's notion of schooling for multiple intelligences, the Reggio approach calls for the integration of the graphic arts as tools for cognitive, linguistic, and social development. Presentation of concepts and hypotheses in multiple forms such as print, art, construction, drama, music, puppetry, and shadow play are viewed as essential to children's understanding of experience.
Documentation as assessment and advocacy (unique in Reggio approach)
Documentation and display of the children's project work is necessary for children to express, revisit, and construct/reconstruct their feelings, ideas and understandings. Graphic presentation of the dynamics of learning are provided through photographs of children engaged in experiences accompanied by their words as they discuss what they are doing, feeling and thinking. Similar to the portfolio approach, documentation of children's work in progress –and of children at work- is viewed as an important tool in the learning process for children, teachers, and parents. Teachers act as recorders (documenters) for the children, helping them trace and revisit their words and actions and thereby making the learning visible.
Long-term projects
Support and enrichment of children's learning is provided through in-depth, short-term and long-term project work, in which responding, recording, playing, exploring, hypothesis building and testing occurs. Projects are child-centered, and follow their interest, returning again and again to add new insights. Throughout a project, teachers help children make decisions about the direction of study, the ways in which the group will research the topic, the representational medium that will demonstrate and showcase the topic.
The teacher as researcher
The teacher's role within the Reggio Emilia approach is multifaceted. Working as co-teachers, the role of the teacher is first and foremost to be that of a learner alongside the children. The teacher is a teacher-researcher, a resource and guide as she/he lends expertise to children. Within such a teacher-researcher role, educators carefully listen, observe, and document children's work and the growth of community in their classroom and are to motivate and stimulate thinking. Teachers are committed to reflection about their own teaching and learning. They work in collaboration, sharing information and mentoring between personnel.
Home-school relationships
Children, teachers, parents and community are interactive and work together. The goal is to build a community of inquiry between adults and children, and children with other children. Each school, reflective of its own community, will be different from those in other communities. Loris's vision of an "education based on relationships" focuses on each child in relation to others and seeks to activate and support children's reciprocal relationships with other children, family, teachers, society, and the environment.
The Reggio approach is not a formal model with defined methods (such as Waldorf and Montessori), teacher certification standards and accreditation processes. Rather, the educators in Reggio Emilia inspired schools speak of their evolving "experience" and see themselves as a provocation and reference point, a way of engaging in dialogue starting from a strong and rich vision of the child. In all of these settings, documentation was explored as a means of promoting parent and teacher understanding of children's learning and development.
The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education has attracted the worldwide attention of educators, researchers and many others who are interested in early childhood education best practices. Even the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)'s revised version of developmentally appropriate practices guidelines includes examples from the Reggio approach. Today, Reggio inspired schools can be seen all over the USA, UK, New Zealand, Australia and many other countries.
adapted from a July 9, 2008 article at Brainy-Child.com
Recommended books on the Reggio approach include:
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The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach - Advanced Reflections
The book is a comprehensive introduction covering history and philosophy, the parent perspective, curriculum and methods of teaching, school and system organization, the use of space and physical environments, and adult professional roles including special education |
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Bringing Reggio Emilia Home
This book is good for parents who like to have more in-depth understanding on Reggio Emilia principles and may be inspired to implement Reggio approach at home. |
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Bringing Learning to Life: A Reggio Approach to Early Childhood Education (Early Childhood Education, 86)
"Bringing Learning to Life" is a practical view of the everyday learning that can happen in a classroom. If you don't know about the Reggio Emilia Approach, after reading Bringing Learning to Life you would.
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Working in the Reggio Way: A Beginner's Guide for American Teachers
Working in the Reggio Way helps teachers of young children bring the innovative practices of the schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, to American classrooms. Written by an educator who observed and worked in the world-famous schools, this groundbreaking resource presents the key tools that will allow American teachers to transform their classrooms, including: Organization of time and space, Documentation of children's work, Observation and questioning, Attention to children's environments. |
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At UCWNS children from 2 ½ - 5 enjoy opportunities to engage in activities supporting their social, emotional, cognitive and physical development. Each group’s explorations are sustained by 2 classroom teachers and a studio teacher (for support of Art activities) as well as specialists in music and creative movement.
UCWNS is located within easy walking distance from the town’s library, fire house, and business district, enabling children to explore their own interests and community. Active parent involvement has enhanced our curriculum. Our staff members are trained in early childhood education and/or certified by the State of New Jersey. Consistent professional development upholds our teachers to the highest standards.
Established in 1968, Union Congregational Weekday Nursery School welcomes you to visit our Open Houses in November, December and January. If you would like more information or to visit the school, please call (973) 744-9069.
“Childhood is the world of miracle and wonder, as if creation rose, bathed in light, out of darkness, utterly new and fresh and astonishing. The end of childhood is when things cease to astonish us. When the world seems familiar, when we have got used to existence, one has become an adult.”
E. Ionesco |
