Research Paper on Relevance of the Reggio Emilia Approach (Essay Sample)

Reggio Emilia Approach
Name:
Institution:
Reggio Emilia Approach
Introduction
The topic is about the Reggio Emilia approach to Early Childhood Education. The objective of this research essay is to find out if the Reggio Emilia approach contributes to early childhood Education. The research question is: Does Reggio Emilia’s approach contribute to early childhood education? The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education was started by schools in the city of Reggio Emilia northern Italy in 1945. Reggio Emilia began when a group of parents choose to take care of children who were in their community to help parents who were rebuilding their city after World War II. A teacher known as Loris Malaguzzi came up with this approach. Reggio Emilia approach has been observed as an inspiration and resource in helping parents, educators, and children while they work jointly to additionally expand their educational programs. Furthermore, Reggio Emilia values children’s’ capability of learning on their own, in relation to the potential of all children to think, and construct knowledge and learn. It’s based on child centered creativity, aesthetics, learning, working partnership with parents, documentation environments, and collaboration. The Reggio Emilia approach is maintained by a philosophy which still continues to develop and grow. The approach early foundations were fixed infamous sources like the British nursery/infant tradition, the teaching of Maria Montessori ; the principles of Vygotskys on mature people and team engagement in kid’s learning.
Relevance of the Reggio Emilia Approach
Reggio Emilia practices and pedagogies help to promote an approach by the community of learning. This is done through the involvement of parents, teachers and children as active associates. Rather than giving the children the role of being participants who purely receive instructions. In the teachings of Reggio Emilia children are always expected to engage in reflecting on their learning, personally meaningful projects, and then repeat it again. Teachers are considered to be researchers trusted with decision making that benefit children with the help from the community and parents. Students are appreciated as able human beings, and not blank vessels to be filled with information.
Brunton & Thornton (2007), throughout their research, recommended that children are inherently creative and ought to be encouraged and offered space and time to build up their creativity freely. Reggio Emilia approach promotes the thought that children’s creativity can extend unabated through boundaries and restrictions.Through giving children time and freedom to test things, space to explore materials out also diverse opportunities of learning and developing new skills. Children will without doubt employ their curiosity and creative nature to make important connections amid their experiences and the wider world.  If the right resources are provided to children, like toys that have many uses, natural fibers and other items like fabrics and glass, this will provide them with the tools toward exploring their creativity. Children will be able to reflect on how their projects are connected to their life experience and learning.  
The aims of the Reggio Emilia approach are: To communicate a strong idea of children's rights, resources, that are often unrecognized or deserted and their potentials. To endorse research, and experimentation in education and studies, with specific emphasis on children’s, creative learning processes, active and constructive. To proceed with the culture of teachers and professionalism which promote a better awareness of the worth of work, collegial and of important relationships with the families and their children. To emphasize the important of research, interpretation, documentation and observation of children's information building and thinking. To arrange guided visits to cultural initiatives, educational programs, seminars, conferences, exhibitions, proficient growth courses on the issues of education and the childhood culture.
The Reggio Emilia approach is based on the subsequent principles and features: Emergent Curriculum this curriculum is evolved and formed from the interests and ideas of children. Topics for study are originated from the conversations of children, through family events, community and also the recognized interests of children (shadow, dinosaurs, puddles). A vital component of the developing curriculum is team planning. Teachers toil together to devise hypotheses concerning the potential directions of a project, possible parent, and the materials needed and community support associated children’s ideas.
Project work is considered to be adventurous ,this projects may take one week to complete or might be completed throughout the whole school year. This projects are developed instantly by holding discussions of new ideas, inducing conflicts, negotiating over, seeing progress, revisiting, exploring, recording, seeing movement of ideas, hypothesis building, provoking, playing and testing. During a topic teacher helps the children come up with decisions in the area of study, how the topic will be researched, the media to adopt to showcase the topic, and materials needed to represent the work. How the children respond help the teacher to introduce the materials, questions, and opportunities that motivate children to explore the topic further. The problems that the children identify will determine the topic the teacher will give them. Planning of the curriculum and implementation turn around on open-ended and long- term projects which are based upon the mutual nature of child initiated activity and teacher direction.
Literature Review
Setting up of the pre- schools was imposed by Loris Malaguzzi who was a young teacher during that time. He offered his life in the development of philosophy called Reggio Emilia approach (Wurm, 2005). The Reggio Emilia council becomes the first in Italy to come up with individual services of offing early education (Cartasi, 2004). Their original pre-school was for kids between the ages of 3 to 6 years. A ‘Robinson’ school , which was based on the same philosophy was started in 1963 and was known by the national laws. It was the first time in Italy, where the citizen had permission to open a secular school.
The following are the Reggio Emilia Approach essential principles: Reggio Emilia Approach is based upon widespread philosophy, which guided by a number of fundamentals directing principles. These principles should be considered to be integrated in which each principle influences the other (Gandini1998).The following are six principles stated by Reggio Emilia in relation to early childhood education:
The child being viewed as a protagonist, collaborator, and communicator: Reggio Emilia schools guided by this principle believed that children are powerful, competent and strong from birth. Rinaldi (1998) explained foundation of the Reggio experiment under the theory, research and practice as the child image as strong, competent and rich in resources. Reggio stressed about seeing the children as unique people with human right instead of needs. Children are viewed as protagonists who have rights to communicate and collaborate with others. These rights are shown through a show of wonderment, curiosity, discovery, social construction and representing their awareness in their context. The children make knowledge based on their experience as they interact with others. Children become communicators as they develop rationally as they utilize representations of symbols which include movement, painting, drawing, building, sculpture, collages, dramatic plays, music and words. These help children to improve their communication levels, symbiotic skills, and also be creative (Edwards & Springate, 1993).  Teachers as nurture, guide, partner and researcher: In Reggio Emilia the teacher’s role is that of nurturer, guide, researcher and partner. The teacher should possess a positive image of the children. Hence the teacher role should not be separated from the image of the children. Teachers should view themselves as partners in building of knowledge of children. Teachers should view themselves as leaders in front of children or near, beside, behind or near the children. Instead they should be with the children, discovering, exploring, and learning together with them. All the members in the classroom should understand that all contributions are important. This enhances the power of the children to contribute to their personal education. Teachers also play the role of researchers as they must frequently change the children learning image.For teachers to be efficient researchers they must constantly improve their listening and observation skills. Teachers decide topics to teach through observing, listening, asking questions, checking the response and then bringing the ideas and materials children can use in increasing their understanding.
Cooperation is the basis of the system of educational in Reggio Emilia: Teachers inspired by Reggio approach are partners with all their colleagues. Cooperation and collaboration among staff members is an important and powerful tool in attaining goals of education. In Reggio Emilia city the chief manager informs the town council working with a pedagogical group, and also the curriculum team leader of teachers belonging to five or six centers. Every school holds an atelierista, a teacher who is uniquely trained in the art who work together with classroom teachers in documentation and planning. The atelierista passes the instructions using different media. All the staff including custodian staff and cooks are involved in the implementation of goals and planning of field trip (Borgia, 1991...