I don't get this Reggio thing...
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Anonymous
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It just seems like regular playing...why is it so "hip" to be Reggio?
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Anonymous
| I taught at a school on the west coast which practiced a Reggio Emilia philosophy and also visited the city in Italy as a work related study. A school which truly understands this methodologie will have a deep understanding of the innate curiously of children and how to honor that. They also follow the practice of the environment as the third teacher which translates to a true devotion to a thoughtfully and beautifully put together environment that allows children to truly explore with accessible materials that are more open ended. So yes it is about playing but teachers act more like guides observing children playing and building a curriculum around their interests and discoveries rather than some random theme. For me what sets apart a true Reggio program is a beautiful environment and the atelier... you can look that up to learn more. |
Anonymous
With all due respect, it still sounds like the kids are playing. Sounds like daycare instead of preschool to me. Needs to be a balance or play based curriculum. Just because you put a nice name to it, doesn’t mean it is a good philosophy. |
Anonymous
Perhaps you should do some reading beyond DCUM. In The meantime... If you read the post above, it’s NOT all play. It’s about infusing the curriculum and following the kids’ lead. For example, if the kids are playing in the dramatic play area in the classroom and become engaged by creating their own pet hospital, the teacher could then take that lead. So when choosing a read aloud, she might select books about animals and taking care of them. They might write a book together about animal care. In math, they might be studying geometry and the concept of longer than, shorter than, etc. The teacher might use the stuffed animals from the “pet hospital” the students created as objects for students to measure with nonstandard units and then compare. The following year, the teacher is still going to teach math and reading and writing. But it may have nothing whatsoever to do with a pet hospital because that’s not what the kids are interested in. Does that make sense? |
Anonymous
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My dd goes to an independent preschool-8th whose early childhood program is Reggio Emilia inspired. She only did one year in early childhood and this was 5 years ago. Things I noticed:
1. The classrooms are gorgeous and have a calming effect. Natural light, earth tones, soft colors. Basically the opposite of a traditional preschool with primary colors and busy walls. 2. The materials are beautiful and for the most part, natural. 3. The teachers bring nature inside the classroom, and the teachers bring the kids outside for lessons and play. 4. The art was amazing. The early childhood had their own art studio called an atelier. And their own art teacher called an atelierista. (I’m not looking up how to spell those right) she took about 4 kids at a time and they did all kinds of art, again mostly with natural materials. Paint, weaving, clay... 5. There is a strong philosophy of recording and reflection. Art was labeled with the child’s picture. The teachers recorded the child’s feelings about what they created. We received daily reports. The teachers recorded exactly what the kids said. Lots of quotes. 6. The teachers follow the children’s lead. One year they were interested in robots, and devoted much of their learning to that. Read about robots, art about robots, they designed robots, had a robot play. One year they opened a camera repair shop and people brought in broken cameras. This year it’s maps. In kindergarten my dd’s Class was interested in song. They studied songs, wrote songs, recorded a CD. They did a rock theme one year. It’s a great educational philosophy when done right. But I would not say it’s the best. It is not just free play either, but I don’t see anything wrong with letting kids just play in a well thought out learning environment guided by educators. It is very light on actual academics which was why we chose it. But if your child needs direct instruction to learn how to read they won’t learn how to read in preschool. Most of the families who choose this school are well educated and the kids had every advantage in education at home. |
Anonymous
What happens to the 3 kids that we’re playing construction site and not pet hospital? Does the teacher guide them in their own interests or is it one topic per class? |
Anonymous
Wonderful point! Not all of the children will have the same interests so unless you have six teachers in a 12 child classroom to work on interests, then how does this work effectively? Also, children interests change in a matter of minutes. How does that work? Again, this seems like an excuse to have the teacher do less and the children play more. Why send them to school? Home daycare will be cheaper and give same result. Really? Letting a two year old or three year old direct instruction? Ridiculous. |
Anonymous
Why so much underlying anger about Reggio? Did your child actually attend a Reggio program ? A home daycare is different that a preschool so let’s start there... you need to educate yourself more about this topic. |
Anonymous
| Seriously, if you don't like it OP, choose a different preschool. |
Anonymous
With all due respect, you are making yourself sound rather uneducated right now. You obviously do not know much about this methodologie. Why don’t you spend some time reading about it and come back when you can give a more thoughtful response. |
Anonymous
| The Reggio philosophy is built on a deep respect for children and their capabilities. Children and teachers learn along side each other. There is a belief that children are not empty vessels that teachers fill with their knowledge. This respect for learning and for others is the cornerstone of each day and interaction in a Reggio environment. It is beautiful to watch. I second the opinion of the previous poster who suggested that you do some research about Reggio. Anyone who sends their child to a Reggio inspired school gives that child a true gift. |
Anonymous
My child's preschool has a curriculum that says it is partially Reggio-inspired, and incorporates some of the above items (like there is an atelier , they display the artwork and explanations about it throughout the school, and they spend a lot of time outside doing things like tending to their garden, talking about the plants and bugs, going on walks, etc.). |
Anonymous
| My kid goes to a Reggio preschool. We didn’t pursue it, it was just the one we got into and was convenient for us. He does basically play all day, but it is guided play. He makes “proposals” and lists out the steps of what he wants to do or the materials he needs and then a teacher helps him achieve his vision. He isn’t being drilled on letters and numbers daily like his old classmates at a large daycare center, but seems to be keeping up skill wise all the same when we have palydates with his old friends. I was skeptical at first, but it has turned out to be a good fit for my kid. |
Anonymous
My son’s class has 3 teachers. When he comes in each morning there are 3 areas set up with materials to inspire the kids. Kids come in and start exploring. During the day a teacher will observe / overhear play and suggest or solicit input for an activity. The teacher tells us that she. A new activity starts, most kids go over to have a look and usually 3-6 kids stay and see it through. The others go back to what they are doing or go explore another activity with another of the teachers. So usually there are 3 things going on at once and one or two kids in the building g corner working in blocks and another kid at the easel working on art. |
Anonymous
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1) There is no evidence that adult-driven academic work in early childhood leads to later academic success. There is lots of evidence that kids from academic preschools and play-driven preschools pretty much even out by around age 8. Kids who learn to read at age 4 and kid who learn to read at age 7 end up at roughly the same reading level by later elementary school.
2) There is plenty of evidence that kids attending Reggio and other high-quality play-based programs have better social skils, emotional control, sensory organization and executive functioning, and that these advantages turn into real-world advantages as they age, impacting grades, emotional and mental health, and future job prospects and salaries. You can spend age 2-5 drilling your kid on academic skills they aren’t ready for, but the result will be that they, at best, do better in kindergarten and MAYBE first grade than some of their play-based peers. Meanwhile, the play-based peers will catch up quickly on the academic skills AND spent those valuable early years developing both the underlying neurological structures that support later learning and developing soft skills that will enable them to apply academic skills effectively in the real world. |