What is “Reggio”?
Guided by an educational philosophy deeply rooted in the belief that children are competent learners primed for inquiry and expression, the Reggio Emilia Approach has several defining characteristics:
A cultivated educational environment
Access to inviting materials
Integration of the arts
Documentation of student learning
Highly capable and collaborative teachers
A commitment to fostering wonder through inquiry.
Now an international educational movement, the approach is applied in various contexts around the globe. At Ventana, we utilize the Reggio Emilia Approach in every classroom. Although the approach looks different depending on the developmental stage of the children, there are several key threads that weave across the ages and unite our program:
Children, even very young children, are competent and capable.
Teachers and students co-construct knowledge together through inquiry.
Teachers analyze student understandings and offer invitations or questions that deepen student learning.
Children are capable of expressing themselves in various “languages,” many of them involving arts or construction, and should be offered the opportunity to do so.
Teachers are not “fountains of knowledge” they are “fountains of questions.”
A Brief History of the Reggio Emilia Approach to Education
The Reggio Emilia Approach, commonly shortened to “Reggio,” was developed in the child care centers of Reggio Emilia, Italy, after World War II. The town of Reggio Emilia, located in the region of Emilia Romagna, engaged in active resistance to both Facist and Nazi forces during World War II and was heavily impacted by bombing. The area had long been known for its collectivist sentiments, and the inhabitants eagerly sought opportunities to rebuild not only their infrastructure but also their community.
Through the sale of a tank, some horses, and an abandoned Nazi truck, the Committee of National Liberation funded a public project. The community was divided, with the men advocating to build a theater and “the women wanting to build a preschool to provide a new form of education that would ensure that they would never again bring up a generation of children who would tolerate injustice and inequality.” (Thornton and Brunton)
The entire community participated in building the first preschool, scavenging materials from the bombed-out ruins left from the war. The focus on community has remained a central value of the Reggio Emilia Approach to education. Emerging from the work of a group of women who were determined to instill critical thinking and deep empathy in children, the Reggio Emilia Approach continues to help students develop both discerning minds and compassionate hearts.
For more information about Reggio
North American Reggio Emilia Alliance
Thornton, Linda, and Pat Brunton. Understanding the Reggio Approach: Early Years Education in Practice. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2015.
Edwards, Carolyn P., et al. The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Experience in Transformation. Praeger, 2012.