Koala House and Reggio Emilia?

 

         There are many approaches and philosophies to teaching early childhood education. Some years ago Koala House Kindergarten made the decision to incorporate the Reggio Emilia Approach into its curriculum. We felt by doing so, we could provide our children with a solid foundation for their future academic success, due to its emphasis on experiential learning. Over the years we have made progress in the right direction. As we make improvements we hope to meet our goal of developing children who love to learn and who are happy.

         For those of you who may not be familiar with the Reggio Emilia approach let me give you a summary of its main characteristics.

The Image of the Child

The Reggio Emilia approach to teaching originated in Northern Italy and is founded on the belief that children’s curiosity about their world, as well as their innate sense of creativity, should guide their learning. Because we define our students as capable, imaginative, knowledgeable, and inquisitive, we encourage our teachers to observe children, and to create learning experiences that include the children’s interests.

Collaboration

Instead of controlling the entire learning process, the Reggio Emilia approach encourages teachers and parents to act as collaborators in the learning process of the children. We, therefore, encourage our teachers to listen, observe, and encourage children in whatever it is they are interested in knowing more about. Then we offer our knowledge and help, along with drawing upon the expertise of our parents and other adults in the Hanoi community. The Reggio Emilia approach depends on this collaborative partnership between parents, teachers and students.

The space in which children learn is defined as the “third teacher”. Therefore, the classroom, the school, and the surrounding community is seen as the medium through which a child’s learning experience is enriched. Because we see the importance of these environments, here at Koala House we work at creating a school and classroom environment that is open, comfortable, and welcoming. Our classrooms are setup to allow for mobility and communication between each other, because children are involved in small and large group projects throughout the day. Such collaborative learning encourages children to “talk, critique, compare, negotiate, hypothesize and problem-solve.” We also create opportunities for the children to get out and about Hanoi in order to explore their communities and to learn from it.

The Many Ways Children Learn

The Reggio Emilia approach believes that children have many ways of learning. This is reflected in the many materials, methods, and activities that the Reggio Emilia approach presents to children. Here at Koala House we strive to provide the children with a rich variety of materials to explore and use based on their ongoing interests. It is a very hands-on approach to learning and discovering.

The Teacher

Each teacher plays a very special role in your children’s learning. She is a co-constructor of knowledge, a researcher, a documenter, and an advocate for them. She makes available the resources for children to engage in their inquiries and guides the learning experiences so that curriculum expectations are mastered.

Projects

Creativity and critical thinking skills are promoted through hands on projects that inspire discussion. Therefore, Reggio Emilia Projects are central to the children’s and the teachers’ learning experiences. Project ideas come from the children’s interests as well as from others and are tied into the Ministry of Education’s curriculum expectations.

Documentation

Because the Reggio Emilia approach encourages a child’s independent learning, it is very important that learning progress is carefully documented. This approach believes such documentation must be done, for the most part, in a visual manner. So, here at Koala House, our teachers take pictures, save children’s work (such as drawings, crafts, works of art or “transcripts of children’s thoughts”), and display them in the classroom as well as about the school. In this way, children, teachers and parents can follow the individual learning progress of each child.

Above, I have tried to explain some of the most crucial elements of the Reggio Emilia approach. This method of early childhood education is one of the more popular approaches among early childhood educators because of its easy-going, yet holistic approach to educating the very young.

Here at Koala House we are committed to moving forward as a school in developing a Reggio Emilia mindset and school culture. We have not arrived yet, but we press on toward perfection.

Blessings,

Darren Czeczuga.

Educational Consultant