Reggio Emilia April 2012

History A simple, liberating thought came to our aid, namely that things about children and for children are only learned from children. We knew how this was true and, at the same time, not true. But we needed that assertion and guiding principle; it gave us strength and turned out to be an essential part of our collective wisdom. -Loris Malaguzzi

Principles 1. Image of the child

2. Environment as third teacher

3. Time

4. Progettazione- Projects

5. Family & Community

6. Observation & Documentation

Image of the Child Children are: • Strong and powerful • Rich in potential • Driven by the power of

wanting to grow • Nurtured by adults who take

this drive toward growth seriously

• Curiosity of children makes them question and research

• Children have not just the need, but the right to interact and communicate with one another and with caring, respectful adults.

"Reality, as always happens in children's hands, reveals once again its infinite potential for transformation." -Loris Malaguzzi

• Our values and beliefs about children are communicated through the physical space

• Ambience • Aesthetics • Materials instead of toys

Environment as Third Teacher

Time • Large blocks of time • Time is flowing and

negotiable • Long wait time

Progettazione- Projects • Emerge from a core

question • Long term • Projects are the

curriculum • Children themselves

are planning, testing, executing, and giving feedback to each other

"What children learn does not follow as an automatic result from what is taught. Rather, it is in large part due to the children's own doing as a consequence of their activities and our resources." -Loris Malaguzzi