As learning professionals, we are passionate about providing children with rich learning experiences from the very beginning of their educational journey. We recognize that children are tremendously curious and capable of finding solutions to sophisticated problems, and creating work that demonstrates deep and meaningful understanding. We are inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. However, Reggio Emilia is not a familiar term for most. What is it exactly? The beauty contained within is not immediately understood.
As educators at the forefront of bringing this philosophy to a new audience, we often struggle with finding just the right language to communicate what the Reggio philosophy is, why we are so passionately dedicated to it, and how it impacts the lives of our students. To that end, we are delighted to share an excerpt from a CNN news report which explores the schools in Reggio Emilia Italy and why they are considered the world’s best preschool model. The video includes an interview with Howard Gardner, an American developmental psychologist who is the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, Senior Director of Harvard Project Zero and author of over twenty books. The CNN team visit with our colleagues at The College School in St. Louis, Missouri, who share our commitment to a Reggio-inspired education, and who we have had the pleasure of visiting ourselves. The video also shares an interview with Amelia Gambetti of Reggio Children, who explains the purpose of the Reggio approach as to, “Bring up from the child what they have inside.” We could not agree more.
Please take a little time out of your busy day to enjoy this video.