Reggio Emilia is not a person but a small town in Northern Italy. The town developed a learning and teaching philosophy shortly after World War II (1945) for their young children, the focus of which is dedicated to respecting the rights of the children. This is accomplished by listening to the child and observing their interactions with their surroundings.

The Child
Children are challenged with trying to communicate their emotions and expressions of how they understand their surroundings. They are individuals with their own thoughts, emotions, and expressions. These expressions are represented in the children's many "languages": drawing, painting, sculpture, shadow play, dramatic play, music.

The Reggio Emilia philosophy believes children have a natural curiosity to learn with unlimited potential. Children will make their own theories in an effort to explain how the world functions. In Reggio Emilia they believe that each child creates their own learning experience from direct interaction with their environment. By allowing the child to build their own foundation, intelligence is not memorized, it is created.

The Teacher
The teacher is a researcher guiding children’s experiences. Each child will bring a unique character and personality to school. This will play a major role in how the child interacts with the teacher and interprets learning experiences. Therefore, the teacher acts as a learner alongside the child.

Teachers carefully listen, observe, and document children's work. In the classroom, teachers provoke, co-construct, and stimulate thinking as children work on projects. Teachers reflect about their own abilities and are committed to unlocking each child’s full potential.

The Environment
Environment is considered the "third teacher." In Reggio Emilia schools, classrooms are designed to be visibly attractive and comforting. Plants, mobiles, children's work, and collections that children have made are displayed at the child's eye level. Common space available to all children in the school includes dramatic play areas and worktables for children from different classrooms to come together.

A welcoming environment encourages a child to engage in activity and discovery. Wall-sized windows, mirrors placed on floors, walls and ceilings establish a space filled with opportunity. The Reggio Emilia approach integrates nature into the curriculum so that the child learns to appreciate the physical and structural environment. The architecture is designed to encourage playful encounters for the students.

Documentation
Documentation is central in the Reggio Emilia approach. Documentation communicates the life of the center to others visiting the center. It also provides opportunities for children to revisit the experience. Documentation is a process that involves observation, reflection, collaboration, interpretation and analysis, and is made a part of the classroom. This process demonstrates to the child the importance of their work.

Multiple forms of documentation—photographs, audiotape transcripts, videotapes, classroom notes and the actual product of a child’s work—create a multi-sensory “memory” of an activity. Posting the documentation in the preschool encourages students to learn from one another and to appreciate the process of creating.

Links

• Wayne State University, Reggio Emilia Resources
• North American Reggio Emilia Alliance
• Selected Resources about the Reggio Emilia Approach
• CEEP, The Reggio Emilia Approach