There are many different Private School Philosophies that affect the way our children learn and thrive in an educational setting. Some schools adhere to a more traditional school philosophy with strict and rigorous guidelines while others approach education as another way to learn about the world around us, another tool in the resource box.
The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy for younger children and primarily focuses on preschool and primary education levels. The Method originally began in Italy after World War II by Loris Malaguzzi and the parents of the villages around Reggio Emilia. The approach became the creation of an educational program based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community but with a focus on learning through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment.
Philosophy of the Reggio Emilia Educational Approach
- Children must have some control over the direction of their learning;
- Children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing, and hearing;
- Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in the world that children must be allowed to explore
- Children must have endless ways and opportunities to express themselves.
Reggio Emilia inspired schools generally have a massive influence of nature and environment incorporated into their educational approach. Preschools are commonly filled with indoor plants and vines bathed in vast amounts of natural light. Classrooms are usually created to allow a center piazza, kitchens are open to view, and access to the surrounding community is assured through wall-size windows, courtyards, and doors to the outside in each classroom. This is all created in order to ensure that the environment informs and engages the children and adults alike. Being shut away inside a classroom, shut away from the very world you need to learn about, is not the way of the Reggio Emilia approach.
In NYC Private Schools, the Reggio Emilia approach is helping many students thrive. The Blue School
been inspired by the Reggio Emilia process, combined with the Best Practices from
current educational theories, and infused with the enthusiasm and playful perspective of
the Blue Man Group theatrical productions presented around the globe.
If the Reggio Emilia approach sounds like it would be a good match for your child, contact one of NYC’s many excellent pre-school programs to find out more.
What’s also nice about the Reggio Emilia approach is that unlike a Montessori or Waldorf school, the underlying Reggio philosophy can be employed in different ways in different schools, depending on the culture of the specific school. We just started a Kindergarten School in Whitehouse Station New Jersey called Whitehouse Preparatory School and while we consider ourselves a Reggio Emilia inspired school, we also incorporate other equally important programs such as foreign language and culture instruction (Mandarin Chinese and Spanish), an anti-bullying/conflict resolution curriculum and an intergenerational program along, of course, with our core curriculum instruction in math, reading, etc. However, the notion of allowing children at the age of 4 and 5 to consider a project (short and long term) and decide on its direction and conclusion is extremely valuable and affective in teaching the creative mind. Creative thinking and problem solving will be among the most important life skills our children will need to learn in order to succeed as young and older adults.