In the past year, I’ve discussed quite a few methods and styles of education (Charlotte Mason, Classical, Montessori, Unit Study, Waldorf, Unschooling, and more) through Instagram. Though we utilize a blend of styles; we certainly don’t incorporate all of them. Explaining them is not an endorsement of them or necessarily a lesson in how we do things. Rather it’s a way of breaking them down to their core principles, giving a little history on their origin, and showing how they compare/contrast. I probably should have added all the notes from those homeschool chats on to this blog. It was a LOT of information. Ha! But that’s okay. I still have those notes somewhere. I’ll get around to adding them. In this homeschool chat series, I covered a method I had not previously discussed. Here is a transcript of that conversation:
Does method matter? Is following a specific philosophy really important?
The longer you homeschool the more likely that your style will become somewhat diluted and blended. Each child may require a different style of teaching. And it can even shift with different seasons of life! So I don’t believe it to be very important to claim an identity here.
BUT perhaps you possess a narrow concept of what education can be. It’s natural to only think of schooling in the way that we have experienced it or in the way it is repeatedly emphasized.
Learning about various styles can open your mind to the wide variety of teaching methods and the vast ways we all learn. You may find inspiration in a method you hadn’t considered. Or learn to give a name to a method you have instinctively implemented!
I have spoken pretty extensively in the past about nearly every style under the sun. But I was recently asked about one particular method that we have never previously discussed: the Reggio Emilia approach.
So we are going to focus on that one today. I will open up the convo to cover any other style/method questions later.
Have you heard of this method?
Many of you are probably implementing aspects of it whether you know it or not!
In fact, if you fall in the Montessori, Unschooling, or Waldorf camp… you certainly share some common ground with Reggio Emilia.
Is your child’s education self-led? Is it mostly unstructured learning without formal curriculum? Do you and your kids collaborate as a group? And do you document your kid’s daily learning through pictures and saving their work?
Those are all considered aspects of the Reggio Emilia approach.
But let’s back up and give a little history:
The Reggio Emilia approach sprung up in post WWII Italy. Led by a teacher named Loris Malaguzzi, a group of parents collaborated to form the concept of this approach! It is named for the town in which it began (Reggio Emilia). It’s purpose was to create responsible citizens while nurturing children who were born into war. The approach pertains to early childhood education (preschool and elementary). It emphasizes that children learn and communicate in a multitude of ways (you’ll hear reference to the “100 languages of children”) and are extremely capable. Therefore it is very self-led learning. Materials and tools are provided but children direct the education. Teachers (or parents) are considered “co-learners” alongside them, rather than instructors. As the adult, you are there to listen, observe, and document. Documentation is considered a vital aspect of this approach as it is what makes “learning visible”. It is considered a way of tracking and honoring the child’s work since there are no worksheets or evaluations. It is common for even transcripts of their conversations to be kept.
All the stories you see on Instagram of homeschool kids working at the table, experimenting or exploring… pictures of their final work… quotes from the day?
Reggio Emilia documentation.
In this approach, the classroom (or learning space) is considered a “third teacher”. It is often supplied with all manner of art supplies, natural and manufactured learning materials, and play is encouraged. Sounds like home, eh?
I was asked to compare/contrast this approach with other methods (particularly Montessori). One significant difference is that while Montessori tends to focus on independent learning, Reggio Emilia focuses on collaborative group learning. In homeschooling this could look like siblings working together or co-op learning.
Montessori classrooms group students in age categories (generally a span of three years) and students stay with the same teacher for several years. Reggio Emilia classrooms follow the traditional approach of one age per class and one year with the teacher.
Both emphasize using sensory exploration. But Montessori follows a curriculum of sorts while Reggio Emilia does not (hence an especially strong inclination to document).
The Montessori method also began in Italy, though considerably earlier, getting its start in the early 1900s. Perhaps because of that it also made it’s way across the pond earlier; first being implemented here in the 1960s. In contrast, the Reggio Emilia method didn’t reach the US until the 1980s. It has steadily gained in popularity since and I suspect it will become as commonly known as Montessori.
Do you have any questions about the Reggio-Emilia approach?
Emmy Goulet 