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Reggio emilia approach. Environment as a third teacher Part 1. Kids perspective. Speaking about the role of the environment, the Reggio Emilia philosophy mainly draws upon the way kids use physical space and facilities to perceive the world.
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Reggio emilia approach Environment as a third teacher Part 1
Kids perspective • Speaking about the role of the environment, the Reggio Emilia philosophy mainly draws upon the way kids use physical space and facilities to perceive the world. • In Reggio Emilia, focus is made not only on how the surrounding space looks like, but also how it feels from a kid’s perspective.
aesthetically pleasing • Learning environments engage and foster a sense of ownership and respect when they are aesthetically pleasing, reflect the identity and culture of children and families, and encourage a connection to place. As such, the physical environment is never simply a backdrop to the curriculum; it is an integral part of the curriculum or leisure based program.
foster spontaneous learning • According to Reggio Emilia, children do not always need teachers and parents to guide and help, but they need a space to unleash their ambitions and unlock the potential. • With this in view, the Reggio Emilia classroom is equipped with varied facilities and materials to foster spontaneous learning, individual study and multi-age groupage project work.
interactions • A Reggio Emilia set up has an environment with rich and built-in learning opportunities also frees educators to interact with children.
Supportive environment • Providing a supportive learning environment is a prerequisite for fostering sustainable and well-rounded kids’ development at an early age. To fulfil children’s unlimited learning potential, they need places where they feel relaxed, respected and encouraged to develop and acquire new skills.
Facilities and materials • In a classroom equipped with necessary facilities and materials, children are encouraged to gain knowledge in thinking through problems, developing concepts and testing their ideas in a relaxed and warm setting.
Interestingthings • Natural materials and things of interest for children to see, touch and smell have an inherently higher degree of complexity in terms of patterning and versatility.
A balance of experiences • A balance of experiences facilitates shared thinking, including exploration, experimentation and hypothesising. Areas dedicated to experiences – for example, art and craft, books and literacy, blocks and building materials – can help children’s engagement and learning.
Flexible access • Just as educators should embrace a flexible approach to experiences, they should also provide and encourage the flexible use and access to resources and equipment. This responds to children’s agency and interest in both indoor and outdoor spaces.
Recycling and repurposing • Reusing, recycling, rethinking and repurposing of resources, furniture and equipment promotes an awareness of sustainable practices. This provides opportunities for children to problem solve and be creative in ways that develop their respect for the environment and thoughtful use of limited natural resources.
Familiar and novel • Balancing sameness and change, the familiar and the novel, responds to children’s need for both. Often small changes in the environment can be enough to ensure the environment is interesting and engaging, especially for very young children. Talking with children about possible changes and involving them in decision making supports their agency, influence and learning and can reduce stress resulting from too much change
Setting up The most important features of a play space are: • attractive and inviting • tailored to the children who play in it • accessible: with play materials on the child’s level • set up with what the child needs for each activity • as simple as you can get it.
KEY ASPECTS Aesthetics Reggio Emilia classrooms are equipped in such a way that they encourage self-expression, develop imagination and cultivate a taste of aesthetics in children. In a lovely, pleasant and neutrally colored preschool environment, kids are offered a plethora of opportunities to develop creativity and evoke a sense of beauty.
KEY ASPECTS Provocation The only way to keep children interested is to create an engaging and enticing space that kids cannot resist. That is why, in Reggio inspired classrooms, various materials and items are placed by a theme, so that to foster kids’ understanding and peak their interest to the topic they appeal.
KEY ASPECTS Organisation Learning in an organized environment is a key to nurturing a careful and attentive kid. Organization does not revolve around purity and perfection, but rather purpose and functionality. Classroom arrangement guides children. Boxes, shelves and partitions are used to denote an area, where a kid can enter and work comfortably. A groundwork with a table and no chairs means that children are supposed to stand while working here.
LINKS TO THE NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD • The importance of providing inclusive and sustainablelearningenvironmentsthat maximise and promote children’s learning is reflected under Quality Area 3 of the National Quality Standard (NQS) in particular: • Standard 3.2: The environment is inclusive, promotescompetence, independentexploration and Learning throughplay. • Element 3.2.1: Outdoor and indoor spaces are designed and organised to engage every child in quality experiences in both built and natural environments. • Element 3.2.2: Resources, material and equipment are sufficient in number, organised in ways that ensureappropriate and effectiveimplementation of the program and allowformultiples uses. • Standard 3.3: The service takes an active role in caring for its environment and contributes to a sustainable future. • Element 3.3.2: Children are supported to becomeenvironmentally responsable and show respect for the environment.
