Reggio Emilia: Some Lessons for U.S. Educators. ERIC Digest.

Reggio Emilia: Some Lessons for U.S. Educators. ERIC Digest. This is an essay on the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. It certainly relates to elementary school education.



From the site:



During the past several decades, U.S. educators have increasingly turned their attention to other nations' policies and practices to inform deliberations on American child care and early education. One internationally acclaimed program that supports and challenges American notions of appropriate early education is the municipal early childhood program in Reggio Emilia, Italy. For the past 25 years, this affluent northern Italian community has committed 12% of the town budget to the provision of high quality child care for children six years and under. Today the community boasts 22 preprimary schools and 14 infant-toddler centers serving about half of the city's young children.



There is much about Reggio Emilia's approach to child care and education that distinguishes it from other efforts both inside and outside of Italy and that attracts worldwide attention. Of special interest is the emphasis on children's SYMBOLIC LANGUAGES in the context of a project-oriented curriculum. This feature has been well-documented in two traveling exhibitions. The Reggio Emilia approach is made possible through a carefully articulated and collaborative approach to the care and education of young children.