Reggio Emilia Approach Analysis

Reggio Emilia Approach Analysis Children are explorers and love to investigate what is going on around them. Imagine if their whole day was spent in an environment with beauty formed by their own creativity? Having the opportunity to play with natural and open ended materials of their own interests, guidance from educators to construct their learning and thinking on exciting topics, and most importantly having their families be greatly involved in their day, the learning outcomes of each child would be concrete and long lasting. These are the kinds of opportunities provided by educators from the Reggio Emilia Approach, found by researcher and teacher Loris Malguzzi. Creativity seems to emerge from multiple experiences, coupled with a well-supported development of personal resources, including a sense of freedom to venture beyond the known (Loris Malaguzzi, The Hundred Languages of Children, ch. 3, by Carolyn Edwards (1993). This essay will be discussing what the Reggio Emilia Approach is, and which constructivist theories influence the Reggio Emilia curriculum. It will also uncover the curriculum elements and key programming used in the approach and lastly how its approach supports the six principles of the ELECT document used in Ontario. The topics discussed in this paper will be based on the research found in the book Authentic Childhood Experiencing Reggio Emilia in the Classroom by Susan Fraser and also online sources. First of all, what is the Reggio Emilia Approach? This question arises amongst many people like, researchers in child studies, parents looking for childcare, educators looking to work, the government when looking to see statistics to see what curriculum model has a successful outcome of quality childcare and many more persons who are interested in what different childcare approaches provide. In relation to this, the Reggio Emilia Approach was found by an early education specialist from a town in North Italy called Reggio Emilia his name was Loris Malaguzzi (1920-1994). Malaguzzis vision attracts the world through his play and project based curriculum, children play and educators guide their play into projects that interest them. The approach is a combination of principles that build the child centred environment and curriculum. Collaboration is when everyone works together and includes parents, educators, communities and the children; the image of the child-conceptualizing an image of the child as competent, inventive, and full of ideas (Fraser, 2000, Page 8). The environment is known as the third teacher as it is carefully set up by educators to challenge the childs curiosity and learning. Documenting is a display of what the childs experiences are shown through language and creativity. Provocation is when educators listen carefully to what the children are saying and further guide the thoughts and accomplishments. Plans and investigations are also made by everyone involved, which is known as progettazione. A unique principle found in the Reggio Emilia approach is the one hundred languages of children which means that the children use many different resources and materials to make symbolic representations o f ideas that may arise (Fraser, 2000, Page 8). The principles from the Reggio Emilia Approach also include uninterrupted play. As a whole it is an exciting learning environment for the children, educators and parents all co-learning together. As a second point, lets discuss which theories influence the Reggio Emilia curriculum. For instance in a Montessori school the philosophy will be of Maria Montessori and the day will be planned out using didactic materials and sequential steps based on her research on child studies. The Reggio Emilia Approach is not just based on one philosophy like the Montessori but it is actually based on a number of different philosophers. including Jean Piagets theory for the sequences of cognitive development, Lev Vygotsky theory for the social aspects of learning and the importance of play, Jean Deweys theory for the role of play, human nature and viewing the child in the context of the family and society (Fraser,2000, Page14), Hugh Gardiners theory of multiple intelligences, Urie Bronfenbrenners theory on the environment, Barbara Bibers theory included collaboration and positive self image, and there may be more. As a result of having so many philosophies combined in the Reggio Emilia Approac h, it is known to be a model, focusing on the whole child, development, environment, play, family involvement, self image controlled by educators really understanding how to guide children to express their feelings, and how children use their multiple intelligence and symbolic language. The third topic this paper is addressing, what are the curriculum elements and key programming used in Reggio Emilia Schools? Curriculum is what the children learn from and the experiences they have when being cared for in a child care centre. Key programming is the goals and schedules that a school may have. Traditionally a lot of early childcare centres would plan what toys and activities the children would play with and then help and teach the children how to use them or how to do an activity and then a report may be written to show parents how the child is getting along according to the childs development stage. In the Reggio Emilia Approach the curriculum is very different to traditional teacher taught curriculums. It is planned by what the children are interested in while playing and engaging in activities of their choice. Assessment is used to plan what to do in the classroom based on a childs interests. Its role in the project process is to learn the childrens behaviours, to discover childrens interests, to revisit projects with the children, to gain knowledge on the childrens capabilities and as a tool to study children. The Reggio Approach suggests that by assessing projects over and over again, children understand their own questions. It also stresses that parents, children and educators are co-learners. Additionally the rationale for educators is to assess alongside the children. Educators facilitate rather than directing the children. Educators assess by observing and stepping in or stepping back whenever they need to. They also ask important questions that challenge the children to figure things out by their own curiosity. Documentation is also used to plan the Reggio Approach. Here there are many different methods of documentation from simple note form to the more sophisticated electronic equipment, such as digital cameras, webs, audio recorders, and video recorders (Fraser, 2000, Page 83) depending on what kind of observations are being made. The different observational techniques are running records which are the method used more often, time sampling, art displays, event sampling, anecdotal records, tape recording, sequences of photographs, displays of projects, and video tapes. In the Reggio Approach documentation is used as soon as something happens, The diary of Laura a diary taken from a Reggio Centre in Italy states that teachers work closely with the children taking notes, recording observations they think have meaning toward the learning of that child. Documentation is done when needed theres not only specific timings, notes can be taken at any time, Documentation is done to further assessment and planning towards projects that children want to start or are already working towards. The Reggio Emilia Approach does not have an organized planned curriculum it is actually very spontaneous and is built according to individual or group interests of the children. To emphasize that the curriculum is spontaneous and is planned on the interest of the children educators use different methods of observations at any time. There are many ways to observe in the Reggio Approach. Note taking is one way to observe, they also use diaries to write reflections on observations, photography, videos, audio, written, watching play and careful listening to conversations. Parental observations are taken at home and noted. The rationale for the parent assessments are that they know their children best and children are carefully observed on how the environment is used. The Reggio Emilia Approach suggests that children speak one hundred symbolic languages and they use observations to determine and understand what these languages are. To clarify, observations are used for assessment, documen tation, planning and implementing the curriculum. With this in mind the educators role is to guide the natural curiosity and learning of the children, and the environment is known as the third teacher. The children are little researchers. They can and want to communicate with the surrounding world (Reggio Emilia Philosophy, www.education.com). There are many factors that have to be taken into account when it comes to the role of observations and implementing. The decision to carry out observations is usually the result of a question that has arisen about a child or a group of children and their behaviour or activities in the centre. (Fraser, 2000, Page 81) Similarly, other factors have important roles in implementing the learning process, for example time is important. Children need lots of time to work on ongoing projects. In the Reggio Emilia Approach there are no time limits on projects. Children work on projects as long as they are still interested. Space and layout is carefully set up for dramatic play, water play, block play, physical and manipulation, art and creativity, outdoor play, and quiet time area. This encourages social skills, problem solving skills, making personal choices and team work methods. Teachers carefully organize spaces for small and large group projects and small intimate spaces for one, two and three children. (About Reggio Emilia philosophy, www.education.com) The environment is made to look beautiful and inviting. Another factor in implementing the curriculum process is that the resources that are provided by the educator, another important role of the educator. Materials are carefully chosen they can be natural materials, toys, games, water play, creative materials, open ended materials, blocks, puzzles, books, sand toys, or even dress up clothes for dramatic play. Children use the materials so they can play and further their learning. To manipulate and start the process of projects the educators use positive language and encouragement to help children learn how to express their emotions. Educators plan team meetings to discuss the observations and planning. Parents are always welcome to join or help make decisions. Meetings are used to plan what materials need to be taken out, how the environment should be set up, what is needed for projects that are emerging and also what things need to be changed. The Reggio Emilia Approach is very similar to the emergent curriculum. A lot of the factors used in Reggio are used in the emergent curriculum, but the emergent curriculum emphasizes development and interest and Reggio emphasizes on interest. The final point to discuss in this paper is about how the Reggio Emilia Approach uses all six principles of the ELECT document. In the Reggio Emilia Approach there is a link to the first principle of the ELECT document which is Early child development sets the foundation for lifelong learning, behavior and health An example of this is that diaries are shown to parents, each project is based on being child centered and play based which means that it has to be developmentally appropriate, each assessment is done to figure out the interests of the child and each child is observed to their own developmental stage and long term projects are used so educators can see how children are growing and are developing their learning. Also there are various philosophies used in the Reggio Approach one in particular linked to the different stages and sequences of development are the philosophy of Piaget. The second principle of the ELECT document is Partnerships with families and communities strengthen the ability of early childhood settings to meet the needs of children. The link to the Reggio Emilia Approach to the second principle are that parents work as co learners with educators and children in the Reggio Emilia approach and photographs are displayed around the centre for the children to have a reminder of home. The third principle of the ELECT document is Respect for diversity, equity and inclusion are prerequisites for honoring childrens rights, optimal development and learning:. The next link to The Reggio Emilia Approach is parents are important, one influence is the philosophy of Bronfenbrenner, everyone involved -children, parents and teacher pay an integral part in what is known as the circle of we (Fraser, page.102) Reggio centres respect and support families, cultures and all diverse situations, in addition to this, the Approach also brings families together, learning about the different families, cultures, food and dressing up. The fourth principle of the ELECT document is A planned curriculum supports early learning. This principle is met by the projects that take place in the Reggio schools, projects are worked on in depth and detail, the child centered approach and childrens interest plan the curriculum. The Reggio Emilia Approach can be defined therefore as contextual, that is, it is determined by the dialogue among children, teachers and the environment surrounding them (The Reggio Emilia Approach Truly listening to young children, www.oecd.org). The fifth principle is Play is a means to early learning that capitalizes on childrens natural curiosity and exuberance, this principle is linked to the Reggio Emilia Approach The Reggio Approach is play based and has the same philosophy to the ELECT and the Emergent which is that children learn and grow through different types of play. The word play is not a frequently used word in The Reggio Approach, although as seen above, spontaneous play and play valued as meaningful learning figure among the goals for learning and development. (The Reggio Emilia Approach Truly listening to young children, www.oecd.org), in addition to this the Reggio Emilia Approach also states that play is used to depict 100 different languages through symbolic languages. The last principle, principle six is Knowledgeable, responsive early childhood professionals are essential. This principle is also linked to Reggio Emilias Approach, as Reggio Centers have teachers with extensive staff development; teachers make goals for them self and teachers also learn alongside the children enhancing their understanding of children. Another example of this principle is that the educators of Reggio schools sometimes are not qualified but learn from the other teachers and through each daily experience with the children. In conclusion to this paper it shows that it can take a number of philosophys to create a high quality model, and that not just one philosophy is better than another, but each philosophy actually compliments one another, similarly it proves that children dont necessarily need to be taught by a teacher but can learn by having the opportunity to construct their own learning through a child centered approach. In addition this paper also shows that the role of play, culture, parents, educators, the environment, observations, assessment, documentation, and planning are all very important to implement a childs learning to make up a model like the Reggio Emilia Approach. Finally this paper proves that the Reggio Emilia Approach follows an emergent curriculum that can link to all six principles of the framework provided by the ELECT document.

Going to College while in the Military Essay examples -- Education Car

A college education is an essential step towards a successful military career. To some enlisted members, continuing or starting a college education may seem difficult to do. My decision to continue a college education was easy. Being stationed at an Air Base for a year has given me an opportunity to do so without being sidetracked by some of life’s daily responsibilities. Since it is an unaccompanied tour and I have no choice but to live in dorms, going to college is much easier then back in the states. Being stationed here has given me great opportunity to dedicate all my free time towards a college degree. After going to the Education Center I was very pleased. Right now the Air Force will pay one hundred percent of my college tuition fees. So the first thing I did was set a goal. I planned to start small; first working towards my Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) degree. The CCAF is the only degree-granting institution of higher learning in the world dedicated exclu sively to enlisted people (The Insider: Air Force Education Programs, par. 4). A CCAF degree, which is equal to an associate degree, helps in numerous ways. Many Air Force special duty assignments require enlisted members to have a CCAF degree. For example, to become a Military Training Instructor or T.I., the member applying is required to have a CCAF degree. The path towards a college degree may be challenging; however, the rewards seem to be endless. Some of my co-workers apparently do not have time to take advantage of a free college education. Working as aircraft maintainers cuts into their free time. It can be tough not knowing if tomorrow will be a twelve or fourteen hour shift. Of course who would want to sign up for classes if one cannot attend th... ...have to take away from all of one’s free time. Taking at least one class per term can allow plenty of time to enjoy off duty hours. Online courses allow for military members to deploy without worrying about missing classes and all of the important material covered. CLEP and DANTES tests require little or no studying and save time and money while still helping to earn college credits. -With education being a major contributor to successful military careers, it takes a commitment to self-improvement and a great deal of motivation to continue or start a college education. After knowing all available options and benefits, making a decision should be simple. Besides obvious career benefits, a college education broadens horizons and allows Airmen to change their outlook on the world. Works Cited The Insider: Air Force Education Programs. 24 Jul. 2003. 13 Mar 2005.

Biases and Judgment in the Hiring Process Essay

Recently, a new case manager for the radiology department in the hospital was hired. In order to maintain the good name of the hospital, our honored organization, and for it to stand for its very highly valued services and unequalled reputation, it is only inherent that we evaluate our practices. In this regard, yours truly is making a self-evaluation process as to the dignity and reasonability on the decision to hire Mr. Smith as a case manager over the rest of the eight final candidates. Deciding as to which one to choose among the many outstanding candidates was a difficult ordeal. Aside from this obvious task on selecting which, among the original seventeen (17) applicants, and narrowing them into eight (8) final candidates, is the best and the most suitable case-manager-to-be, there are other issues at hand that need to be addressed given my position. The two most dominant of these issues that yours truly needed to strongly consider are biases and egocentrism. Although Barton (2001) noted that â€Å"everyone has biases†, it is not an excuse not to minimize it or be aware of it and prevent it from happening. On the other hand, egocentrism happens when one â€Å"can only view the world from their perspective and finds it difficult to understand any other†. (Oakley 18) Biases and egocentrism are so inherent that they need to be warded off every time a major decision, such as hiring a key organization manager, is to be made. Combating one’s bias is not simple but as long as there is patience, it can at least be reduced to its minimum level. In the case of yours truly, the following major measures are applied in order to succeed in eliminating or at least minimizing bias: a. Identifying the issue at hand and getting informed as much as possible, b. Not adhering to stereotyping and discrimination (age, gender, sexual orientation, physical appearance, ethnic origin, etcetera; and c. Applying the â€Å"scientific method† Once a person has enough knowledge about something, he or she is not easy to be deceived, especially by his or her own biases. Stereotyping and discrimination is so strong in this society, thus, yours truly always make a checklist in avoiding all these types of biases or causes of biases. The â€Å"Scientific Method† always works in reducing or eliminating bias. This means that yours truly always see to it to ccollect useful data by means of observing and experimenting, then formulate and test hypothesis. Even though this may sound so technical but it can be applied on almost every situation. As for egocentrism, almost the same procedures are applied in order to eliminate it during a decision-making process. Moreover, one simple rule applies here as well: the Golden Rule while stepping into someone’s shoes. For situations where yours truly believe that egocentrism may takeover, the idea comes to mind carrying the solution. This solution is in the form of inner examining voice asking, â€Å"If I am in his or her situation, how would I like to be treated? † Thus, it is a mixed golden rule and empathy. The answer to the question always reduces/eliminates egocentricity. Decisions by expedience are considered as foundations of this organization. Decisions based on reflections give this organization its emotion and meaning. Thus, yours truly also utilize both, around 80% of decisions are expedience-based and the rest are based upon reflection. It is always important though, during the entire decision-making process to â€Å"ensure that subjective decisions about omitting some subjects from the analysis do not cause bias† (Peat, 2001, p. 200) Decision-making is difficult and determination is important in succeeding. There are also factors deterring a person to perfect his/her decision-making abilities but once these factors are identified and admitted by the decision-maker, there are various ways to combat them.

Testing Employees for Drugs essays

Testing Employees for Drugs essays Testing employees for the use of drugs, regardless of the occupation, has been a controversial issue for years. Obviously, those who use drugs, including those not considered hard drugs such as marijuana, feel that it is a violation of their right to privacy. And they are right! However, that is only viewing this issue from a deontological perspective. The utilitarian perspective offers quite a different view. From this perspective, drug testing the employees of a company is the solution that is for the greater good for the greatest number of people for the longest amount of time. Imagine if drug testing did nor exist. Chances are that eventually an incident such as an airplane pilot overdosing on drugs would occur, producing devastating results. Therefore, there are certain occupations that are required to undergo mandatory drug testing. The drug testing of millions of transportation workers-largely bus and truck drivers, airline flight crews and mechanics, and a variety of r ailroad workers-is required by the government in the name of public safety. Its easy to see why employers are concerned about their employees using drugs. Compared with the overage employee, recreational drug users are more than two times more likely to be late for work, almost four times more likely to injure themselves or others in the workplace, and five times more likely to file a workers compensation claim. For the small price of a drug test employees can gain much more security and have that added insurance that they will be able to operate a safer and more efficient workplace As the articles continues to state, drug testing is not as simple as it may appear. Employers are not able to just send their employees down the street to the local testing facility for drug tests. For example, Connecticut has many rules and regulations regarding drug testing. Many of these regulations exist due to the in...

Free Essays on Illustrative Composition

I think that if we eliminate crime that we would be better economically. Prisoners in today’s prison system feed of our tax money whether we like it or not. Prisoners today can look forward to hardy meals, television, lifting weights, and playing sports. This in my mind sounds more like a resort than prison. When people are sent to a penitentiary they are there because they did something that was immoral. Therefore the punishment needs to fit the crime. Our prisons need to be cold, boring and strike an impression on the convict of a horrible retched place. But presently that is not how it is. These men or women are having a good time in prison. They’re not doing it for free either. The prison system alone takes $1,500,000 to maintain a year. That includes Recreation, Cable T.V., and other extra events. The prison system is part of the government as a means of reform in a person’s life. Therefore it needs to be harsh and unbending in its reform. So that when these inmates get out they are forever changed and not the same as they where when they came. That is why our prison system needs reform. It cannot continue treating offenders, who statistically 45% are violent offenders according to the Bureau of Justice, like they are.... Free Essays on Illustrative Composition Free Essays on Illustrative Composition I think that if we eliminate crime that we would be better economically. Prisoners in today’s prison system feed of our tax money whether we like it or not. Prisoners today can look forward to hardy meals, television, lifting weights, and playing sports. This in my mind sounds more like a resort than prison. When people are sent to a penitentiary they are there because they did something that was immoral. Therefore the punishment needs to fit the crime. Our prisons need to be cold, boring and strike an impression on the convict of a horrible retched place. But presently that is not how it is. These men or women are having a good time in prison. They’re not doing it for free either. The prison system alone takes $1,500,000 to maintain a year. That includes Recreation, Cable T.V., and other extra events. The prison system is part of the government as a means of reform in a person’s life. Therefore it needs to be harsh and unbending in its reform. So that when these inmates get out they are forever changed and not the same as they where when they came. That is why our prison system needs reform. It cannot continue treating offenders, who statistically 45% are violent offenders according to the Bureau of Justice, like they are....

Works of Nadine Gordimer and Patricia Smith Essay Example

Works of Nadine Gordimer and Patricia Smith Essay Example Works of Nadine Gordimer and Patricia Smith Essay Works of Nadine Gordimer and Patricia Smith Essay The conflict identified in the short story, â€Å"Country Lovers† by Nadine Gordimer (1975) and the poem, â€Å"What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl† by Patricia Smith (1991) centers around ethnicity and race which represent how being black plays a role in individual versus society, showing that humans can be critical of themselves and others and also judgmental. Both stories have strong characterization meaning the author uses this to reveal character, by outright description of an individual, by what an individual says and does, and by what others say about the individual (Clugstone, 2010). The message from these two stories are racism of two strong black women who were faced with discrimination, poverty, hatred, love, and both stories end in unhappiness. Most of us have experienced racism in this lifetime it is important for us to stay focus on what is most important. According to the textbook the main character both the short story and the poem was about the black female. There are still racial and ethical problems witnessed and experienced in today’s society in places such as the general public, the workplace, and even schools. This was not a subject that was discussed enough because it was very sensitive and the outcomes of the discussions were normally filled with anger or depression. Country Lovers and What It’s Like To be A Black Girl use the same theme like ethnicity or race. Nadine Griner wrote the short story, Country Lovers, in 1975. It took place in South Africa. Country Lovers is about the love between a young white boy named Paulus and a you ng black girl named Thebedi. From the start of this short story you could tell the theme was about interracial relationships and interracial problems. Paulus and Thebedi are the main characters in the story. The black ancestors were Thebedi’s racial ethnicity and the ancestors were white on Paulus’s side. They have known each other for years because Thebedis father was a farm s

Russian literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Russian literature - Essay Example It clearly showed that the very "simple Soviet man" by whose name all the Stalinists sworn suffered from Stalinism most of all. The main character of Solzhenitsyn’s story is Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, the ordinary prisoner of Stalin's camps. In this story the author on behalf of his hero tells on just one day out of three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days of term of Ivan Denisovich. But that day will be enough to understand what conditions prevailed in the camp, which law existed, learn about the lives of prisoners to get terrified by all this. Camp is a special world that exists separately, in parallel to that of other people. Here there are other laws that differ from our usual ones; everyone here survives in its own way. Life in the camp is shown not from the outside, but from inside by the person who knows about it firsthand, from his personal experience. That is why the story is startling in its realism. The question is whether it is possible to survive in these ter rible conditions, to survive not only as a being, but as a personality. The main character with all his life proves that it is possible. "Thank you, Lord, another day is gone!" - Ivan Denisovich concludes his story, - "A day passed, unalloyed, almost happy". On this day, Shukhov was really lucky: a team was not driven to Sotsgorodok to pull wire in the cold without heat, passed through the cooler, got off with just washing the floors in the guard room, received an extra portion of dinner meals, the work was familiar to him – he had to put the wall in the TPP, he worked lively, passed the jail shakedown safely and carried the saw to the camp, earned some money in the evening at Caesar's and bought two glasses of Latvian home-grown tobacco, and, which was most important, he did not get sick, he coped the cold. Ivan Denisovich Shukhov was sentenced to ten years on trumped-up case: he was accused that he had returned from captivity with the secret German job assignment, and nobod y could state exactly what exactly this job was. As a man he cannot help causing respect: in spite of all the conditions he managed to keep kindness and friendly attitude to people, he has not got bloody-minded, has not lost humanity. Shukhov is willing to share the latest with a good man, even just to please him. Ivan Denisovich gives cookies to Alyosha-Baptists to pamper and support him, because he "caters to all, and can not earn. " And how well Ivan Denisovich treats Gopchik! For him Gopchik is almost as a native son. I feel deep respect to this man, unlike, for example, to the jackal Fetyukov, a former high chief, accustomed to command, who does not even hesitate to get butts out of the spittoon. This is a real jackal, who lives at the expense of other’s leftovers. To lick someone else's plates, to look into someone’s mouth in anticipation that he would get something - for him it is quite common. He causes only disgust, even convicts refuse to work with him. In th e camp he had not left even a drop of male pride, he openly wept when he was beaten for licking plates. Indeed, everyone chooses a lifeline for himself, but the most undignified way is the way of an informer Panteleev living through squealing to other prisoners. These people are hated in the camp, and the fact that the three were killed, did not surprise anybody. Death here is common, and life turns into nothing. It scares the most. Unlike them, Ivan Denisovich "was not a jackal, even after eight years of