
The Reggio Emilia educational approach focuses on preschool and primary education and the power of our children’s learning abilities. Its name derives from the Italian town it originated, while the man responsible for it is psychologist Loris Malaguzzi and the village parents around Reggio Emilia.
Post-WWII Italy’s progressive atmosphere fuelled this perfectly balanced idea resulting in cooperative educational philosophy resting on social constructivism. Relying on exploration, discovery, and placing the child’s interests at the center in a self-guided curriculum, is now one of the longest-standing, unique, and trusted holistic approaches that are so sought-after by parents today.
We’re here to tell you what to look for in Reggio Emilia’s educational approach and where to seek it out in Jakarta!
Reggio Emilia is not a curriculum but an educational philosophy; their very approach calls for a self-guided curriculum. Since each kid is different, there isn't one formula that is used. All Reggio Emilia schools are "Reggio Emilia-inspired."
So what does it mean in practice? Their approach stems from the assumption that children develop their own "hundred languages," which allow for a "hundred" outlets of uninhibited self-expression, with the ultimate goal of establishing clear, successful, and productive communication between kids and adults, the senses and the environment.
Now, let's break it down into essential ingredients that make up an excellent educational approach:
Reggio Emilia teachers collaborate with their students. Both teachers and children ask and answer each other's questions—it is a mutual relationship fuelled by discovery as they discover the world through each other's eyes. As each child's development is seen as a unique long-term project, teachers teach the same set of children for at least three years. Children are respected as extremely capable, insightful and valuable members of their community, which asserts that it takes a village to raise a child. Parents are seen as the first teachers along with the instructors. Parents remain educational partners and an integral part of Reggio-inspired schools with a say in school policy, curriculum and other issues. The childrens' peers are their second teachers where every person allows the student to learn about themselves and the world they share.
Forget about a predefined curriculum; children are wise to know what's best for them if you let them access that knowledge. Teachers listen to the kiddos to see what interests them and then provide them with opportunities to dig deeper in the form of a shared project, an exploration, or a conversation.
They are presented with complex concepts through music, drama, puppetry, print, shadow play, and more. They are encouraged to depict their understanding through one of many symbolic languages, including drawing, sculpture, drama, writing, and much more.
The teachers carefully document the children's thoughts expressed in the "hundred languages," making the learning process visual and creating new growth opportunities.
The environment is one of the entities the children learn to communicate with. Moreover, the approach considers the environment to be "the third teacher" alongside adults and other students. Their spaces are intentionally designed: filled with natural light and orderly to eliminate obstacles, yet dynamic to stimulate exploration, the settings are cozy yet connected to the outside and the surrounding community.
Early Years Offering Reggio Emilia In Jakarta:
Etonhouse, https://www.etonhouse.co.id/jakarta/
Bambino Preschool, www.bambinopreschool.com
I Smile, idn.ismile.sch.id
Bundamulia, https://bundamulia.sch.id/
Toddlers Town, http://toddlerstown.co.id/
International Schools Offering Reggio Emilia In Jakarta:
Sinarmas World Academy, www.jwa-jkt.com
ACG School Jakarta, https://jakarta.acgedu.com/
Nord Anglia Education, admissions@nasjakarta.sch.id, www.nordangliaeducation.com
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