Reggio Pedagogy

In the concept of Reggio pedagogy, reform pedagogical approaches are combined with new innovative ideas of child education. Reggio pedagogy places the child at the centre and is not a rigid concept, but a school of thought on child education.

Reggio Pedagogy: A Pedagogical Concept for Day Care Centres

Reggio Pedagogy is an innovative educational concept that has its roots in the northern Italian town of Reggio Emilia. The method emerged after the Second World War under the leadership of Loris Malaguzzi, an Italian educator who worked closely with the citizens of Reggio Emilia to build a new education system for their children. Over the years, Reggio Pedagogy developed into an internationally recognised approach that is clearly distinguished from other pedagogical concepts such as the Fröbel pedagogy, the Montessori education or the Situational approach takes off.

Origin and basic ideas of Reggio Pedagogy

Loris Malaguzzi was convinced that children are active, curious and creative beings from birth, capable of shaping their own learning processes. He saw education as a collaborative process based on dialogue and cooperation between children, educators and parents. Central to Reggio education is the notion that children have "100 languages" to express themselves and explore the world. These "languages" can manifest themselves in artistic, musical, physical, linguistic or emotional forms of expression.

Unlike in the Pestalozzi Pedagogy which emphasises the holistic development of children through head, heart and hand, Reggio pedagogy emphasises the importance of the aesthetic, cultural and social dimensions of learning.

Concept of Reggio Pedagogy

Reggio pedagogy is based on three fundamental principles:

• The image of the child: Reggio pedagogy assumes that every child is unique, competent and curious and has great potential to explore and understand the world. In contrast to other pedagogical approaches, such as the Fröbel pedagogy which considers play as the central method of learning, Reggio pedagogy focuses on children's diverse forms of expression and their interaction with the environment.

• The environment as a third educator: The spatial design of the day-care centres plays an essential role in Reggio pedagogy, as it is regarded as the "third educator". The environment should encourage the children's curiosity and creativity and offer them a variety of opportunities to develop their "100 languages". Natural materials, light and colours are used consciously to create a stimulating learning atmosphere. This aspect differs from concepts such as the Forest or nature kindergarten where the natural environment itself serves as a place to learn and play.

Reggio pedagogy places great emphasis on the individualisation of the learning process in order to meet the different needs, interests and abilities of the children. This aspect distinguishes Reggio pedagogy from theMontessori educationwhich also pursues individualised support for the children, but relies more on prepared materials and fixed learning objectives.

Another difference to other pedagogical approaches, such as thebilingual educationReggio pedagogy does not prescribe a specific focus such as language acquisition or cognitive development. Instead, it focuses on the holistic development of the children, which is promoted through the diverse opportunities for expression and learning in the day care centre.

Conclusion

Reggio pedagogy is an innovative and holistic pedagogical concept that clearly differs from other approaches such as theFröbel pedagogy, theMontessori education or theSituational approach differentiates. The central principles of Reggio pedagogy - the image of the child, the environment as a third educator and the role of the educators and parents - form the basis for a learning process that takes into account the individual needs, interests and abilities of the children and promotes their holistic development. Reggio pedagogy creates a stimulating space in which children can develop their "100 languages" and actively explore the world. The cooperation of children, educators and parents enables a continuous and collaborative educational process.