THE REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH

The Reggio Emilia Approach

and

Teddy Bear Corner

The Reggio Emilia Approach

The Reggio Emilia Approach to education was born shortly after WWII in and around the city of Reggio Emilia, Italy. With sparse resourses the citizens of the region had shortly after the war, it was decided they would invest what they did have into the education and the wellbeing of the children. This dedication from every citizen (doctors, scientists, farmers) of Reggio Emilia meant a wealth of knowledge was invested in education at the time. For over 50 years now, the City of Reggio Emilia has become recognized worldwide for developing a system of education that continues to evolve and grow as a unique approach to early years education.

The 'Hundred Languages of Children'

The Reggio Emilia Approach often refers to the ' Hundred Languages of Children'. This idea originated from the late Loris Malaguzzi, a former teacher, philosopher and citizen of the region. Malaguzzi referred to the term 'Hundred Languages of Children' as an idea that children express themselves through many avenues, not just verbally and by working alongside them and understanding these many forms of expression, we can learn with the children.

Our Unique Approach

With the use of mediums such as mark making, sculptures, music and dance, Educators here at Teddy Bear Corner can provide various avenues for the children's thinking, negotiating and developing their skills and ideas. Our services make use of projectors, over-head projectors and light tables to provoke the imagination of children by use of lights and shadows. Our services are very community minded services and work closely with many community based organisations and encourage the involvement of parents and families of the children that attend Teddy Bear Corner.

Our Pedagogical Coordinator works individually with each room and helps guide our Educators in setting up provocations and expanding on experiences/interests of the children.

We take inspiration by these values and ideals and weave them where we can into the Early Years Learning Framework hopefully offering our own unique approach to Early Years Education.