The Wonder Spotlight:

Italy is well-known for its world-class cuisine, designer fashion, and Vespa scooters. But did you know it is also the birthplace of one of the world’s most celebrated alternative educational systems?

In 1976 a new kind of preschool took storm in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Developed by educator Loris Malaguzzi and parents in the villages around Reggio Emilia (hence the school’s name), the educational approach was the antithesis of public school education. By 1991 it was considered one of the top school systems in the world.

The Reggio approach is not a methodology but rather an approach intended to inspire and manifest in many different ways, reflecting the uniqueness in each school community. Reggio sees children as capable and confident, driven by an innate curiosity to discover the world and their place in it. Child-led projects are not planned in advance; they emerge out of children’s play and interests. Adults in the school recognize the importance of building genuine relationships and not dominating interactions with a child. They act as mediators building bridges between a child’s current experience and their desire or potential to discover more. They also honor the child’s pace and sense of time, allowing them to explore a topic for as long as they like and revisit a topic at a later time.

Reggio emphasizes the powers of observation and of listening. Teachers learn to listen and watch deeply, to wait, then wait some more—observing what they call ‘the 100 languages of children’ —the multiple ways children express themselves and represent their thinking. They value documenting and displaying the children’s thought process as it evolved during a project. The environment is considered the ‘third teacher and recognized for its powerful influence on the children. Classrooms often look like studio spaces, organized to invite small group work and social collaboration and also filled with authentic raw materials and tools for students’ creative endeavors.