Throughout my two weeks in Italy, I learned so much about children and impactful educational environments. As I keep reflecting back on this trip I wanted something that was easy to reflect back on and remember the lessons this place, and these people taught me. I had particular interest in how this country treated children particularly those with special needs. I have come up with mnemonic to help me. There are four words I associate with this trip all starting with the letter “C”: capability, creation, culture, and community. These words encompass the most memorable and important lessons of this trip.
Capability: Children are capable of so much more than what we in America often believe. In Reggio Emilia, the teachers and other adults truly empower children. This society has reframed their image of the child to believe that children are capable of being active participants in their learning. The school does this by allowing the children to express their interests and then builds lessons off of that. This collaborative effort shows children what they are interested in is important. The schools also give children access to real materials such as glass dishware, tools such as hammers and nails, and quality art supplies. Viewing children as capable of handling such materials instills in them a sense of self-confidence that carries through life. Through this trip I learned to reframe my thinking and to see children as skilled partners in learning instead of as someone who needs constant guidance.
Creation: Creating is an essential part of a Reggio Emilia style school. In each school there are multiple areas called ateliers which are essentially art studios. These are places where children are encouraged to use real world materials to create their representation of whatever the current project is. The children use recycled materials as well as high quality art supplies to draw, paint, and sculpt. The children are not judged on the final product, instead they are encouraged to take time and enjoy the process of creation. An important aspect of the art is how it is treated by adults. Children’s work is treated with respect. It is displayed in public places and affixed in ways that make it a permanent part of the scenery. This is not only in the schools but also in the city. There was a project that three of the preschools had worked on where they studied what a piazza was and why it was important to the community. At the completion of the project, the children displayed their work throughout the town. Stores, hotels, restaurants, and public service buildings all participated in letting the children display their art. I think that showing children their work is worthy of being seen and adds value to the community teaches children to be advocates for themselves and their work. I want to bring this perspective of creation into my classroom.
Culture: In Italy, I learned how much culture effects the educational climate and how people view others. The laws passed in Italy have changed how the classroom is organized. There was a law that banned special education classrooms. This means that every classroom is an inclusion classroom. This creates a positive space where all children work together. Children with special needs are known as “children with special rights.” This shifts the focus in the public eye from the child’s disabilities onto their abilities and what rights they have that need to be respected in order for that particular child to succeed. There is also a law that requires all parties involved in a child with special rights life to have meetings and work in collaboration. This insures that a special rights child is having the most complete and consistent care possible. Because of the cultural climate of Italy, there is a society that respects children of all abilities and works to give them the best education possible. This helps educators be innovators and stand-up for their children without being stifled. Too often in America, we as educators are given too many barriers that it feels impossible to make any change. Seeing this model of education that has so much support from the government, inspires me to stand-up for what I believe in even if its faced with push back because small changes can lead to larger impacts.
Community: Community is the most important aspect of the Reggio Emilia educational approach. There are several different community relationships that are fostered: that between the students and the teachers, that between each class in the school, and that between the school and the town. The school has multiple meeting places such as a piazza (a square) and an atelier (art studio) that act as central zones for all the members of the school. This sense of community creates a place where each entity works to better the others. The town has created things such as the REMIDA Recycling Center that allows businesses to donate raw materials for teachers to use in their classrooms. In return, the classes and schools work on projects to give back to the community they are in. There is a very big culture of truly becoming part of a community by learning about it and being an active participant in it. There is also a big culture of treating children as active members of society. I think that these two ideas work together to create a system where every part benefit from one another.
Altogether, these four concepts work together to create a place in which ideas can be shared and members work together for the betterment of the community as a whole. These four words encompass the spirit of an inclusive group that values each member as a functioning unit of that group.
