Reading Matters Winter 2018

be filled with knowledge, he/she brings original ideas that should be part of their educational development. This is reflective of the culture of Reggio Emilia, respecting children and seeing them as valuable not simply as needing protection from harm (Linn, 2001; Wurm, 2005). The Reggio Philosophy, allows children to have several roles in and out of the classroom environment: having rights, active constructor of knowledge, a researcher, and a social being (Dodd- Nufrio, 2001; Edwards, 2002; Hewett, 2001; Linn, 2001; Wurm, 2005). These roles also reflect several theories about child development and education. Malaguzzi (1994) described children as “authors of their own learning” (p.55). The learning is something that the child does. Children are encouraged to conduct their own research by investigating and exploring the various spaces in the classroom as well as the projects they work on throughout the year. The Reggio Approach encourages children to think as well as investigate on their own as teachers guide them. Each classroom typically has two teachers. Their primary roles are as collaborators and as co-learners (Hewett, 2001). However, the environment is viewed as the third teacher (Wurm, 2005). This allows the teacher to view and use the classroom as a unique tool for initiating learning through exploration. The ambiance and the physical layout of the classrooms are playful. The Reggio Emilia teacher is a guide, and facilitator through the learning environment, which is constructed for the students to best fit their needs and fosters investigation and creativity (Wurm, 2005). Additionally, specially trained artists, atelieristas, work with teachers and pedagogists to create spaces that inspire exploration. One unique facet of Reggio schools are ateliers, or art areas, set up in different locations in the school. These designated areas, or studios, in the classrooms are set up to spark creativity through exploring different means of art, where children can act as researchers. Children and their ideas are valued and viewed as intelligent, and they are thought of as researchers. They are given the power to lead their educational paths. The children of Reggio explore their interests deeply and are encouraged to delve as deeply as possible as they discover the world around them. The children are empowered to not just learn academically, but learn as a whole being. Teachers also are considered researchers as they observe and document students’ progress throughout the year in writing and through photographs. This provides valuable insights to parents regarding their child’s thoughts, growth, and progress. Malaguzzi believed that children can speak over 100 languages (Kang, 2007). In the Reggio approach, it is agreed that the term“language” extends beyond verbal languages and considers different ways in which language is used by human beings to express themselves (Vecchi, 2010). Reggio children are encouraged to explore and express themselves through several languages: play, drawing, crafting, painting, and the list continues. The Reggio Emilia Approach demonstrates how teaching can transpire to nurture creativity, critical thinking, collaborative learning and inquiry. (Cutcher, 2013). Everything is taken into consideration in the best interest of the child to foster learning through exploration of a hundred languages. Here in lies the key to multiple literacies of early childhood.

Literacy Literacy is frequently limited by its definition. It is often defined as the ability to read and write at an appropriate level (Blake and Hanley, 1995). However, literacy is so much more than just the ability to read and write. Depending on the discipline, it can be musical notes, numbers, symbols, movements, or infographics. The Reggio Emilia approach exemplifies this pedagogical idea that all learning, including literacy, can be multifaceted. Education should move beyond simply focusing on literacy and numeracy – there is so much more that children need to know (Cutcher, 2013). According to Stokes (2002), “Proficiency with words and numbers is insufficient and must be supplemented with additional basic skills” (p. 11). Furthermore, literacy found in the arts is a crucial part of learning and developing. Stokes (2002) argues, “...visual literacy precedes verbal literacy in human development, it is the basic literacy in the thought processes that are the foundations for reading and writing” (p. 13). Considering this, Riddle (2016) contends that extending curriculum to include visual literacy, musical literacy, the language of dance, literacy development through theater, and mathematical concepts, digital literacy, and aligning reading comprehension strategies through the arts can provide enriching and engaging opportunities for children. What is at stake is best explained in the following sections of the poem, No way. The hundred is there. The child has a hundred languages… a hundred was of think of playing, of speaking… They tell the child: that work and play reality and fantasy science and imagination… are things that do not belong together. And thus, they tell the child that the hundred is not there (Malaguzzi, 1993b) Through these sections of his poemMalaguzzi demonstrates his thoughts on a single-minded view of literacy. The joy of learning is stolen when education creates a myopic view of how children learn, and how literacy is taught. Instead, we should embrace the hundred languages, embrace the arts, and expand literacy to encompass a hundred languages. In turn in Reggio Emilia, students observe and learn in a variety of ways based on their experiences, their imagination and their interests. We should allow children to have their inherent creative capacity nurtured, to express and satisfy their curiosity, and to encourage their willingness to learn (Robinson, 2013). Utilizing this pedagogical style, the students’ identity and autonomy are built, which corresponds with the Reggio Emilia Approach’s belief in the rights of children. but they steal ninety-nine. The school and the culture separate the head from the body. They tell the child: to think without head to listen and not speak to understand without joy…

Reading Matters Teaching Matters

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