An Approach Focused on the Potential of Children
The Reggio Emilia Approach to early childhood education was created after World War II in the small Italian city of Reggio Emilia. It focuses on fostering relationships among, children, teachers, parents, and community, and builds on the premise that each child has the desire to connect with others, to engage in learning, and to enter into a relationship with his or her environment. An integral part of the approach is hands-and-minds-on exploration of materials and media.
ANNUAL INSTITUTE—REGISTER NOW!
21st Annual Reggio Emilia Inspired Institute
Saturday, April 27 - Sunday, April 28, 2013
The focus of this institute is giving visibility to the co-construction of knowledge and meaning through documentation. We will begin with a presentation of documentation from the “Together for Families” program that reveals the competence of young children. Documentation will be presented as a hypothesis rather than a statement of fact. The impact of decisions about design will also be explored.
Participants will collaborate in small groups using materials, with the process also being documented by participants. Together, meanings will be constructed and decisions made about which stories to tell and how to tell them effectively, offering a hypothesis about the process. We will also confront the tension between documentation as relationship and documenting to conform to standards.
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