Thankful for an Inspiring Week

Attending a Reggio Emilia study tour has been a professional goal of mine since I began teaching at HHAI.  I knew it would be inspiring and allow for better understanding of the Reggio Philosophy.  I have spent the past four and half years learning as much as I can about the Reggio approach.  I have attended conferences, exhibits, completed research papers, visited Reggio inspired schools, and read a lot.  My understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach has increased enormously over the last four years, but I always felt like a piece of the puzzle was missing.  The ability to observe the schools in Reggio Emilia and learn from the teachers was the missing piece.  Observing in the schools and time with the teachers, atelieristas, and pedagogists provided me the opportunity to develop a richer understanding of the approach. 

A wonderful surprise was the sharing, bonding, collaboration and learning from each other that happened within the group of attendees to the study group.  I attended with the Indiana Association of Education of Young Children (IAEYC) on their first ever trip to Reggio Emilia.  The group was a diverse group of 40 chosen educators from across the state comprising of higher education teachers, directors, teachers, atelieristas, assistant teachers, and retired educators.  The group spanned educators at the beginning of their career to educators that have had an entire career dedicated to the young children of Indiana.  The group represented public schools, private schools, ministries, home daycares, and a forest preschool.  We were together nonstop for a week and we never stopped talking about early childhood education.  We shared the pride we had in our schools, discussed challenges, and looked at pictures.  We built connections, discussed future collaborations, and bonded over our love for young children.  Learning alongside and spending time with so many dedicated educators made the experience even more amazing.  I return from the experience inspired and changed as an educator. 

I am grateful to Mrs. Gettinger and HHAI for allowing me the opportunity to attend the study tour and the PTO for their generous donation.  Thank you! 

Amelia Gambetti

Our entire visit to Reggio Emilia has been a once in a life time experience that we will never forget.  Thursday was a highlight and a truly inspiring experience.  We spent the day learning from and in dialogue with Amelia Gambetti.  Amelia is a leader and pioneer in the Reggio Emilia approach.  She spent 25 years working, studying, and learning alongside Loris Malaguzzi, the founder of the Reggio Emilia approach.  

When Amelia was 19 years old, she began working for the Reggio school as an assistant bus driver. Instead of returning home during the day, she went to observe at the school. Her director noticed her insterest and commitment, and brought her to the attention of Malaguzzi. Over the next several years, Amelia worked her way through the many different positions held at the schools and eventually began to hep coordinate instruction at the various schools across the city.


Years later, Amelia ventured to the United States to help support programs looking to find inspiration in the Reggio approach. Amelia has since been helping schools across the world through Reggio Children. 

Indiana is fortunate to have hosted Amelia multiple times throughout the last several years and through a special connection with the Evansville schools, we at HHAI were able to join this study tour. 


We are very much looking forward to Amelia's return at the Evansville AEYC summer institute this July. 

The Importance of TIME and taking a PAUSE

Drawing by Victor, 5.8 years
Victor. (2017). In viaggio con i diritti. Scuola Comunale Dell 'Infanzia. Reggio Emilia, Italy. p. 4.

The concept of taking a PAUSE, or allowing children time for discovery, was my greatest take-away from my time in Reggio Emilia.  The children’s daily schedule is arranged to allow large chunks of uninterrupted play/work time.  I observed children working for over an hour on a construction project and others creating with clay.  The children working with blocks and construction material appeared to be discussing a plan for their creation prior to beginning.  I observed a back and forth dialogue and discussion, then the children began the building process.  Their structures were quite complex and the children were actively engaged for the entire time.  I believe the complexity of the children’s work was in direct correlation to the fact that the children were not hurried or rushed along. 

“The infant toddler centers and preschools are places of research and thinking by design.” – Daniela Lanzia

Several educators in Reggio Emilia discussed the concept of taking a pause.  One educator explained that they do not try to hurry up and finish a project.  Children and adults need ample time to develop a project and often there is a need for a natural pause or break within the project.  It is fine to take a break and then revisit.  It is more important to allow the children the time needed to pursue their interests and that the deepest understanding does not occur instantly.  A pedagogist explained, “We can go forward.  We can go backwards.  We can take our time.  We can take pauses.”  The projects and units of research completed by the children in the Reggio Emilia schools displayed complexity in thinking and discovery.  These projects took time to develop, many taking months or even years to complete. 

Drawing by Frederico, in a game created by the 4 - 5 year olds at the Girotondo Preschool.

“Stand aside for a while and leave room for learning, observe carefully what children do, and then, if you have understood well, perhaps teaching will be different from before.” ― Loris Malaguzzi

Drawing by a child in a preschool in Reggio Emilia
Image from
Davoli, M. & Ferri, G. (2000). Reggio tutta. Reggio Emilia, Italy: Reggio Children.

Deeper thinking and complexity of learning is a direct result of allowing children time for discovery and pauses in the learning process are sometimes necessary is my overall “ah-ha” for the entire week. 

The Wave to Wave Atelier

The Wave to Wave Atelier is a space developed for children to 
explore water and energy through research, 
experimentation, and discovery. 

 

Sights and Sounds of the City

The city of Reggio Emilia consists of old and new structures, stone streets and many historic buildings. On the main street, S. Pietro Emilia, the street is lined with shops, restaurants and homes. Throughout the city, piazzas (squares) can be found. These serve as community meeting spaces and are often transformed into markets, story telling venues or festival celebrations. Below is a short video of the children of Reggio Emilia's experiences in the many piazzas throughout the city. 

Below are photos from several of the piazzas and from our adventures in the city. These include photos from the walking tour offered to us by Amelia Gambetti's husband, Sergio.

The Fountains

Old Magistrate building

Above city hall resides the city seal

The city welcomes you with a series of cable bridges designed by Calatrava.

Shopping is plentiful!

Pigeons come in all kinds of colors

Old city hall

The filled in remains of the canal that brought water throughout the city

Site of the organic farmer's market

Elementary school building

Light and color elements are found throughout the city. This one

is located in our hotel- Hotel Europa

Technology in the Reggio Classroom

The appropriate use of technology has been a conversation among early childhood educators for many years.  Children are growing up in a rapidly changing digital age and technology is a part of their everyday lives.  I have personally struggled with what is the appropriate amount of technology and how to use technology in the classroom.  I have concerns about children spending too much time in front of a screen and the implications to their brains.  Many times children use technology in a very passive way, staring at the screen of a computer, phone, or television.

The schools of Reggio Emilia have discovered a way to use a vast variety of technological devices that encourage active participation and discovery.  The technological devices are incorporated into a play based exploration to promote student led discoveries.  I observed three year old children using a video camera to enhance dress up and dramatic play.  Four year old children were using a microscope, iPad, and projector to display backgrounds onto their block creations.  In the preschool classroom, five year old children were piloting a Lego coding program.  These children were actively engaged with the different forms of technology to enhance the learning process.

I was able to spend a morning learning and discovering along with other educators in the Digital Landscaping Atelier at the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre.  Microscope pens, stop motion film, projectors, video cameras, web cams, cameras, scanners, and graphic tablets were some of the forms of technology that we explored.  We were challenged to think of these materials as tools for letting us look at things in different ways.  I was impressed with the many possibilities each form of technology presented.  Our experiences in the Digital Landscape Atelier was anything but passive.  I left the experience with many ideas on how to begin to incorporate technology into my classroom.

Ah-ha Moment- These technology techniques can be easily implemented into the classroom and incorporated into play. The astonishing thing is that while technology may seem complex, the items used in this experience were cost effective and user friendly.

Visit to Reggio Emilia Scuole (schools)

Today we visited two different schools giving us a total of three site visits.

While each of the three schools were Reggio, their personalities differed immensely. It was wonderful to see the diversity within each program- diversity of students, staff, materials and spaces.

Several themes emerged during our visits.

1. Children are trusted and capable. That is to say, children are allowed to make decisions which are best for them in that moment. That means that children are free to move from classroom to classroom, visit the piazza (community spaces), or venture outside independent of the group. Children are allowed to self regulate their involvement in activities and actively seek to build connections with others.

2. Aesthetics- The aesthetics of the three centers were different, yet the same. Each center used natural materials whenever possible. Earth tones and cool colors were found throughout the spaces. Evidence of the children's play, learning and creativity were abundant. Documentation panels, photos albums, and work samples lined surfaces and were found in all of the classrooms both inside and out. Careful attention was given the to the inclusion of plants and living things. Displays of clay were found throughout the centers and what plastic existed in the centers was largely gathered from the local Remida- recycling center. Room layouts included tall ceilings, large windows, natural light/open air and open concept arrangements. It is interesting to note that doors were either over-sized pocket doors or simply non-existent. This includes the bathroom spaces.

3. Outdoor Spaces- Each school had a large outdoor space that included a minimal amount of play equipment, mature trees, outdoor seating and gardens. The outdoor atelier found at scuola dell'infanzia Bruno Munari was particularly striking. The school is located on the first two floors of an apartment building. The retrofitted space includes a large enclosed play yard for the children. In one corner of the space, a large amount of loose parts were available for student creations. The outdoor spaces in Reggio are considered a part of the classroom and are not viewed as separate learning spaces.

4. Light and Ateliers- The exploration of light and art are highly prioritized in each school. In all schools elements of light- light tables, digital projections, shadow play, and even lighting ambiance were found in multiple locations inside and outside of the classroom. In some schools, light ateliers (studios) were found inside of each classroom with other light elements present throughout the classroom. Ateliers of art materials were found inside every classroom as well as in its own space. The ateliers can be based around a theme such as light, sound or clay or can contain a varied selection of art materials. Materials are selected based on the following criteria- variation and variety. Even young children have the RIGHT to a complexity of materials.

5. Documentation- To truly understand the personality of a school, you must first be willing to learn about its participants. Documentation provides us the window into the soul of the school. Documentation occurs in various forms throughout each school. Daily documentation is collected to show exploration, learning and the student's interests. This documentation is later used as a reflection tool for the staff. Project documentation is used to create memories within each school. Panels will be left up for long periods and revisited frequently sparking the creation of memories and the beginnings of new projects. Video recordings and photographs are tools used by both the children and staff. This type of documentation is an important reflection tool allowing for experiences to be revisited and their meanings deepened as the memories are shared and discussed.