Examines how real teachers in real schools are working to grasp the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach and apply them in their everyday classroom settings.

More than a presentation of the Reggio Emilia philosophy, yet not a "how to do it" volume, this book is a progress report of the steps American and Canadian teachers have taken in the last six years toward teaching the Reggio Emilia way. Comprising chapters by the leading advocates of the Reggio Emilia approach, it examines how real teachers in real classrooms are applying the principles of Reggio Emilia on an everyday basis. By combining discussion of Reggio Emilia concepts with examples of their application in American schools, it explores this emergent curriculum and helps future teachers see how to advocate for it in their own school or program. Discusses the Reggio system's support for the rights of the very young; Multicultural coverage guides readers to an understanding of the delicate balance between school and community--gives them practical strategies for building strong community bonds; Two chapters on working with parents examine the role of parents in children's educational development and the interplay between them and their children's teachers. Illustrates through examples the Reggio Emilia approach as it happens in American schools--highlights similarities and differences between the Italian curriculum and the American, as well as between American and Italian attitudes on education, children, parents, community, and other topics. For teachers or future teachers interested in learning more about the Reggio Emilia philosophy.

"Authentic Childhood: Experiencing Reggio Emilia in the Classroom" explores the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. The Reggio approach was developed at preschools and infant-toddler centers in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and is an emergent international curriculum. Based on constructionist learning, this text is ideal for students and teachers of all experience levels. "Authentic Childhood" includes inspiring stories of teachers who are transforming early childhood education and teacher preparation through the use of this new practice.

Bringing Reggio Emilia Home is the first book to integrate the experiences of one American teacher on a year-long internship in the preschools of Reggio, with a four-year adaptation effort in one American school. The lively text includes many "mini-stories" of preschool and kindergarten-age children, teachers, and parents who embark on journeys of learning together. These journeys take shape in language, in drawings, in tempera paint and clay, in outdoor excursions, and in the imaginations of both the children and adults. This informative and accessible work features photographs of the children (both in Italy and the United States) and samples of the children’s work, including some in full colour. During the past 10 years there has been a tremendous interest among early childhood educators and parents in the innovative approaches to teaching pioneered in the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the Reggio Approach! Teachers, especially those in early childhood, teacher educators, policy makers, administrators, and parents will find it invaluable.

This volume is a timely contribution to the burgeoning dialogue on the Reggio Emilia approach, and features the work of prominent scholars, policy-makers, researchers, administrators, and practicing teachers who have created and directed the infant-toddler care systems in four cities in Italy. Joined by American educators and researchers (including Ron Lally, Rebecca New, and Jeanne Goldhaber), their work builds upon and extends inclusionary and family-centered philosophies. It combines missions of care and education, and produces innovations in space and environments. This collection is filled with dozens of examples of experiences with dynamic, open systems of organization that support emotional and cognitive development of infants and toddlers—and respect the delicate relationship between parents and their young. Also included are photos, some in color. Topics include: Complementary family-centered systems of early care, education, and intervention Practical experimentation and teaching strategies like the inserimento (first transition of child and family into the center), and diario (memory book), as well as explanations of the rationale behind them Best practices for quality care programs with broad implications for reflective teaching in America's early care programs “Bravo for a splendid book! Leading figures in Italy's famous preschool movement (plus a few well-informed foreigners) provide vivid descriptions not only of pedagogical practices, but also of the evolving politics of decentralization that has kept Italy's preschools under local community control with no sacrifice of standards. Compulsory reading!” —Jerome Bruner, New York University “This book is simply wonderful—every page! Throughout the sixteen chapters—written mostly by the Italians themselves—practices, policies, reflections, and research on how best to serve infants and toddlers and their families are shared.” —Lilian G. Katz, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign “Though the Italian experience cannot simply be transplanted to the United States, by staying in the conversation, we will deepen and sharpen our understanding of what we want for our infant-toddler parent-teacher programs and may even discover some strategies for getting them there.” —E. Z. Tronick, Harvard School of Education and Harvard Medical School

Have you ever wondered what the Reggio Approach is all about, why it works, and how it can be used to benefit the young children in your setting? This book provides an accessible introduction to the values and principles underlying the Reggio Approach to early years care and education. It demonstrates how practitioners in the United Kingdom have drawn inspiration from the Reggio Approach and developed their own practice in order to provide high quality experiences for young children. This new edition has been fully updated to show the connections between the Reggio Approach and the principles and commitments of the EYFS framework. Each chapter focuses on one important aspect of the Reggio Approach and includes: practical examples involving children of different ages in a wide variety of settings, helping the reader to see the connection between practice and theory questions to enable the reader to reflect on and develop his or her own practice references to sources of further reading and information. This convenient guide will help early years practitioners, students and parents to really understand what the Reggio Approach can offer their setting and children.

In exploring the image of children and environments and thinking about ways in which pedagogy empowers children to be active and inquisitive learners in early learning environments, Empowering Pedagogy for Early Childhood Education is intended to create dialogue about how learning and development take place. The text introduces the reader to research and perspectives from many disciplines, and attempts to provide a contemporary view of how early learning programs, when designed to support children's authentic interests and embrace their sense of wonder, can empower children to be inquisitive, lifelong learners.