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Reggio Emilia Approach and the Montessori Approach
Reggio Emilia Approach
Hailed as the best pre-schools in the world by Newsweek magazine in 1991, the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education has attracted the worldwide attention of educators, researchers and just about anyone interested in early childhood education best practices. Even the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)’s revised version of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) guidelines also included examples from Reggio approach. Today, Reggio approach has been adopted in USA, UK, New Zealand, Australia and many other countries.
Loris Malaguzzi (1920-1994) founded the ‘Reggio Emilia’ approach at a city in northern Italy called Reggio Emilia. The ‘Reggio’ approach was developed for municipal child-care and education programs serving children below six. The approach requires children to be seen as competent, resourceful, curious, imaginative, inventive and possess a desire to interact and communicate with others.
The ‘Reggio’ vision of the child as a competent learner has produced a strong child-directed curriculum model. The curriculum has purposive progression but not scope and sequence. Teachers follow the children’s interests and do not provide focused instruction in reading and writing. Reggio approach has a strong belief that children learn through interaction with others, including parents, staff and peers in a friendly learning environment.
Reference:
Eliot, By Lise. “Reggio Emilia.” All about Child Brain Development and Early Child Development. Web. 11 Dec. 2010. <http://www.brainy-child.com/article/reggioemilia.shtml>.
What is Montessori?
The Montessori approach offers a broad vision of education as an aid to life. Montessori is designed to help children with their task of inner construction as they grow from childhood to maturity. It succeeds because it draws its principles from the natural development of the child. The inherent flexibility allows the method to adapt to the needs of the individual, regardless of the level of ability, learning style, or social maturity.
The Montessori classroom provides a prepared environment where children are free to respond to their natural drive to work and learn. The children’s inherent love of learning is encouraged by giving them opportunities to engage in spontaneous, meaningful activities under the guidance of a trained adult. Through their work, the children develop concentration, motivation, persistence, and discipline. Within this framework of order, the children progress at their own pace and rhythm, according to their individual capabilities, during the crucial years of development.
In the Montessori Method all intelligences and styles of learning—musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, intuitive, natural, and the traditional linguistic and logical-mathematical—are nurtured and respected.
Montessori Resources
Writing and Reading are BIG work! Here are some helpful resources to guide you on your journey.
If you would like to view a detailed explanation of how reading is taught in the Montessori classroom. Please check out: Montessori Primary Guide
http://www.infomontessori.com/language/introduction.html
http://www.infomontessori.com/language/introduction.html
