The Benefits of Reggio In our JK to Grade 2 classrooms, we have begun to enrich our Pickering College roots, programs and teaching with a Reggio Inquiry approach. Reggio Inquiry is an innovative and inspiring way of learning, which values each child as strong, capable, and resilient. The approach leverages the innate curiosity of children and works to assist them with understanding their world, and who they are in it. BENEFITS OF REGGIO INQUIRY LEARNING Respect: The approach benefits children because it respects them. It takes them seriously and sees them as capable, knowledgeable and rich with potential. Collaboration: Children work on highlyengaging projects with peers that provide opportunities for creative thinking and exploration. Working together with the teacher, children are provided with thoughtprovoking questions and materials to co-construct the learning. Creativity: Reggio Inquiry learning is entrenched in the idea that children have many different ways of expressing their knowledge and understanding. Children are encouraged to creatively express their ideas through such mediums as art, music, dance, and writing.
Our image of the child is rich in potential, strong, powerful, competent and, most of all, connected to adults and other children. –Loris Malaguzzi, Founder, Reggio Emilia Approach
Problem solving: Children are inspired through the Reggio approach. They learn through experience and are given projects that provide active opportunities to conduct research and think scientifically, including real-life problem solving with their peers. Confidence: Through the Reggio Inquiry learning process children build confidence as learners. In their role as researchers they become active constructors of knowledge. Reggio Inquiry learning provides opportunity for children to actively participate, explore, and question through the process. Ultimately, a Reggio-inspired approach ignites a love of learning, setting our students on a trajectory for success. When we respect students by valuing their thoughts and ideas, we are giving them ownership over their learning and nurturing students who are curious, confident and capable. “It is exciting to witness the students’ curiosity and wonder as they discover concepts and develop a deeper understanding of the world around them,” says Lisa Sturrup, Grade 1 teacher.
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These students in Grade 1 were exploring the autumn foliage using all of their senses. Not only did this inquiry provoke their understanding of the unfolding seasonal transformation; it also enriched their vocabulary as they worked to articulate and describe the experience.