Level 324 words of wonder6/17/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Malaguzzi’s third teacher is a flexible environment, responsive to the need for teachers and children to create learning together. So important was this notion, that Malaguzzi defined the environment as the third teacher (Gandini 2011). He emphasized that the environment plays a central role in the process of making learning meaningful. Much like Vygotzky, Malaguzzi believed that social learning preceded cognitive development (Gandini 2012). As such, at the core of the Reggio Emilia philosophy is its emphasis on building and sustaining relationships. Malaguzzi emphasized that “it was not so much that we need to think of the child who develops himself by himself but rather of a child who develops himself interacting and developing with others” (Rankin 2004, 82). His philosophy-a blend of theory and practice that challenges educators to see children as competent and capable learners in the context of group work (Fraser & Gestwicki 2002)-differs from the widely accepted Piagetian perspective that views child development as largely internal and occurring in stages (Mooney 2013). Malaguzzi passed away two decades ago, but we hope he would be pleased with the progress early childhood educators in North America have made toward understanding his pedagogical lessons. The author of these words, Loris Malaguzzi, was the founder and director of the renowned municipal preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Loris Malaguzzi, The Hundred Languages of Children What children learn does not follow as an automatic result from what is taught, rather, it is in large part due to the children’s own doing, as a consequence of their activities and our resources. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |