Reggio Inspired ApproachKingsland Community Preschool uses the Reggio-Emilia philosophy to guide our approach to the students’ learning environment. The way the classroom is designed, the activities offered to students, the amount of time given for free play, and our expectations of our students are guided by the following set of Reggio-Emilia principles:

  • Children must have some control over the direction of their learning;
  • Children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing, and hearing;
  • Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in the world that children must be allowed to explore and
  • Children must have endless ways and opportunities to express themselves.

What our Reggio-Inspired Approach looks like in our classroom

  • Our curriculum is not pre-determined at the beginning of the year. Mrs. Green will get to know the students during the first month of the year, and then design the curriculum based on the students’ interests. When the Pandas first came to the zoo, we read panda books, played with panda toys, and did panda artwork. When we had a class who was very inquisitive about buttons and switches and how things work, we used tools to take apart an old computer as a group, and then used those computer parts to design and built robots in teams. When our class free play was noted to involve a lot of imaginary creatures (dragons, fairies, unicorns), we built fairy houses out of twigs and branches.
  • A large portion of our day involves self-directed free play, where various activities are available to our students. The student then gets to choose where, with whom, and how they play. Vignettes or “Provocations” are staged with some of our toys to help inspire this play.
  • Each day various elements of play and structured learning are incorporated to be sure all senses are stimulated. Sensory play is offered in various ways (play dough, kinetic sand, water/sand tables).
  • Parents play a big part in our classroom community. Through daily parent volunteers, they are able to participate in our students learning and witness their child’s progress throughout the year.
  • Student learning is documented throughout the year. Art projects, photographs, quotes, and descriptions of classroom focuses throughout the year are compiled into a year-end portfolio which is a treasured memory of our alumni.
  • We view our students as capable collaborators in the classroom. They are supported in gaining independence in tasks, eg: tidying, fetching and putting away their snacks, placing art projects on the drying rack, putting on their outdoor gear for outdoor play or end-of day dismissal.
  • The finished product is not the goal of our activities. Children are given the freedom to complete their projects as they envision.
  • Our classroom look evolves through the year, as we display the students projects around the room. Students can take pride and feel welcome in their space.
  • Students are given opportunities to build relationships and collaborate with each other through the year. Group projects as a whole classroom and in small groups involve brainstorming, creating a plan, and completing a final project are a part of our school year. Recent examples of this include: Building an city for ants out of recycled items as a class, planning and building robots in small groups, creating drip art paintings as a class (which are displayed in the Kingsland Community).

Click here to learn more about the Reggio-Emilia Inspired Approach to learning