A Reggio Revelation

Approaching the Reggio Emilia Approach

By Michelle Condron, Preschool Lead Teacher

My list of desired travel destinations is long and ever-growing. I had the opportunity to cross off one destination this past April as my dream of visiting the toddler centers and preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, came to fruition.

When I first heard about their preschools, I immediately found resonance. The more I learned about the approach and philosophy, the more I wanted to experience it firsthand. It became my professional goal to attend the Reggio Emilia International Study Group. 

The Reggio Emilia Experience

From the moment I arrived in Reggio Emilia, I knew it would be a unique and memorable experience. The small Italian city nestled in the heart of northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region is the birthplace of the Reggio Emilia Approach, an inclusive, village-style approach that engages all parties — children, parents, and the community — as equally essential components of the learning process. It views children as active, capable, valuable members of the community, emphasizing the multitude of ways children share their thinking. Teachers and children work as co-collaborators of knowledge, and the environment acts as a third teacher.

I was greeted with a gorgeous presentation on the value of peace from the perspective of children as I entered the Loris Malaguzzi International Center. Touring schools, engaging in dialogue with pedagogistas and atelieristas, and witnessing learning environments filled with meaningful, sophisticated materials was profoundly inspiring. I spent my week learning alongside 380 people from 48 countries, immersed in relationships and co-constructing learning with young children and adults in ways that reframe “traditional” educational systems.

The trip served as a reminder of the intricate work practitioners and young children experience together, allowing both children and teachers to grow and evolve. Rather than a scripted curricular formula, the Reggio approach is a permanent lens that guides pedagogical decisions. It shifts the focus, imploring educators to reflect and think deeply about what it means to be human in this world, to form relationships (with people, things, environment, time), to live in a way that recognizes the humanity in oneself and others, and to seek knowledge and understanding through one’s own lens and experience while listening and learning from one another. My time with the International Study group highlighted an embodied practice and way of being, crafting a more interconnected world for us all.

Reflections From Reggio

While traveling, I appreciated the feeling of the many threads of connection between the villages, between the people and the land, between the land and the sea, and the many personal moments of human connection. There was an intention towards connection that I felt in Italy – people reached out to each other with genuine warmth. 

Upon arrival in Riomaggiore, a resident, Andrea, guided my husband and me through town as we dragged our suitcases along the cobblestone streets at a quick clip towards our rented room. The movement and noise did not deter lively banter as we quickly connected, and our conversation lingered into an invitation to meet for dinner. We stopped at my favorite market in Cinque Terre for the third time, and the owner jovially asked, “Back for more fruit?” — demonstrating a clear understanding of our shopping preferences. And, on my final day in Reggio, I passed my server from the previous night’s dinner on my walk home. We hugged with intention as he wished us safe travels home, and we both exchanged caring sentiments towards each other’s families.

All of the moments were small yet meaningful reminders that life and learning begin with authentic relationships and intentional community, including everything within our classroom settings.

The Reggio Renewal for Teaching

The Reggio Emilia Philosophy is about learning how to be in this world among others in a way that respects and honors the inherent dignity and right of all to life, thought, wellbeing, and joy. During a study session, one of the Pedagogistas, Dr. Naama Zoran, said, “We come to Reggio to learn about ourselves, our sense of self and identity, and in this process come to open our eyes, to see beyond the obvious, to seek new points of view, and embrace and learn from children’s curiosity and love for learning.” Her statement expressed how the Reggio Emilia approach is more than just a vision for early childhood education – it is an ethos for living. 

I am now embarking on a journey to further understand, implement, and practice this approach, translating it to our unique context and community. With the help of the Arzonetti-McClure Travel Fund, I returned to Blue House Preschool as a different practitioner. The fund supports the growth of teacher identities and personal agency through travel opportunities. Going to Reggio indeed changed me, and I am eternally grateful. The autonomy of choice felt professional and respectful, and allowed me to dream beyond the confines of traditional learning parameters.

Travel is a valuable experience as it supports educators as thinkers, researchers, and participants in a culture of inquiry. It allows one to imagine, wonder, communicate, think, theorize, and reflect, remaining open and receptive to both mundane and incandescent moments. Engaging in the world with joy, excitement, and keenness to its mysteries provides the continued wonderment required for learning companionship alongside children. If a child is to keep alive their inborn sense of wonder, educators need a way to evoke the same in themselves. I believe travel sustains this feeling of awe by building dispositions to marvel, to make mistakes, and to embrace new possibilities.