Our Philosophy
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Our teaching philosophy is inspired by Reggio-Emilia approach to learning.
THE IMAGE OF THE CHILD
We view the child’s ideas as valuable tools for learning and exploring their potential growth. The Reggio Emilia approach takes the children seriously and the children are trusted as active participants in building knowledge while exploring the environment.
THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER
The teacher takes a distinguished role from the traditional teaching approach. The teacher is the listener, the observer, the documentor, the researcher, the negotiator, and the supporter of the children’s ideas.
THE THIRD TEACHER
The environment is the third teacher. The environment is created with flexibility to stimulate opportunities for transparency, curiosity, relationship and reciprocity. The environment, the children and the teacher collaborate in the social construction of knowledge.
THE EMERGENT CURRICULUM
Our curriculum is child-centered. It is created with flexibility to embrace children’s interests. The children provide the direction for how the curriculum will be developed. Teachers engage with children by asking reflective questions to encourage more elaborated answers.
THE RELATIONSHIP
The relationship among the children, teachers, and parents is fundamental to how well children construct knowledge based on reciprocity. The culture of engagement builds the shared sense of responsibility for all children.
THE DOCUMENTATION
Documentation makes children’s growth development and interests visible. Documentation creates opportunity to have a glimpse into children’s world of imagination. It allows teachers to understand and interpret children’s working process instead of simply evaluating. Documentation is produced and presented by photographs, written observations, journals, audiotape and videotape.
“Once children are helped to perceive themselves as authors and inventors, once they are helped to discover the pleasures of inquiry, their motivation and interest explode.”
Loris Malaguzzi
