Reggio Emilia's Views On Young Children

Reading Guide 2: Bullard pgs 10-15, Chs 10 & 12 [Due week 9]

1. What beliefs did Montessori, Piaget and Vygotsky have in common regarding young children?

Montessori, Piaget and Vygotsky share many of the same philosophies when it comes to young children. All three individuals believe that children should actively construct their own knowledge through play. In addition, all three individuals agree that environment is important for constructing a free and open learning setting.

2. What did Reggio Emilia contribute to the field of early childhood that was distinctly different that the theorist mentioned above?

Reggio Emilia contributed the idea of the image of the child to the field of early childhood. The idea of the child is that each child is unique, curious, capable, competent, having potential, relationship seeking, an active constructor for knowledge, and a possessor for rights rather than needs. Reggio Emilia uses this viewpoint to individualize their education, and have the children view themselves as co-constructors of their education. Montessori, Piaget and Vygotsky all focused on giving the children freedom in their environment to learn from play, but Reggio Emilia really focused in on the individual needs of the child.

3. What are the stages of literacy? Describe each in a few
The child must also acquire a disposition to problem solve. An example of this is when a child is playing with blocks shaped blocks and depositing them into a shaped holder. The child’s problem is to put the correct shape into the correct shape holder. The child will plan to put the corresponding shape into the correct shape holder. The child will implement his plan. If the shape enters into the shape holder with ease, he will reflect that he completed the task, but if the shape does not fit, he may try with a different shaped