infonews.co.nz
INDEX
NEWS

RIE / Magda Gerber Philosophy and the Reggio Emilia Approach: Background and B

Friday 15 April 2022, 11:13PM

By Adam Jay

965 views

The RIE/Magda Gerber Philosophy and the Reggio Emilia approach are two of the most popular frameworks underpinning infant education and parenting practice today. Although the two approaches share much in common — most of all an emphasis on child-centred learning — they grew out of different cultural contexts, and so some of their principles diverge. Keep reading to find out more about RIE and Reggio Emilia, both of which inform the approach to early childhood education at Kindy Cottage.

 

RIE/Magda Gerber Philosophy

 

Background and principles

 

You may have heard of the RIE approach being adopted by your favourite Hollywood movie stars in recent years, but this teaching style has a decades-long pedigree. The RIE philosophy was founded by Hungarian educator Magda Gerber in 1978, in close collaboration with paediatric experts. 

 

The core aim of RIE is to hand parents and caregivers the tools to cultivate a culture of resourcefulness and authenticity in the education environment. The Magda Gerber philosophy emphasises autonomy and child-led learning, with the aim of encouraging the child to develop a strong sense of self.  This, in turn, is informed by the belief that the cultivation of authentic selfhood at an early stage in life assists children’s intellectual development as well as their social growth.

 

The core value which drives RIE in theory and in practice is respect — the same kind of respect typically associated with relationships between adults. The importance of respect in Gerber’s philosophy is often traced to her colleague and paediatrician Emmi Pikler, who considered that infants must be afforded respect by their parents and educators in order to learn autonomously and naturally. This respect also extends to the relationships sustained between parents and educators, which is a vital consideration in any early childhood education setting.

 

The importance of play and the role of parent/educator

 

The element most heavily associated with RIE/Magda Gerber Philosophy is free play. The RIE approach compels parents and educators to make available to infants a safe but challenging environment in which uninterrupted play can take place. By not interfering with children as they explore their environments, we enable them to hone skills related to executive function: improved working memory, attention, motor skills and self-control name only some of the benefits of self-directed play.

 

The parent or educator is generally discouraged from interfering in the child’s play, whether than be through restricting or assisting them (though there are of course exceptions if the situation becomes unsafe). From a parent’s perspective, this laissez-faire stance can be difficult to put into practice at first, but when you begin to see your child’s independence and resourcefulness develop with surprising rapidity, you’ll see why so many educators and parents favour the RIE/Magda Gerber approach for the children in their care.

 

Why RIE?

 

Many proponents of RIE have been motivated to adopt the approach in the search for an alternative to over-protective or “helicopter” parenting. It can be easy, as a parent, to want to protect your child at all times and in all environments, but overprotectiveness can leave children without the skills they need to navigate the world independently. The RIE approach promotes a vision of  the self-confident, capable, and resourceful child who has everything they need to grow into a healthy and happy adult.

 

One of the biggest drawcards of the RIE approach is its role in children’s emotional development, most of all their resilience and ability to self-soothe. RIE requires parents or educators to provide emotional support when it is needed, but to encourage children to take ownership of their own emotions rather than offloading them immediately onto the adults around them.

 

Reggio Emilia

 

Background and principles

 

Named after the Italian town in which it was founded, the Reggio Emilia approach was developed by Louis Malaguzzi following the Second World War. Among the most child-focused and child-directed of ECE philosophies, Reggio Emilia approach uses experiential learning and relationship-driven educational settings to draw out children’s unique potential.

 

Reggio Emilia underlines the importance of the child’s self-expression. Wrapped into the approach is the concept of the “hundred languages,” which refers to the myriad ways in which children connect to their world and express themselves. Play is seen as a means of discovering these languages, whether it be through verbal or written communication, music, art, or movement.

 

The importance of the educator and classroom

 

Because the Reggio Emilia approach puts such an emphasis on self-discovery and self-expression, the centre of the classroom shifts away from the teacher or parent (as in the traditional model) and to the child. The role of the teacher becomes that of a guide or facilitator: he or she might work on long-term project-based work with the student, encouraging and extending learning through the provision of materials or via well-directed questions.

 

In the Reggio Emilia approach, the teaching environment itself—that is, the classroom— is classified as the “third teacher.” Malaguzzi wanted learning spaces to be full of natural light and plants, ideally open-plan in layout, with ample space for supplies for play. The visibility and order of resources in this environment is also vital, with displays of student work hung up on the walls alongside educational resources.

 

Why Reggio Emilia?

 

Reggio Emilia shares much in common with the RIE/Magda Gerber philosophy in its emphasis on free play, but is perhaps less strictly bound by guidelines surrounding the non-intervention of parents and educators in the child’s learning than the RIE approach.

 

Reggio Emilia is a very welcoming approach for parents because it recognizes mums and dads as the “first teacher” on the scene, and embraces them as a vital contributor to the child’s education and development. The approach’s deep respect and understanding for the uniqueness of each child and their hidden potential is also a highly attractive feature for many parents.

 

Conclusion

 

RIE/Magda Gerber Philosophy and the Reggio Emilia approach clearly share multiple cross-over points in the Venn diagram of early childhood education philosophy, which explains why many ECE centres and kindergartens around the world combine them into a hybrid approach. By marrying RIE’s and Reggio Emilia’s key principles, educators can build safe, challenging, and encouraging environments where children can self-discover and express themselves both independently and in interaction with others.