Creativity & Arts
In Reggio Emilia they have Progettazione which is understood to mean emergent curriculum or child-centred, the approach was founded on the ‘perspective of the child’ and of children as rich, strong and powerful Rinaldi (1995) cited in Edwards, C et al (1998). Reggio educators say that they work without a teacher-led curriculum but there is still planning and preparation taking place as described in Scottish Consultative Council, (1999). They do not, however, use a curriculum to meet government objectives and do not implement prescribed curriculum content in contrast to the curriculum in the UK. There is no written curriculum and they are against rules, goals and methods. They use a localized approach to curricula and according to Malaguzzi, (1995) cited in Edwards, C et al (1998) they have meetings with families to discuss the curriculum in which they ask for their help with organizing activities, discuss space issues and to discuss future projects and all help build toys and furnishings. To an extent the children decide what they are going to be taught, even if they are unaware of this, they learn through projects which I will be explaining more about later. Teachers in Reggio try to observe and understand the interests of children and create strategies based on this. Malaguzzi, (1995) cited in Edwards, C et al (1998) states that ‘what children learn does not follow as an automatic result from what is taught. Rather, it is in large part due to the children’s own doing as a consequence of their activities and our resources.’ pg 67
Art or creativity is not seen as a separate subject to others as Malaguzzi (1995) cited in Edwards, C et al (1998) thought that it shouldn’t be considered separate but is a characteristic of our way of thinking, in Reggio they believe that it can be incorporated into every subject and this is exactly how they teach and how children learn; through creativity. Children use ‘expressive arts as a vehicle for learning’. They take part in art activities everyday such as; sculpture, puppetry, ceramics and dramatic play things that are hardly ever seen in the Foundation Stage. Through creativity Reggio follow the work of Piaget, Malaguzzi (1995) cited in Edwards, C et al (1998) describes ‘Piaget as the first to take children seriously and as the one who dramatized children splendidly’ pg81. He goes on to comment on ‘creativity being a tool for inquiring, ordering, and even transgressing the given scheme of meaning which Piaget also thought and Piaget attributed this to children in the early years’. Through this expressive art work in Reggio they believe that it is the way the children work and explore different resources in their work and the processes they have gone through rather than how a finished piece looks and according to Scottish Consultative Council, (1999) ‘They are convinced of the overriding importance of the learning process rather than the final product’. During expressive arts and project work, in Reggio they believe that children can express themselves cognitively and imaginatively and explore the world around them using their own tools and through this they can make their own conclusions and reflect upon what they have found through discussion and documentation (photographing and recording children’s work). Scottish Consultative Council, (1999) confirms this by adding that children can use their senses to experience the world and understand their experience through observation, analysis and piecing together what they knew before with what they know now.
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