Loris Malaguzzi says, “Each one of you has inside yourself an image of the child that

directs you as you begin to relate to a child,” (Malaguzzi 1993). The image of the child is a very

important concept to the Reggio philosophy because it drives all interactions between children

and their teachers. It is important to see children as capable human beings who are not, “Fragile,

incomplete, weak, made of glass,” (Malaguzzi 1993). Society has pushed this view that children

need to be protected because if they misstep they will be injured, but this is simply not true.

Children understand risks and danger more than many people understand. One example of this

idea that I experienced in ED 412 is while watching the sewing machine video. I have sewn my

entire life, so I know the dangers of a sewing machine. While watching the video I found myself

scared that the children were going to poke themself because their hands were getting very close

to the needle. But unsurprisingly, there seemed to be no incidents in that exploration. After

seeing that video and the trust that the teacher had in the students to be safe, I was able to

understand the concept that children are not fragile a little better.

Another important aspect of the image of the child is understanding that students carry

parts of their life with them when they enter a school setting.

Children are not meant to be robots who come to school to

absorb information and leave everyday. It is important to,

“Forge strong alliances with the families of our children,” as

well as understand that, “the meetings that we have are

always contaminated with the experiences that we bring with

us,” (Malaguzzi 1993). When we visited Lab School #60, I

remember seeing a big poster outside of a classroom where

students drew pictures of their families. This really stuck

with me because I don’t think I have ever seen anything like that in a school setting before. The

poster created the feel of a community in the classroom that includes not only the students in the

classroom but their families. I think this is important because students will always hold aspects

of their home life with them throughout the day. Instead of telling them to forget all their stresses

and struggles from outside of school, this poster encourages students to bring their whole self to

the classroom. I think that idea of “wholeness” is something vital to a teacher's image of the

child.

When people think of the design of a traditional classroom they might imagine bright

colored posters plastered on the walls or rows of desks that all face the front of the room. Reggio

inspired practices push a different kind of model. The environment as the third teacher stresses

the importance of making a classroom, “a place where adults have thought about the quality and

the instructive power of the space,” (Curtis and Carter 20). The space needs to be “welcoming”

and “foster encounters, communication, and relationships,” (Curtis and Carter 20) within the

classroom. The first change that a Reggio teacher might make to a traditional classroom is to add

flexible seating or tables to promote collaboration. Many of the classrooms in Lab School #60

had different seats throughout the classroom, as well as a table where students could collaborate

if they wanted to. The flexible seating also creates a more home-like environment that leads to an

easier transition from home to school.

Another component of a traditional classroom that a Reggio

inspired teacher might change is the decorations and organization

in their classroom. Classrooms should leave supplies organized

and accessible to children in a way that does not look cluttered.

Many Reggio inspired classrooms might also have elements of

nature used as decorations, as well as student work. As mentioned in Designs for Living and

Learning, “children not only benefit from but deserve to be surrounded by softness, comfort, and

meaningful relationships in their childhoods,” (Curtis and Carter 63). There were many pictures

throughout the book that expressed the importance of softness and comfort in classrooms. A few

that stood out to me was the Outdoor gazebo on page 69, as well

as the way the toys were organized in the picture on page 43.

Another thing that stood out to me on the virtual visit to St.

Mary’s was the way that the supplies were organized. The

children knew where the supplies were, and simply had to ask if

they wanted to get something out. The classroom was not

cluttered, but still included many supplies that the children could use to explore.

One of the key ideas behind the Reggio technique is the idea that children have “a

hundred languages”. This does not actually mean that they know a hundred verbal languages, but

rather that the child has “a hundred ways of thinking, of playing, [and] of speaking,” (Malaguzzi,

lines 3-7). Teachers in Reggio inspired classrooms need to understand that children have a

hundred languages, and give them the chance to express them. I noticed this concept being put

into practice in the Hundred Languages in Ministories book. One specific story that really stood

out to me was “The Columns of the Municipal Theater” where the children were able to visit the

colonnade in front of the Municipal Theater. The kids noticed with their eyes that there were, “so

many of these things,” (Rinaldi et al. 16) but also ran along the columns to touch them. All of the

children were using many different languages, and it was showcased in the documentation of the

trip. Another story that stood out to me in that book was “Empty Mailbox”. Students in this story

were offered the chance to place letters into each other’s mailboxes. One of the students (Greta)
did not have any letters and another student noticed that she was upset and decided to “place

[one of her letters] into the mailbox of Greta,” (Rinaldi et al. 40). This story not only touched my

heart, but it also showed the level of compassion and understanding that children have. If you

give students freedom like the teacher did in this story, they will be able to use the hundred

languages that are naturally within them.

Another time I experienced children using their hundred languages was when we got to

make self-portraits with the students from Lab School 60. I

noticed that the students I was working with really enjoyed

talking to each other and collaborating during the process.

Through their collaboration I was able to see wonder, joy,

happiness, curiosity, and so many other beautiful things. I also

noticed the hundred languages being used during the St. Mary’s virtual visit. I made a note in my

wonder journal that there were many instances where the

children would get off task and start talking about something

other than their self-portrait. When this happened the teacher

would honor the thought and try to guide the child back on task. I

think this is a good way for the teachers to honor a student’s

hundred languages, but also make sure that they are able to work on the task at hand. Although

the world may try to “steal ninety-nine” (Malaguzzi line 36) of the hundred languages, “the child

says: No Way. The hundred is there,” (Malaguzzi lines 47-48).

Before taking this class I thought of a teacher more as a lecturer that is supposed to

directly teach students about class material. After learning more about the Reggio Emilia

approach I realized that the role of a teacher is more of a guide. It is a “constant value,” for
 children to know that their teacher is “attentive and helpful,” as well

as, “a guide for the child,” (Malaguzzi 1993). This was once again

something that I noticed happening in both Lab School 60 and St.

Mary’s during our visits. None of the classrooms in Lab School 60

really had any sort of desks, but rather comfy areas where students

could collaborate. I noticed couches, nice wicker furniture, kitchen

tables, and overall just comfortable furniture that was good quality.

There were also many materials that were organized and accessible

for students to use. This really highlights the idea that there is not

really lecturing going on in the classroom, but rather a guidance of

learning. Guiding instead of telling is a really good way to not

only teach students about class material, but also teach them

important life skills.

I noticed when the teachers at St. Mary’s were guiding the

self portraits they asked the students questions rather than tell

them exactly what they were supposed to be doing. For example,

when a student said they were done with their portrait the teacher would ask them if there was

anything they wanted to add. The teacher could have easily told students exactly what to add, but

instead they chose to let students explore on their own. They guided them by providing the

materials and helping them if they needed it, but other than that they didn’t step in to influence

learning. This freedom and choice that Reggio inspired teachers should provide encourages

students to learn in a deep and meaningful way.

 Going along with the role of the teacher, documentation is a very important aspect to the

Reggio Emilia philosophy. Teachers often make documentation pieces from different quotes and

pictures from learning experiences. These pieces are not meant to be precise in any way, they are

simply meant to express the beautiful learning that happens in the classroom. One documentation

that stood out to me from this class was the Insect Hotel piece. This piece included drawings

from students in a clipart format, quotes, descriptions of what was happening, and sections about

what students learned and how that will impact them in the future. This piece inspired me a lot

when I was working on my own documentation because I really loved the organization style, and

it was very pleasing to the eye. Not only that, but it was able to show so much learning on one

page of paper without making the information overwhelming. Learning about documentation

was one of my favorite parts of this class because it combines designing and learning which are

two of my favorite things.

I also really enjoyed the 9/11 documentation that Diane brought in to show us. The

documentation showed a situation where students were acting out what happened during 9/11.

One of the teachers tried to get them to stop because she thought it was inappropriate and

insensitive. If I had seen this situation before this class I probably would have reacted the same

way. But Diane encouraged the students to keep going because it was an important learning

experience and a way for them to cope and understand what was going on in the world. Her

documentation really showed the experiences students were having and included some really

good pictures and quotes. The idea of letting students learn regardless of the situation is a key

aspect to the Reggio approach.

Overall, this class completely changed the way that I think about teaching and learning. I

no longer see the teacher’s role as being a lecturer, but rather a guide to exploration. I learned the
importance of viewing children as competent individuals who deserve to be treated with respect.

I’ve experienced how much of an impact the environment can have on learning. Without even

knowing it, the material that we worked through in this class has already completely changed my

mindset. I have noticed during practicum experiences in other classes that my teaching style has

already changed. I’ve started to ask more questions to encourage learning versus telling students

exactly what to learn. I think I will take all these things that I have learned to my future

classroom, and future work with children. I’m so glad that I had the chance to take this class and

experience everything that I have been able to.

 Works Cited

Curtis, Deb, and Margie Carter. Designs for Living and Learning: Transforming Early Childhood

Environments. Redleaf Press, 2015.

Malaguzzi, Loris. The Hundred Languages.

Malaguzzi, Loris. “Your Image of the Child: Where Teaching Begins.” 1993.

Rinaldi, Carla, et al. The Hundred Languages in Ministories: Told by Teachers and Children

from Reggio Emilia. Davis Publications, Inc., 2016.