Promoting development through constructing appropriate environments: Preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy

Abstract

"Environmental awareness is as significant to a teacher as to any artist. By recognizing that environment is an interplay between materials, people and time schedules, the teacher can create a more productive setting for learning" (Harms, 1970).Over twenty years ago, Thelma Harms, an authority on developing scales to ascertain the environmental appropriateness of classrooms for young children, wrote about evaluating early childhood environments from a child's viewpoint. Harms's focus was: To a child, everything in a setting is a potential stimulus. In other words, the relationship between adults and the child, the interactions, space, and materials all affect the overall environment. The efficacy of this focus is that it takes into account the environmental factors that contribute to the child's behavior in those settings.

From Child-Minders to Professionals: Insights From an Action Research Project on Prince Edward Island

“…How will changing the environment in the infant room impact their play? (Firlik, 1994;Wurm, 2009) 3. How can learning stories be incorporated in the classroom?…”

Saudi Educators’ Perspectives on the Reggio Emilia Approach

“…In RE, the environment plays such an important role that it has been referred to as -the third teacher‖ (Strong-Wilson and Ellis 2009, 40;Nelson 2000, 16;New 2009, 8). The classroom should remain flexible and fluid so that it can be rearranged to meet the needs of diverse educational activities and create a stage more likely to stimulate children's innate curiosity and desire to learn (Firlik 1994).…”

نهج ریجیو إمیلیا حول العالم Reggio Emilia Approach Around the World

“…In RE philosophy the environment functions an important role that it has been known as "the third teacher" (Strong-Wilson & Ellis, 2009, p. 40;Nelson, 2000, p. 16;New, 2009, p. 8). Under this philosophy, the environment should remain fluid and flexible so it can be rearranged to meet the variety of educational activities and offered (Firlik, 1994).…”