Curriculum Module, Essay Example

“The Reggio Emilia Approach to teaching young children put the natural development of children as well as the close relationships that they share with their environment at the center of its philosophy” (Lynch, 2010).

The learning program in this program certainly supports early learning in literacy, math, and science.

According to the article “Reggio Philosophy,” (n.d.) this environment encourages children and teachers to explore, question, and discover. This is a huge part of learning how to develop skills in math and science particularly. Children have to be able to explore, question and discover in these fields in order to learn anything. Science and math are more about hypotheses and problem-solving which is one of the major fundamentals of the Reggio Philosophy.

According to “Reggio Philosophy,” “children form their own hypotheses and try to answer their own questions” (p.1). This is major progress in early learning as it helps them identify the questions and problems and allows them to find the answers themselves.

Also, literacy is developed in many different ways and the Reggio Emilia Approach helps aide children in learning the basics of this. “Children express their thoughts and feelings about what they have learned through a variety of means such as art, music, language, dance, and play” (“Reggio Philosophy, p. 1). Literacy is about reading and writing and the best way to learn basic skills while still at a young age is by getting in tune with feelings and thoughts. As children generate their own ideas, “they are encouraged to depict their understanding through one of many symbolic languages, including drawings, sculpture, dramatic play, and writing” (Lynch, 2010, p. 2).

According to an article in Primary Headship entitled “Creativity in the Curriculum” (2006), there are many ways that the Reggio Emilia Approach as a learning environment supports early learning. For example, a case study was completed that showed that a primary school could use its school grounds as a learning environment. By doing this, the teachers were able to teach music, geography, art, language, science, and design and technology to name a few (p.2).

So, the answer to the question is a definite yes. The Reggio Emilia Philosophy has helped many schools in curriculum and has provided a specific example of supporting early learning in literacy, math, and science by promoting a different type of learning environment.

References

Lynch, A. (2010, June). The Reggio Emilia approach to child care. Retrieved from http://www.childcare-courses.com/au/2010/06/16/the-reggio-emilia-approach-to-child-care

Primary Headship. (2006, Dec.) Creativity in the curriculum. Retrieved from: http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/creativity-in-the-curriculum-1561

Reggio Philosophy. (n.d.) Retrieved from: http://preschoolofthearts.org/Content.aspx?PageID=8e1df51b-a5b1-4485-bb89-173aec7b1