Reggio Emilia is a city, and many other things.

Reggio Emilia is a city filled with many approaches, not just education, so if you can pause for a few moments to read this, I’ll like to share my perspective. 

It may not be a view everyone agrees but recently questions have been posed on social media about Reggio Emilia in Australian context.  I question how you can be a Reggio Emilia centre when in the middle of Sydney in more than one way.

My answer is simple, it's not possible as Reggio Emilia has its own identity, its own soul, its own community of citizens and centres.  Through the ages, city dwellers established, contributed, developed, embraced, celebrated, participated or studied the philosophy of this educational approach which are threads tied together to create this city map,

The landscape is rich in culture and history, along with landmarks which have their own story line, and of course the Loris Malaguzzi Centre which is the nexus for all visitors who want to know more about this approach, extract the meaning behind the hundred languages, and its core philosophy. Forget sorting pencils by their colours in glass jars, tabletop light box, or the odd plant cutting growing in jars. For me it was a journey where I travelled through a mind map of history, culture, people, language and educational practices.

When I visited Reggio Emilia, I took time to absorb the atmosphere of the community. Walking down cobbled streets which took me to the boundaries of the places, discovering the diverse community of citizens who exchanged smiles and dialogue to feel a sense of connection with those who have travelled far to be in their company. They know we are tourist blending into the community, boosting the economy, whilst some may despise us, we are there to formally recognise the rights for children around the world through education.

I would sit in the local parks and watch people passing bye whilst I sketched in my journal.  Families would smile and look at my drawings, curious because of my presence and subject matter. Elders gathered to share expressos and conversation that was flowing on from the previous day. Visiting the gelateria for sweet delights, shopping in the bustling marketplace or getting lost in translation whilst making connections in the piazza. Each thread slowly became entwined to produce my own map of the city.

The aesthetics, exhibitions and communal spaces at Centro Internazionale Loris Malaguzzi was like stepping into a book filled with live documents which was constantly ongoing and evolving daily.  The centre had a soul which belonged to everyone who stepped through the door, with a heart beat of creativity to bring depth and richness to your thinking. This particular soul can't be duplicated but as an educator it was possible to cultivate some principles and values upon my return to work in Sydney.

The highlight was having the privilege to visit some the Reggio Emilia centres with the young citizens present.  It opened my mind to endless possibilities when it came to aesthetics of provocations, open-ended materials sourced from Remida (Creative Recycling Centre) and how data is collated to produce the simplest but most comprehensive documentation in one or two panels. The evidence of the educators and children's learning is recorded through various mediums such as film, photographs, drawings, clay work and pages of research and investigations but when consolidated into panels it's perfection.

Each centre was a community within a community, with traces of citizens from surrounding neighbourhood entwined in their project work, indoor/outdoor environment, program and voices from children and educators. Everything had an interconnection to the Reggio Emilia Approach whilst allowing each centre to stand alone when it came to interpretation of learning.

There are many amazing consultants, mentors, local networks and the Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange, who provide professional development, conferences, seminars and workshops based around the Reggio Emilia Approach. Their countless study visits to Italy, knowledge and experience has allowed these professionals to interweave principles and values of Reggio Emilia into the Early Years Learning Framework using Australian context.

Reggio Emilia is an educational approach specific to its own culture, geography, and children. The original Italian model cannot be replicated outside of its home city therefore, centres in Australia must adopt it as an inspiration rather than strict influence over your own philosophy. Upon my returned I reflect deeply about my own philosophy, our centre philosophy and community in which I live and work. I noticed the threads were already present, along with the children, educators, parents and community. We had to create our own map of a 'city' and not duplicate another.