Choosing a school is a momentous choice for parents like you, and it is important that all options be measured before deciding on the best fit for your child. But with a good deal of research and understanding of what best motivates your child, you’ll be best prepared to say yes to one of models of childhood education.In both Reggio Emilia and Montessori schools, assessments are not taken by testing and grading students. Montessori classrooms contain specific materials and spaces set up by instructors to accommodate choice for children, and individual and group stations.
These classrooms utilize age-specific materials, which are particularly suitable to Montessori-style learning. But with a good deal of research and understanding of what best motivates your child, you’ll be best prepared to say yes to one of models of childhood education.
Rather, documentation and portfolio-building are used to record students’ rates of success and participation. The women of Reggio Emilia built a new school with the rubble from war, selling discarded German military equipment for funding. The Reggio Emilia approach is an early education or preschool philosophy that uses four key principles to focus on a child's natural development. Typically a separate instructor called an “atelierista” will oversee the atelier.The Reggio Emilia method emerged in the Italian town of the same name in the aftermath of World War II. After joining the school, Malaguzzi went on to serve as its director until 1985. The Reggio Emilia method emerged in the Italian town of the same name in the aftermath of World War II.
That focus in Montessori schools to let children learn at their own pace works in conjunction with how classrooms are arranged: children are groups of three ages (six to nine, nine to 12, for example). Let’s break down these approaches to help you choose the best option for your little one.In a Montessori classroom, children use learning tools that are self-corrective, meaning that when they make an incorrect attempt to solve a game or puzzle, they are able to try again and correct the mistake. During his tenure, Malaguzzi’s ideas about education became the basis for the Reggio Emilia method.The initial focus on textures served as the jumping-off point to explore a host of other subjects. A Reggio Emilia preschool aims to make children equal partners in their education. The approach is both child-centered and directed, taking the philosophy that learning must make sense to the student (even the youngest students) in order to be effective and meaningful. In contrast, because Reggio Emilia students learn directly from their environment, the classroom is devised to be an extension of children’s worlds, and its complexity is meant to reflect the culture in which the children live.Are you considering the different preschool or elementary school options for your child? Movement is important to Montessori learning; as children make choices, they move about the room.
Reggio instructors will often line class walls with examples of student artwork. However, they follow different methodologies in a few key areas. Furniture is sized appropriately for children, and bookcases are at eye level with materials within reach. Here are the most common options. Children use the floor or tables rather than desks. While traditional school sees the teacher as the center of the classroom, Reggio Emilia views the teacher as a co-learner to the students. In this approach, the students and teacher are working together to explore, learn, and find answers and solutions, rather than the teacher merely facilitating the transmission of knowledge to the students. The method is also different from Reggio Emilia, a project-based approach that involves a more traditional style of learning.
Often, teachers will have the same students for three years. Reggio Emilia vs. Montessori: this is not an easy choice to make. Additionally, teachers in both types of schools are very committed to their practice. This allows their own curiosity, rather than a set curriculum, to drive lesson plans.
The school community as a whole (including parents and teachers) is upheld in both methods. Right now, you may have narrowed it down to two options: the Reggio Emilia vs. Montessori approach.Another key aspect in a Montessori classroom is age integration. Three, four, and five year olds will all be in one classroom together.
If you are interested in learning more about the Reggio Emilia approach, please do not hesitate to reach out. Movement and sensory activities guide students’ learning within these topics. Order and cleanliness are important to this type of classroom environment.Both Reggio Emilia and Montessori styles of education seek to educate the whole child, and to help create citizens who will exist in harmony with others.There is a general curriculum in Montessori schools, which includes math, language, practical skills, geography, cultural studies, science, and music. This allows their own curiosity, rather than a set curriculum, to drive lesson plans.Malaguzzi believed the role of early childcare was to provide students with opportunities to drive their own learning.