Introduction
The Reggio Emilia Approach is a philosophy based on education, whose main focus is on preschool and primary education. It originated from Italy around Reggio Emilia city after the Second World War, and was pioneered by Loris Malaguzzi. Parents from this region believed that the devastation that resulted from the war called for an innovative and fast approach of teaching their children. They considered the fact that children develop most of their individual character traits during the early years of growth, and hence the need to create a program based on the code of accountability, esteem, and interaction by means of exploration and invention. The program has produced an accommodating and elevating environment based on the children’s interests through a self-guided curriculum that has purposive progression. The approach requires that children learn best by interacting with other people such as parents, peers and staff in a pleasant atmosphere. The Reggio Emilia philosophy requires that, children must be in command over the direction of their learning, they must be able to learn through experiences of seeing, touching, listening, hearing, and moving, they should have a rapport with other children and with physical items in the world and they must be allowed to explore. Due to its respect to the child, early childhood programs have adapted to this educational philosophy (Dower 5).
Discussion
Parents are a vital component to the Reggio Emilia philosophy. They are perceived as associates, coworkers and supporters of their children. Teachers value parents as the child’s first teacher and engage them in the studies.
Teachers are committed to enhancing their understanding of children is at the root of the Reggio Emilia approach. They provide widespread staff development opportunities and determine the goals. They skillfully monitor the children for the appropriate development of the curriculum, its planning and implementation. The program of study is highly characterized by many aspects advocated by up to date research on little children for creative judgment and discovery(Dower 6).
Global citizenship refers to the assent of citizenship on a global stage. It is also the moral and ethical nature which guides the perception of people in their local or global situations reminding them of their responsibilities within their communities. Globalization has played a crucial role in creating the social and intellectual environment in which global citizenship has flourished. Globalization deals with how social relations have become de-linked from a particular nation and become an issue of one global village. Education is directly related to economic growth. It has become a global issue that calls for global citizenship response. This is because; the impact of education affects the whole world. There are several things that all the stakeholders in education can do in order to improve education, and hence increase the rate of economic growth worldwide. To achieve this, global responsibility is a major concern (Dower 10).
Reggio-Emilia’s approach supports the development of a global-citizenship. This is because, the approach focuses on developing customized and integrated auxiliary curriculum worldwide. It emphasizes on the aspect of multiculturalism and connects children and educators globally. The comprehensive integration of sustainability principles in the curriculum is an essential component to an individual’s role as a world citizen. The approach uses innovative and research based education philosophies for the overall development of children. It creates confidence through global exposure and leadership opportunities, offering continuous global research based education delivered through activity based practical experiments making children understand key concepts in language independent format. Practical activity based lessons make them very relevant and helps them understand the lessons at an age where grasping is maximum. In addition, the education approach has heavy community involvement.
Conclusion
Indeed, the future belongs to the empowered global citizens who understand the cultures, languages, dreams and languages of all humanity(“Reggio Emilia Approach” para 5-7).
Works Cited
Dower, Nigel. An Introduction to Global Citizenship. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, n.d. Print.
“Reggio Emilia Approach,” Brainy-child.com. 2009. Web.