Aesthetics of the classroom environment

One of things that constantly inspires me is the principle of aesthetics in the Reggio Emilia approach. Beauty is something that this clearly valued and many of the classrooms are filled with real or natural resources that are open ended for children to explore. A lot of wall space is neutral allowing for the children's work to take center stage. The physical space is set-up to invite and provoke children's thinking which sparks projects and investigations. 

In the past I would have put up brightly coloured fabrics on the wall and trimmed them with equally bright borders. There would have been ‘areas’ labelled i.e. maths area, art area where specific work could be displayed. Since I have been on this journey I have begun to look closely at the aesthetics of my classroom and ways in which I could make it more beautiful and to reflect the values that I have, as well as creating a peaceful, warm and inviting space.

Interlinked with the aesthetics of the environment is the image of the child. What is my/our image of the child? I believe that children are competent and capable and I value the child’s voice.  One way I show that I value the children’s voice is through minimalist wall coverings which allow the children's work to be more visible and not fight for attention with bright fabrics and borders. I decided last year to cover the walls with cream coloured paper, and this year with calico fabric. I also decided to not have designated areas because I believe in displaying projects from concept to conclusion which demonstrates the interlinked nature of the children's learning that occurs in the classroom. 

What does your environment say about the values you/the school hold? What does it say about what happens in that space? Is it a warm inviting space? How does it spark curiosity and thinking? What is it that you are displaying and why?

One way that helps me think about the choices I am making and why, is to visit other classrooms and see what other teachers have displayed or to look at how they have things set-up. It’s often much easier to see what is valued in other classrooms than in your own. Once you start to think and reflect upon what is happening in your room you can develop a clearer grasp of how your environment reflects your values and expectations.

Here are some inspiring environments…

I am about to embark on my third year of being inspired by Reggio Emilia approach to teaching and learning. At the start of this new year I have been thinking:

What is important? What do we value? What do I want to change/improve from last year? These thoughts are underpinned by the principles (in italics below) of Reggio Emilia.

•          Tidy up –  how do I approach tidying up, keeping things organised, teaching the children to be respectful to resources by putting them away The learning environment

• Provoking thought and listening to the child’s voice, specifically at mat time Image of the child and Provocation, Investigations and Projects

•        A move away from ‘topics’ taught in the same way every term i.e. All About Me.  Is there another way?  Provocations, Investigations and Projects

•        Children working on projects or activities throughout the day, then woven into this deliberate acts of teaching Image of the child and Provocations, Investigations and Projects

•        Behavior management Relationships and Image of the child

•        Decision making around choice of materials and resources available to the children The learning environment

These are some aspects of my pedagogy that I am currently pondering over and I will elaborate on in further posts!

A brief introduction

The Reggio Emilia approach is an educational philosophy founded in the Italian province of Reggio Emilia.  It was started by Loris Malaguzzi who was an educator after World War II, as a response to the Fascist regime. Reggio Emilia is not a pre-set curriculum but a process of inviting and sustaining learning; it is a philosophical approach to working with children.  The key principles of this approach are;

• The image of the child
• The image of the teacher
• The image of the parent
• Collaboration
• Relationships
• The learning environment
• Provocations, investigations and projects

This blog is about the journey I am on as an educator to interpret the key principles of this approach and make it relevant and meaningful in my learning environment.

If you want to find out more about the Reggio Emilia approach check out these links below:

http://ececonnections.com/

http://zerosei.comune.re.it/inter/index.htm

http://reggioaustralia.org.au/

http://www.reanz.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggio_Emilia_approach