reggio emilia approach: the hundred languages
This poem by the founder of the Reggio-Emilia approach beautifully conveys the important roles imagination and discovery play in early childhood learning. Much of Reggio-Emilia philosophy is based on protecting children from becoming subjected too early to institutionalized doctrines which often make learning a chore rather than an extension of natural curiosity.
"It's necessary that we believe that the child is very intelligent, that the child is strong and beautiful and has very ambitious desires and requests. This is the image of the child that we need to hold." - Loris Malaguzzi
The child is made of one hundred.
The child has
a hundred languages
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking.
A hundred.
Always a hundred
ways of listening
of marveling, of loving
a hundred joys
for singing and understanding
a hundred worlds
to discover
a hundred worlds
to invent
a hundred worlds
to dream.
The child has
a hundred languages
(and a hundred hundred hundred more)
but they steal ninety-nine.
The school and the culture
separate the head from the body.
They tell the child:
to think without hands
to do without head
to listen and not to speak
to understand without joy
to love and to marvel
only at Easter and at Christmas.
They tell the child:
to discover the world already there
and of the hundred
they steal ninety-nine.
They tell the child:
that work and play
reality and fantasy
science and imagination
sky and earth
reason and dream
are things
that do not belong together.
And thus they tell the child
that the hundred is not there.
The child says:
No way. The hundred is there.
- Loris Malaguzzi
Founder of the Reggio Emilia Approach
Symbolic languages from drawing, sculpting, dramatic play, writing, to painting are used to represent children’s thinking processes and theories. As children work through problems and ideas, they are encouraged to depict their understanding using many different representations. As their thinking evolves, they are encouraged to revisit their representation to determine if they are representative of their intent or if they require modification.
The "language" of a child does not simply involve using verbal skills. In Reggio the " language" of the child is referring to the many, many faceted ways children use to discover, communicate and learn. Each one of these ways is to be valued and nurtured within the learning environment. It is also believed that learning and playing are not separate, but are actually all related and recognized as different ways of learning.
Ways of learning might include drawing, dance, pretend play, music, modelling, movement, construction, sculpting, or painting, just to name a few. This type of learning allows a child to incorporate all of their five senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, as well as allowing for hands-on learning experiences.