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The Reggio Emilia Approach: What it Means at Our Day School for Girls
Curriculum at The Bishop Strachan’s Junior School is inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach, an inquiry-based method aimed at nurturing the natural curiosity and love of learning each student embodies. The Junior School at BSS fosters a welcoming and engaging environment that contributes to academic excellence for all students. In this environment, BSS students are given the space and encouragement needed to thrive. Continue reading to learn more about the Reggio Emilia Approach and how it is realized at BSS.
Defining the Reggio Emilia Approach at Our Day School for Girls
The Reggio Emilia Approach is based on the image of the child, and at BSS, we see our students as curious, capable and intellectual. Due to this approach, the way that BSS teachers communicate and work with students acknowledges that what they have to say is important and worthy of recognition and sharing with others.
Knowing that their voice and their ideas are all valued creates an empowering environment for our students. While this starts in our Junior School, the image of the student does not change as they get older. It remains a priority at our day school for girls that students are valued, heard and encouraged by teachers and staff members across campus.
Contributing to a Well-Rounded Education
With this foundation that carries through our students’ entire education journey at BSS, teachers form strong relationships with students through mutual respect and understanding. As part of the Reggio Emilia Approach, teachers are seen as co-constructors of knowledge and are constantly learning alongside the students.Through this relationship, BSS students continue to feel empowered, challenged and supported to take risks.
A key feature of the Junior School program at our private academy for girls is Signature Learning. Once every eight-day cycle, students have the opportunity to develop a passion project related to their own unique interests. The ability to explore topics that spark inspiration in their lives helps students piece together the academic skills they learn with an idea they are passionate about, further cementing their educational progress. They learn how to work through the major steps required to bring a concept to life through ideation and incubation, and pull in different aspects of what they learn in the classroom to their passion project.
Students Develop Academic Skills While Exploring the World Around Them
Another foundational component of our Junior School that aligns with the Reggio Emilia Approach is viewing the environment as a third teacher. This means that the learning environment is inspiring, resource-rich and transparent. Students are inspired as they walk by each classroom’s big, bright windows and notice advanced grades working together on projects and concepts. This gets our younger students excited about their academic futures. These spaces help create opportunities for students to advance their academic skills through hands-on experiences, collaboration, exploration and critical thinking and problem solving.
In the atelier, students use all kinds of materials to represent their understanding of big concepts that surround them in their world. Whether they are exploring social justice issues or working on a science experiment, students get to investigate different ideas, present their thoughts to their classmates, and receive feedback on their ideas and work. With an emphasis on documenting the process, and not solely a focus on the end result, students are able to embrace their academic development through the Reggio Emilia Approach at BSS.
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