Education students gain global perspective in Italy through study of Reggio Emilia approach to teaching

Students and faculty in the School of Education at Northwest Missouri State University traveled this spring to Reggio Emilia, Italy, where they engaged in an immersive learning experience centered on the region’s internationally recognized approach to early childhood education.

The annual study abroad experience in March provides participants with opportunities to explore teaching methods that emphasize creativity, collaboration art and technology infused into all aspects of the curriculum.

The Reggio Emilia approach is an educational philosophy for preschool and primary education that centers the experience around the child, using play and exploration as tools for learning. By observing the approach students gain a deeper understanding of how environment, creative, documentation and intention shape the learning process in Italy.

“The classrooms were so spacious, which I loved,” Aubrey Mattson, a senior early childhood education major from Conception Junction, Missouri, said. “I know that is not something I can necessarily control in my own classroom, but their intentionality for the space is something I can incorporate. Every inch of space in their rooms had a purpose.

Northwest students, faculty and staff are pictured outside of the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre in Reggio Emilia, where study groups gather daily for lectures. Faculty and staff in Northwest's School of Education annually lead a travel experience to Italy for study and observation of its approach to early childhood education. (Submitted photo)

This year’s experience was led by faculty members Dr. Sandy Seipel and Dr. Laura King, and Dr. Tim Wall, dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services. Other faculty and staff attendees included Breanne Poston, the director of Northwest’s Horace Mann Laboratory School and the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children; Tiffany Kribbs, an infant-toddler teacher at the Leet Center; and Zachrey Snyder, a Horace Mann third and fourth grade instructor.

“Being able to learn from experts and immerse oneself in the approach is important because it allows for the teachers and students from the United States to realize what barriers we may have in place,” Snyder said. “It also allows us to work on what we can implement here and what it may look like.”

Some aspects of the Reggio Emilia philosophy are already implemented in classrooms in Horace Mann and the Leet Center. However, participants in the study abroad experience saw firsthand how they could apply the philosophy’s principles in their own teaching practices. The Horace Mann and Leet Center teaching corps will use this experience to launch an initiative to more deeply embed the Reggio Emilia principles and values into the curricula, benefiting Horace Mann laboratory school students and families as well as teacher candidates who observe and practice within the lab school.

“The opportunity to attend the International Center in Reggio Emilia was the most meaningful part of the experience for me,” Snyder said. “This was an opportunity like no other, getting to see students and educators within the practice, firsthand. Watching how students interacted with the classrooms and how those classrooms were laid out to allow exploration and learning to occur, without the overhead of a teacher at all moments.”

In addition to their academic experiences in Italy, the Northwest group visited landmarks including the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna. (Submitted photo)

Beyond structured learning, reflection helped students process and apply what they observed. Each day, participants documented their experiences and gathered as a group to discuss their insights and evolving perspectives.

“Our reflection sessions helped me think about things in a different way than I originally did in my journal,” Reese Parvin, a junior early childhood education major from Blue Springs, Missouri, said. “It was a great opportunity to share ideas and learn from each other.”

Students said the trip challenged assumptions they held about student independence and trust.

“Seeing how much the adults trust the students in Reggio was eye-opening,” Mattson said. “We do not have the trust in our students to give them that opportunity (in the United States). That is something I hope to change in my classroom.”

In addition to their academic experiences, the group explored more of Italy, including Milan, the Remida Recycling Center, local cathedrals and landmarks such as the Lucky Lion.

“Everything is at a slower pace, and that is the complete opposite from how we are,” Parvin said. “We don’t have to be in a rush all the time. It's good to slow down and take everything around us in.”

Experiencing the culture firsthand gave students another layer of learning as they compared educational and social differences.

“I think the biggest thing that will influence my teaching is it’s not always about the product but more about the process,” Parvin said. “With the education system here in America, we really focus on test scores and the end goal. But what really matters is how students get to where they are in their learning overall.”

Wall concluded, “Study away in Reggio Emilia provides two things all teachers need – inspiration and confidence to boldly try new approaches to reach all learners. Our nightly reflections on what we learned and hoped to incorporate into our practice were a powerful component of the study tour, helping to develop camaraderie and lasting friendships among students and faculty. That is what life is really about, and it was a blessing to be with such bright and engaged Bearcats for this journey.”