The Environment as the Third Teacher: 8 Characteristics of a Reggio Emilia Play-Based Classroom
Play-Based Approach
Last updated on 25 April 2024
Lily Valley PreschoolLily Valley PreschoolPlay-Based Approach
Last updated on 25 April 2024
The Environment as the Third Teacher: 8 Characteristics of a Reggio Emilia Play-Based Classroom
The Reggio Emilia approach is a well-known pedagogy with a number of unique features that have revolutionised the way we think about education. This approach treats children as active learners and sees the learning environment as a “third teacher”.
The second idea is actually one that tends to pique parents’ curiosity. Perhaps it’s due to the strangeness of treating an apparently inanimate object as an educator. Even so, the benefits of this particular point have been proven over the ages.
To help you understand what it means, we’ll go over the application of this idea from the Reggio Emilia approach today, particularly as expressed through design principles. You may discover new things about your child’s play and learning environment in the process.
The learning environment or “third teacher” in Reggio Emilia is the classroom. It’s the place where young ones build their cognitive, social, linguistic, creative, and physical skills.
This is where children develop into knowledge-bearers themselves, as well as researchers in their own learning experiences. To that end, Reggio Emilia classroom design tends to emphasise and support children’s curiosity and creativity – two traits that this approach considers integral to the acquisition of knowledge.
This shows in several design characteristics that Reggio Emilia classrooms often have in common.
The atelier is perhaps the best-known characteristic of a Reggio Emilia classroom. They’re certainly among the parts of our own preschool that parents wish to see first during tours!
So, what is an atelier? While we tend to think of ateliers as workshops for artists, Reggio Emilia ateliers are slightly different. They’re less about traditional artistic practices and more about creative thinking experiences.
The Reggio Emilia atelier is a place where children can feel free to employ their creativity through various paraphernalia to learn through experimentation. It’s a play and learning environment where they can explore, discover, and create.
The children’s experiences and the knowledge gained through them are made visible through their works in these ateliers. This encourages them to ask questions and generate evocations.
Ateliers are also where we see the enactment of the Reggio Emilia approach’s “100 languages” philosophy. This means that children learn in a multitude of ways, through a multitude of media, as can be seen in the many activities children can undertake in ateliers to expand their knowledge.
Provocation stations are intentional setups in the classroom environment created to stimulate children’s thinking, wonder and dialogue. These thoughtfully arranged spaces are designed to pique curiosity and encouraging self-directed exploration, inviting children to engage with materials, ask questions and form their own ideas.
Unlike ateliers, which are more expansive and typically centred on artistic expression, provocation stations are smaller in scale and often focused on specific concepts or sensory experiences. Some examples of this might include light exploration, loose parts play, or natural materials for sorting and categorising.
These provocation stations are typically designed to support just a few children at a time, creating opportunities for focused interaction, reflection and deep inquiry.
The piazza or “square” is the central area in a Reggio Emilia school. As one may expect, it serves as the main gathering space for the children, as it’s accessible from all classrooms.
This makes it a logical meeting place for social activities and exchanges to occur naturally. Children exit their lessons and go to the piazza, for instance. They run into their peers there, and then build emotional and communication skills as they socialise.
Most Reggio Emilia schools will set up the piazza to be open and flexible enough for easy repurposing when they need a space for special events. Most large group activities organised by the school will take place in the piazza.
Reggio Emilia classroom design usually emphasises light. Natural light in particular is valued, as it’s seen as warmer and more inviting. In a play and learning environment, it creates a more comforting space for young learners.
Artificial lighting – especially fluorescent lighting – is colder and less welcoming, by comparison. This is why you will see most Reggio Emilia preschools preferring large windows and spacious, airy rooms that don’t obstruct natural light.
Calm, comfort, and welcome are vital in Reggio Emilia. Children need to be in spaces that don’t distract them from their learning activities and own creativity.
Hence, neutral hues are preferred in Reggio Emilia classroom design. Most classrooms are painted in shades of white, cream, and grey for this very reason. The environment isn’t there to overwhelm the children – it’s there to help them be the ones who shine brightest!
Accessibility of learning materials is absolutely vital in Reggio Emilia classrooms. Since children’s agency in their own education is key, support for the many ways they learn should always be at hand. The learning materials are a big part of that support!
Materials have to be both accessible and inviting, to encourage children to experiment with them. They should be uncluttered to avoid confusing learners and there should be enough of them to offer the children a wide range of options.
Learning materials in Reggio Emilia classrooms may range from simple wooden blocks to art supplies. They are never added to the classroom haphazardly but with careful thought – educators typically consider whether the material sparks creativity and development before adding it.
The Reggio Emilia approach values children’s progress, so displays of it are common. As documentation is also a big part of the approach, it’s natural for Reggio-Emilia-inspired schools to have a lot of options to display!
That’s why you can usually see walls adorned with children’s projects, artwork, ideas, quotes, and other products when you go to a Reggio Emilia classroom. This celebrates the children’s learning journeys.
This is perhaps one of the most interesting elements of Reggio Emilia classroom design: children have no permanent or assigned seats in it.
This non-traditional approach embraces a flowing concept of classroom structure. Communication and collaboration are encouraged, as are regular interactions among students and group learning. Children can work near or with each other as they wish here.
In sum, the Reggio Emilia classroom is a space where children can easily take an active role in their own education. This play and learning environment makes experimentation accessible, nurtures creativity, and offers children a soothing space where they can feel confident enough to ask questions.
The notes above should have given you an idea of what to expect from a Reggio Emilia classroom. If you want to see one for yourself, however, you can also sign up for a school tour with us.
Lily Valley Preschool’s Reggio-Emilia-inspired environment and programme can give you deeper insight into the application of this famous pedagogical approach. Register your interest for a school tour with us now!