My Reggio Study Group Convenes

On Tuesday evening, October 12, 2010, my Reggio Study Group gathered in Portland to start another year together. We had been calling ourselves the Portland Area Reggio Collaborative, or PARC for a couple of years already.  A collection of teachers from greater Portland, we convened each school year to to deepen our understanding of the Reggio Emilia Approach to early childhood education. Now that I have retired from the classroom, I offer these reflections to my readers. What can reading about my Reggio Study Group experiences offer the teachers of today?

A Cornerstone of the Reggio Approach–Learning in Community

In Reggio Emilia, group learning is considered the ideal way for children to explore and grow. Most often, this happens through playful exploration that is guided by the adults who provide the materials and environments that can stimulate growth and learning. Cultivating a school that is a learning community with children that can ask questions and seek their own answers about how the world works through exploring and constructing their own theories are some foundational concepts of the Reggio Approach.

Overall, as I look back in 2024 on those active years of meeting with my Reggio Study Group, I realize that we became a learning community and friends. I find myself in awe of what my Reggio Study Group created and accomplished together.

Support, Collegiality, and Learning for Teachers!

What a revolutionary concept–teachers need to keep learning too! As the only art teacher in my school, attending my Reggio Study group afforded me much-needed support and a place to ask questions at times when I was trying something new or going out on a limb. At our meetings we read and discussed articles and books, watched films together, and messed around with materials. We brought our classroom challenges, successes, and questions to the group. Additionally, we carpooled to conferences and even put on some of our own, inviting distinguished keynote speakers Lella Gandini and Kathy Topal to inspire and challenge the broader teaching community. Wonderfully, some of us had the good fortune to travel to Reggio Emilia or Pistoia Italy to see firsthand how the preschools functioned and to deepen our understandings.

A Choice-Based Art Program Where Children are Artists

Having my Reggio Study Group as a support helped me to take risks and adventure into the unknown. As I moved away from the traditional teacher-directed lessons, I released the children to draw upon their own experiences and ideas for art-making. Moreover, through the experiences I had in my Reggio Study Group taught me to listen deeply and to ask meaningful questions that could help children see and understand more. Furthermore, I learned to “toss the ball” back and forth–partnering with my students as they took risks, tried new things, and made art that was meaningful to them.

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My Reggio Study Group and Lifelong Learning

Being part of my Reggio Study Group taught me that friendship and learning go hand in hand. When teachers isolate children and tell them that all that matters is the test we diminish their capacity for real curiosity and growth, the cornerstones of adaptability and lifelong learning.

As a member of a learning group that has morphed into a friendship group, I can tell you that we truly need one another throughout the lifespan, from our earliest years to our elder years. And having a learning community that is still willing to play and “mess about” is a true gift. Finally, I offer this post and reflection to my Reggio study group friends–Laura, Kathy, Aja, Molly, Marie, Judy, and all the others who came and went over the years. May we all continue to learn, laugh, and grow together.

In friendship and solidarity, Robin Brooks, November 11, 2024