In Dialogue with Reggio Emilia: Listening, Researching and Learning

by Carlina Rinaldi

The early childhood programme of Reggio Emilia in Italy is acclaimed as one of the best education systems in the world and this book offers the unique insight of Carlina Rinaldi, the former director of the municipal early childhood centres in Reggio Emilia and successor to Loris Malaguzzi, one of the twentieth century’s leading pedagogical thinkers. Rinaldi has an enviable international reputation for her contribution to the Reggio approach and has given talks on the topic around the world. A collection of Rinaldi’s most important works, this book is organized thematically with a full introduction contextualising each piece. It closes with an interview by series editors Peter Moss and Gunilla Dahlberg, looking at Rinaldi’s current work and reflections on Reggio's past, present and future. Much of this material is previously unpublished and focuses on a number of

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Stuart Macalpine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to confess to a bit of an 'Edu-romance' with Reggio Emilia and Carla Rinaldi at the moment, but just as with new love the world seems brighter, fresher and clearer, so too Carla Rinaldi's writings seem imbued with a special light (no doubt care of the Light Atelier).

Whilst experts from Piaget to Dewey have singularly failed to create anything lasting in terms of educational communities of practice directly based on their ideas (they exist through influence rather than construction) Reggio shares with Kurt Hahn a wisdom born of knowing children and communities well. They go beyond Hahn in some respects in the depth of their thought. Hahn was a brilliant imitator and a superb reader of cultural movements, but the community of Reggio shows you how rich thought and practice can be if there is strong and provocative external dialogue (lasting engagements with Bruner, Piaget etc.) combined with intense internal, child centred dialogue. I have not seen a better model of inclusive education.

This particular text is special as it seems to get to the core dialogues; the text is dense with meaning and implication. There is a lifetime's worth of thinking for the reader, and yet you can access this very quickly. A bit like a helicopter flight over a mountain range it would take a lifetime to climb and get to know. A similar sense of the scale of the achievement is what lingers... and a probably quite foolish desire to climb every peak.

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a teacher I had who introduced me to the Reggio Emilia schools and their methods. This is a compilation of her speeches and written pieces as well as interviews with her that I find extremely thought provoking and encouraging.

One of my favorite pieces is "The Courage for Utopia" where she urges us to realize how much the problems that exist in education are mostly issues of a lack of imagination and courage. It is true that it is a heck of a lot easier to risk less by expecting little, but look where that has gotten us!

[Grace Ho · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all know that Reggio Emilia inspired by socio-constructive theory of Vygotsky, a Russian theorist. This philosophy is famous for 'the image of the child' that tells how the child develops his relationships with the world. That circle of relationship, children, parents, teachers, and wider community is focused. Also, school is a learning space that enhances children's development. Together, school-family relationship helps build values and ways of educating. For the first half of the book, Carlina Rinaldi has displayed how the issues in educating are family and its changes. It requires educators to reflect on some sample questions such as:
"How has family structure changed recently?
Who holds the authority (in the family)?
What is authority in the family of today? Authoritarian or Authoritative? or something else?"

In sum, I have to admit that educating is a difficult job as teachers have to reflect on our taboos, silences, hypocrisies, fears, real feelings and emotions about children and ourselves.

I haven't finished the rest of the book which focuses on research and interview with some researchers.
Given 3 stars for the book as it isn't really interesting for the first few chapters.

[Marissa Sobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insights from one of the greatest educational theorists.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book on the whole. As I read it I often wanted to argue with Rinaldi, especially about gender and about some of her more dogmatic pronouncements. But the ending of the book makes it clear it is not intended to be a book of answers, but a book encouraging more genuine questioning.

We each find, develop and requestion our own answers as the educators of Reggio Emilia did. We don't try to recreate their achievement but it is valuable to read about their history, their response to their context and the thinking behind it. Much of what Rinaldi claims about capable children, active communities, justice and resepct for the profession I resounded with.

She ends by urging us not to neglect our dreams...throughout she is passionate and almost poetic in how she expresses herself.

I am definitely glad I read this.