3:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 26 – interview time (possibility for b-roll/photos earlier)
Culver Family Learning Center, 1301 Judson Street, Evansville
Background: The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy focused on preschool and primary education. It was developed after World War II by a teacher, Loris Malaguzzi, and parents in the villages around Reggio Emilia in Italy. Following the war, people believed that children were in need of a new way of learning. The assumption of Malaguzzi and the parents was that people form their own personality during early years of development and that children are endowed with “a hundred languages” through which they can express their ideas. The aim of this approach is teaching how to use these symbolic languages (eg., painting, sculpting, drama) in everyday life. The program is based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment based on the interests of the children through a self-guided curriculum.
The EVSC uses the Reggio approach in its pre-school classes and Amelia Gambetti has come to Evansville to share her knowledge with teachers in the EVSC, as well as individuals at Deaconess and at USI’s Children’s Center.
Amelia will start at Culver on Monday morning at 8:30. She will tour the early childhood classrooms there and she will spend the rest of the day until 3:30 meeting with a team of about 25-30 teachers from EVSC, Deaconess and USI children’s center.
On Tuesday the same schedule will occur, except she, and the same group of individuals, will be at Deaconess all day. And on Wednesday she, and the same group, will be at USI.
The same group of teachers will be with her all 3 days.
A public lecture is planned from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Deaconess Health Services Building. Preregistration is required because of limited space.
Contacts:Â Amelia Gambetti, Reggio Emelia expert; Terry Green, EVSC Director of Early Childhood Education
