When we talk about the Reggio Emilia-inspired Atelier at My School Ticino, we are referring to a cultural space, an environment for thinking and relating, which takes its cue from the Reggio Emilia approach to education, developed by Loris Malaguzzi after the Second World War and now known thanks to the work of Reggio Children.
The atelier represents one of the most profound expressions of the vision of childhood as competent, curious, capable of building knowledge, and a bearer of a hundred languages with which to interpret and describe the world. Children are active subjects, rich in potential, capable of learning through experience, relationships and research. Malaguzzi stated that children possess “a hundred languages”: expressive, symbolic, bodily, visual, sound and narrative languages. Learning is an open process, which is constructed through dialogue between the child, the environment, materials, adults and other children.
Our Reggio Emilia-inspired Atelier is a space intentionally designed to support children’s research, divided into centres of interest. It is a lively, flexible, aesthetic environment where materials, light and organisation invite exploration. The atelier contains natural and artificial materials, both structured and unstructured. Each object is chosen for its ability to stimulate questions, not to suggest answers. The atelier is a space for shared research, where the process is more important than the final product. Ideas, phenomena and curiosities are explored.
A key element is the pedagogical documentation. In the atelier, learning processes are made visible through photographs, transcripts of dialogues and drawings shared at the end of the year with families throughout a dossier. It is a very useful and important tool for reflection for children and adults alike.
This wonderful space at My School Ticino touches the heart, leaving children, teachers and parents who experience it with precious memories to cherish over time, becoming an integral part of the growth journey.
