In the Spirit of the Studio: Learning from the Atelier of Reggio Emilia

Early Childhood Education

by Lella Gandini, Lynn T. Hill, Louise Boyd Cadwell

As the authors state in their opening chapter, prepare to be amazed. This beautiful book describes the revolution that the Reggio Emiliaatelier (art studio) brought to the education of young children in Italy, and follows that revolution across the ocean to North America. It explores how the experiences of children interacting with rich materials in the atelier affect an entire school's approach to the construction and expression of thought and learning. Lavishly illustrated in full color, this original includes detailed interviews with Italian educators from Reggio Emilia; offers a window into many ateliers within the United States, examining the multiple ways that experience is altered when teachers, parents, and children prepare and work together in the studio setting; addresses the practical aspects of the atelier, including organizing the environment, using materials, and provides examples of projects; and features a comprehensive approach that addresses many varied issues related to children, including learning, collaboration, relationships, and community.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Art, Teaching, Professional Development, Parenting

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 11, 2005

Reviews

[Marissa Morrison]

I mostly skimmed the text, since it's really dense and aimed at people who are working in or setting up studios in Reggio Emilia schools. Some of the teachers say things like, "It took me 20 years of working in the studio to really figure out how to organize it and make good use of it for projects," which is kind of a turn-off for someone who just wants some practical advice for doing art projects with little ones at home. One terrific aspect of the atelier that comes through loud and clear through examples of art projects is that the children are given a lot of autonomy and freedom to discover their own ways of making meaning with art elements. The pictures in this book are very inspiring--especially the kid-accessible shelves stocked with art supplies and natural materials (shells, twigs, etc).

[Yulia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dated photos, hyper-pedagogical ideology that doesn't translate into daily classroom settings. I teach a reggio- inspired art class in a public school setting. I found it difficult to make any connections that could transition into my type of setting. The themes (water fountains for birds and gadgets for bugs) were totally off the wall. I get wanting to allow room for emergent curriculum by following student interests. Allowing one theme (such as designing fountains for birds) to drag out for months just isn't practical or useful at an American public school. The heavy use of philosophical jargon and lack of practical applications made this seemingly short book a total drag. Would not recommend this text to start your American Reggio journey, especially if your main focus is The Atelier!

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because we are using the Reggio model and I wanted to understand how the atelier fit into it. This was written by individuals who worked as ateliristas in the Reggio system and several of them talked about developing the studio.

While I was not always clear about how we would use this information, the book did help me to formulate ideas and I found the last two chapters particularly helpful.

[sam howie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the best practical book I have read on early childhood art education thus far. Full of open ended studio based experiences and ideas, without ever needing to advise on putting paints out with one brush per paint pot. Makes me want to go back and rerate some of the practical early childhood art books I have read recently as much less satisfactory.

[Sara Nelson]

I picked up this book hoping for more information on the Reggio Emilia style of schooling. While I did learn valuable information, it seems to me this book is more like a textbook, geared towards students in early childhood education.

[Deanna McLennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect book for anyone hoping to create an art studio or area in their classroom to support children's exploration and communication using the language of art.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My lower division courses always talked about the inventiveness of the Reggio-Emilia approach, and this book was brilliantly illustrative of how practitioners of the approach use its principles to impact the lives of their children. This edition and prior editions provided example after example about how new educators could build ateliers from the ground up and use ordinary objects and technology to spark authentic and original thought in children. I particularly loved the emphasis on involving the surrounding community and neglected communities (such as the elderly), working as a team with other educators, and the value of children's wonderment in simple-to-find objects (recycled goods, natural items from the outdoors, and household, everyday items like paper).

This ideas and examples in this book helped me get through my lab course and see the world in a new way. At first, I went into my lab work thinking I needed to have money and resources to have the kind of classroom that could spark children's creativity - but I was completely wrong. My best projects were ones where we focused on a single (open-ended) objective with recycled, natural, and everyday materials. There was much deeper meaning in the children's art when they were provided materials and told to tell some sort of story with it. Some of the children, months later, still remember the experiences they had in my class and tell me about how they're tweaking their creations even now.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book through detailed descriptions of actual projects in functioning Reggio schools gives one of the best explanations of the implementation and practice of the atelier. For me it answers a lot of questions about the practicality of the approach in early childhood education and beyond into grade schools and even middle school.

[Sarah-lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring!

[Jamie Diemidio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

[Lins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, had a lot of great ideas to how to educate children.