A Critique - Reggio Emilia Approach a Educational Philosophy

REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH A EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY I fully support the Reggio Emilia Approach model which was found by Loris Malaguzzi. This model became associated with mainstream educational practices in 1945 when the first parent-run preschool of the common people opened in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy focused on preschool and primary education. The destruction from the war, parents believed, necessitated a new, quick approach to teaching their children. I enjoy the fact that this is a child –centered educational program that features working with art. In the Reggio Emilia School, children are viewed as powerful and capable. Children are validated as unique individuals†¦show more content†¦Much of what occurs in the class reflects a constructivist approach to early education. Reggio Emilias approach does challenge some conceptions of teacher competence and developmentally appropriate practice. Teachers in Reggio Em ilia assert the importance of being confused as a contributor to learning; thus a major teaching strategy is purposely to allow mistakes to happen, or to begin a project with no clear sense of where it might end. Another characteristic that is counter to the beliefs of many Western educators is the importance of the childs ability to negotiate in the peer group. I think that one of the most challenging aspects of the Reggio Emilia approach is the solicitation of multiple points of view regarding childrens needs, interests, and abilities, and the mutual faith in parents, teachers, and children to contribute in meaningful ways to the determination of schoolShow MoreRelatedThe Bank Street Curriculum Teaching Method2882 Words   |  12 Pagespoignant kind† (p. 33). She broke this loneliness by pouring over her father’s extensive home library and recording her thoughts into a journal. At a young age she was exposed to the educational ideas of Dewey and Addams, colleagues of her father’s (2000). As a researcher and educator she embodied the ideas that educational constructivists like John Dewey and Jane Addams stood for. While volunteering in Lillian Wald’s Henry Street Settlement in San Francisco, Mitchell implemented theories made by JaneRead MoreArticle: The Aspect of Delinquency3972 Words   |  16 Pagesjuvenile delinquency, but there seems to be no clear cut answer. Delinquency prevention offers a plethora of programs which range anywhere from substance abuse education and treatment, family counseling, youth mentoring, parenting education, educational support, to youth sheltering. Many of these, if not all are helpful. The problem is: the situation of juvenile delinquency persists. Moreover, some interventions, in fact, may leave at-risk children even worse off than had there been no intervention

Listening And Instruction On Cognitive Abilities And Learning

The significance of listening to music has been acknowledged for decades due to the benefits it brings to human souls. In recent decades, endless studies conducted have further discovered the contributions that music listening and instruction have on cognitive abilities and learning. Music instruction has recently been studied under the umbrella of the Mozart effect to know the cognitive benefits of participation in musical activities. The Mozart effect originally suggested, â€Å"listening to a Mozart piano sonata produced significant short-term enhancement of spatial-temporal reasoning.† (1 Rausher) The Mozart effect has also been studied under the avenues of music listening and instruction concerning its respective impact on cognitive†¦show more content†¦Moreover, the â€Å"effects of music instruction on cognitive abilities† is critical for the future, which â€Å"deserve further consideration.† (2 Rausher) Musical lessons boost performance for children between the ages of 12 and 14-years-old in their academics and cognitive ability tests. There is a close relationship between music lessons and academic achievement for children. Using music lessons to improve the IQ tests of children between the ages of 12 and 14-years-old is a reliable method in any learning environment. The study confirmed that IQ tests for the children, improved considerably when they participated frequently in musical lessons. The performance also extended to academic lessons that play a crucial role in the lives of young children. Dege, Wehrum, Stark Schwarzer measured the IQ and academic self-concepts for children from different backgrounds, with social-economic status and the gender of the children proving not to affect the way they responded to musical lessons. (Dege) The significant contribution of musical instruction among children between the ages of 12 and 14-years-old is critical, because it can be used to improve learning in academic settings. Dege, Wehrum, Stark Schwarzer argue that academic achievement varies with the personality of each child, due to their difference in orientations to music. The noteworthy association between musical

Predominate Symbols and Their Meanings Free Essays

Predominate Symbols and Their Meanings Defined Symbolism â€Å"is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. A symbol is an object, action, or idea that represents something other than itself, often of a more abstract nature. † (Wikipedia) Authors use symbolism to give their stories a deeper meaning. We will write a custom essay sample on Predominate Symbols and Their Meanings or any similar topic only for you Order Now Symbols make you look beyond the obvious and see the deeper meaning. † Symbols have emotional and intellectual power beyond their literal importance, and writers often use them to compact large ideas into simple words or phrases. (SPC Blackboard) Authors Shirley Jackson (The Lottery), Susan Glaspell (A Jury of Her Peers), and Katherine Ann Porte (The Jilting of Granny Weatherall) all effectively use symbolism is their stories to convey a deeper meaning, the symbolism in their stories help connect you on a different level. In Jackson’s The Lottery, there are many instances where symbolism is used to represent something else. The first symbol which is probably the most obvious is the title of the story. When you think of the word lottery you think of a prize of some sort, â€Å"In this story the lottery serves as an ironic symbol–something which begins in a harmless and sociable way but ends in tragedy. † (Enotes) Another symbolic reference in this story is the black box that is used to draw from. The box is dilapidated and in need of some major repair, yet it is still used year after year. ‘They base their attachment on nothing more than a story that claims that this black box was made from pieces of another, older black box. (SparkNotes) The black box symbolizes tradition; the people of the town are attached to the box just because it has been around so long they don’t know anything else. There is no reason the villagers should be so attached to the box, just as there is no reason they should continue to hold the Lottery but they do because of tradition. (SparkNotes) The third and most disturbing symbol from The Lottery is the actual stoning. â€Å"Ston ing is one of the oldest and most common forms of execution, but it is also one of the most symbolic. (Bright Hub Education) It is symbolic because in reference to the Bible stoning was the way to execute innocent people. It was also important the â€Å"winner† of the lottery be stoned so that there was not just one executioner. â€Å"This means that no single person has passed judgment or has to carry the guilt for taking a life alone†, the lottery was an institution of the society and not the individual. (Bright Hub Education) Jackson uses symbolism in this morbid story to reference the Bible and make you read between the lines, just like Glaspell does in A Jury of Her Peers. In A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell there is an abundance of symbolism. Basically every small detail in this story is symbolic of something else. The most significant symbols in this story are the bird and the birdcage. Mrs. Hale describes Minnie, before her marriage, as †real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and fluttery† (Learner) which can also describe a bird. The bird in its cage represents Minnie trapped in the relationship with John. She is also trapped because there is no lifeline or communication with the outside world, she is having the life drained from her. John figuratively strangles the life out of Minnie like he literally strangles the bird. When he kills the bird, he kills the last bit of Minnie’s spirit. Minnie â€Å"didn’t know what she was about† (Learner) anymore. Another symbolic reference is way Minnie killed her husband, Minnie strangled the life out of John like he strangled the life out of her bird. (Literature Essays) The setting in this story is also symbolic because like Minnie it was very isolated and â€Å"It had always been a lonesome-looking place. (Learner) Minnie reached a breaking point and took matters into her own hands. During this time period there was no divorce or separation, so the woman had either to suffer through it, die, or kill her husband. Her house is also very symbolic of her life, her kitchen was described as â€Å"being in disorder with unwashed pans under the sink, a dishtowel left on table, a loaf of bread outside the breadbox, and other disarray. † (Learner) Just li ke her kitchen, Minnie’s life was in complete disarray because of the abuse she endured. Like Glaspell, Katherine Ann Porte author of The Jilting of Granny Weatherall, uses symbolism to relate everyday events and objects to traumatic life events. The title itself is symbolic; to â€Å"Weather† means that someone has gone through a lot and experienced a lot of hardships during their life. Granny had â€Å"weathered† a lot during her life but had forced herself to rise above these situations. Even though she is a weak and dying she wants everyone to think she is fine and doesn’t need anyone’s help. Some f the symbolism that takes place in The Jilting of Granny Weatherall has to do with Granny’s denial. Granny Weatherall is in denial about most of the aspects of her life. She refuses to admit that she is dying, refuses to let anyone think she had her heart broken by the man who left her at the altar. Before she dies she wants to make sure everyone knows she lived a good life and did everything anyone else would do, married a good man, had kids, and lived a good life, even though her heart still pangs because she was jilted. The color blue is also symbolic throughout the story. There are many references to the color throughout the story and as Granny comes closer to dying the color slowly starts to fade. â€Å"At last, blue becomes the color of the light in Granny’s own mind, the light she snuffs out herself. ‘She stretched herself with a deep breath and blew out the light. ’ (EBookBrowse) It comes to symbolize the final stage of Granny’s life, when she is easing into death. † (SparkNotes) These symbols tug at your emotions and make you feel the pain Granny Weatherall has endured throughout her life. By using symbolism, these authors add layers to their stories. These layers make the stories more effective on an emotional level. They force you to read between the lines and force you to see the hidden importance in even the smallest of details. Works Cited Bright Hub Education. n. d. 27 October 2012. . EBookBrowse. n. d. 29 October 2012. . Enotes. n. d. 28 October 2012. . Learner. n. d. 28 October 2012. . Literature Essays. n. d. 28 October 2012. . SparkNotes. n. d. 28 October 2012. . SparkNotes. n. d. 29 October 2012. . SPC Blackboard. n. d. 27 October 2012. . Wikipedia. n. d. 26 October 2012. . How to cite Predominate Symbols and Their Meanings, Papers