Reggio Emilia Approach

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Running head: REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH The Reggio Emilia Approach In a speech by Minister for Education, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, he stated that Singapore has embarked on a new phrase in education which is shifting focus from an efficiency-driven system to one that focused on quality and choice in learning. It was also noted in his speech that Singapore is progressively shifting the balance in education, from learning content to developing a habit of inquiry. He also claimed that we as educator must provide young Singaporeans a quality of education that will prepare them for life rather than prepare them for examination. (Ministry of Education, 2008) Despite the government intention to reduce the pressure on children by reviewing the early childhood curriculum guidelines, parents are using the time meant for children’s play by sending them to enrichment classes or tuition to improve their children’s performance. (Ebbeck and Warrier, 2008) As cited in Ebbeck & Warrier (2008), Zakaria (2006) stated that Singapore has a result-oriented and exam-focused education system in which ‘Learning something to love and engage in’ with enthusiasm is totally absent. With all this in mind, I would like to introduce Reggio Emilia Approach in my school in collaborating parents in their children learning. Hoping the collaboration in involving them will enable them to see how children learn through exploration and play. In Reggio Emilia, it views the complexity of education as fascinating and challenging. It challenges the teachers to let go of the traditional systems of educating a child and try the possibilities of adapting a new system which can give the child a better opportunity to learn. This approach is dedicated to the conception of a learning environment that will
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