1st Edition

Art and Creativity in Reggio Emilia Exploring the Role and Potential of Ateliers in Early Childhood Education

By Vea Vecchi Copyright 2010
    224 Pages
    by Routledge

    224 Pages
    by Routledge

    This book explores the contribution of and art and creativity to early education, and examines the role of the atelier (an arts workshop in a school) and atelierista (an educator with an arts background) in the pioneering pre-schools of Reggio Emilia. It does so through the unique experience of Vea Vecchi, one of the first atelieristas to be appointed in Reggio Emilia in 1970.

    Part memoir, part conversation and part reflection, the book provides a unique insider perspective on the pedagogical work of this extraordinary local project, which continues to be a source of inspiration to early childhood practitioners and policy makers worldwide.

    Vea’s writing, full of beautiful examples, draws the reader in as she explains the history of the atelier and the evolving role of the atelierista. Key themes of the book include:

    • processes of learning and knowledge construction

    • the theory of the hundred languages of childhood and the role of poetic languages

    • the importance of organisation, ways of working and tools, in particular pedagogical documentation

    • the vital contribution of the physical environment

    • the relationship between the atelier, the atelierista, the school and its teachers

    This enlightening book is essential reading for students, practitioners, policy makers and researchers in early childhood education, and also for all those in other fields of education interested in the relationship between the arts and learning.

    Series Editors' Introduction: Invitation to the Dance  1. Introduction  2. Aesthetics/Poetics  3. A General Overview  4. The Bicycle Metaphor  5. The Long View of Organisation  6. An Ethic Community  7. Environments   8. Professional Marvellers  9. Visible Learning  10. We Take Up the Walk Again  11. The Loris Malaguzzi International Centre  12. Blue Flowers, Bitter Leaves

    Biography

    Vea Vecchi worked as an atelierista at the Diana municipal preschool in Reggio Emilia for over thirty years, doing pedagogical research and documentation in the area of children’s many languages. She now acts as a consultant to 'Reggio Children'.