The ‘Value of Locality’ in Early Childhood Settings: Pedagogical Documentation in the Reggio Emilia Educational Project

  • Stefania Giamminuti Curtin University of Technology Perth, Western Australia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18357/jcs.v36i2.15085

Abstract

This article engages with the notions of locality and community in early childhood settings. Locality is conceptualized as a ‘value’ in the context of the experience of the municipal infant-toddler centers and ‘schools of childhood’ (scuole d’infanzia) of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The article is drawn from a recent study (Giamminuti, 2009) which engages with questions of quality, values and relationships in early childhood education and care. Participants in the study include educators, families, and children that were part of the learning communities of Arcobaleno Infant-Toddler Center and Pablo Neruda School. This article focuses on the value of locality as experienced in Reggio Emilia, and offers an invitation to early childhood settings internationally to consider: the importance of positioning oneself in time, history, and place; the significance of constructing a collective sense of locality; and the value of conceptualizing and living early childhood settings as places that belong to children.

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Author Biography

Stefania Giamminuti, Curtin University of Technology Perth, Western Australia
Dr. Stefania Giamminuti identifies as an inhabitant of many locales: Italy, USA, and Australia. She is an early childhood educator originally from Rome, Italy, and has several years of experience teaching with young children and their families in an International School in Rome. Currently, Stefania is a Lecturer in Early Childhood Education in the School of Education at Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Western Australia.

Stefania was granted the unique opportunity to engage in PhD research in the world-renowned municipal infant-toddler centres and schools of the city of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Her thesis, entitled ‘Pedagogical Documentation in the Reggio Emilia Educational Project: Values, Quality, and Community in Early Childhood Settings’ explores the implications of reflecting on the Reggio Emilia educational project in international contexts, and has enjoyed the recognition and appreciation of educators, academics and researchers internationally.
Published
2011-12-30
How to Cite
Giamminuti, S. (2011). The ‘Value of Locality’ in Early Childhood Settings: Pedagogical Documentation in the Reggio Emilia Educational Project. Journal of Childhood Studies, 36(2), 4-10. https://doi.org/10.18357/jcs.v36i2.15085
Issue
Vol. 36 No. 2 (Fall 2011): Canadian Children
Section
Invitational Articles and Urgent Conversations

Copyright (c) 2011 Stefania Giamminuti

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