Children’s Views of the Learning Environment: A Study Exploring the Reggio Emilia Principle of the Environment as the Third Teacher

Abstract

This research study explored the concept of

the environment as the third teacher and how

kindergarten children in a school inspired by

Reggio Emilia viewed their classroom as a space

to help them learn. A qualitative analysis of

the research data reveals that children perceive

their environment as a space that contributes

to their learning and acts as a third teacher in

the classroom. In summary, the children in this

study described the specific ways they were able

to learn with the materials located within the

centres of their classroom, the ways they engaged

in imaginative or pretend play, making real-life

connections and communicating with peers, and

the learning that developed through exploration

of the documentation on the classroom walls.