Loris Malaguzzi e la rivoluzione culturale delle scuole e dei nidi d’infanzia di Reggio Emilia

Abstract

Public early years education has made a long journey to emerge from the dimension of welfare and minding to affirm children’s right to learning from birth in social contexts. This achievement is the fruit of commitment on the part of citizens, administrators, civic organizations, and the elaboration of pedagogical culture by pedagogues working together with teachers and parents.

As a pedagogue, Loris Malaguzzi, was undoubtedly, a leading figure, and brought Reggio pedagogy international standing. In 1991, the Diana Preschool, representing Reggio Emilia’s municipal education system, was acknowledged as one of the “best schools in the world”.

These pedagogues have often been classified as advocates of an empirical popular pedagogy that works to develop children’s imaginations.

In offering excerpts from Malaguzzi’s talks and writings, although the topics covered represent only a fraction of the broad sweep of Malaguzzi’s thinking, we hope readers will be able to get inside his mind, and sense, if not fully understand, the cultural revolution he produced on the level of theory, with direct implications for the lives of children and parents, and the work of teachers in this city, and in many places of Italy and the world.