First Steps Toward Teaching the Reggio Way.

Interest in the Reggio Emilia approach to working with young children appears to be sweeping the world of early childhood education. Some teachers have read about the exemplary practices of the schools in Reggio Emilia, a town of 130,000 in northern Italy. Others have seen the Hundred Languages of Children, a traveling exhibit that compellingly depicts both the learning processes and the products of Reggio children.

Like most educational movements, Reggio Emilia has been affected by misunderstandings and misconceptions. Fortunately, this volume's contributors address myriad issues surrounding the Reggio approach and dispel many associated myths.

The book begins with a fascinating overview of the history and conceptual foundations of education in Reggio Emilia. Lella Gandini situates Reggio schooling within the broader context of the region's culture and long-standing traditions of collective social action. The author traces the current movement in the city's schools to the period directly following the Second World War. Gandini notes that the time was ripe for a "desire to bring change and create a new, more just world" (p. 3). The citizens of Reggio Emilia labored together to construct both the physical buildings and the philosophical underpinnings of the region's education. With the guidance of Loris Malaguzzi, the movement's leader and advocate, they aligned their quest for high quality, free, public education with other popular social movements of the post-war era, until they eventually saw the establishment of the fine municipal schools that are in operation today.

Following this introduction, authors from a variety of settings address key factors in the Reggio philosophy. They effectively link the theory and practice of Reggio teachers with the constructivist roots and philosophical foundations of Dewey, Piaget and Vygotsky. Each successive chapter reinforces the core Reggio beliefs that young children have a right to high quality care and education, and that within this education system, children must be viewed as strong, worthy individuals who have tremendous potential.

Individual chapters focus on defining elements of the Reggio approach: the development of emergent curriculum, the key role played by documentation, the prominent position given to children's artwork, the central role of parental support, and the importance of collaboration in all aspects of the education program. Readers will find support and affirmation for many cherished beliefs held by early childhood educators in the United States. This is not a book, however, that merely maintains the status quo. Readers will also be challenged to rethink such important issues as developmentally appropriate practice, direct instruction and the fundamental role of the teacher.

First Steps Toward Teaching the Reggio Way is a book that honors both the theory and practice of the Reggio Emilia education system. This provocative text will inspire families, teachers and teacher educators to consider new ways of looking at the care and education of young children.

Reviewed by Patricia A. Crawford, Assistant Professor of Education, University of Central Florida, Daytona Beach