Bumpers College Rome Study Abroad Trip Explores Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education

Photo by Shelley McNally

Teachers utilize the Reggio Emilia approach with children at the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the U of A is offering a study abroad trip to Rome and Reggio Emilia, Italy, to explore the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education, which is studied in the School of Human Environmental Sciences and applied by educators at the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center.

The trip is geared toward students in the new Birth through Kindergarten licensure program, but also appeals to students interested in art in the classroom, the impact of culture on education and anyone who wants to work with children, especially in a classroom setting.

"This experience offers another perspective on the capabilities of children," said Shelley McNally, clinical assistant professor and executive director of education programs at the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center on campus. "You will ask yourself important questions like, 'I wonder why they let children do that? I wonder why we don't? Should we? Could we? How can we make this possible for children? Could we reimagine educational spaces or rethink the way we use time and materials?' When I was introduced to the schools in Reggio Emilia, I was both amazed by children and disappointed in our own system. I saw best practice come alive and realized what is possible and should be available to every child. Every early childhood educator, person who works with young children or plans to be in the life of a child someday should seek ways to transform the condition of early care and education, and this program can be part of that journey."

Reggio Emilia is a small city in Northern Italy which emerged in the 1990s as an exemplary model of early childhood education. The city's approach was started by parents after World War II who wanted education to be just, loving and guaranteed with a deep civic commitment to children, democracy and advocacy.

"Three fundamental principles of Reggio Emilia are environment, documentation and project-based learning," said McNally. "There is care and attention paid to each detail of the physical environment. The strength of the approach is communicated through documentation, which is a unique process of carefully recording, revisiting and communicating socially constructed ways in which knowledge is created."

The trip to Rome and Reggio Emilia combines history and theory with experiential learning. Students hear directly from world leaders in the approach, and experience exceptional early childhood education environments in person.

"We are thrilled to offer a study abroad experience designed to complement our new Birth through Kindergarten major," said Laura Herold, a clinical assistant professor in human environmental sciences. "There is a lot of excitement from students about this opportunity because it is the first time our teacher licensure students have had a chance to take a study abroad trip designed to make them better teachers. Our students already learn so much by student teaching in the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center, but this experience will take their learning to a whole new level."

The Jean Tyson Center, an early childhood education center serving children from eight weeks to age five, is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach and enriches its curriculum by using its fundamental principles.

"Understanding a well-planned environment can work as a third teacher and reinforce concepts, we have been evaluating our spaces and how we can use them with more intention," said McNally. "Our curriculum is evolving to include documentation as part of our planning process and communicating to visitors the value of what we do with children. Flexible planning and project-based learning are the foundations of a curriculum that is child originated but teacher framed and facilitated."

Educators at the Jean Tyson Center have been noting the interests and questions of children, and using them to construct curriculum and make developmentally appropriate choices best for those children and their families. Over the course of a year, through a series of exercises, educators defined their beliefs about children and developed the following principles:

• We see children as unique individuals who are capable and resilient.
• We believe children to be strong and vulnerable, empathetic and egocentric, curious and cautious, and determined and adaptable.
• We know that learning is not a linear process, but happens at different times for different children.
• We value social, emotional and creative growth just as much as we value physical and cognitive growth.
• We believe children of all ages should explore, manipulate, predict, test, compare and discover.
• We believe that children should have the chance to observe, question, listen and participate so they develop a strong sense of self and agency.

"A lab school setting is the perfect place to challenge the historic struggles confronting early childhood education today," said McNally. "In the increasingly standardized world of education, the lab school is uniquely positioned to stand as a beacon for how all children should be treated, valued and recognized for their growth over time. We could and should use the information we gather about the children in our Center to be a voice for children everywhere, and continue the conversation about what we, collectively as a school, community and society believe about the potential of children."

More than 110 faculty, staff and students regularly use the facility for academics and research while providing quality care and education to more than 100 students. The center is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, placing it among the top 10 percent of private-sector childcare facilities in the nation. The program earned its first accreditations in the 1990s.

"Quality childcare is grounded in a deep respect for children," said McNally. "At the JTCDSC, we believe learning does not begin or end at school, but is a life-long adventure. We prepare children to engage in learning at their own speed, in their own time and in their own way. Educators work in partnership with children and families to develop experiences that benefit children socially and academically. Some activities are planned and implemented by educators. Some experiences are spontaneous, teachable moments. Others are planned by children. Our hope is that children who have attended our program develop a sense of agency and confidence from the warm, nurturing relationships they have constructed with educators, peers, places and materials. We hope they take those skills educators have worked so hard to cultivate and use them to ask questions, investigate and fully engage in the world around them."

The study abroad trip is "perfect for anyone who wants to understand how children learn, what they are capable of, and how to design really fantastic and appropriate experiences to support their development," said Herold.

Students visit the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre and Reggio Children, and browse stalls at the open air markets in Reggio Emilia; tour the courtyard in Rome, the ancient Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Sistine Chapel and walk the paths of the Villa Borghese; and have a choice of visiting either Venice, Florence or the Amalfi Coast.

"Students get to stand where ancient gladiators stood, gaze in amazement at some of the most inspirational and most famous works of art in history, and walk through the halls of a palace as they attend class," said McNally. "Most importantly, they will come to understand a system of early childhood education that values the contribution children make to a society, where they are central protagonists in their own learning and in the policies that shape childhood."

Bumpers College students are encouraged to engage in study abroad that will lead to life-long partnerships, cultural awareness and understanding of the global dimensions of their majors. The college's International Programs Office provides structured international experiences to enhance the marketability of students for career and academic opportunities through faculty driven, sustainable initiatives. The office supports faculty, students, international partners and university leadership in increasing opportunities for students. 

The college sponsors exchange programs to Austria and France, faculty-led programs in Belgium, India, Italy, Mozambique, New Zealand and Australia; internships in Greece and Scotland; and research opportunities in Brazil and the Philippines, and Greece.

For more information on international program and study abroad opportunities, go here. 

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.