Learning is What We Do Together

An in-depth encounter with Tiziana Filippini, Reggio Emilia pedagogista and consultant.

"Ideas fly, bounce around, accumulate, rise up, fall apart slowly, or spread, until finally one of them takes a decisive hold; it flies higher and conquers the entire group of children.” Loris Malaguzzi: from 'Daily Life at School: Seeing the Extraordinary in the Ordinary.' MLV p72

Our annual dialogue day in which, with educators from Reggio Emilia,  we delve into the lived realities and discoveries of Reggio Emilia's Approach, with emphases on the qualities of ongoing research of the educators, group learning contexts and an environment of enquiry. The qualities of exchanging and exploring ideas together is a key component in Reggio's Approach to education.

Caterina , 5: "It's easier to share ideas with your friends, and you get new ideas. If someone doesn't understand something, the other person helps. It's better when the ideas are all different: a group is for learning other things, not the things you already know." (Making Learning Visible, p.328)
Equally for educators, the practice of regularly reflecting together is vital: "While the children are engaged in diverse work, their two educators find the time, limited but precious time, to go over the days’ experiences. If necessary, they revise their assessments based on the events of the preceding day, the children who are present, the interests expressed by the children that morning, and so on." (MLV p.72)

This day will be an unparallelled opportunity to engage directly with a  representative of Reggio who has such long-term and deep experience, and is ready to dialogue and debate in English. Be inspired by what is desirable and possible in early childhood education.

Tiziana is a passionate, strong advocate of Reggio's Approach and knowledge - she has been a core part of the work of the schools since 1978: In particular, Tiziana was the long-standing pedagogista of the famous Diana Preschool, which came to the world’s attention when it was featured by Newsweek in 1991 as one of the 10 best schools in the world. She has engaged in international numerous international dialogues, often accompanying Loris Malaguzzi on research and lecture tours to Sweden and Denmark, and was a member of the research team  of the acclaimed reference work Making Learning Visible.

Here is a short extract 'learning in relationship' from her  2013 talk, also in London at IoE.

Sunday 10th November will be a seminar day for Sightlines Initiative Network participant settings to work in dialogue with Ms. Filippini . (see separate registration.)

Tiziana Filippini is a pedagogista and collaborator with Reggio Children, Italy.

She has a degree in psychology from Padova University and worked as pedagogista from 1978 to 2015 as a member of the Pedagogical Coordinating Team of the Istituzione – Preschools and Infant Toddler Centres of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia.

In particular, Tiziana was the long-standing pedagogista of the famous Diana Preschool, which came to the world’s attention when it was featured by Newsweek in 1991 as one of the 10 best schools in the world.

Tiziana was member of the Board of Reggio Children from 1994 to 2007 and now collaborates with Reggio Children on current research projects, speaking at international conferences, and consulting widely in the field of early childhood education. 

During her 37 years of experience, Tiziana has travelled the world to present as a speaker at conferences and seminars. Through this work she is able to share and celebrate the experiences of the infant-toddler centres, preschools and primary school of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, a system that has earned world wide acclaim and is known for its authenticity, excellence and democratic approach. She was part of a collaborative research group with Harvard University that closely examined the system and work of Reggio Emilia. The project, Making Learning Visible, focused on creating strong learning cultures in schools using documentation as a tool to deepen and extend learning. This important work has been published as a book that is known across early childhood and other education sectors in many different countries.