Authentic Childhood: Experiencing Reggio Emilia in the Classroom (Paperback)

by Susan Fraser (Author), Carol Gestwicki (Author) "What leads delegations from all over the world to visit Reggio Emilia, a small city in northern Italy?..." (more)
Key Phrases: negotiated learning approach, children with special rights, municipal preschools, Reggio Emilia, Loris Malaguzzi, Quadra Island (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"Authentic Childhood: Experiencing Reggio Emilia in the Classroom" explores the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. The Reggio approach was developed at preschools and infant-toddler centers in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and is an emergent international curriculum. Based on constructionist learning, this text is ideal for students and teachers of all experience levels. "Authentic Childhood" includes inspiring stories of teachers who are transforming early childhood education and teacher preparation through the use of this new practice.

About the Author
Carol Gestwicki had been an instructor in the Early Childhood Education program at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina, for more than 20 years. Her teaching responsibilities have included supervising students in classroom situations as they work with parents. Earlier in her career, she worked with children and families in a wide variety of community agencies and schools in Toronto, New York, New Jersey, and Namibia. She received her MA from Drew University. She has been an active member of NAEYC for many years, making numerous presentations at state and national conferences. Other publications include more than two dozen articles on child development and family issues, and script-writing and design of 14 audiovisual instructional programs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Delmar Cengage Learning; 1 edition (July 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0766825442
• ISBN-13: 978-0766825444
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #581,916 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book: what quality early childhood care should be, March 9, 2002

By	P. Heaphy (West Haven, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book should be a required read for anyone studying to teach early childhood education, but anyone interested Reggio Emilia or young children will find this an excellent resource. Through the lens of the Reggio Emilia philosophy, the book looks at "the image of the child", "the role of the teacher", environment, documentation, relationships, curriculum, aesthetics, and finally "the Hundred Languages of Children". It is a highly enjoyable read, rich with real life examples of Reggio in practice, as well as the reality of the challenges faced by teachers. Wonderful!!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Resource, August 8, 2007

By	Ashes Sarrico "helpless book nerd" (USA) - See all my reviews

I just recently graduated with my masters degree in education and just got a job as a kindergarten teacher for this school year. During my graduate studies I became intrigued with the ideas from the Reggio Emilia schools: Documentation, Projects, the studio, collaboration, spaces, etc. I really wanted to be able to bring these ideas to my own classroom. I have read a lot of literature out there about Reggio Emilia and the various ideas associated with them- But a lot of those books are very academic and wordy and force you to ponder deep issues, which is great, but I'm not a grad student anymore. I need something a little bit more easy to read, with less theory and such and more how-to's. So I found Authentic Childhood and love it! It lays out the basic ideas of Reggio Emilia in a really accessible way. It has been a nice addition to my professional library. I mean, there is still theory in this book- but its Micheal Crichton-level reading, not James Joyce.
I also recommend: In the Spirit of the Studio (Learning from the Atelier of Reggio Emilia) and Making Learning Visible. These are valuable tools for any educator!