I am thrilled to welcome an amazing Italian educator has been added to the Constructing Modern Knowledge 2009 faculty, Dr. Lella Gandini.
No person is more responsible for bringing the revolutionary learner-centered principles and techniques of Reggio Emilia, Italy to American educators than Lella Gandini. Dr. Gandini is the United States Liaison for the Dissemination of the Reggio Emilia approach, Lesley University Visiting Scholar and an early childhood education consultant.
Although rooted in the municipal preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, the powerful ideas are applicable to learners of all ages and offer 45+ years worth of lessons for creative educators concerned with authentic sustainable school reform. This approach to education built upon “the defense & promotion of the rights and potential of children,” the use of authentic materials, an emphasis on creativity, the environment as a teacher and teachers as learners is wholly consistent with the goals of Constructing Modern Knowledge.
More about Dr. Gandini…
Lella Gandini was instrumental in bringing the groundbreaking museum exhibit, The Hundred Languages of Children, to the United States and in introducing Howard Gardner to Loris Malaguzzi, the guiding inspiration behind the Reggio Emilia approach.
Lella serves as Associate Editor of Innovations in Early Education: the International Reggio Exchange and helps translate the powerful ideas of “Reggio” via lectures, books and articles.
Dr. Gandini is co-editor and co-author of The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education; Beautiful Stuff: Learning with Found Materials; Bambini: The Italian Approach to Infant/toddler Care; In the Spirit of the Studio: Learning from the Atelier of Reggio Emilia; and the recently published, Insights and Inspirations from Reggio Emilia: Stories of Teachers and Children from North America.
Lella has also carried out research on parenting, children’s fears, the use and text of traditional nursery rhymes in Italy, and comparing rituals at bedtime in Tuscany and New England. She has published several books for children, as well as books about parenting and early education in Italy. Lella is a correspondent for the Italian magazine for teachers, Bambini. For the City of Pistoia, she served as a consultant and was the curator for two exhibits: Bedtime and 100 years of Children: An Open Family Album.
Read Gary Stager’s 2002 article about the Reggio Emila approach, The Best Idea this Side of Italy.
Regrettably, Herb Kohl has experienced a medical emergency that caused him to cancel his participation in this year’s event. We wish Herb well and hope he will be able to join us next year.