Art spoken here: reggio emilia for the big kids

Developing one’s creative potential is a basic human right, and thus the relationship between democracy and creativity is ineffable. Reggio Emilia pedagogies recognise this intrinsically; teaching through this modality embeds deep learning and an aesthetic awareness not often evident in formal schooling, despite the overwhelming evidence regarding the value of a sustained art education. Our children are all born creative and brave, yet something happens to them as they grow - the opportunities to express themselves artistically at school become minimised, the art curriculum becomes marginalised, and our children’s creative genius falls away. What would Reggio Emilia look like in the High School classroom? In the Primary School? Imagine a curriculum where all students’ creative potential was nurtured, every day. This paper explores this proposition, and argues that by utilising the highly successful pedagogies of Reggio Emilia, we can attend to the fundamental right of every child to an education that nurtures their inherent creativity