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Many aspects of the Reggio Emilia experience are fascinating to American educators, but perhaps none more than the role of the teacher. How do teachers (infant-toddler and preschool) support, facilitate, and guide children to the complex levels seen in classroom interactions as well as in the creative works children produce? Certainly, the teacher's role has intrigued both of us ever since we began our studies in Reggio Emilia, even before we began collaborating on the three successive editions of The Hundred Languages of Children (Edwards, Gandini, & Forman 1993; 1998; 2012). In each of those volumes, Carolyn contributed a chapter specifically focused on the Role of the Teacher. In preparing the third edition, we interviewed many teachers and administrative leaders, and thereby gained many new insights into the dynamic and evolving aspects of teachers' work in Reggio. In this article, we will summarize some of our thoughts about this issue, with particular focus on teachers as researchers.
Reggio Emilia: A transforming city
Reggio Emilia is a very old city, founded by the Romans in the second century B.C. It still has many buildings of great antiquity, as well as remnants of the old walls that surrounded and protected it. However, Reggio Emilia is also a lively city undergoing rapid economic growth and population and generational change.
Indeed, the whole Po Valley area in northern Italy has experienced rapid economic development, becoming one of the most industrialized parts of Europe. Reggio Emilia has grown prosperous in the food and fashion industries, and was recently linked to Italy's new high-speed railway system. Economic changes have also spurred social changes, which are even more notable. As stated by Piccinini and Giudici,
[i]n the course of this evolution, the city is moving away from consolidated traditions toward those that are new and unfamiliar. It is possible to see the signs of this change in the landscape and architecture of the city, yet the social changes are of even more importance, though not as visible. (2012, 90)
Influx of new families
Reggio Emilia today is a growing city, a young city, and a culturally and racially diverse city, experiencing an influx of new families from around Europe and the world. The most common countries of origin of the young...