{"id":1144,"date":"2026-07-09T07:41:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T06:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/?p=1144"},"modified":"2026-07-22T17:38:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T16:38:36","slug":"reggio-emilia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/index.php\/2026\/07\/09\/reggio-emilia\/","title":{"rendered":"Rumpus at Reggio Emilia!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Ale Okada, Hannah Payne and Viviane Marques<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

CARE\u2013KNOW\u2013DO, Playful Ecologies and the Hundred Languages: Connecting Research on Play, Learning and Development<\/h2>\n

EARLI SIG 28 \u2013 Play, Learning and Development: A Research Community on Play and Human Development<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) established SIG 28\u00a0 brings together researchers investigating the role of play and fun in learning and human development. The Special Interest Group was formally established at the end of 2021 and began its activities in 2022..<\/p>\n

Photo 1: EARLI SIG 28, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

SIG 28 advances interdisciplinary research on the relationships between playful development and enjoyable learning. Its focus includes understanding how play and fun contribute to cognitive development, creativity, social and emotional learning, self-regulation and well-being, as well as exploring the role of play-based pedagogies across different educational contexts and challenges. Alongside this, the SIG works to foster international collaboration among researchers, support early-career researchers, promote dialogue between research, practice and policy, and contribute evidence that recognises the importance of play in children’s development, education and well-being.<\/p>\n

Within this research landscape, questions about creativity, agency, imagination and meaningful engagement become central to understanding how learners develop and flourish.<\/p>\n

Reggio Emilia: A Civic History of Learning Through Multiple Languages<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"DescriptionPhoto 2: Alexandra Okada, Rumpus co-Director, and Alessandra Landini, Principal in Reggio Emilia and member of the Board of Directors of Reggio Emilia Municipal Schools<\/em><\/p>\n

The Reggio Emilia approach is one of the most influential educational traditions connected to creativity, participation and children’s expression. It is important to recognise, however, that Reggio Emilia is not simply a method; it emerged from a specific historical, cultural and civic context.<\/span><\/p>\n

Its origins date back to post-war Italy. In 1945, families in Villa Cella, near Reggio Emilia, created a school through collective community action. Loris Malaguzzi became involved in this movement and later contributed to the development of the municipal early childhood education system in Reggio Emilia. The first municipal preschool opened in 1963, and infant\u2013toddler centres developed following Italian legislation in 1971.<\/p>\n

International recognition grew in 1991, when the Diana School in Reggio Emilia was highlighted for its innovative educational practices. The approach continues today through the work of educators, researchers and organisations such as Reggio Children, which supports professional development, research and international exchange.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hundred Languages of Children<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best-known idea associated with Loris Malaguzzi is the Hundred Languages of Children.<\/p>\n

The concept expresses the idea that children have many ways of thinking, representing and communicating their understanding of the world \u2014 drawing, painting, sculpture, movement, music, storytelling, construction, scientific exploration and many other forms of expression.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hundred Languages challenges the idea that learning can be reduced to verbal and mathematical forms of achievement alone. Instead, it highlights the importance of recognising diverse forms of communication, creativity and meaning-making.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is CARE\u2013KNOW\u2013DO?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CARE\u2013KNOW\u2013DO<\/strong> is a pedagogical framework developed by Alexandra Okada at The Open University and refined through a series of EU-funded research projects, including CONNECT and currently METEOR. It is now used across schools and universities internationally. The framework grew out of research on open schooling<\/em> \u2014 an approach that links schools with universities, families and communities to address real-world socio-scientific issues, from biodiversity and health to climate change and artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

\"Describe<\/p>\n

Photo 3: CARE-KNOW-DO – Playful Ecologies for Inclusive Equitable Literacy<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CARE-KNOW-DO organises learning into three connected dimensions:<\/p>\n