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About
An approach to teaching and learning that begins with listening—not just hearing words, but attending deeply to meaning, intention, emotion, and context.
The pedagogy of listening comes from the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy, where listening is seen as a core stance of the educator, not a technique. It is a way of being in relationship—with children, with colleagues, with ideas, and with the world. Listening in this context means taking time to notice what children are expressing, even when they don’t yet have words. It means paying attention to gestures, drawings, silences, patterns of play, and the questions beneath their questions.
This kind of listening is reciprocal and generative. It’s not passive—it shapes the learning environment. When educators truly listen, they are changed by what they hear. They revisit their assumptions, ask better questions, and create space for children’s ideas to unfold in surprising and meaningful directions.
Listening also extends to materials, to environments, and to the many “languages” children use to express themselves. In documentation, in reflection, in dialogue, the pedagogy of listening becomes a way to co-construct knowledge rather than deliver it.
Why It Matters
Listening is foundational to respect, relationship, and democracy in education. When children feel heard—truly heard—they develop a stronger sense of agency and trust. Listening slows down the pace of teaching, invites curiosity, and honors the idea that learning is mutual. For educators and families, practicing a pedagogy of listening means shifting from control to connection, from telling to wondering, and from reacting to responding with presence.
References & Further Reading
- Rinaldi, C. The Pedagogy of Listening: The Listening Perspective from Reggio Emilia
- Rinaldi, C. In Dialogue with Reggio Emilia: Listening, Researching, and Learning
- Project Zero & Reggio Children, Making Learning Visible
- Cadwell, L. Bringing Learning to Life: The Reggio Approach to Early Childhood Education
- Reggio Children: www.reggiochildren.it
- Harvard Project Zero: pz.harvard.edu
Glossary
Pedagogy of Listening – An educational stance that centers deep, respectful, and reflective listening as a way to build relationships and co-construct learning.
Reggio Emilia Approach – A philosophy of early childhood education that values children as capable, curious, and full of potential, and sees learning as relational, expressive, and emergent.
Documentation – A practice of observing, recording, and reflecting on children’s words, actions, and creations to make learning visible and open to dialogue.
Co-construction – The process of building knowledge together through shared exploration, conversation, and reflection.
Languages of Children – The many ways children express themselves—through movement, drawing, building, storytelling, play, and more—central to the Reggio vision of expressive learning.
Articles and Resources on This Site
A simple forest school lesson on bird alarms became a doorway into presence, perception, and pressure—spanning science, parenting, deep nature connection, and contemplative awareness.
When attention softens, the forest responds. Birds, breath, and baseline become a mirror—not of self, but of tone, pressure, and the wake of thought.
What becomes possible when schools center thinking as a shared, visible process—interpreted, remembered, and shaped in relationship?
A journey into the philosophical heart of the Reggio Emilia Approach, exploring listening, research, and democratic education through Carlina Rinaldi’s nuanced and visionary pedagogical view.
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