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About
A view of teaching as an ongoing process of inquiry, reflection, and learning—where educators are not just deliverers of knowledge, but co-learners and co-investigators alongside children.
The idea of teachers as researchers comes from the Reggio Emilia Approach and redefines the teacher’s role. Rather than follow fixed lesson plans or predetermined outcomes, educators observe closely, ask questions, and adapt their practice based on what they discover. Every interaction, every drawing, every unexpected moment of play becomes a potential entry point for deeper understanding.
This stance invites teachers to slow down and see their work as a form of study: What are the children showing me? What theories are they exploring through play? How might I document, revisit, and extend these ideas? Through tools like pedagogical documentation, reflection meetings, and collaborative planning, educators make their thinking visible and keep evolving their approach.
Being a teacher-researcher means being curious—not just about what children are doing, but about one's own assumptions, habits, and possibilities. It’s an act of humility, creativity, and care.
Why It Matters
When teachers see themselves as researchers, teaching becomes more alive, responsive, and grounded in relationship. This approach honors children’s thinking and supports more meaningful, emergent curriculum. It also creates a culture of professional growth—where educators learn with and from one another, and where classrooms become places of shared exploration. For families, this stance helps ensure that their children are seen as individuals with ideas worth studying, honoring, and expanding.
References & Further Reading
- Rinaldi, C. In Dialogue with Reggio Emilia: Listening, Researching, and Learning
- Project Zero & Reggio Children, Making Learning Visible
- Katz, L. & Chard, S. Engaging Children’s Minds: The Project Approach
- Dahlberg, G., Moss, P., & Pence, A. Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care
- North American Reggio Emilia Alliance: www.reggioalliance.org
- Reggio Children: www.reggiochildren.it
Glossary
Teacher as Researcher – An educator who approaches teaching as inquiry, constantly observing, reflecting, and adapting in response to children’s learning.
Pedagogical Documentation – A method of recording and analyzing children’s learning as a tool for reflection and decision-making in teaching.
Emergent Curriculum – A curriculum that grows out of children’s interests, questions, and experiences, rather than being pre-planned.
Inquiry-Based Learning – A process of exploring questions and ideas through observation, experimentation, and reflection—used by both children and teachers.
Reflective Practice – The habit of examining one’s own teaching with curiosity and care, in order to grow professionally and respond more meaningfully to learners.
Articles and Resources on This Site
What becomes possible when schools center thinking as a shared, visible process—interpreted, remembered, and shaped in relationship?
Documentation as a tool for making group learning visible, co-constructed, and meaningful.
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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