Professional Development

The Africa Reggio Emilia Alliance (AREA) recently revamped its popular introductory course on the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach by condensing it from six 2-hour Zoom sessions into four 2.5 hour Zoom sessions. There will be five iterations of the introductory course in 2025 to whet your appetite to learn more about the approach! Details and a registration link for the AREA introductory courses can be found below.

In addition to this, if you’d like to arrange an in-person presentation or onsite workshop in your area, please contact AREA Reggio coordinator Tessa Browne directly on tessa@reggio.co.za to discuss this. School visits to mentor and advise staff can also be arranged.

2026 intro course on the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach

Register for this course to deepen your teaching practice and to be inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy of education. The course consists of four online Zoom sessions, introducing the core principles of the Reggio Emilia approach, and showing the possibilities of applying them in your own context. Pre-course reading, videos and two short optional assignments form part of the course. Certificates of participation will be given to those who complete the assignments set and attend each session of the course. While the course is tailored toward teachers, parents and interested individuals are welcome.

“Thank you so much for offering this course, it has been such a great experience learning more about this crucially important work/approach. I love it, and knew I would… it’s exciting to know people, educators and communities are fighting for the rights of children in the most beautiful, joyful and conscious ways… It has been so useful for me in so many ways. And [I am] looking forward to deepening my knowledge and practice in my family, and in other ways still to emerge. Thank you again.” – Linzi Lewis

Details of the six iterations of the introductory course are shown below. Book early to avoid disappointment!

Intro Course A Zoom Sessions – Wednesdays: 18h00 – 20h30
4 and 18 February, 4 and 18 March 2026

Intro Course B Zoom Sessions – Wednesdays: 18h00 – 20h30
11 and 25 February, 11 and 25 March 2026

Intro Course C Zoom Sessions – Wednesdays: 18h00 – 20h30
6, 13, 20, 27 May 2026

Intro Course D Zoom Sessions – Wednesdays: 18h00 – 20h30
5, 12, 19, 26 August 2026

Intro Course E Zoom Sessions – Wednesdays: 18h00 – 20h30
2, 9, 16 September, 14 October 2026

Intro Course F Zoom Sessions – Wednesdays: 18h00 – 20h30
21 and 28 October, 4 and 11 November 2026

What does it cost?

The full course costs R1 575 for non-AREA members, R1 430 for AREA members.
Please note that concession rates of R200 per person are available for educators from schools with fees under R900 per month. Please submit proof of school fees with registration form to admin@reggio.co.za

“I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for your in-depth response and invaluable advice… Your guidance has been immensely helpful, and I greatly appreciate the time and effort you took to provide such detailed feedback. Your insights have given me a fresh perspective and will significantly contribute to the development of my pedagogy. I am truly inspired by your expertise and dedication.” – Frances McNally

What will be covered in each session of the introductory course?

Topics covered during each Zoom session (through the sharing of documentation by teachers working with the approach in their context) will be as follows:

# Session 1 Image of the child; Listening; 100 languages of children
# Session 2 Participation; Organisation; Individual and group learning processes
# Session 3 Educational research; Educational documentation; Progettazione
# Session 4 Environment, spaces and relations; Professional development; Assessment

Wait, what does all that mean?

The image of the child
A look at past and present views of children. Question your own beliefs about children and childhood, and how that is reflected in your home or classroom.

Listening
Real learning requires real listening – to the children, to ourselves, to each other, and to the world around us. How can we deepen our capacity for listening, and make this quality of listening palpable and visible?

The 100 languages of children
The 100 languages refers to the many different ways in which children express their thoughts and discoveries. Experience and experiment with the role of creative media in extending and enriching children’s thinking and investigation.

Participation and the pedagogy of relationships
What is the role of parents, children and teachers in the learning project? What happens when we really listen to children, and respect and value their ideas?

Organisation
Our work conditions have a big impact on the kind of learning experiences we offer. How can relationships become the central organising strategy of any school?

Individual and group learning processes
Children are meaning makers – they develop their own concepts of the world around them right from birth, and their learning is influenced and shaped in relationship with others and their environment.

Educational research
A closer look at children’s natural curiosity and discovery as they play and make meaning of the world around them. An opportunity to contemplate the idea of children and teachers researching together to enrich learning, and of schools being laboratories of research.

Educational documentation
In the Reggio Emilia approach, documentation of children’s learning through the use of sketches, photographs, videos, recordings, posters and books is considered vital in education. Consider the significant value and potential outcomes of making children’s learning visible.

Progettazione
Learn how to design experiences for children based on your collective context, documentation, and the children’s interests.

Environment, spaces and relations
The critical role of the environment (both natural and manufactured) in stimulating and enriching children’s discoveries and thought processes, in developing and supporting relationships, in fostering empathy with others and the natural environment.

Professional development
A reflection on the rights of teachers to ongoing professional development – and how this can be achieved in part by cultivating a reflective practice as a teacher and working in collaboration with colleagues.

Assessment
Evaluating ourselves, our teaching profession, and our schools is an ongoing process of observation, reflection, and conversation.

Ok, I’m convinced. I’d like to register now