My image of the child was inspired by Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences and the

Reggio Emilia approach to education. In accordance with Gardner’s theory, I believe that
children’s learning profiles vary within a classroom; thus, teachers should strive to teach in
multiple ways in order to engage a broad range of intelligences. This is based on the premise that
all children are unique, which is also a key element of the Reggio Emilia approach. For the
purposes of this project, my group partners and I decided to focus on an image of the child that is
extremely relevant in an educational setting: The child as a learner. Through our arts-based
representation, we hoped to convey the message that there are multiple pathways through which
children can learn. After thoughtful consideration, we chose to represent the following pathways
for learning: Storytelling, arts, music, and play.
We believe that these four pathways for learning are crucial aspects of children’s early
development. As seen in class, books are an important part of a balanced literacy program. Good
stories allow students to develop their understanding of self and others while fostering prosocial
behaviors and an appreciation for diversity. Students can further develop their understanding of
the world through the arts by representing their experiences and observations of the natural world
in their art work. Additionally, drawing can be an important step toward children’s first attempts
at writing. Early musical activities such as songs, on the other hand, can be an extremely useful
way to enhance children’s phonological awareness and oral language development. Furthermore,
teachers should provide students with numerous opportunities to play. Play is not only a basic
right of childhood; it is also an essential pathway toward learning. While playing, children
develop their social skills as well as their motor skills through interactions with their peers.
Lastly, a major component of our project was the incorporation of nature throughout the learning
village. We wanted to emphasize the importance of nature in order to demonstrate that the
environment can inspire children to explore different aspects of the world.
Based on my image of children, I believe that teachers should recognize the unique
characteristics of every child and aim toward students’ global development. This is especially
important for early childhood education since learning does not take place in a vacuum. In fact,
the different developmental domains are interconnected and influence each other. By teaching in
a variety of ways in my future classroom, I will target the skills of all students and encourage
their holistic development. My beliefs about children will greatly impact the way in which I
interact with students and, ultimately, how I implement the curriculum.
One of my future goals as a teacher is to create a classroom environment that is
conducive to learning and that encourages students to explore their theories on a variety of
subjects. I will aim to achieve this by actively listening to students and recognizing their
interests. Furthermore, I will act as a partner and co-learner of my students by collaborating with
them as they construct their own knowledge and shared understanding on a given topic.
Throughout the learning process, I will aim to incorporate diverse strategies and target various
aspects of children’s development. For example, children will be given many opportunities to
work individually, in small groups, and with the whole-class. Students will also be engaged in
the multiple pathways for learning that were mentioned previously (storytelling, play, music, and
art) and they will be encouraged to represent their ideas using one or more modes of expression
such as drawing, sculpting, dancing, drama, and puppetry. Lastly, I will adapt the curriculum and
my teaching to address all domains of development and make the material relevant for my
students.