Open access peer-reviewed chapter
Abstract
This study explores how Remida and Reggio-inspired pedagogies reimagine early childhood education through the principle of the environment as the third teacher. These approaches emphasize that learning spaces profoundly shape development by fostering connections among communities, educators, and the world we inhabit. Emerging from a creative reuse center in Italy, Remida promotes sustainability by transforming discarded materials into resources for inquiry, inviting educators and learners to reconsider waste as a catalyst for creativity. Central to this pedagogy are design principles such as natural light, open areas, and access to thoughtfully organized recycled materials. These environments encourage collaboration, investigation, and sensory exploration, cultivating imagination, critical thinking, and ecological awareness. Within this negotiated process, children are positioned as capable, curious, and ecological beings. Educators adopting this philosophy recognize the environment as an active partner in learning, not confined to physical walls but existing as a liminal space that sparks creativity and discovery. With the integration of digital tools, learning environments now extend across physical and virtual domains. Virtual spaces, when intentionally designed, can embody the richness of Remida-inspired principles by offering interactive and engaging experiences that parallel physical settings. This inquiry draws on documentation from pre-service teachers, community college and university faculty, and others engaged with these pedagogical practices. Speaking as a Remida-inspired professor and a master’s student, we co-research how materials, learning opportunities, and carefully crafted environments—both physical and virtual—can create transformative educational experiences for all learners.
Keywords
- Reggio approach
- Remida
- environment as third teacher
- virtual learning spaces
- reuse materials
1. Introduction
This study investigates the integration of Remida, an offshoot of Reggio Emilia-inspired pedagogy, in educational spaces to create enriching learning experiences that employ the concept of “the environment as the third teacher” ([1], p. 339). We examine transformative spaces that include two undergraduate class sessions, a virtual space for creative reuse pedagogical advisory committee meetings, and a creative reuse cultural education center located within an early childhood university laboratory development center. Remida Reggio-inspired pedagogy is embedded within a transformational framework. We scrutinize the theories that underpin Remida Reggio-inspired approaches and how they can be applied within social constructivist educational contexts to cultivate enriching environments for early learners and adults. We witness how, through synergistically integrating Remida’s creative reuse of materials and a Reggio Emilia-inspired approach, educational environments are transformed into dynamic, interactive spaces that foster deep learning, creativity, and critical thinking. Remida Reggio-inspired pedagogy reconceptualizes the role of the physical environment as a catalyst for learning in contemporary classrooms [2]. The relationship between architecture and pedagogy in Remida Reggio early childhood education (ECE) centers is symbiotic.
The synthesis of thoughtful design and pedagogy results in a seamless blend of esthetics and sensory appeal that transforms ordinary environments into extraordinary experiences. Such environments are capable of fostering a sense of homeliness and belonging; a homely environment can be constructed by modeling spaces in the room after what the children see at home, a couch, pillow, soft throws, a bell to announce people as they arrive at the center, etc., all of which work to create a space of ease and comfort. Consequently, research suggests design holds the potential to communicate a diverse array of information to children and families, often by welcoming community culture into the classroom, even as it transforms a setting into a space that teaches through deliberate crafting of available space, often by integrating community culture in the classroom [1, 3]. In holistic, non-traditional classrooms like Remida Reggio-inspired environments, every aspect of the center is developed to inspire, incite, and facilitate learning opportunities. Edwards et al. [1] propose that the design of learning spaces goes beyond mere esthetics. It is the crossroads of ingenuity and science and is committed to designing spaces where all the Loose Parts of its design (lighting, natural colors, engaging materials for stimuli) converge to best support children’s emerging sensory abilities and support cognitive development. Further, these spaces strive to emulate and create an atmosphere of overall softness, which refers to making a psychologically “amiable space” for children to learn and explore ([1], p. 324). The amalgamation of these elements creates an enriched environment that promotes learning and well-being, yielding a carefully designed ecosystem that is both a sanctuary and a space for growth. In light of this, educators are prompted to rethink how space can enhance and enrich learning environments by reflecting on Remida Reggio-inspired philosophies. Learning invitations, also referred to as ‘provocations’, offer examples of this reconceptualization. These are enacted by making significant changes to physical spaces in order to ignite curiosity, foster dialog, and encourage exploration [4].
Examples of previous work on virtual environments and how they intersect with Reggio-inspired education include the Reggio Emilia Bordercrossings project and a North American Caplan funded website on cocreating interactive early education environments. There is an exhibition that emerged from the Loris Malaguzzi International Center in Reggio Emilia Italy called Bordercrossings: Encounters with living things / Digital landscapes. Bordercrossings is a Remida inspired atelier (an Italian word for art studio) that makes visible the story of research done between the languages of the digital, reuse materials and nature in Reggio Emilia’s infant-toddler centers and preschools, with the intention of bringing their respective complexities together in a dialog across differences [5]. This digital Remida-inspired project encourages young children to co-research and play with the identities of the digital, reuse materials and nature in such a way that children become co-constructors of virtual environments rather than passive consumers. Reggio inspired education does not exclude technologies or media from the classroom in order for teachers to support children’s active engagement with technology as part of the dominant culture they are growing up in. Some research suggests that children’s brains are being wired alongside the digital from as early as infanthood [5, 6]. A Caplan funded global website called Playing in Digital Spaces showcases early childhood Reggio Remida-inspired research, provocations and interactive media on combining physical and digital environments. The authors highlight an epistemology of virtual environments as passive technology, interactive media and multiple modalities of expression [6].
Our “hyper-open ended” [7] research question, “how might discard materials transform Remida-inspired learning environments with future and current ECE educators?” is not clearly testable, and as qualitative researchers, our results are not intended to be highly generalizable. As our inquiry progresses, we focus on aspects of three Remida-inspired physical and digital learning environments that have a powerful impact on adult learning processes by promoting interconnectivity between local communities, educators, and reuse materials. In our inquiry, we observe the unique ecological design principles of Remida Reggio-inspired spaces as carefully designed to encourage investigation, communication, and teamwork, resulting in a multiplicity of exploration and sensory experiences as learning outcomes.
2. Problem Statement
There is a shortage of scholarship on Remida Reggio-inspired projects in North American contexts [7]. This project explores the potential for transformation contained with Remida Reggio-inspired environments and the intentional design of learning spaces (i.e., environment as a third teacher) to enrich early learners’ experiences. An alternative to mainstream thematic approaches to early childhood curriculum is Loose Parts open-ended materials, which promotes inclusion of various natural and recycled materials that provide an appreciable radius of opportunity for children. Additionally, Swadley proposes that there is a common held belief that children benefit from “good old play with a variety of random, unconnected items” ([8], p. 21). The open-ended exploratory nature of Loose Parts activities allows for greater agency, providing children a more flexible engagement with settings, spaces, and materials, which help promote critical thinking and development [8]. Due to a lack of environmental sustainability curriculum in early childhood education, contemporary educators are fostering eco-illiterate generations during an era of increasing climate crises. Meanwhile, the ecological concepts of Remida Reggio-inspired environments have a significant role in shaping sustainable and transformative spaces for children. The objective envisioned by these approaches is an environment purposefully crafted to facilitate collaboration and experimentation within social-ecological systems, leading to innovative solutions for sustainability [9]. Strategies presented by Kaynak-Ekici et al. [4] assist in shaping engaging environmental spaces. Their primary focus is on learning invitations and providing educators with practical examples for setting up areas that foster growth through object placement. Learning invitation prompts can encompass a wide range of possibilities, from objects in the classroom to questions meant to incite responsivity and reflection. Kaynak-Ekici et al. [4] indicate that Reggio Emilia-inspired practices are designed around the following key principles: a positive image of the child, the environment as a third teacher, social constructivism, thoughtfully crafted environments, and documentation. Ultimately, filling this gap in the literature might lead to a paradigm shift in how contemporary society perceives and constructs learning environments with the languages of the digital, reuse and nature for long-lasting sustainability benefits for future generations. Our research question becomes, “How might discard materials transform Remida-inspired learning environments with future and current ECE educators?”
3. Literature (Re)view
Thinking with the design of environmental spaces with a Remida Reggio-inspired pedagogy opens up valuable opportunities for expanding academic research. In the contemporary world of ECE, brimming with a constant stream of new knowledge being synthesized into the old, the foundations of lifelong learning rests upon the seamless integration of two fundamental elements—wonder and learning. This fusion of wonder and learning helps early learners cultivate a mindset receptive to acquiring new knowledge and passionate about the continuous pursuit of understanding the worlds they inhabit.
3.1 Remida practices
Inspired by the municipal schools of Reggio Emilia, Remida is an eco-friendly recycling center dedicated to transforming used materials into new, innovative resources. The first Remida center was established in Reggio Emilia, a city in northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna province. Emerging from post-World War II influences, Remida schools strive to address community needs by offering educational options beyond the prevailing religious and fascist ideologies and implementing a holistic and democratic approach to learning. In total, there are 17 Remida centers globally, including Australia, Norway, and Italy.
What follows are details as to how three countries uniquely enact a sustainable approach to education that we have gathered from three virtual Remida websites. A website can be considered virtual as it operates online and is accessible through a computer or device. We emphasize how these global Remida websites are an example of the Environment as the third (virtual) teacher.
3.1.1 Australia, Perth
Established in 2004 and incorporated in 2008, Remida Perth is Western Australia’s innovative Creative Reuse Center and was the first outside Europe to join the official Remida network. Through initiatives such as material reclamation, educational workshops, and community festivals, Remida promotes sustainable practices in early childhood education [10]. Remida Perth integrated sustainability into early childhood education by embedding creative reuse projects within Reggio-inspired programs. Enacted through reclaimed materials donated by businesses and the community, projects such as Loose Parts, sensory exploration, and collaborative marking which can divert waste from landfills while cultivating environmental awareness and resourcefulness [10]. As stated on their website, “ReMida diverts business and industry offcuts from landfills and into education and arts activities, collaborating with over 70 businesses to uncover the creative potential of discarded materials” [10]. This approach models ecological responsibility while cultivating environmental stewardships by fostering awareness of materials potential for transformation. Unique to Remida Perth, is a Virtual Campfire, a digital storytelling environment where community members can share brief stories, reflections, or creative pieces through the organization’s website [11]. This incorporation of virtual spaces leverages virtual platforms to expand access, foster collaboration, and amplify the impact of reuse-based learning.
3.1.2 Norway, Trondheim
Remida Trondheim, established in 2009 in the Svartlamon district, is a certified Remida Italy center inspired by the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy. Its name draws from the mythological King Midas, who turned all he touched to gold, reflecting Remida’s own power to transform—transfiguring the forgotten and discarded into treasures that shape new stories, play, and possibilities for the city’s children [12]. Examples of sustainability in practice include the creative reuse of industrial waste, community-industry partnerships, hands-on workshops, and community projects such as Rhubarb Park and Buranu’s Playground [12, 13]. Opened in August 2018 as part of Trondheim’s urban planning, Rhubarb Park was designed to serve the city’s children [12, 13].
Their webpage states:
Sustainability guided the park project—from robust, low-maintenance constructions meant to endure and integrated vegetation to the use of natural, locally sourced materials (stone, timber, sand, and bark), these efforts reduced reliance on synthetic surfacing, while encouraging the inventive repurposing of on-site resources, further reducing environmental impact and strengthening the ecological character of community play environments [14]. Further, Trondheim incorporates virtual spaces on its website, showcasing its projects and making them visible to the public. For example, Boyesen’s
3.1.3 Italy, Turin
Remida was established in Turin in 2006 through a partnership between Turin Institution for Responsible Education and the Department of Education at the Castello di Rivoli—Museum of Contemporary Art, with the goal of promoting awareness regarding circular economy (as opposed to take-make-throw away models), mindful consumption, and ecological sustainability [16]. The Sustainable City Laboratory—established in 1999 by the City of Turin with the Order of Architects—interconnects Remida sustainability ethos into urban landscapes through interdisciplinary collaboration across planning, architecture, mobility, and environmental stewardship [17].
Its practical relevance lies in its influence on city planning and design considerations, as outlined on the City of Turin’s website, which states:
The Sustainable City Laboratory promotes the values of the city as a place for everyone through projects and actions aimed at promoting the various dimensions of sustainability in urban regeneration and management, with particular attention to the involvement of education systems and younger citizens. In particular, the Laboratory supports the valorization of community Centers to rethink innovative functions and contexts for learning. Examples include the development of the Open School project to rethink School-City relations in terms of social, cultural and urban regeneration. Activities related to the education system have been entrusted to the Sustainable City Laboratory, which participates in the technical roundtable with the Infrastructure and Mobility Department of the City of Turin. The work aims to foster participatory processes in schools, from preschool to university, provide technical and scientific support for the redevelopment of areas around school buildings and cycle and pedestrian paths, and promote initiatives such as walking busses, bike sharing, and the provision of mobility vouchers [17].
Remida worldwide embodies an alternative educational philosophy, acting as a conceptual, educational, and environmental nexus that promotes the reuse of materials for academic purposes [7, 9]. Remida is a unique cultural approach that emphasizes connectivity between the world we inhabit, the communities we are part of, and the schools we build. Remida’s guiding ethos is to (a) encourage support and protect children’s connectivity to the natural world, (b) maintain a family-friendly approach, and (c) include community participation while striving to promote intelligent moderation as the prevailing standard among the next generation [18]. As an ecological sustainability guideline, Remida-inspired pedagogy represents an approach to maintaining sustainability and creativity. It challenges conventional perceptions of waste and refuse by reconceptualizing what is considered beautiful and what is to be considered waste. Remida advocates for ethically repurposing discarded materials, seeking to cultivate a culture of contemplation and innovation. The initiative’s ethos is rooted in community involvement, establishing a mutualistic connection with urban areas, educational frameworks, enterprises, and organizations [18].
3.2 Creative reuse with loose parts and beautiful stuff
Beyond the recycling of waste materials the center’s philosophy is transformative as it dedicates itself to promoting a culture of eco-literacy and inventiveness, wherein discarded materials are reinvented and given new value. To reinvent throwaway materials, students engage in hands-on activities, such as Loose Parts and Beautiful Stuff [19]. In 1971, architect and scholar Simon Nicholson introduced the idea of Loose Parts theory, which aimed to cultivate artistic expression and imagination asserting their importance in nurturing creativity and critical thinking [8]. Loose Parts is a movement wherein a multitude of materials can be rearranged, transported, combined, modified, and reconstructed in various ways. Further, it integrates well with the Remida Reggio-inspired-inspired pedagogy and is frequently included in childcare settings. Both concepts encourage open-ended play and flexible time management which nurtures imagination and creativity while allowing children to exercise autonomy without constraints or predetermined outcomes. Loose Parts also improve problem-solving abilities, support physical development, and foster collaboration. Examples of Loose Parts materials include natural items such as sticks, stones, leaves, and shells, as well as synthetic objects like buttons, bottle caps, fabric scraps, and cardboard tubes. Likewise, Beautiful Stuff is a kaleidoscope of creativity and inspiration—an expression derived from a Reggio Emilia-inspired book about children collecting, organizing, and creating with everyday materials and objects [20]. Seevak explains that a beautiful Stuff activity consists of the collected items which are stored inside a
3.3 Spaces that teach: Environment as the third teacher
Research indicates that a positive, high-quality environment significantly enhances students’ learning and overall development [21]. We emphasize the critical role of high-quality learning environments in child development, implicating that learners’ growth is contingent upon critical environmental components. According to Robson [22] the Reggio Emilia-inspired approach incorporates the environment as the third teacher which results in an enriching environmental space ripe with learning opportunities and social engagement. This concept is beneficial because it encourages children to take a more active role in their learning journey as co-constructors of knowledge while allowing educators to observe and reflect on how children interact with their learning and what captures their curiosity. To create an environment that functions as a third teacher, it is essential to integrate eight fundamental principles: “aesthetics, active learning, collaboration, transparency, bringing the outdoors in, flexibility, relationship, and reciprocity” ([22], p. 20). The atelier is essential in a Reggio Emilia-inspired environment, serving as a creative gateway to exploration and expression of children’s ideas through materials and artistic mediums [1]. The ateliers offer an outlet for play, promoting a sense of autonomy and joy that is beneficial to early childhood development. This approach implements a repetitious process of documentation and discussion that is beneficial to the educators assessing children because this cyclical process means the child’s growth and potential is always at the forefront. Further, this circuitous process helps educators design more effective learning invitations through close observation, note-taking, and recording of children’s responses so that environmental spaces can be adapted as needed [4].
3.4 Early childhood education for sustainability
The reconceptualization of reused materials embedded in Remida Reggio-inspired pedagogy encourages our next generations to examine and reflect on global/local environmental consciousness. Such reflection is fostered through engaging early learners in the creative processes, which incorporate Remida Reggio-inspired pedagogy that contains within its multitude reuse materials and other natural objects that can inspire reflection on the world they inhabit [18]. Duhn et al. [23] conducted a study on ecological sustainability and the imperative for an ethic of care in early childhood education, utilizing 10 early childhood centers across New Zealand. This holistic perspective’s lynchpin acknowledgment was that the environment is shaped in conjunction with humanity and not as an independent entity divorced from our everyday lives. Furthermore, it seeks to inspire interconnectedness between “places, things, plants and animals” ([23], p. 2). From a practical, consumer-based perspective, an ecologically friendly sustainability approach has been implemented by altering how and what consumables are utilized in the classroom. For example, the use of cloth and reusable diapers, the elimination of plastic bags in favor of cloth bags, the reduction of consumption through pre-used items, and other forms of intelligent reuse and moderation [23].
The push for environmental stewardship in education is not new, but it has gained momentum as global organizations such as the United Nations, among others, began to stress the importance of sustainability concerns and its global impact. Scholars Pramling Samuelsson and Park [24] state the following: “Researchers concur that achieving sustainability hinges on how societies educate the next generation” ([24], p. 277). Just sustainability is a multifaceted and widely debated concept that revolves around arranging human activities to avoid harming the environment, diminishing biodiversity, or compromising the integrity of ecosystems [25].
4. Documentation as Method
4.1 Pedagogical documentation
Reggio-inspired pedagogical documentation is a qualitative approach implemented in this research project through mentorship. Rachael, a master’s of ECE student, engages documentation for the first time to explore how Remida contributes to teacher education for engaging young children’s learning environments. In the context of this narrative study, Rachael’s collection of data takes place in a university classroom on two separate days housed in a college of education, a creative reuse center housed in a university lab child development center, and during a monthly virtual Remida inspired pedagogical advisory committee. Hamilton et al. [26] suggest that narrative-based inquiries allow researchers to review and share their experiences from the unique perspective of a lived experience with all the generous insight afforded through retrospection. Pedagogical documentation is a multifaceted tool for teachers/educators to make learning experiences visible; for assessment; and as a methodology for collecting data. The power of documentation is derived from the careful collection of analysis, interpretations, and demonstrations of visible learning in children. In the context of this inquiry, we focus on making adult learning visible. It is an essential research tool to maximize learning experiences by exploring learners’ perceptions and thoughts, providing a method for developing a creative and sustainable curriculum [27]. In this study, we observe adult learning and analyze collections of adult Remida inspired artifacts, self-reflections, and narratives of ecological learning experiences. Our adult participants include preservice undergraduate education class; an undergraduate student taking an independent study of Remida pedagogy; and a creative reuse advisory committee made up of master’s of early childhood students, university and community college professors, and administrators. Next, we introduce the four pedagogical contexts for each documenting event.
4.2 Selection, observations, and synthesis of documentation
Now that we have explained the methodological approach of narrative documentation we will explain how (A) Rachael’s documentation events were chosen, (B) How observations were documented, and (C) How the information was synthesized. As far as (A) How Rachael’s four documentation events were chosen, Rachael had developed her research question during a master’s project course with Michelle. Unfortunately, Rachael was unable to explore her original question, “How might discard materials transform Remida-inspired learning environments with children?” because the university laboratory school only allows project students to observe classrooms from behind glass in observation rooms with speakers. Due to this constraint, Michelle invited Rachael to document three Remida-inspired adult learning environments instead. These digital and physical environments include a virtual Remida-inspired pedagogical advisory committee meeting Michelle chairs; a teacher education reuse provocation class Michelle teaches; sorting materials in the REMEDIO center with Michelle Remida independent study student; and a Shiny Fish teacher education reuse provocation. These samples were chosen because they met the criteria of being Reggio Remida-inspired learning environments with provocations and were convenient to access compared to the lab school.
In regards to (B) how Rachael’s four documentation events were documented, for Rachael’s first documentation session she virtually attended all of the online Remida inspired pedagogical advisory committee meetings over the course of a year which were 8 in total. Rachael attended as a participant observer and reinforced her observations and insights with transcripts of the monthly Zoom meetings provided by Michelle. For Rachael’s second documentation session, she attended a teacher education class reuse provocation as a participant observer. During this second session, she took photographs of the display of reuse materials, the students engaging with the display of materials to make reuse portraits in pairs. She recorded audio of teacher education students conversations while engaging with the provocations and prompts on an app on her phone. Rachael transcribed a conversation in order to make learning visible. The third documentation session took place in the REMEDIO center in the College of Education and Rachael made an audio recording of the conversation that took place while she, Michelle, and a Remida independent study student sorted reuse materials collected by teacher education students in order to display in the center for pedagogical use. Rachael also documented this experience with photographs. In Rachael’s fourth documentation session she attended a second teacher education class reuse provocation as a participant observer. During this fourth and final session, Rachael took photographs of the display of reuse materials, the students engaging with the display of materials to make shiny fish in small groups. She recorded audio of teacher education students conversations while engaging with the provocations and prompts on an app on her phone. Rachael transcribed a conversation in order to make learning visible.
Finally, we will share (C) how the information was synthesized. Once Rachael collected the narrative documentation from four physical and digital contexts, Michelle suggested that she go through the documentation data for each session and reflect on it through her research question and literature review before reflecting on it together. Rachael’s insights on the Remida inspired pedagogical advisory committee meetings were synthesized by reflecting on her participant observation and the Zoom transcripts while connecting the material to the literature review. Rachael’s insights on the teacher education reuse provocation were synthesized by connecting her photographs, audio recordings, transcriptions, and notes to our research question and literature review. Rachael’s insights on sorting reuse materials in REMEDIO were synthesized by connecting her photographs and audio recordings with the literature review and our research question, “How might discard materials transform Remida-inspired adult learning environments with future and current ECE educators?”
4.3 Synthesis of information
This documentation methodology is meant to be illustrative, not necessarily prescriptive or formulaic. Our methodological approach is not meant to be generalizable; our peers may not be able to reproduce our experiment and get the same outcomes. The resulting data Rachael collected in four sessions is presented next, in the style of pedagogical documentation, as a way of demonstrating a Reggio-inspired approach, but first allow us to provide methodological context for the four documentation sessions.
5. Documentation as Data
5.1 Rachael’s first documentation session: A virtual REMEDIO pedagogical advisory committee space
The first documentation session was collected during a virtual creative reuse advisory committee, composed of students and faculty from university and community college with a strong interest in education and different levels of experience in teaching, educational practices, and Remida Reggio-inspired pedagogies, met via Zoom monthly, ensuring a regular exchange of ideas and thoughts about pedagogy. The reuse materials are virtually displayed and exhibited on zoom as images becoming a digital epistemology of display! For example, Michelle incorporated visual representations from her experience with the Inventing Remida Portland Project to design a virtual gallery of keystone images and sections from her dissertation. This allowed for collaboration and brainstorming together in real-time. The session mirrored inclusive practices by beginning with a land acknowledgment and extending our ongoing exploration of the epistemology of display, enriched by examples drawn from Michelle’s extensive prior experience at Portland State University (Figure 1).
Figure 1.
Pedagogical slide from virtual REMEDIO advisory committee.
5.2 Rachael’s second documentation session: A teacher education classroom reuse provocation
The second documentation session makes visible a teacher education reuse provocation that occurred in the physical environment of the college of education building, located on the picturesque campus. During her two hours in the classroom, Rachael observed a pattern in the students’ responses to the questions: (a) How did it feel to be represented by your partner? and (b) How did you choose the materials? Many students expressed that they were touched by the efforts put into the artwork, their pair including details such as their piercings, freckles, eye-color, or some other personal detail that was intentionally included in the artwork meant to represent them as a person. As to the second question, frequently, students mirrored statements like concrete, true to life, and facial structure and three dimensions renderings in their responses as they made a concerted effort to represent their pair accurately; some students even collaborated with their pair by checking that they were satisfied with the direction and materials, they had chosen. An arrangement of materials were spread across a table, allowing students to select those they wished to incorporate into their projects (Figure 2).
Figure 2.
Students engage with the material and one another.
Throughout the activity, there was a hub of high energy levels and a stream of conversation in the background as the students were thoughtfully considering how best to represent their partners, focusing on either the right texture or the exact color and sometimes even asking for input from the person they were representing. The consensus was that the students found the experience enjoyable, remaining animated and energized even as the class drew closer and closer to 9 p.m., with one student noticing that their partner had included their nose piercing, a feature they felt was often overlooked. This rich interplay of emotions and decision-making created a vibrant atmosphere of creativity and engagement among the participants. Through a Beautiful Stuff approach, this session explored identity studies with Loose Parts [20]. In a number of ways, this provocation also acted as a direct implementation of the environment as a third teacher for adults. A number of concepts were incorporated into it, including: time; multiple materials to engage with and explore; eco-literacy (impermanence, no glue); collaborative / social; and students were invited to share the stories or meaning behind the materials that they had collected from home and brought to class for the project. During the conversations with students about how they made their choices regarding what material to take and why, it became apparent that a majority of the students had chosen to represent concrete details about the person whose portrait they were creating. For instance, their physical characteristics featured prominently (hair, glasses, jewelry, piercings, etc.).
Sandy: I chose materials for Sarah, just based on her appearance. And I know she goes to
There was a highly social context to this project, people were allowed to choose their partner, someone they knew and had been working with throughout the semester, and this helped bridge that gap that might otherwise have been present if they were grouped according to random numbers [a frequent choice among mainstream classrooms]. Because the students were not strangers, it allowed them to overcome some of the forced intimacy that comes with a need to frequently look at their partner as they designed their portrait, with some even making it a semi-collaborative artwork by gathering their parents’ input as they progressed.
5.3 Rachael’s third documentation session: Sorting reuse materials in REMEDIO space
The third documentation session makes visible sorting reuse materials in REMEDIO and was also held in the School of Education and Human Development building. Michelle, independent study student Anne, and Rachael convened in the REMEDIO Center, which comprises one small room with moderate shelving. Upon arrival, we collaborated on how to display the reused materials donated by Michelle’s pedagogies class. We discussed the concepts of Remida-inspired display, exhibition, and honoring of materials and how to collectively create the best epistemology of display on site. Imagine stepping into a cozy, compact room that embodies the essence of a Remida Center, inspired by the ingenuity of tiny houses, a space that contains within it a multitude of possibilities. Its walls are adorned with soft, neutral tones, creating a backdrop that allows the vibrant materials on display to shine. At the back wall are two donated bookshelves, crammed into the limited space, an ode to the art of thoughtful organization, each containing an eclectic mix of recycled and repurposed materials housed within clear bins. From colorful fabric scraps and shiny bottle caps to wooden blocks and glass jars, every item has its place, inviting exploration and discovery. This was not the REMEDIO Center Rachael entered, however. It had not yet transformed. It was still in a state of
Figure 3.
Rachael sorting reuse materials in REMEDIO.
5.4 Rachael’s fourth documentation session: Shiny fish – loose parts/beautiful stuff activity
The fourth documentation session makes visible a Shiny Fish Loose Parts/Beautiful Stuff activity that occurred for a second time in the classroom located in the College of Education and Human Development building. Michelle and Rachael met to revisit the Cositas Bonitas/Beautiful Stuff activity with her pedagogies class. There were 22 adult college student participants. One significant alteration to our approach to introducing materials was its display. During the previous activity there was an almost overwhelming amount of materials for participants to sift through, this time, the materials were more organized, in alignment with Remida Reggio-inspired esthetics. The Shiny Fish project was both collaborative and centered around ecoliteracy. It was an example of how to implement meaningful discussions around environmental concerns to foster deeper funds of knowledge through hands-on activities. To begin, while the project was teacher-guided students would decide within their group how to go about creating their ‘shiny fish’ and they were free to choose any of the available materials presented. For another, this second session more fully implemented the idea of epistemology of display (thinking about thinking). Whereas at the conclusion of the first activity a student remarked that the wealth of materials was overwhelming, detracting from that valuable perspective for the Shiny Fish project, the material was organized and esthetically pleasing to the eyes and senses (Figure 4). This arrangement of materials emerged directly from feedback on the pair project, where students reported feeling overwhelmed by both the quantity of materials and the way they were presented. In this iteration, the materials remain abundant yet are organized in a way that avoids sensory overload.
Figure 4.
A physical example of epistemology of display combined with learning provocations.
6. Findings: Expanding the Role of the Environment from Physical to Virtual Spaces
Our findings primarily emphasize the virtual context of learning although this represented only one of the four documentation session observed experiences. Next, we offer conclusions about how each of these four Remida inspired learning environments are transformed by discard materials with future and current ECE educators. We describe transformations in both physical and virtual pedagogical spaces and are guided by our research question: How might discard materials transform Remida inspired learning environments with future and current ECE educators?
6.1 Session one: How discard materials transform a virtual space
The first documentation session was collected during a virtual creative reuse advisory committee, composed of students and faculty from university and community college with a strong interest in education and different levels of experience in teaching, educational practices, and Remida Reggio-inspired pedagogies, met via Zoom monthly, ensuring a regular exchange of ideas and thoughts about pedagogy. Michelle, the founder of the project, shares images from her experience in co-developing a similar project at a Pacific Northwest university as an example of how to put the pedagogy into practice. The committee meetings primarily explore the new REMEDIO recycling center on campus and the vision of Healing with Creative Reuse in Education and a strong focus on eco-literacy, community outreach opportunities, and the epistemology of display regarding the REMEDIO Center’s exhibition of materials. The REMEDIO project is a small center located within the college of education building adjacent to the laboratory child development center; it is in the process of becoming and will be modeled after the tiny house movement, which reimagines the functionality of small spaces to design innovative learning experiences.
While virtual technology like Zoom has innumerable benefits, there are also pitfalls that can only be navigated through a trial and error process that comes from lived experience. In light of this, there was one technical error. Consequently, at one point in the Advisory Committee meeting, the visual displays of reuse materials were no longer included with the presentation. In fact, one of the participants spoke up and asked for them to be made visible. This highlighted how critical the virtual presence of the reuse materials are in a digital environment in order to transform or mirror the physical aspects of a Remida-inspired space. The virtual environment demands a unique style of engagement, yet it remains a form of interaction and digital engagement with the materials, the ideas, shared, and fellow collaborators. Rather, this draws from what Edwards et al. [1] suggested concerning Reggio-inspired architectural characteristics and its need for an “amiable place,” indicating there was a psychological component ([1], p. 324), which is to say, that it is a concept that an amiable environment might be transferable to virtual spaces. Edwards et al. [1] expands on this atmospheric characteristic Italian Reggio Emilia schools sought to create, stating, “The objective is to create a context of empathy in which listening is a way of respecting children in their many different expressions (even in their silence) and of respecting the ideas of adults involved” ([1], p. 324). Therefore, within this framework, it is reasonable to consider the potential that those characters vital to Remida Reggio-inspired pedagogies can, with planning and intentional design, be brought into the virtual space.
6.2 Session two: How discard materials transform a physical classroom space
The second documentation session makes visible a teacher education reuse provocation that occurred in the physical environment of the college of education building, located on the picturesque campus. College faculty envision a dynamic, inclusive educational environment fostering innovation, collaboration, and excellence. The faculty is committed to: …culturally sustainable environments…just and equitable actions…honoring cultural, historical, linguistic, and communal diversity [28]. These are ideological principles reflected in the pedagogy implemented within the Child Development Center (CDC) and REMEDIO Center embedded within the college. This session provided an excellent opportunity for student observation and learning in a collaborative environment directly connected to Remida Reggio-inspired practices. This was Rachael’s second documentation event, located onsite. It was part of a narrative-based documentation process involving 22 adult college students enrolled in the pedagogies Studies course. Under the guidance of Michelle, these students contributed their collections of reuse materials to the study. Rachael was granted permission to participate as a student observer. Rachael’s role was to document the Cositas Bonitas/Beautiful Stuff reuse Loose Parts Project. Rachael transcribed using recorded audio, observed—immersing herself in the moment—and reflected on the events of the evening as students collected materials for their portrait. This documentation included capturing photographs of the students’ artwork, observing and photographing students as they engaged in the activities, and making audio recordings, all with the students’ consent. It is worth noting that one student opted out of having their photograph taken, and as a result, their image was respectfully excluded from the study. During this participation with the creative curriculum, 22 adult participants worked with Loose Parts, reused materials, and collaborated in pairs to create a portrait of their partner. Each pair selects their skin color from a gradation of skin tone colors provided by Michelle, allowing for a personalized and meaningful artistic expression. Step one: A collection of the Loose Parts and reused materials contributed by the students are thoughtfully arranged on two large tables, showcasing the epistemology of display. Step two: Students are provided time to engage with the materials and their peers around the table as they select objects. Step three: Students create a reuse portrait of their partner. Step four: Students respond to the following questions regarding the portraits. It was not a linear process, and many students took a different approach. Some students periodically checked in with their pair to see if the emerging reuse portrait was acceptable. The otherwise sterile and institutionalized esthetic of the university classroom was transformed into a colorful exhibit of reuse and natural materials that students sourced from their homes. Artifacts of reuse portraits decorated the desks and students who were otherwise tired and bored with ordinary lectures came alive as they milled around playing with the discarded materials and representing each other.
6.3 Session three: How discard materials transform a physical creative reuse center space
The third documentation session makes visible sorting reuse materials in REMEDIO and was also held in the School of Education and Human Development building. The building is like a Russian doll, with the CDC and the REMEDIO Center nestled within it. Each layer reveals a new depth of educational excellence and community engagement. The CDC is an early childhood school founded on a socially constructivist philosophy. In addition to the 12 classrooms, the school provides weekday children’s programming from 7:30 to 5:30, primarily for the local university’s students, faculty, and staff. It is within this beating heart of the School of Education and Human Development that the REMEDIO Center is embedded. It was early in the morning when Michelle, Rachael, and an independent study student Anne convened in the creative reuse center, consisting of a tiny room with moderate shelving along the back wall. Upon arrival, we collaborated on how to display the reuse materials donated by Michelle’s pedagogies class. Eventually, we agreed to group materials into multiple concrete categories, such as string, shiny objects, natural materials, etc. In an hour, what began as an explosion of materials strewn across the carpeted floor gradually evolved into a more manageable collection of similar objects grouped in organized piles adorning the built-in shelf. Meanwhile, we discussed the concepts of Remida-inspired display, exhibition, and honoring of materials, as well as how to collectively create the best epistemology of display on site. This sorting exercise required for stewarding the discarded materials brought to life the concept of how Remida is more about relationships than about materials. The ongoing sorting and displaying of the discards allows for relationship building and connection as well as collaboration and co-designing of the space.
6.4 Session four: How discard materials transform a physical teacher education classroom space
The fourth documentation session makes visible a Shiny Fish Loose Parts/Beautiful Stuff activity that occurred for a second time in the College of Education and Human Development building. Rachael participated in a second evening class with the same 22 adult teacher education students at Fresno State University, focusing on Remida Reggio-inspired practices. Here, Rachael documented revised and revisited adaptations of the original Cositas Bonitas/Beautiful Stuff Loose Parts Project, transcribed audio, observed, and reflected on the event, ensuring the integrity of the research. Whereas the first activity centered around identity and representation through the use of discarded materials, the revisitation shifted its focus to the connectivity between culture, community, and reuse materials with a discussion regarding the Delta Smelt and Loose Parts/Beautiful Stuff activity. The Delta Smelt, an endangered fish in California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, faces population decline due to reduced freshwater flow, disrupting habitat, and increasing salinity. This Delta Smelt, that is, Shiny Fish, controversy highlights the conflict between environmental conservation and local agricultural needs in competition with water management. In reflecting together on the fourth session documentation, we think of the Remida philosophy of creative reuse as being a developmentally optimal way for young children to learn about environmental degradation on a global and local level. This we find to be true for adult learners as well. The discard materials offer hope, amiability and a sense of creative agency while learning about local ecosystem destruction – offering a pedagogy of hope.
7. Conclusion
Our findings include implications for a new research question: How might Remida-inspired virtual environments as the third teacher transform early childhood education? This wondering becomes increasingly relevant as we move many of our higher education programs online as well as the possibility of another pandemic or climate disasters in the future that will require shifting to virtual environments. Here we begin to reconceptualize how the Remida ReggioEmilia-inspired pedagogy emphasizes the environment as the third teacher in a digital virtual learning space context. Within this framework, it is reasonable to consider the potential for those characteristics vital to Remida Reggio-inspired pedagogies to be brought into the virtual space with planning and intentional design. Elements encompassing the metaphysical aspects of perception, feelings, and experiences can be transposed into innovative learning spaces, such as virtual environments. All components of one’s perceptions, feelings, and experiences might be transposed into new, innovative spaces, such as the virtual environment. In post-COVID pandemic learning settings, digital platforms have become another tool in the teacher’s toolbox. Pre-pandemic, mainstream learning settings were confined to physical spaces; however, the definition of what constitutes these spaces has been transformed by significant changes in today’s digital age. While it can be argued that education systems had been teetering on the verge of change already the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, which provoked the most significant disturbance to education to date, was the final straw forcing an abrupt change that had hitherto been a gradual migration from physical to digital spaces. Virtual integration has improved access to resources and interactive experiences for students opening a whole new gateway for learning experiences. Now, the environment as the third teacher is a cornerstone of Remida Reggio-inspired pedagogy that can be integrated within a virtual setting. The monthly digital pedagogical advisory meetings hosted by REMEDIO creative reuse project exemplify this evolution, serving as a dynamic platform where ideas and insights are shared and developed with others who possess a vested interest in expanding their pedagogical knowledge and engaging in thoughtful collaboration with other like-minded individuals. These meetings provide a unique opportunity for educators to exchange innovative ecological strategies and learn from diverse perspectives, ultimately enhancing their teaching practices. By connecting with others in a virtual setting, participants can broaden their horizons and apply new reuse concepts in their own physical and virtual educational environments. A comparative review of Remida inspired practices in Italy, Norway, Australia, and the US demonstrate how a shared pedagogical philosophy can shape learning environments inspired by the unique contexts and identities of the local communities where Remida centers emerge, and sustain a global pledge such as UN Global Goal #12 to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns [29]. Italy frames the approach within the context of local community and cultural identity, Norway carries it forward through public and ecological spaces such as Rhubar Park, and Australia modifies it to suit digitally inclusive spaces through activities such as the Virtual Campfire hosted on digital platforms. The US does not have a certified Remida center to date, which may have to do with the declining manufacturing industries compared to Italy, Norway, and Australia whose discards are sourced from a more robust manufacturing industry. United, these practices demonstrate the ways in which Remida continuously evolves across diverse environments, offering increasingly relevant models for the cultivation of virtual environments that honor both the place and planet.
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