Day to day Italian preschools. environments for learning and development

In this chapter, the culture of Early Childhood Education and Care in Italy is analysed through ethnographical observations about the daily organisation of educational activities in three different schools, two in towns in the North Eastern part of Italy and one in Reggio-Emilia. By comparing and contrasting different settings, an underlying common structure as well as some differences are highlighted. The organisation of space and types of activities are shown to be relevant aspects of practice that affect children’s learning opportunities. Educational activities can be constrained by particular institutional conditions, such as lack of space, and routines and recitation scripts are activities that do not engage children in complex interactional patterns; project work, however, makes it possible to extend children’s contributions. Where communicative exchanges are rich and varied, children can engage in more advanced learning situations.