Carla Rinaldi and Reclaiming Childhood

On 8th April 2013 more than 1,000 people attended the final presentation by Professor Carla Rinaldi, Adelaide's current Thinker in Residence. Carla has been working with a wide range of people including educators, architects, facility planners, and education administrators to discuss and develop strategic directions and priorities for children's learning based on Emilio Reggio principles.

All children are unique but each is an individual. They are citizens with "rights and duties" which go together. They are intelligent learners and competent researchers and our role is to unlock their potential, to help them develop their own reasoning and creativity in a learning environment appropriate to their stages of development. These issues will be developed further and documented in a report which will guide teachers and parents, planners and administrators.

In addition to Carla's residency there is an excellent exhibition at the State Library - "The Hundred Languages of Children"– a beautiful photographic display which illustrates how children create, problem solve and rationalise their world through words, paintings, drawings, sculptures and discussion.

CEFPI SA Chapter has been a significant contributor to the "round table" and especially to the "architects and pedagogy" group. Andrew Tidswell, Alex Bennett, John Held and Ana Sala-Oviedo ohave been our key representatives and have engendered interest in the environment which is "the third teacher".

In 2014 CEFPI'S 14TH conference Inside Out – Upside Down will reflect on a number of the issues developed through these discussions.