Horouf Conference on ‘Reggio Emilia Approach’ To Alternative Education for Children

For the first time in the UAE, Horouf, a subsidiary of Kalimat Group, is organising ‘Horouf Reggio Conference’, a conference on the ‘Reggio Emilia Approach’ to education, which focuses on children’s mental development through language and the way they express themselves, as well as providing them with more control over the direction of their own learning.

Themed “Make Learning Visible,” the conference, taking place from 6-8 March at Al Qasba in Sharjah is hosting representatives from Reggio Children Centre from the city of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy. The event is aimed at teachers and education experts around the region as an introduction to the Reggio Emilia Approach philosophy.

The Reggio Children Centre does not impose learning numbers, quantities, measures, shapes and other traditional subjects, believing they are linked to day-to-day experiences, and acquired while playing, thinking and speaking every day.

The three-day conference will explore the methods and benefits of the approach, helping teachers and educators to review existing concepts of education. It aims to highlight the importance of understanding children’s inherent expressive language to balance thinking, skills and emotions, and develop their cognition, perception and knowledge.

During the conference, a specialised workshop “Atelier” will be held to give teachers an insight into the relationships young students have with art and language, and their self-expression through drawing and writing. The workshop also seeks to enhance communication between the children and teachers to discover the youngsters’ patterns of thinking, and how to enhance them in the educational process.

By organising this conference, Horouf will help participants to explore the vision and methodology of the Reggio Emilia Approach and its success in developing imagination, social intelligence, expression and communication.

The conference is sponsored by the UAE Ministry of Education and the Sharjah Education Council – Strategic Partners, Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB) – Official Sponsor, GEMS Education Group, Zayed University and Skyline University College – Educational Sponsors, ‘1001 Titles’ initiative and Knowledge without Borders – Atelier (workshop) Sponsors, the Sharjah Media Corporation and Sharjah Government Media Bureau – Media Sponsors, Al Qasba – Venue Sponsors, and the Bank of Sharjah, Sharjah Cooperative Society and Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Conference Sponsors.

Further details about the Horouf Reggio Conference are available on: www.horoufreggio.com

Established in 2013, Horouf, an imprint of the Sharjah-based Kalimat Group, aims to create contemporary and innovative educational methods for children in Arabic. Its portfolio has numerous print and digital works in addition to interactive applications. Prior to its official launch, Horouf worked on research projects with 30 schools in Sharjah to explore, develop and understand best practices in educational publishing, and children’s development.