Announcing The Language of Computation
Dreams are meant to be shared; they grow stronger when they inspire others.
We are thrilled to invite you to join us this April 14 – 17th 2025 in Reggio Emilia, Italy for a very special event, “The Language of Computation – Constructing Modern Knowledge in Reggio Emilia.” This hands-on institute is limited to approximately 40 educators of all subjects and grade levels.
For close to sixty years, Reggio Emilia has been a mecca for educators seeking inspiration of sustained models of excellence. Their respect for the inalienable rights of every child exemplifies the Piagetian idea that knowledge is a consequence of experience. This “town of children” is a magical place to hold a four-day institute marrying the powerful ideas of the Reggio Emilia Approach® and Constructing Modern Knowledge’s longstanding tradition of hands-on learning-by-doing. Both “Reggio” and CMK share an unbridled optimism about the creative competence and capacity of children AND their teachers.
This unique institute is inspired by the father of the Reggio Emilia Approach®, Loris Malaguzzi’s famous poem, about the hundred languages of children, “No Way. The Hundred is There.” In the metaphorical spirit of the poem, we propose a new language—“computation” worthy of exploration. This new “language” invites educators to answer questions of how one might respond to the promise of artificial intelligence and a supercomputer in every pocket, while simultaneously living in time of chaos, confusion, incivility, and fear.
While there is no one simple answer to these complex questions, Reggio Emilia may be the place one turns to make sense of the world and construct the future our children deserve. Of course, such questions are best explored through project-based experiences in a community of educators.
“Nowhere else in the world is there such a seamless and symbiotic relationship between a school’s progressive philosophy and its practices.” — Howard Gardner
Since CMK founder Gary Stager’s first visit to Reggio Emilia in 2009, we have worked to share the brilliance of the Reggio Emilia Approach® with educators via our summer institutes and our book, Invent To Learn. Brilliant Reggio Emilian educators have participated in five CMK Summer Institutes. Now we are inventing something exciting together in Italy! This is truly a dream come true and we hope you can join us in this adventure.
The Language of Computation: CMK at Reggio Institute program will be a collaboration between CMK and educators from Reggio Children and Fondazione Reggio Children (the Reggio Children Foundation). Atelieristas and pedagogistas will introduce us to key aspects of the Reggio Emilia Approach® and its history, with a special emphasis on documentation. There will be tours of ateliers at the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre, an exploration of the atelier of taste and dinner at their Pausa restaurant, plus workshops with both Remida, one of the world’s preeminent creative recycling centers, and Scintillae, their laboratory for exploring digital learning and play. The program will be in English, with translation available between Italian and English when needed.
The CMK team will lead learning adventures in number theory; math, art, and design; language and probabilistic thinking; physical computing with the micro:bit and Hummingbird Robotics kits and upcycled materials; and the co-construction of knowledge with artificial intelligence. Formal and informal conversations will seek to connect all these varied experiences in one of the world’s most lovely small cities.
Your registration includes the entire four-day program, two fabulous dinners in the epicenter of the slow food movement, one lunch, and inspiration to last a lifetime.
Over the coming weeks, we will share more thoughts about The Language of Computation: CMK at Reggio. There is a wealth of information available at reggio.constructingmodernknowledge.com to introduce the Reggio Emilia Approach®, share travel and tourist information, provide insight into our aspirations for the event, and your way to register.
To our U.S. friends, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and to all, “See you in Reggio next April!”
Gary Stager and Sylvia Martinez, your hosts –
The Language of Computation: Constructing Modern Knowledge in Reggio Emilia
April 14–17, 2025