Shopping for a spot in a pre-school in Hong Kong can be a rather complicated and overwhelming process. The local public schools are notoriously tough on their students while private education is unbelievably expensive. Over the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of preschools that cater to parents searching for a different approach to learning. One that is growing in popularity is the Reggio Emilia approach. A number of schools surfaced in the past five years, claimed to be Reggio inspired schools. A network of teachers from these schools gathered bi-monthly to share ideas and insights. I was fortunate enough to attend one of these meetings and learn about what they do.

A teacher shared her students' learning journey with one of their projects. Learning in her classroom is centered around the students' interests and curiosity. Rather than the teacher transmitting knowledge to the students, the students are encouraged to cultivate their curiosity and create knowledge through exploration, sharing experience, and group discussions. They actively engage in the learning process where they learn by doing and not by remembering. This is essentially what inquiry learning is about. During circle time in this teacher's classroom of a group of seven five-year-old students, the students all displayed a deep interest and curiosity about what babies do and what they are like. The teacher decided to allow the students to fully explore this topic. The students came up with questions they wanted to know the answers to (what do babies do inside their mother's tummy? What do babies eat? What happens when babies poop?).

Over the course of the week, the students conducted experiments and did their own "research" to find out the answers. In the classroom, the teacher laid out various foods, milk, and baby powder on a table. On another table, the teacher had containers of water of varying temperature, milk, juice, and tea, along with an assortment of containers and utensils (most of which were requested by the students). The students explored mixing the food and formula with different liquids and discussed among themselves of their findings. At the end of the experiment, the class gathered and shared their findings. The students found that formula mixed with warm water is what is best for babies. The teacher did not direct the students or provide information. She scaffolded their learning throughout the process.

The students continued their own "research" outside of the classroom. Some of the students asked their parents about babies, some gathered pictures of themselves as babies, some looked at babies on their parent's iPad, and some talked to other family members. Each day the students came to class with new ideas and information to share. Each day the teacher set up experiments for them to conduct and even arranged a trip to the supermarket for the students to search for baby-related products.

By the end of the week, the students managed to discover the answers to all their questions. Instead of having someone tell them the answers, the students actively took part in their own learning. They produced knowledge rather than just consuming it. This kind of learning is not just inquiry learning, it is also project-based learning. The students are actively engaged in building knowledge and skills through projects that explore challenges and real-world problems. They collaborated and shared real experiences to research and develop a deeper understanding of the topic.

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/reggio-emilia-approach/

https://www.reggiochildren.it/en/reggio-emilia-approach/

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/what-heck-project-based-learning-heather-wolpert-gawron

https://www.schoology.com/blog/project-based-learning-pbl-benefits-examples-and-resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquiry-based_learning

https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/inquiry-based-learning-definition-benefits-strategies

https://natlib.govt.nz/schools/school-libraries/library-services-for-teaching-and-learning/supporting-inquiry-learning/understanding-inquiry-learning

https://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/preprimary-kindergarten/overview/index.html