The RIE Approach
How Magda Gerber’s educational philosophy plays out in practice at Laughing Clowns ELC.
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
Laughing Clowns Early Learning Centre has a light-hearted name, but deep thinking underpins this family-owned Sydney service.
Laughing Clowns ELC follows the RIE approach, which was developed by Magda Gerber, a Hungarian child therapist and infant specialist who believed that babies should be welcomed into the world as ‘honoured guests’ and treated with respect from day dot.
The RIE approach recognises that children learn about themselves when being cared for, and at Laughing Clowns ELC, Gerber’s thinking makes a real difference to little learners’ sense of self and experience of the world.
Children are encouraged to feel secure and confident through respectful interactions with grown-ups and regular routines, and to learn more, we spoke with Ashleigh Umar, Director at Laughing Clowns ELC.
Ashleigh explains that the now classic RIE approach ties in with earlier educational thinking.
RIE actually stands for ‘Resources for Infant Educarers’ – which was a non-profit organisation Gerber co-founded back in 1978, and her thinking was inspired by another famous name in early childhood education – Dr Emmi Pikler.
Ashleigh says, “Magda Gerber was passionate about the care of infants. She was impressed with paediatrician and infant educator Emmi Pikler’s past success with creating environments that provided opportunities and encouragement for children to reach their full potential.”
“Pikler’s core values of respect, trust and acceptance inspired Gerber in the creation of her philosophy,” and she created an infant care approach called ‘Educaring,’ which was offered by RIE.
Ashleigh says, “The Educaring approach rests on the idea that parents and care-takers must have respect for children and trust that they are natural inventors, explorers and self-learners.”
She explains that, “The RIE approach is about perceiving and acknowledging even the youngest children as unique, separate people with thoughts, needs and wishes of their own.”
This means that children are treated as active human beings, rather than passive things, and Ashleigh says, “Many of the core values and principles of the RIE philosophy align with those of the Reggio Emilia approach,” which considers children to be active protagonists in their own learning.
At Laughing Clowns ELC, the RIE approach is thoughtfully woven into the daily program.
The goal of RIE is to develop an authentic child who feels secure, independent and able, and Ashleigh says, “Our educators respect children’s ability to learn and develop naturally and give them ample opportunity to do so.”
“The way an educator looks, listens and speaks to children at our service demonstrates respect and trust that children are ready to investigate and learn.”
At Laughing Clowns ELC, children are treated as competent people, capable of exploration from a very early age, and from the moment they start at the service, all ages are encouraged to feel safe and confident.
Educators help them to understand how the world works by offering a wide variety of unhurried learning and development experiences, and lots of two-way communication.
Ashleigh says, “Our educators challenge children daily with new surroundings, activities and concepts. This engages them in the learning process and builds on their previous knowledge and experiences.”
Children are also actively involved in self-care activities.
The RIE approach sees daily activities, like feeding and nappy changes, as opportunities for infants to really be part of what’s going on, and at Laughing Clowns ELC Ashleigh says, “Educators involve toddlers and preschoolers in the daily routine with self-help tasks, speaking to them and explaining actions, which allows for active participation.”
“These daily tasks include applying sunscreen before going to play outside, getting their hats out of their school bags, serving themselves at meal times and washing their own hands.”
All in all, the daily program feels predictable and consistent for children, while remaining interesting and challenging, and when you look at the basic principles of the RIE approach, you’ll see that Laughing Clowns is a great example of Magda Gerber’s educational philosophy being put into practice.
Every day, Ashleigh sees the benefits of the RIE approach for children, and she’s proud to carry on the great work her parents did in founding the service.
There’s 43 years of early childhood education experience shared between Ashleigh, her father, Vince, and her late mother, Deborah, and in the decades since they first opened Laughing Clowns ELC, she feels that the RIE approach has made an incredible difference to the children they’ve cared for.
Ashleigh says, “At Laughing Clowns, we believe that respect, trust and acceptance for children of all ages promotes overall growth and happiness in life, and Magda Gerber’s thinking brings great rewards for early learners – both now and later.”
“The RIE approach creates an authentic child who feels secure, autonomous, competent and connected to the world around them. This sense of security and confidence will remain with them through their educational journey, and we feel happy helping so many children to build beautiful foundations for learning and life.”
To learn more about Laughing Clowns Early Learning Centre, search KindiCare >>>
