My leadership journey into the Reggio Emilia philosophy
Subject
Abstract
The educational landscape in British Columbia has been shifting to meet the needs of the twentyfirst- century learner. In response, educators have begun to shift their own educational practices and leaders have had to navigate this new learning environment. This thesis is a personal selfreflection of my journey from when I was first inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach as an educator and through to myself emerging as a leader. This journey highlights the importance of being a reflective educator and connecting to your students and colleagues. The self-study qualitative method was used in the form of reflective journaling over the course of two time periods. The data was coded and three significant themes emerged from my reflections. The three key themes were values, agency, and relationships. Values highlighted both the connections to the Reggio Emilia approach and how understanding your ‘why’ guides your leadership (Sinek, 2011). Agency brought forth the importance of empowering yourself and others. Relationships revealed how connectedness and listening build strong communities. The themes that occurred through my self-reflection highlighted my own educational journey which is rooted in my own pedagogical view based on values, agency, and relationships. These themes have allowed me to identify that my journey into leadership has been focused around transformative and pedagogical leadership. This self-study will encourage others to look at their own practice and focus on how transformative and pedagogical leadership are helping redefine leadership in British Columbia.