The Hundred Languages Using Freeform: A Station Rotation Guide to the Reggio Emilia Approach

The Reggio Emilia Approach reminds us that children possess "a hundred languages" to express, learn, and interpret the world around them. But how do we, as educators, document and honor these languages seamlessly?

This resource outlines an active professional development (PD) session using a Station Rotation Strategy. Teachers will experience the power of Freeform as an infinite digital canvas to deconstruct, discuss, and implement Reggio Emilia principles in their modern classrooms. By rotating through collaborative digital sandbox environments, educators see firsthand how Freeform serves as an open-ended tool for child documentation, environmental design, and inquiry mapping.

• Launch Event: A professional learning community (PLC) workshop, conference session, or a school-wide continuous professional development day.
• Target Audience: Early Childhood Educators, Kindergarten Teachers, and Preschool Coordinators, Grade School Teachers
• The Setting: A physical or hybrid workshop space configured into four distinct interactive stations.

The Station Rotation Workflow on Freeform

Resource: https://education.apple.com/resource/250012021

Teachers rotate in small groups every 12–15 minutes. Each station features a specific prompt on a shared, collaborative Freeform board where teachers use different tools to reflect on a core Reggio pillar.

Scene 1: Discussion about the Core Principles of the Reggio Emilia Approach

Scene 2: Station 1: The Image of the Child

In Freeform: Educators use the Scribble and Brush tools to sketch an abstract representation of a child's thought process. They drop in dynamic Audio Recordings or other media to mimic how they would capture a child's image.

Scene 3: Station 2: The Environment as the Third Teacher

In Freeform: Teachers drop in photos using Image Playground or use  built-in shapes and color fills, as they sketch and design the space.

Scene 4: Station 3: Project-Making

In Freeform: Teachers use these 2 columns to differentiate how the learning process transforms from a Teacher-Led to Child-Led. 

Scene 5: Station 4: Documentation of Learning

In Freeform: Teachers create a photo gallery and add media. They demonstrate how to capture the learning process and put captions in each documentation. 

Replicability & Scalability: From Teacher PD to the Classroom

Once teachers complete this PD, they can replicate the exact same Freeform strategies directly with their young learners or co-teachers: https://www.icloud.com/freeform-copy/24797803-927F-47A7-9A25-DD086E01D258#Reggio_Emilia_Approach