Tomorrow’s innovators need more than rote learning: What the Reggio Emilia method gets right

Tomorrow’s innovators will need far more than the ability to memorize facts. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 rightly places innovation, a global outlook, and human capability at the center of its development strategy.

Yet, many education systems remain focused on standardized testing and rote learning. Inquiry-based approaches, inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, offer a compelling alternative that nurtures learners who are flexible, reflective, and equipped to tackle complex, open-ended challenges in a rapidly-changing world.

The Reggio Emilia philosophy originated in northern Italy after World War II, when educators and families in the town of Reggio Emilia came together to reimagine what school could be.

At its heart lies a radical belief in children’s innate resourcefulness. Loris Malaguzzi, its founder, argued that children are “extremely well‑equipped from birth, resourceful and capable,” deserving recognition as citizens with rights from their very first days, not just upon reaching adulthood.

By viewing learning as a co-constructed journey rather than a one-way transmission of knowledge, Reggio-inspired classrooms celebrate children’s curiosities, from which educators design intentional learning experiences.

Central to this approach is the concept of the environment as a “third teacher.” Traditional classrooms often rely on plastic toys or pre-packaged kits; in contrast, Reggio-inspired settings are stocked with natural, open-ended materials, such as clay, shells, wood, mirrors, and magnifiers, that invite experimentation and wonder.

When a child holds a piece of driftwood or peers through a magnifying glass, they are prompted to ask “what if…?” rather than “what’s the right answer?”

Educators observe and document each child’s explorations through photographs, sketches, and transcribed conversations.

This pedagogical documentation serves not only as an assessment but as a reflective tool, enabling teachers to shape future projects in response to emerging interests and curiosities. 

Such a model aligns closely with Vision 2030’s call for agile thinkers and emotionally intelligent collaborators.

Consider a project in which young learners design and build miniature “snowstorm shelters.”

Beyond practicing early engineering concepts, testing structural stability, measuring angles, and calculating materials, they also refine essential interpersonal skills: Negotiating roles, resolving conflicts, and persevering when initial plans collapse under the weight of falling sand or clay.

These experiences cultivate resilience and creative problem‑solving far beyond what a worksheet could achieve, embedding understanding through hands‑on, collective inquiry. 

Inquiry‑based education also transforms the role of families. Instead of homework being merely “tasks to complete,” parents become co-learners, guiding with open-ended questions such as “what did you notice today?” or “what might happen if…?”

When a child recounts their classroom discoveries over dinner, the kitchen table becomes an extension of the learning environment.

This partnership extends the culture of curiosity into the home, reinforcing children’s enthusiasm and modeling the very skills of listening, wondering and reflecting that Vision 2030 seeks to foster across society. 

Teachers, in turn, shift from being dispensers of content to co‑researchers in each child’s journey.

They cultivate a stance of curiosity themselves, asking “why did you choose that material?” or “how could we explore this idea together?”

This humility and openness to surprise are not easy; they require time, trust, and ongoing professional reflection.

Yet the rewards are plain to see: Learners who enter the classroom quietly observing soon leave buzzing with questions, eager to connect dots that even their teachers hadn’t noticed. 

This holistic approach embeds rigor in an authentic way. Academic goals are neither abandoned nor secondary; rather, they are woven seamlessly into projects that hold genuine meaning for learners.

A study of plant growth might emerge from a child’s fascination with a seed sprouting on a windowsill, mathematics unfolds naturally as children track measurements and patterns, language skills develop as they describe their process and reflect on outcomes.

Because each project springs from learners’ own questions, motivation soars and understanding deepens. 

As Saudi Arabia continues to diversify its economy and drive technological and societal innovation, the Kingdom’s greatest asset will be a generation of thinkers prepared for uncertainty, fluent in collaboration and capable of inventing solutions to problems not yet visible.

Inquiry-based, Reggio-inspired education provides a powerful framework for cultivating these qualities.

By treating children as capable protagonists, designing environments that spark inquiry and trusting learners to follow their questions, educators can help fulfill the bold ambitions of Vision 2030. 

Tomorrow’s breakthroughs will originate not from perfect answers to yesterday’s questions, but from the unexpected connections forged when curious minds are given space and confidence to explore.

If we are serious about fostering true innovation, we must commit to educational models that honor children’s potential from day one, models that put inquiry, respect and collaboration at the center of learning rather than the periphery.

In doing so, we will equip our young people not merely to survive in a changing world, but to lead its transformation. 

• Elizabeth Connor-Scahill, principal at EtonHouse Arabia