"Child centric, enquiry lead, meaningful, research, documented, reflective, authentic"

 

Children are curious, competent and powerful natural learners. We do not have fixed curriculum as such, more a cycle of inquiry.

 

Our journey....

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A provocation is presented. This may be a child's interest, a teachers observation of play, a "big idea" or a construction of a concept.

 

Unhurried, deep learning is facilitated through period of hands-on exploration, in a small group with teachers.

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This can take the form of a trip, a story, a project, an experiment etc. and can last from 10 minutes to a good few weeks.

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The teacher listens, engages with the children, responds and extends the learning in the moment to 'lift' the learning, and then carefully and thoughtfully documents the learning that is taking place, by the children AND the adults, through photographs, annotated work, recorded conversations and finished pieces.

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The learning takes place in the process. There is then a period of reflection, when teachers and children work together to discuss and critique what has taken place, and then to set a new direction of inquiry

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Teachers do not inflict topics or learning - we observe and are co-researchers, and co- constructors of knowledge, together with the child, and the parents.

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'Stand aside for a while and leave room for learning, observe carefully what children do, and then, if you have understood well, perhaps teaching will be different from before.

Loris Malaguzzi

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The Environment As the Third Teacher

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The natural world is fully explored through it's potential to inspire children.

Our outdoor spaces and resources are open and inviting, and dynamic in it's ability to offer "a hundred ways of learning" 

Every material is considered for its purpose, the environment is ever-evolving to encourage children to delve deeper and deeper into their interests.

The spaces encourages collaboration, communication and exploration.

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We document together with the child throughout our journey, thoughtfully and reflectively, including the childens voices, desires, learning and progressions.

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'Documentation is not pretty pictures of engaged children. Rather, it captures the thinking process. What motivated the child to begin, continue, change direction? What were the breakthroughs, the pivotal remarks or actions? How did they solve the problem? The goal is to enable whoever reads a panel to understand what the child attempted and how they went about it, to see stimulus, process and outcome'

A Lewin-Benham