“Education is not an affair of “telling” and being told, but an active and constructive process.”
Classroom Culture
Developing a democratic classroom culture that elevates student voice, encourages students’ to take ownership of their learning, and is productive, inclusive, and collaborative creates an environment in which students thrive as learners and as community members. I cultivate a community in which students celebrate one another, honor each other's strengths, support each other's needs, and play, take risks, experiment, investigate, and create together. The outcome is a classroom that is a joyful, bustling, and bursting with engaged and enthusiastic students. Bolstered by a solid foundation of support from their classroom community, students express themselves confidently and exhibit the courage necessary to take the risks that allow their bodies, minds, and social-emotional development to flourish.
THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
The Student Experience As A Community Member
The classroom experience revolves around building a strong learning community and supporting the social-emotional development of both the student as an individual and the group as a whole. Students learn how to advocate for themselves, take responsibility for their learning, take care of each other, and work together within the classroom environment. As they establish guidelines for community expectations, they consider the physical space (both indoors and out), the strengths and needs of themselves and their peers, and community goals for the efficacy of the learning environment. Students address the questions, How do we care for the classroom and the school? How do we care for our classmates? How do we care for ourselves as learners? How do we create a safe and productive place to learn? -- and are guided by the answers as they delve into classroom life. Throughout the school year, these expectations will be regularly reviewed and serve as an anchor for community building and support. Students consider the impact of their individual choices and learn how their actions influence the learning experience of the community and develop strategies for resolving conflict, advocating for their needs, expressing themselves, making compromises, working together, listening to each other, and honoring the ideas of others. Developing a strong sense of self and building confidence as community members, as peers, as mentors, and as learners supports a positive connection to the learning process and promotes a life-long love of learning.
The Student experience As A Learner
Students begin the year learning new routines and becoming familiar with each other and their physical environment. They adjust to a daily schedule that includes blocks of teacher-lead activities and blocks of self-directed work-time during which they are encouraged to explore their own ideas and interests, process curriculum independently or with peers, manage their time, work together, and share materials and space. The work-time structure allows students to choose between a variety of activities and materials that support their cognitive, emotional, physical, and social development. Work-time increases independence as learners and encourage students to take ownership of their learning experience as they grow more connected to, and interested in, their peers. Students develop an understanding of the learning tools and resources available to them in their classroom and are encouraged to experiment with these tools in order to determine which ones best support their learning style and needs. Students work to grow as members of their learning community, supporting and celebrating one another, sharing strategies, and developing the skills needed to be engaged as independent and collaborative learners by working together in whole group, small group, in pairs and on their own, and one-on-one with their teacher. Students are encouraged to be cognizant of their peers and their own strengths as well as what they might be working on in order to create a more supportive, compassionate, and reciprocal learning environment.
An Integrated Approach TO CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
An integrated approach to curriculum development involves the use of authentic, real-world experiences to build skills and more deeply engage students in their learning experience. Lesson plans across the academic disciplines are tailored to relate to and support curricular content, and enhance the acquisition of knowledge by making it relevant to the students lives. A rigorous integrated curriculum incorporates social studies, literacy, math, science, foreign language, woodworking, fine arts, traditional arts, performance arts, music, blocks, movement & physical education, outdoor living skills, and play.
