|
Our Philosophy of Learning
Covenant Nursery School utilizes a developmentally appropriate, play-based approach to guide the path to children’s learning. We believe that play is children’s “work” and the primary mode in which young children construct their understanding of the world. Teachers work to set up an environment that stimulates children to explore, experiment, and interact with their surroundings. Children are encouraged and allowed to grow and develop according to their own developmental readiness, respecting the unique individuality of each child. Our primary goals are for children to develop a positive sense of self, self-confidence in their abilities, and pro-social ways of interacting with their peers.
Belief in Multiple Intelligence Theory
Our curriculum is based on a fundamental belief in the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which proposes that their are eight different intelligence areas which every individual possesses to varying degrees. Covenant Nursery School believes that all children have different areas of strength and learn in many different ways – we strive to ensure that each child can learn in the way that they learn the best. Thus, teachers plan their days to incorporate activities that promote learning in all the different intelligence areas. This very holistic approach to education ensures that every child has the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.
Parent Involvement
We respect parents and other caregivers as the most important teachers of their children and invite families to be very involved in the education of their children. This is your school, after all! Parents can volunteer to share their talents and interests, lead an activity or just read a book. Parents also have the opportunity to govern the school as a member of Covenant's Board of Directors. There are a number of ways to help out, even if you work full-time and are not physically able to participate during the day - become a committee member for a specific event or volunteer to help out at events that take place after hours. We regularly host school activities such as picnics, potlucks, Open Houses, a winter carnival, a silent auction and a spring concert so families can also be part of the fun!
Multi-Age Classroom Groupings
We use the Multi-Age Model to group children who are 3-5 years old together. The older children benefit by serving as leaders and role models to their younger peers, while the younger children learn from and model after their older classmates. This approach results in a very cooperative and family like sense of community which easily accommodates the broad developmental differences in children.
Commitment to Diversity
Covenant welcomes children of all racial, cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. We have great respect for the uniqueness of each child and celebrate the varied and diverse cultural and religious backgrounds of our children. Our classrooms include children of a wide range of developmental abilities and we strive to create an inclusive environment where every individual has the opportunity to participate, interact and explore. We are dedicated to creating a warm environment where children learn to respect and value the differences in each other and where all children are free to be themselves. Families are encouraged to share family customs and traditions.
Religion in the Classroom
It is Covenant's policy to be respectful and sensitive to the beliefs of every Covenant parent and child. We do not include any religious instruction or doctrine in our classrooms. Holidays that coincide with religious events are not directly taught in our classrooms. Teachers may acknowledge the different customs and traditions that are celebrated throughout the world such as Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. We do encourage children and families to share aspects of themselves and their culture. Children who spontaneously share something of their religious or cultural backgrounds will receive open and enthusiastic responses from their teachers. Sharing customs and practices teaches children about the diversity of their world.
Teacher's Goals
Reknowned German educator Friederich Froebel, who created the first "kindergarten" or "children's garden, was an advocate of children creating their own learning. He likened education to a garden where children are given the freedom to grow rather than a place to be molded. We believe each child's uniqueness must be appreciated and nurtured. Children must be given the freedom to become his/her own person by exploring manipulating, discovering, and relating to the environment as he/she finds it. We want children to make their own choices of activities and to focus on process rather than product (ie.the act of painting rather than the finished picture). Children at Covenant are encouraged to explore, wonder, create, make mistakes, question, and repeat experiences from which they can make their own conclusions.
Because everything happens in the context of relationships, an important role of the teacher is to create a secure, trusting relationship with every child in the classroom. Teachers provide warmth, affection, consistency and limits to create a safe environment where every child feels free to be themselves. Teachers allow and provide for honest expressions of each child's feelings of joy, excitement, anger, sadness and affection. Children will be empowered in expressing their feelings by teachers helping them (through modeling and putting words to their feelings) learn appropriate ways of expressing what they are feeling.
|
