Educational Process
Teaching Design
Our work is based on constructivism, which assumes that children construct knowledge by organizing and reorganizing information they already have.
Children arrive at school with a lot of knowledge that they bring from family, friends, community, etc… and it is the school’s role to value what they already know and, from there, promote new learning. In addition to conceptual knowledge, we contemplate procedural and attitudinal knowledge.
In other words, we aim to train students who develop the ability to think, who are able to find solutions to daily situations in a world of rapid and endless changes. Research and selection of information prove to be an itinerant part of the learning process.
Literacy Process
The pre-literacy work begins with the Toddlers group (children turning 2 years old) through the recognition of the names of the children in the group, with games and activities. These activities are carried out in an extremely playful way, with a lot of meaning for children, and therefore in a pleasurable way.
From Toddler onwards, children interact with words and letters, beginning to observe and perceive the stability of names. Laterality is evidenced by pointing to words read from left to right.
The calendar is widely used in the classroom, and the day’s helpers are recorded, what the weather was like that day, etc., showing the social use of writing.
At this point in school, activities are all carried out in English, as children are exposed to total immersion in the language.
However, from the year the child turns 5, G5, we have the entry of Portuguese into the curriculum, with elements of Brazilian culture through typical stories from our cultural universe. Children naturally transfer the knowledge acquired in English to Portuguese, the mother tongue of most of our students, and the literacy process begins in a slightly more formal way, with permanent activities and projects. We start with reading activities, in order to understand the children’s universe, and then expose themselves to a writing process.
All this learning is done in a very reflective way, consistent with the vision of an active child in their knowledge process. Children are aware that initially they are not writing in a conventional and understandable way for any adult, but they have enough self-confidence to stand firm.
Main Objectives
We believe that one of the most significant objectives of early childhood education is the construction of a positive image of oneself, linked to increasing autonomy and therefore self-confidence.
The constant appreciation of each child’s knowledge and respect for differences in the group also encourage self-esteem.
Early childhood education provides the first contact with a group outside the family, also bringing learning from colleagues.
We think with each other and for each other.
“I am not you
You are not me
I’m not you
You are not me.
But I know a lot about myself
Living with you.
And you, do you know a lot about yourself living with me?
I’m not you
You are not me.
But I found myself and saw myself
While looking at you.”
Madalena Freire
Contact with other children builds favorable attitudes towards social interaction, such as sharing, waiting your turn and listening to your colleague’s opinion, even if you disagree with it.
You learn to respect differences, both in intentions and in culture and customs.
A space is opened for the expression of feelings, emotions, desires and needs, through the act of playing and other situations in the school routine such as game times.
“Children gain experience through playing. Fun and games are parts
important things in your life…
Just as adults’ personalities develop through their life experiences, children’s personalities evolve through their own play and the play inventions made by other children and adults.
By becoming rich, children gradually expand their ability to exaggerate the wealth of the externally real world.”
Winnicott, D.W.
The child and his world – chapter 22. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar Ed.; 6th edition.
Expressing yourself in Portuguese and English in a self-confident way is another objective, at your own pace. Some will have greater fluency in the second language before others, showing how each child is unique in their learning process.
Produce, appreciate and conceptualize art. This non-verbal form of expression is considered on 3 axes, assuming that it is not enough to just be a connoisseur, one must also be a producer.
Once you recognize your own name and that of your colleagues in the group, the literacy process begins.
Working with names begins at two years of age, with children observing the differences in the size of the names and the shapes of the letters.
