Philosophy

Jean Piaget's work emphasizes the role of concrete experience. He believed, for example, that children should manipulate and explore objects before they receive explanations (either verbal or written). Piaget contended that social interaction between children and adults also helps a child to better understand the environment. Social interactions expose a child to different opinions and points of view. To defend ideas, children must justify their opinions and clarify their thoughts. They need to talk to one another, share experiences, argue, and debate. According to Piaget, children progress through a series of stages and do so at their own pace.

Erik Erikson identified eight specific stages of personality development that are associated with certain periods of life. His theory supports the value of spontaneous, self-initiated play as an indispensable stimulus to a child's total development. He maintained that all life is conflict. By playing in a safe, planned, child-sized environment, children develop a growing sense of competence and mastery. As children deal with conflict, their sense of self grows.

Open Education promotes freedom of choice and highly individualized activities. It stresses the development of initiative, creativity, and critical thought processes. As joint decision-makers, teachers and children work together to develop a wide range of classroom alternatives to stimulate the learning process.

The British Infant School approach is based on a body of research and theory about how children learn. It replaces the traditional classroom setup and teacher/student roles with a freer, more informal and individualized learning experience. It is organized to reflect child development research that shows that children learn in different ways at different times, from things around them that interest them, and from each other. Curriculum is flexible and interdisciplinary.

These different approaches share several common characteristics that are visible at Churchill:

• decentralized classrooms;
• learning areas for math, language, etc.;
• freedom of movement throughout the classroom;
• choice of activities;
• opportunities for individuals and small groups to work on their own or with an adult; and
• teachers serving as facilitators and guides to learning by helping children to set and achieve goals.