Learning Principles

We believe that people learn best when:
What they learn:

  • Is personally meaningful

  • Is connected to real life

  • Is appropriate to their developmental level

  • Challenges them to reach their next level of understanding or personal goal

  • Promotes exploration of new ideas

How they learn:

  • Involves the freedom to make choices

  • Bridges the gap from the known to the new

  • Incorporates a variety of approaches, such as music, movement, modeling, visuals, and hands-on activities

  • Encourages creative problem solving

  • Promotes risk-taking, reflection, revision, and redoing

  • Includes opportunities for social interaction

  • Provides opportunities to practice new skills and revisit old ones

The setting in which they learn:

  • Provides a positive emotional climate that fosters respect

  • Promotes enthusiasm and good humor

  • Supports the intended learning

  • Celebrates accomplishments

  • Is clean, comfortable and safe

  • Extends beyond the classroom to include the home and community