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