The Wonder of Learning

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Kids in Montessori have a lot more freedom than the majority of their peers from a young age. They’ll often have the ability to choose what activities they do and when throughout the day, rather than participating almost exclusively in large group projects. This can build an amazing sense of confidence and independence in preschoolers.

This will really depend on your own opinion of how children interact with technology. But kids in Goddard preschool will have an opportunity to learn on technology like tablets and interactive whiteboardsThe exhibition begins with the pedagogical theses of the Reggio Emilia Approach ®, guidelines of coherence and transformation which have always characterised experience in Reggio Emilia’s infant-toddler centres and preschools, since the first showings of The Hundred Languages of Children. Based on their responses to the prompts, we then calculate a “wonder index”, which can be used as a quantitative measure of how much wonder the child is prone to experiencing. So far, we’ve found that children aged between 9 and 11 are particularly sensitive to experiencing wonder. One important thing to note is that, since Goddard is a franchise more than a philosophy, each individual school may differ slightly in its execution of the F.L.EX system.

The key is figuring out what will work best for your child, and finding a nearby school that feels comfortable for you and your family. Shah, P.E., Weeks, H.M., Richards, B. & Kaciroti, N. (2018). Early childhood curiosity and kindergarten reading and math academic achievement. Pediatric Research, 84, 380-386. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lancs.ac.uk/10.1038/s41390-018-0039-3You did this for my baby?” That’s what a parent said to Natacha Shillingford as she was setting up at the Reggio Emilia-inspired Epiphany Early Learning Center in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood. That parent cried because “she could not believe that someone cared enough about her and her baby to want the best for them.” It’s necessary that we believe that the child is very intelligent, that the child is strong and beautiful and has very ambitious desires and requests,” Reggio Emilia’s founder, Loris Malaguzzi, said at a 1993 seminar. “This is the image of the child that we need to hold.” The Wonder of Learningowes its birth and has its roots in The Hundred Languages of Children, which since 1981 has recounted experiences of the Reggio Emilia Approach to thousands of visitors around the world. The intent of the new exhibition is to make visible the values at the foundation of Reggio Emilia’s educational philosophy, and tell the story of how it has changed, the innovations and evolutions, through new projects in the city’s municipal infant-toddler centres and preschools. Another exhibit description shares how children walked through familiar streets taking on the role of careful observers so that they could write a guide to the city. “As they do this they open insights for us into their strategies, creativity, and imagination. And even though it is only for one day, the laughter, joking, and imagination in their eyes point the way for our eyes to see and be amazed.” What policy changes are needed? Raising early educators’ salaries, increasing funding, protecting the mixed delivery system, including more Reggio Emilia-inspired concepts in quality rating systems, and using short videos to inform legislators.

Most Goddard schools are what you could call traditional preschools and daycares. Montessori takes a markedly unique approach. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to tell for sure if Goddard or Montessori is more expensive. Especially when it comes to Goddard, the tuition varies drastically depending on the school and where you live.Not only do you have to figure out location and monthly budget, but you also have to choose between many different educational philosophies that sometimes differ drastically from one another! Montessori is notoriously more expensive than most traditional preschools and daycares, which is prohibitive for many parents who might find the philosophy appealing. The high cost also, unfortunately, can sometimes impact diversity in the classroom.

The teacher will guide and model activities, but the children have a great deal of freedom and choice of what to pursue. The teachers often work with kids one on one or in small groups rather than leading class-wide activities. It’s not an easy concept to define. And yet research has shown that wonder is invaluable for learning: it increases students’ intrinsic motivation to actively pursue explanations, ask questions and reflect on new information; it widens their horizons and general interests; and it deepens their emotional engagement with the pursuit of knowledge.Children at Montessori will usually move between stations or areas with different activities, like: At Lancaster University’s Active Learning Lab , led by Dr Marina Bazhydai, we are working to introduce an assessment tool with the power to do this. And while the educational approach and curriculum at Goddard isn’t quite as unified and standardized as, say, a Montessori school, the organization still has some key guiding principles. Inside, you’ll find bright colors, walls adorned with art and learning materials, fun play and activity rugs, and group tables. Why? To encourage the child to keep drawing, because it’s by doing more drawing that a child gets to explore art and the horizons of his or her talent.