Program Philosophy

Waldorf education:               www.Aurorawaldorf.org (early childhood program)   Montessori education: www.nardin.org (early childhood program)   Reggio Emilia education: www.elmwoodfranklin.org (early childhood program) After you pick one of the above, first review the website and write about the program philosophy (question 2).  Then carefully view the YouTube video and complete the remaining questions (3-9)   1.     Program Philosophy Briefly summarize the philosophy of the program/center.  Why did you choose this type of education?  What drew you to this model?   2.     Physical Environment/Materials Carefully observe the environment in the video.  Write about it and how the children respond to the environment and the materials provided to support learning.   3.     Learning model How are children in this environment allowed to freely play while learning?  Give examples of a scenario from the video and what the children are learning.     4.      Social/Emotional Environment Look at the environment from a child’s perspective.  Do you believe it is inviting and encouraging? Why or why not. Chapter 2 of our class book discusses culturally responsive practice.  Does the environment reflect this?   How?   5.     The Children Reflecting on the types of play discussed in chapter 3, what type of play do you see the children engaged in?  What are they doing?  Do they appear to be enjoying themselves?  Are they interacting with their peers/other adults?  Are they active participants in their own learning?    6.     The Role of the Teacher Referring to chapter 1 and the role(s) of the teacher, which of these do you see the teacher engaged in?  Name the role(s) and write about the situation.  Chapter 3 defines developmentally appropriate practice.  Do you believe that the teacher is demonstrating DAP?  Why or why not.   7.     Multiple Intelligences Does this environment support Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences?  How?  Explain using examples.   8.     Summary Could you envision yourself teaching in this environment?  Which elements were you drawn to?  Consider the elements that you would like to someday add to your future classroom (or existing classroom if you work with children).