K/1 Enrichment
"We have forgotten that children are designed by nature to learn through self-directed play and exploration..."
Dr. Peter Gray
"GENIUS CAN ONLY BREATHE FREELY IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF FREEDOM." JOHN STUART MILL
As discussed in the section on Renzulli's Schoolwide Enrichment Model, my work at DTS is centered around the concept that giftedness is a set of dynamic behaviors, not static traits, and, as such, must be nurtured and facilitated in an environment that is rich in exploration, inquiry, novelty, and joy.
Nowhere is this more evident than in my youngest Enrichment classes.
In an effort to make K/1 Enrichment as purposeful, authentic, and developmentally appropriate as possible, I will be structuring those classes differently than my 2-5 Enrichment classes. Instead of the students at those youngest grade levels crossing the parking lot to come to my classroom once a week, I will be working in a collaborative fashion with their classroom teachers, coming to their spaces to enrich their environments with inquiry experiences built on the interests and abilities of the children. Instead of isolated teacher-led lessons, these will be ongoing, fluid, student-led learning experiences that will grow and change over the course of the year, and be available to students during their Discovery and recess times daily. Young children learn best through experiences that are hands-on, experiential, and joyful.
The structure of these experiences is best described as Emergent Curriculum - sometimes explained as "the curriculum IS the child."
Learn more:
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2015/emergent-curriculum
https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/qklg_pd_mod3_exa1_emerg_curric.pdf
Watch for the amazing inquiry and discoveries from our K/1 Students in my Blog!
Interested in learning more about the value of child-led, play-based learning in the Early Years? Check out the links below, come to some of my speaking events at Fearless (some of which are parent and child workshop classes), and browse through my Pop Up Play site which details some of my past community outreach.
Below find some links describing many of my inspirations and work of many of my mentors:
https://www.investigatingchoicetime.com/www.investigatingchoicetime.com/
https://www.reggioalliance.org/
http://jessica-clayton.wixsite.com/riversiderhymes
http://www.playcounts.com/
https://communityplayproject.org/
http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/
https://highqualityearlylearning.org/
A few more great articles:
https://medium.com/@heinemann/why-every-kindergarten-and-first-grade-school-day-should-begin-with-inquiry-and-imaginative-play-323f110e64ec
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/why-are-finlands-schools-successful-49859555/
Nowhere is this more evident than in my youngest Enrichment classes.
In an effort to make K/1 Enrichment as purposeful, authentic, and developmentally appropriate as possible, I will be structuring those classes differently than my 2-5 Enrichment classes. Instead of the students at those youngest grade levels crossing the parking lot to come to my classroom once a week, I will be working in a collaborative fashion with their classroom teachers, coming to their spaces to enrich their environments with inquiry experiences built on the interests and abilities of the children. Instead of isolated teacher-led lessons, these will be ongoing, fluid, student-led learning experiences that will grow and change over the course of the year, and be available to students during their Discovery and recess times daily. Young children learn best through experiences that are hands-on, experiential, and joyful.
The structure of these experiences is best described as Emergent Curriculum - sometimes explained as "the curriculum IS the child."
Learn more:
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2015/emergent-curriculum
https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/qklg_pd_mod3_exa1_emerg_curric.pdf
Watch for the amazing inquiry and discoveries from our K/1 Students in my Blog!
Interested in learning more about the value of child-led, play-based learning in the Early Years? Check out the links below, come to some of my speaking events at Fearless (some of which are parent and child workshop classes), and browse through my Pop Up Play site which details some of my past community outreach.
Below find some links describing many of my inspirations and work of many of my mentors:
https://www.investigatingchoicetime.com/www.investigatingchoicetime.com/
https://www.reggioalliance.org/
http://jessica-clayton.wixsite.com/riversiderhymes
http://www.playcounts.com/
https://communityplayproject.org/
http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/
https://highqualityearlylearning.org/
A few more great articles:
https://medium.com/@heinemann/why-every-kindergarten-and-first-grade-school-day-should-begin-with-inquiry-and-imaginative-play-323f110e64ec
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/why-are-finlands-schools-successful-49859555/