TEACHING METHODOLOGY
The method employed by Spark is based on the child’s imperious need to learn by doing and has a profound respect for the child’s personality. It enables our teachers to work with each child individually in each subject
OUR TEACHING METHODOLOGY
We employ a modern teaching style that encourages our teachers to view our studentsand classroom education differently than the common teacher-student relationship. Instead of focusing on academics in a traditional approach, our method focuses on student-driven outcomes that respect and encourage each child's individual differences.
Our teachers act as ignitors to learning, removing obstacles from learning as well as a direct instructor. Lessons typically involve how to use an object, hands-on experiences, song/dance/music and creative play in the classroom.
Each child develops through several stages, each of which is unique and requires a slightly different teaching strategy.
01
Birth to age six (Sensorimotor/ Preoperational):
Language acquisition and experiencing the world: This phase includes the development of the ego, where children begin differentiate between themselvesand others.
02
Ages six to twelve (Concrete operational):
Independent thought and abstract reasoning: This stage is marked by thedesire to interact socially and emotionally with others.
03
Adolescence (Operational):
Relationship to abstract concepts: this stage allows kids to make hypotheses andgrasp abstract concepts and relationships.
Our teachers do not use rote lectures, handouts, worksheets, and lesson plans, per se, we offer directed guidance and the path toward successful accomplishment of the child’s leaning objectives. But the child is ultimately responsible for his / her own learning. For our very young and young learners, the classroom contains several stations, each containing toys which allow children to explore and learn.
For example, we have a bucket of Lego blocks and several pictures of simple objects, which the children can build. We have other stations such as: books, crayons, xylophone, and other engaging activities. The entire thought behind our classroom is to allow the children to learn through exploration.
Another interesting aspect of our classroom is the age grouping. Typically, children are separated by ages and grade levels, interacting primarily with children their own age. Our classroom (Novas) are typically a mixed-age class. This is important because children are always at different stages in their development, and younger children can learn by watching older children.
Our classroom is different in a number of important ways. We encourage children to develop independently into well-rounded individuals. By allowing children to direct their learning, instead of sit and listen to lectures, the classroom allows children develop the motivation to learn and explore. Though it's not the traditional way to teach a class, our offering allows for empirically supported advantages to children above and beyond normal development and learning.
SELF-DIRECTION
People learn best by making their own decisions. Children are people.
LEARNING
Learning is natural. It’s happening all the time.
EXPERIENCE
People learn more from their culture and environment than from the content they are taught. The medium is the message.
SUCCESS
Accomplishment is achieved through cycles of intention, creation, reflection and sharing.
Spark ALC
Restores the joy of learning with a surprisingly effective educational approach: intentional culture supporting self-directed learning reinforced by iterative tools.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Self-Directed
Humans are natural learners. When children get to follow their passions, they engage deeply, learning more quickly and thoroughly – covering years of content in weeks at the time they choose to learn it
Intentional Culture
Children feel they are heard, they belong, and they make a difference. As social creatures, we thrive in this kind of vibrant community which builds our confidence, heightens our communication skills, and calls forth our best selves.
Iterative Tools
We use practical and concrete tools to make these lofty-sounding ideals real and reliable. These tools and practices provide visible feedback, effective self-management, clarity of purpose, and easy integration of new patterns as needs change.
Education for the 21st Century and Beyond!
Children today will need to succeed in a very different world than the one we’ve known – one completely outside the reach of conventional schooling.
The future is in the hands of the creative community builders, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. The skills to identify an opportunity, organize a team, plan the work, execute to fulfillment, and build your reputation from these successes do not come from obeying “Sit down, be quiet, and do what I say.”
Children need a setting to develop their fluency in their social, cultural and emotional intelligence, motivation, self-knowledge, and their sense of purpose.
At Spark ALC, we provide just this community for children to grow, develop and thrive.