Philosophy In Practice
The Learning Process
We emphasize the child’s role in the learning process, as we believe that children are “makers of meaning” – natural learners and active participants in the learning process. We understand learning to be much more than skill mastery and knowledge acquisition, but the ability to think critically and creatively, to initiate, to teach, to apply knowledge in one’s life and to actually love learning, and so we pay as much attention to the process of learning as to its product. Our classrooms are carefully and purposefully planned. We use teaching methods that urge and inspire the children to continue making discoveries and give them more time to "make meaning". We also understand that learning involves risk-taking, and that in order to take risks, children must feel safe in the classroom. Respect, trust and care are established between teachers and the children and among the children. There is never a place for shame, ridicule, or humiliation.
Teachers draw on a wide range of resources to enhance learning for their students:
Our well-stocked, self-contained, comfortable classrooms
Our Comprehensive library
The resources in our natural outdoor environment
Dedicated family and community volunteers
Field trips to expand class studies or extend the classroom beyond our campus
The Teacher’s Role
Teachers at the Bridge School are highly skilled professionals who understand child development and respect children as individuals. Their concern is wide and deep, for they care about "the whole child": heart, mind, spirit and body. They may vary in personal style, temperament, family background and the kind of experience they bring to teaching, but each teacher is an advocate – supporter, backer, promoter, believer, activist, campaigner, sponsor, protector – of children. They relate and respond to each child with respect. The teachers know each child in their care – they have a deep understanding of child development, and appreciate each child as individuals – his or her strengths and weaknesses, tolerance for frustration, pace of learning, and family background. A good deal of this knowledge is based on close, careful, and frequent observation of the children in a range of different, authentic learning situations. With this knowledge, the teacher creates the climate of the children’s learning environments. Within the constraints of what is possible, she structures the physical and psychological atmosphere. She creates curriculum and materials, she acts as conflict mediator, she models appropriate behavior, writes reports and conferences with parents. Teachers practice their craft as both a science informed by past and current research, and as an art.
In addition, our teachers train many student teachers enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs throughout the city.
Work and Play
Adults make a major distinction between work and play; children learn these concepts from us. While some view play as mere recreation and nothing more, we understand that play is an energetic, self-motivated form of learning used by children – we view children’s play as authentic learning. At each age and stage, children’s play has a central place in their emotional, social, and cognitive learning. Play offers ways of trying out new ideas, new combinations, of expressing emotions, of taking different roles, and of repeating known ways of enjoyment. Learning in the early years is open, active, physical exploration, progressing to more structured engagement with materials and ideas.
Documentation – How We Authentically Assess Children
Daily documentation is at the heart of The Bridge School’s authentic assessment of children. We believe that success in school can best be measured in terms of its relevance to the individual learner. In monitoring student growth and development, we value authentic individual assessment over tests and drills. Photos, anecdotes, and work samples are systematically collected, analyzed, and displayed in individual portfolios, memory books, journals and documentation panels, progress is recorded on developmental checklists, and general strengths and weaknesses in narratives to show evidence of children’s learning and individual growth. We think it is important to make children’s learning visible to parents, teachers, students and the community.
Our Mentors
Our philosophy and program are based on a solid foundation of scientific theory, research and professional practice in the field of child development and education. The values of progressive education are important to us. The constructivist and social constructivist views of John Piaget, Lev Vygotsky and John Dewey, among others, inform our teaching practices.
Our Classrooms
The atmosphere in every Bridge classroom is busy and active. We acknowledge that children learn through social interaction, so our rooms are efficient and class sizes are small. We encourage children’s natural inclination to learn through and with their peers. Teamwork is encouraged. Classrooms are made up of learning areas and tables allow for conversation and collaboration, and also concentration. The room environments are similar so that children moving up to a new class find a familiar array of choices. This allows them to progress at a consistent rate. Rooms are self-contained and well-stocked. Each classroom has its own library.
The Educational Environment as a Community
Living in a community requires constant negotiation of group and individual needs. We view social and emotional learning as integral to the healthy child, not as a distraction from more important subjects. Learning to resolve conflicts requires that there be some to resolve, just as learning how to be responsible requires that responsibilities be given. These inevitable conflicts provide necessary learning opportunities, as giving children the responsibility to care for and protect each other does. We help children adopt positive behaviors through modeling, developing rules together, coaching, and other strategies. Positive experiences of belonging, of cooperating with others, of being a group member, of dealing with differences in opinion and styles of interaction are necessary for functioning well in a democratic society, and we believe that our school community is an important arena for practicing democracy. We foster critical thinking and encourage the children to have a voice and speak their mind. We support their developing social conscience and sense of social responsibility.
The social community at the Bridge School helps to shape the knowledge and truth that children create, discover and attain. We believe in honoring and nurturing individual relationships with each child and family. We work hard to establish these relationships, and harder still to maintain them
Connections with the Larger World
A good part of children’s learning takes place at home, and in the neighborhood – that is, outside the “formal” educational environment. At The Bridge School, we strive to create continuity between home and school in the kinds of learning that are valued, the expectations of appropriate behavior, and the society. We endeavor to connect with the child’s world, both in the sense of knowing the child’s experience and also as interpreters of educational programs and goals. We see ourselves as resources to parents and others who are also responsible for the child’s welfare and development.