Raven
Monday, January 14th, 2008, 08:08 AM
Tricia Cruz (Rochester, N.Y.) - The kids in the preschool at Rochester's Strong National Museum of Play lead the learning.
When teachers plan their curriculum, they look to their students for instruction.
Betty Bordner, the school's curriculum director, said children decide what projects they are interested in, as opposed to teachers deciding beforehand. She believes that's the most effective way for kids to learn.
"We take play very seriously in our belief that through play we all learn more deeply and effectively," said Bordner.
This philosophy is the same behind the Strong National Museum of Play.
The preschool accepts 56 students, who are chosen in a lottery. There are 14 students in each class, and two teachers on staff.
When students break up their Play-Doh into small pieces, it's not just play, they are also learning about fractions.
"Answers are found through their own discoveries," Bordner said. "Rather than the simple ways of a teacher just giving them the information or telling them the answer."
Students also learn how to tell stories by having stories read to them.
The preschool at Strong isn't just for kids. It's also for the community, specifically researchers and educators who want to learn themselves.
Brittney Williams, a graduate student at Nazareth College, watches the action. She hopes to open her own preschool someday.
"They are much more conversational than a lot of other children in the 3 to 4 age range that I have met," Williams said.
And, she says, much more well-behaved than other kids.
Source (http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=6e050ebe-c23b-444f-a956-e5e554820e89)
When teachers plan their curriculum, they look to their students for instruction.
Betty Bordner, the school's curriculum director, said children decide what projects they are interested in, as opposed to teachers deciding beforehand. She believes that's the most effective way for kids to learn.
"We take play very seriously in our belief that through play we all learn more deeply and effectively," said Bordner.
This philosophy is the same behind the Strong National Museum of Play.
The preschool accepts 56 students, who are chosen in a lottery. There are 14 students in each class, and two teachers on staff.
When students break up their Play-Doh into small pieces, it's not just play, they are also learning about fractions.
"Answers are found through their own discoveries," Bordner said. "Rather than the simple ways of a teacher just giving them the information or telling them the answer."
Students also learn how to tell stories by having stories read to them.
The preschool at Strong isn't just for kids. It's also for the community, specifically researchers and educators who want to learn themselves.
Brittney Williams, a graduate student at Nazareth College, watches the action. She hopes to open her own preschool someday.
"They are much more conversational than a lot of other children in the 3 to 4 age range that I have met," Williams said.
And, she says, much more well-behaved than other kids.
Source (http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=6e050ebe-c23b-444f-a956-e5e554820e89)