Parents - Important News and Information
THE PIRAMIDE APPROACH (pronounced Peer Ah Meeda)
Piramide began in the Netherlands and has quickly gained a reputation as one of the best 21st century learning approaches in the world . Piramide gives teachers the skills to help broaden children's knowledge through meaningful and intentional interaction and deepen their understanding of concepts and ideas.
HOW THE BRAIN LEARNS
The brain is primed to discover regularities and structure in the environment. When the environment offers structure, the child’s brain is activated and the child learns to discover patterns. Once the brain discovers structures and patterns, it uses this information to find new structures and patterns at increasingly complex levels. The better we structure the learning environment for children, the higher the level at which they can learn new information.
PIRAMIDE PROJECTS
Piramide projects provide teachers with a framework to structure children’s learning, moving them towards independence, and maximizing their capacity to learn throughout their many cycles of development. Children need a stimulating environments to acquire both spontaneous knowledge and and they also need more structured, specific learning environment in which teachers helps the children learn by scaffolding. For example, children pick up literacy skills from their learning environment and then begin writing their names, recognizing letters, and sequencing pictures to tell a story. These are important general skills, but without a more accurate learning system introduced by the teacher, it will be difficult for most children to learn to read and write. Piramide offers both spontaneous and specific learning environments. It not only entices children to explore and learn on their own initiative and but assists them in learning and in making sense of complex ideas and thoughts.
THE PROJECTS - a dynamic and sequential learning approach
Piramide projects are broken down by age group and each project lasts for approximately a month with an orientation week followed by activities and concepts that are near to the child (the concrete - what they can see, hear, touch, smell) and become increasingly deep and distant (abstract).. During this month you will be given an overview of the project, ways that you can contribute to the success of your child's project, invitations to join us for certain activities that the children will participate in and you'll also understand exactly how your child's learning has been scaffolded and enriched through contributions to their individual portfolios. These projects integrate all the learning domains and ensure continuity for both short and long-term cycles of learning as well as teachers collaboration during the planning and implementation of projects. Projects typically last 3-4 weeks but are sensitively tuned to the interest level of the children.
We are all very excited to add this approach to our curriculum and look forward to sharing our successes with you each month beginning in August.
Piramide began in the Netherlands and has quickly gained a reputation as one of the best 21st century learning approaches in the world . Piramide gives teachers the skills to help broaden children's knowledge through meaningful and intentional interaction and deepen their understanding of concepts and ideas.
HOW THE BRAIN LEARNS
The brain is primed to discover regularities and structure in the environment. When the environment offers structure, the child’s brain is activated and the child learns to discover patterns. Once the brain discovers structures and patterns, it uses this information to find new structures and patterns at increasingly complex levels. The better we structure the learning environment for children, the higher the level at which they can learn new information.
PIRAMIDE PROJECTS
Piramide projects provide teachers with a framework to structure children’s learning, moving them towards independence, and maximizing their capacity to learn throughout their many cycles of development. Children need a stimulating environments to acquire both spontaneous knowledge and and they also need more structured, specific learning environment in which teachers helps the children learn by scaffolding. For example, children pick up literacy skills from their learning environment and then begin writing their names, recognizing letters, and sequencing pictures to tell a story. These are important general skills, but without a more accurate learning system introduced by the teacher, it will be difficult for most children to learn to read and write. Piramide offers both spontaneous and specific learning environments. It not only entices children to explore and learn on their own initiative and but assists them in learning and in making sense of complex ideas and thoughts.
THE PROJECTS - a dynamic and sequential learning approach
Piramide projects are broken down by age group and each project lasts for approximately a month with an orientation week followed by activities and concepts that are near to the child (the concrete - what they can see, hear, touch, smell) and become increasingly deep and distant (abstract).. During this month you will be given an overview of the project, ways that you can contribute to the success of your child's project, invitations to join us for certain activities that the children will participate in and you'll also understand exactly how your child's learning has been scaffolded and enriched through contributions to their individual portfolios. These projects integrate all the learning domains and ensure continuity for both short and long-term cycles of learning as well as teachers collaboration during the planning and implementation of projects. Projects typically last 3-4 weeks but are sensitively tuned to the interest level of the children.
We are all very excited to add this approach to our curriculum and look forward to sharing our successes with you each month beginning in August.