Essential Elements of Learning

Our curriculum is more than simply a course of study; it is a structure for exploring and mastering how to learn and how to think.  We encourage and guide students to think originally, to trust their intuitive responses to information and materials they are offered, and to work to the best of their ability in articulating and sharing their discoveries with others.  Our educational course empowers children to integrate what they learn with who they are.  As a result, each child’s unique personality and style become an integral part of the learning process.  We have found that by recognizing every student’s distinct educational path we foster the growth of the authentic self, leading to individual integrity.

Our students learn to work within a group for the sake of each member, as well as for themselves. An important goal of working with the group is to know and understand oneself, and help others do the same. This enhances the learning environment for all. Students are helped to make a working relationship with
everyone at the school, whether they are friends with them or not, leading to a deeper understanding of what cooperation with others can ultimately achieve. In the group, students come to understand that all thoughts, feelings, and ideas are acceptable and we encourage them to express them in original and creative ways.

Students acquire knowledge in an incremental and sequential manner.  Therefore, classroom experiences at The Studio School are organized and presented in ways to establish a framework for learning. To facilitate children’s intrinsic desire to know about the world, our teachers use a flexible and developmentally structured curriculum that is in harmony with each student’s readiness to move forward to the next level.  We believe that it is not just the extent of a student’s knowledge about a particular topic, but how the student applies this knowledge that ensures success.  Children need specific experiences in order to take the skills and concepts they are mastering and use them cohesively and in a productive manner.  In addition to learning about the world, our students discover in Studio classrooms how they can personally shape it and relate their newfound insights to others.