Project-Based Learning

Projects begin with a wondering, a question to answer, a problem to be solved. 

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When school experiences are rooted in curiosity and inquiry, they have meaning and purpose for students. Learning is exciting to them, and their innate drive toward mastery leads to real accomplishments rather than a grade or a check mark. Inquiry-based projects foster both academic skills and life skills as students collaborate and communicate with others to carry forward their own purposes.

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Projects can be initiated by group inquiry and evolve over time. For example, our first graders were interested in bugs. This prompted a thorough study of different species of insects. They were particularly fascinated by ants. Eventually, the students decided to turn their classroom into a working ant colony, with themselves as the ants. They built tunnels and laid out their classroom anthill using the mathematics of proportions.

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The Children's School has multiple projects going on at any given time, with students at each age and stage of their education working on what is meaningful and interesting for them. Younger students might work on building a tangible replica of their topic of study; for example, first grade students studying rainforests might choose to transform a part of the classroom into a rainforest and create exhibits to show visitors what lives there. As students get older, their concerns and their projects become more outward-looking, reflecting their growing awareness of the world beyond their families and school communities. Middle school students might choose deforestation as a topic of study and create a video to inspire viewers to take action to help solve a global problem.

 

At every grade level from Kindergarten to 8th grade, we support students to tackle challenges and acquire new competencies through topics of inquiry that have relevance and resonance for them.