Philosophy
Our operating philosophy is based on an understanding of learning most closely associated with Social Constructivism. The underlying tenets of this philosophy are that children are always working toward meaning and that they are active agents in the construction of meaning. In addition, children are constructing their understanding of the world within a social context and that context impacts what and how the world is understood.
Social Constructivist philosophy and our school structure are most closely aligned with Progressive schools. For approximately one hundred years, progressive schools in America have been typified by inquiry-driven curriculum; rigorous curriculum that focuses on developing habits of mind and tools for learning in a meaningful context, responsive teaching, and respect and concern for the education of the whole child.
Teaching for Understanding
Children are purposeful, meaning making learners who are capable and curious. Children construct their understanding through experiential learning, observation, and discussion with teachers and peers. Children refine their skills and strategies for learning in the process of creating meaningful work.
Inquiry is a central organizing principle when children are able to construct their own understanding. Both teachers and students generate questions and learn how to investigate to gain understanding. Part of the process of inquiry is reflective: What do I know? Where am I in this work? Where do I want to be? What are the next steps? Reflective learners develop thinking habits that are generative. In our classrooms, the teacher models thinking, planning, weighing options, experimenting in unknown territory, implementing, and reflecting. In turn, students develop these habits of mind and action while navigating rich, rigorous, relevant curriculum.
Student Learning in a Social Context
Each child is responsible for sharing his/her understanding, talents, and questions in a way that enriches the rest of the community. This sharing is generative for both the author and the audience. We encourage children to listen carefully to others, to participate in group discussions, to help one another, to coach one another, and to develop areas of expertise where a child can assume leadership. We believe that developing tolerance for different points of view and empathy for the needs of others is essential to the emotional and spiritual development of a child.
Individualized Instruction within a Social Context
Each child has unique talents, ways of thinking and levels of understanding. At The Cooper School we anticipate that children will learn at different rates in different disciplines. We expect that children of the same chronological age will be at different places in their social, emotional, and physical development. Each child brings to the classroom a set of prior learning experiences and aptitudes. We believe that all of these differences are important to our understanding of who a child is and how he/she makes sense of the world.
In our school, curriculum is organized around big ideas, interesting problems, student interests, and issues relevant to the community. Learning is connected to the world and children are able to build on what they already know as they participate in the school and world community. The job of the teacher is not to create a single perfect curriculum or a single type of learner with mastery of a single set of discrete pieces of knowledge. The job of our teachers is to create curriculum that engages students in the use of a wide variety of skills and strategies and allow for expression of understanding through a wide range of ways of knowing. This curriculum is the result of teachers observing individual children carefully and using those observations to inform instructional strategies, expectations and curricular content.
The Cooper School classroom is set up as a laboratory for the child to conduct his/her research. The child is working to satisfy his or her need to make sense of the world and to compose and create in the world, rather than working to please the teacher and earnĀ a grade. Children in our school own what they are doing and exhibit an agency that is not often seen in traditional classrooms.
