At Bear Park, we endeavour to create a culture of respect for childhood as something to participate in – something rich in choices, joy, and wonder. We value and understand that every interaction or choice a child makes is a special and important moment of learning. We understand that an empowered child is an empowered learner. Thus, it is our job to ensure their mana is protected and at the forefront of our interactions to ensure they are gaining their sense of autonomy and identity as a learner.
In the Morepork Room (16months – 2.5yrs), we lay the foundation for a love of learning. Our approach emphasises the child as an active participant in their own education. We believe that children possess a natural curiosity and desire to understand the world around them and it is our role to nurture and support this innate drive for knowledge. We provide an environment that encourages exploration and discovery. We offer them opportunities to dive deeper into their understanding of each set of tools on offer. For example when exploring mark-making we offer the same mark maker and receiver to allow them to focus on the marks they create and develop a true understanding of these tools, before introducing others. We slowly offer different expressive languages and observe how their marks evolve through the use of these resources. We give them opportunities to interact with their surroundings and develop a deeper understanding of their environment and the resources and materials within it.
By focusing on building this foundation of knowledge, we aim to empower our young learners. When they eventually transition to the older rooms, they bring with them a solid base of understanding. This foundation enables them to continue expanding their knowledge and making meaningful connections in the world.
We believe that true learning goes beyond memorising facts and figures. It involves critical thinking, problem-solving and a genuine curiosity about the world. In the Morepork Room, we encourage children to be curious, express their ideas and engage in meaningful explorations.
By doing so, we foster a love for learning that will carry them through their educational journey and beyond.
Our goal is not simply to prepare children for the next stage of their education but to instil in them a lifelong passion for learning. By offering them the space and support to develop a deep understanding of their environment and tools, we empower them to be active participants in their own learning journey, both now and in the future.
“Children have the right be recognised as subjects of individual, legal, civil, and social rights; as both source and constructors of their own experience, and thus active participants in the organisation of their identities, abilities, and autonomy, through relationships and interaction with their peers, with adults, with ideas, with objects and with the real and imaginary events of the intercommunicating worlds”
(Charter of Rights, Reggio Children).
Within the Tui Room (3.5yrs – 5yrs) here at Bear Park we understand our relationship with children should be one to uncover and expand the unique identity and learning processes of the child and make their learning visible. Our aim is for children to develop a passion for thinking, experimenting, theorising, debating and inventing. We want children to be innovators of knowledge, to have the confidence and skills to think for themselves, creating their own connections and meaning in this world. To learn about the world from their perspective and the perspective of others, not to be told of how the world is to be. When we ask “what do you think?” we don’t mean to hear an answer that is decided to be fact, but to hear the child’s experience and ideas.
We aim to design an environment and programme that is inspiring, thought provoking, that doesn’t segregate areas of learning but instead connects. Where children understand they are valued contributors to the group, where they gain skills for ‘how to think’, rather than ‘what to think’. We want children to build trusting relationships so that they feel secure to delve into a world of possibilities that is grounded in research, connection, dialogue, co-construction, and personal experiences. As Jerome Bruner says; “The school is the world for children”. Within this context we want to prepare children for ‘being’ in the world, keeping their sense of wonder, joy, imagination and spirit, and to amplify all that they come wit through their learning experiences.
We believe learning is a right, learning with the view of the child in the centre and him or her in relation; in relation to others, to materials, to the world around us. We ask ourselves; ‘how does this unique being see and relate to the world? And how can they express, interpret, re-interpret, and represent this? Building a culture of participation, joy and respect and an attitude of listening, care and attention. We understand that you do not take away joy and replace it with learning. We wish to provide an environment that speaks of joy and respect for what they learn and how they participate in life and learning, as citizen of the current world – not just the future.
– Samara Treadaway & Sophie Edwards, Bear Park Remuera
Start your child's early learning at Bear Park
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