Playing with Transparency
Many teachers in the Lower School at OES are influenced by constructivist educators; teachers and thinkers like Jean Piaget, John Dewey and Lev Vygotsky who believe that learning is an active process, and that learners who construct their own knowledge are most likely to remember their learning, make discoveries, and apply learning to new contexts.
One place constructivism is active and thriving is in a village in Italy called Reggio Emilia. Since the end of World War II, community members and teachers in Reggio Emilia developed and continue to refine a dynamic education system that has inspired educators around the world. In Reggio they've been particularly interested in social constructivism, an understanding that human knowledge is often heightened and deepened by interaction with others. From sixty years of Reggio education, we've learned infinitely more about the power of collaboration for young learners.
This desire for collaboration was at the heart of the design of the new Lower School. Before school even began teachers were astonished by how much more visible and accessible we were to one another, boosting collaboration amongst colleagues in the most natural way. And today as we embarked on our first day together with children, we were struck by the ways in which the transparency of the building worked its magic on the students, as well. In Reggio Emilia transparency is an idea developed many ways, including through mirrors, windows, glass jars that catch and reflect light around classrooms, and the natural light infused into the building designs. This transparency also reflects a metaphorical openness to new ideas, to cultures and people, to diverse theories and beliefs, to unique families and children. Sound familiar? This openness is also at the core of the OES mission, vision and identity. We hope when you visit us, it's clear and inviting to you, too.
A Kindergarten student delights in her connection with a passing Fourth Grade class, who themselves are curious to see what's happening in Kindergarten.
We peer into a moment in the life of Fifth Grade, when students discover the viewpoint from the cave in their Affinity Commons.
A view down from the stairwell at a First Grade class exploring the school (some of them with adventurous dragons in hand!)
Older children encounter PreK students and teachers as they move through the Affinity Commons areas.
What was a solitary moment for one child with mirrors, light and translucent materials...
...soon becomes a place for her to connect with new friends on the first day of school. What new ideas will be born from that connection?
One place constructivism is active and thriving is in a village in Italy called Reggio Emilia. Since the end of World War II, community members and teachers in Reggio Emilia developed and continue to refine a dynamic education system that has inspired educators around the world. In Reggio they've been particularly interested in social constructivism, an understanding that human knowledge is often heightened and deepened by interaction with others. From sixty years of Reggio education, we've learned infinitely more about the power of collaboration for young learners.
This desire for collaboration was at the heart of the design of the new Lower School. Before school even began teachers were astonished by how much more visible and accessible we were to one another, boosting collaboration amongst colleagues in the most natural way. And today as we embarked on our first day together with children, we were struck by the ways in which the transparency of the building worked its magic on the students, as well. In Reggio Emilia transparency is an idea developed many ways, including through mirrors, windows, glass jars that catch and reflect light around classrooms, and the natural light infused into the building designs. This transparency also reflects a metaphorical openness to new ideas, to cultures and people, to diverse theories and beliefs, to unique families and children. Sound familiar? This openness is also at the core of the OES mission, vision and identity. We hope when you visit us, it's clear and inviting to you, too.
A Kindergarten student delights in her connection with a passing Fourth Grade class, who themselves are curious to see what's happening in Kindergarten.
We peer into a moment in the life of Fifth Grade, when students discover the viewpoint from the cave in their Affinity Commons.
A view down from the stairwell at a First Grade class exploring the school (some of them with adventurous dragons in hand!)
Older children encounter PreK students and teachers as they move through the Affinity Commons areas.
What was a solitary moment for one child with mirrors, light and translucent materials...
...soon becomes a place for her to connect with new friends on the first day of school. What new ideas will be born from that connection?
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