Our Classroom

No two children think and learn the same way, in our classrooms our teachers present thematic units using the Howard Gardner theory of Multiple Intelligence. Our teachers teach in a way that supports all types of intelligence such as: Visual, verbal, Musical, Logical, Kinesthetic, Naturalistic, interpersonal, and Intrapersonal. This will allow them to better meet the needs of the different types of learners presented in every classroom.

Our teachers will incorporate Howard Gardner’s theory when creating their thematic units or lesson plans which are designed around a specific theme or subject.  Thematic units involve creating a series of integrated lessons for all content areas, reading, writing, math, science, etc. that are supported by the theme being studied.  In a nutshell, you choose a theme (apples) and incorporate it through your day, week or even month of instruction.

Our Children will experience the curriculum across the domains of learning.  Our teachers create units that make connections cognitively, emotional, physically, and socially with learners. And provide them with the opportunity to meet the objectives of all domains.

Students will experience learning through all content areas.  Learning will be applied to real-life situations and by doing so we allow our students to see its value.  Creating review lessons, centers or activities is an excellent way to incorporate an engaging theme.

Our classrooms will have learning centers which include:

These areas will be labeled in English and Greek. At the beginning of each day, during what’s called free play time, children decide which learning center to play in. As teachers try to assess the creative impulses of each child, they try to find creative opportunities to address areas of strength and challenge. So, suppose you have a child who is very strong in speech but not quite as developed in fine motor skills. If the child goes to the block area, our teacher might engage him in conversation at a fairly sophisticated level about the structure he’s building. Meanwhile, the teacher will encourage the child to work with the blocks to build his fine motor skills. Learning centers in our school are not just for the student to engage and have fun but for the teacher to observe and assist their students. Also, during this time our speech therapist could evaluate the children while establishing a relationship with all the students.

During Circle Time, children sit in a circle. At the start of the school year, circle time is very short for toddlers it is about , 5-7 minutes and for preschoolers it is 7-9 minutes. We are simply learning how to gather and look at books.

Then, we add a short story, a song, introduce the theme of the day. Eventually, we can add an activity depending on the age group such as:

• Simon Says. This helps children start to listen, look and concentrate.
• A musical game. The teacher might beat a drum or similar instrument, and children march on the spot, imitating the beat: loud, soft, fast, slow etc. When the instrument stops, the children stop too.
• Talking Ted. The teacher tells the class a short story about a boy who has started at a new school and is having trouble making friends. He feels lonely and sad. The children then pass the Talking Ted (or other object) around the circle, and say what makes them feel sad. They are allowed to and have their turn at the end of the round if they want. This encourages them to talk about their feelings and empathise with others.
• An imagination game. The teacher has a magic wand, waves it, and says, ‘You are all elephants/dogs/tigers’ etc. The children do the sounds and actions in the circle. The wand is then passed from child to child to try.
• A calming down game. The teacher tells the children to freeze on the spot, like statues. The statues then slowly melt to the ground.

A map will be displayed in our classrooms. The reason for this is we believe in teaching our students about diversity. Each class will learn different types of cultures and countries. They will learn the food, music and much more about this country or countries. At the end of the year, our school will celebrate international day. Where each class will present what they have learned to friends and family.