Our Approach
The Annapolis Twos philosophy is strongly influenced by the Reggio Emilia Approach, the renowned preschool program in Reggio Emilia, Italy, named by Time magazine as “one of the ten best school systems in the world.” The guiding principles of the Reggio Emilia approach include:
- The child as a protagonist. Children are curious and interested in constructing their learning, negotiating with everything their environment brings them
- The child as a collaborator. Education focuses on each child in relation to other children, the family, the teachers and the community, rather than each child in isolation
- The environment as the third teacher. The design and use of space encourages encounters, communication and relationships
- The teacher as a researcher. Teachers document their work with children, whom they also consider researchers
- The parent as a partner. The exchange of our collective wisdom broadens our understanding of each child
Our Projects, Invitations and Explorations in the Classroom:
- Emerge from children’s ideas and/or interests or may be suggested by teachers
- Focus on investigation, exploration, experimentation, examination and process more than on the “finished product”
- Are introduced by teachers knowing what is of interest to children, such as shadows, puddles, tall buildings, construction sites or nature
- Develop over time, offering opportunities to discuss new ideas
- Present problems and challenges, inviting learners to examine, revisit and develop their thinking processes and to collaborate with one another
- Are concrete, personal from real experiences, important to children, should be “large” enough for diversity of ideas and rich in interpretive/representational expression
- Encourage exploration in speaking, listening, emergent literacy and early cognitive and problem solving skills and tasks
To learn more about the Annapolis Twos, please contact Jul Lee Martensson at 410.263.8650 x106, or jmartensson@St.AnnesSchool.org.
