Pedagogical Approach
Our pedagogical approach is eclectic, and includes a variety of activities designed to inspire learning. The children work on projects, participate in workshops, meet special guests from different professions and passions, take up group challenges, invest in independent academic work and unit studies, etc. Through these activities, they acquire, practice, and master a wide range of competencies across disciplines.
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We encourage the kids to take initiative, get organised, and apply their growing knowledge in order to complete their work, projects, and challenges. The difficulties they encounter along the way help them to reflect and redefine their process. They look for solutions among themselves.
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We want all the children to be in their proximal development zone, where the activities are neither too easy nor too hard. The adults are continuously observing and following the true level of competence of each individual. Consequently, the children are confident and inspired to work hard towards their goals.
Flexible Education
At Jardin Urbain LC, the schedule of each child is personalised. It is possible to opt for mornings or afternoons only, or for full days. This means that even parents who work can facilitate their children's learning without school.
This form of education is beneficial because it allows kids to discover different subjects, without stress or pressure, and progress at their own pace. Parents are actively involved in their children’s education, which lends to a well-balanced lifestyle.
Our Values
Through a commitment to shared values, the participants at Jardin Urbain LC maintain a high standard of respect towards oneself, towards others, and towards our learning environment. Self-awareness is at the heart of everyone's learning process. A strong awareness of our own strengths, interests, needs, and learning styles allows for more self-confidence, autonomy, motivation, creativity, and success. Also, we are convinced that respect for others comes out of respect for oneself. A person who respects themself is more disposed to respect their classmates and the people around them.
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Jardin Urbain LC is a meeting place; a place for sharing and socializing. This is why we believe it is important to foster healthy group dynamics. Modeling social behaviour such as kindness, empathy, and peaceful conflict resolution are at the base of our interventions. By respecting their environment, the children contribute to keeping it safe, warm, and welcoming for themselves and for their classmates. A class where everyone feels a sense of belonging is a class set up for success!
Multi-age and Multi-level
A multi-age class allows children of all talents and aptitudes to interact with eachother in situations that demand high levels of collaboration. These interactions push children to their maximum potential, since they need to recognise the knowledge and expertise of their classmates regardless of age. The older children will tend to model behaviours and master their competencies by teaching the younger ones, and the younger children aspire to the maturity levels of the older ones around them and excel in their areas of interest.
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A multi-age class also signifies multi-level. This means that for each activity that goes on in each subject matter the children are progressing from different starting points. These knowledge starting points are not defined by age. For example, a 7-year-old child who is a strong reader is welcome to join a group of 8-year-olds during a reading workshop, and a 9-year-old child who finds reading challenging might also be comfortable in that same workshop. Nobody is made to feel weak or isolated since this type of grouping and regrouping according to level and interest happens over and over during the day. Each child has a chance to lead in their subjects of interest and talent, and to learn from their more advanced classmates in other areas. This reduces competetion, increases participation, allows for authentic learning, and represents the reality of greater society.
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The Role of Technology
We believe that it is vital to acquire technological competencies today, such as typing, navigating the World Wide Web, researching and sorting information, using software and tools such as spreadsheets, powerpoint, and applications on a variety of devices. Along with this, there is also Internet safety that is important to learn. These are skills that will open doors for our children their whole lives.
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At Jardin Urbain LC, the children have access to computers and the Internet under the supervision of the educators, with the goal of practising the above-mentioned skills within an integrated daily context. Furthermore, as they get older the children will also become aware that they can be creators of technology as well as users. We hope to foster this appreciation through hands-on experience with technology, and open their minds to the world of possibilities that awaits them.
