Progressive Education

Growing out of the philosophies of Jean Piaget and John Dewey, progressive education evolved to prepare children to be active participants in a democratic society.

We believe in “learning by doing”. Children learn best when they are dynamically engaged with their education. We know education is successful when children are inspired to delve broadly and deeply into learning.

Progressive education provides the tools for active learning that utilize the innate curiosity in all children. Our way of teaching cultivates the ability to wonder, to question, to explore, to discover, to think critically, and to be compassionate as students pursue their interests while mastering the skills required to be happy, effective members of society.

Our style of education embraces the whole child and acknowledges the multitude of learning styles in which students acquire and absorb information. Assessments are to learn rather than to rank. Mistakes are welcomed as learning opportunities. Our village – children, faculty, and parents – participate in decision making. The result is open-minded children who are creative, critical thinkers, leaders of self-advocacy as well as willing participants in the community. At La Piazza Academy, students are compassionate, cooperative, hard-workers who express themselves with confidence, courage, insight, and intuition.

The infant brain contains billions of cells that have yet to be connected into functioning networks. The brain eliminates connections that are seldom or never used. in other words, if you do not use them, you lose them.

Our educators recognize the uniqueness of each child. We stimulate children through their senses to connect the most number of brain cells. This is accomplished via unstructured play, social interaction and sensory exploration.

As the brain continues to develop, so does the child’s ability to form relationships. They start to understand a sense of self and how they fit into the world around them.

We confront challenges as opportunities. And we read, play and attach words to feelings to help them learn to negotiate through challenges. Children start to understand others’ emotions and actions and start to put oneself in another’s shoes.

Children start recognizing own feelings, they also start to understand others’ emotions and begin to develop empathy.

Educators allow self-directed study, tailoring lessons to children’s interests. This approach fosters self-confidence, encouraging children to express their ideas in a group and demonstrating critical-thinking skills. Pre-literacy skills and pre-math skills are present during different daily experiences at this stage in an organic way.

Children have a broader understanding of the world around them and how it relates to their senses of self and other people; they develop skills in problem-solving and self-regulation.

We focus on experiences that help the child learn independence; by this time, our children have developed skills in problem-solving, self-regulation, and high self-esteem, meeting our educational goals and preparing them for their next steps as life-long learners. Pre-literacy skills and pre-math skills are present during different daily experiences we make sure they are ready for any kindergarten curriculum.