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Teaching Methodology

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Our Teaching Methodology


How do children learn?

Children learn through various ways. It all begins with SOAR as infants

S

It is all in the senses! Children learn by touching, tasting, smelling, seeing, and hearing new things all the time. Give them things to explore to use their senses.

O

Children learn by watching faces, responding to voices, and picking up on emotional clues such as happy, sad, angry, afraid. They need opportunities to observe and be part of things.

A

Children develop physical skills by being active and exploring a safe, stimulating, and open environment that includes age-appropriate toys and materials they can reach for, explore, grasp, experience different textures, and safely chew on.

R

Children develop communication skills by responding to and being responded to by learning to listening to and making sounds that adults encourage and mimic.

And continues with EXC3EL for toddlers and preschoolers.

Ex

Children need a rich, interesting, hands on, safe environment to explore. They need opportunities to engage with natural materials such as sand, water, and dirt.

C3

Children construct knowledge by using what they have learned, combining it with new information, and developing new understanding. They need to talk about what they are learning with each other and with adults.
Children need adults to help them make connections between what they already know and what they are learning. Adults need to participate in their play.
Children need opportunities to express what they are learning creatively, using paper, pencils, makers, glue, paint, clay, dough, and 3-dimensional materials to represent what they are learning and thinking about.

E

Children need extended time and space to work together for new learning to emerge and be supported by adults.

L

All learning contributes to many literacies, including language, mathematics, science, social and emotional awareness, and others. Early Literacy in language, letters, sounds, words, and reading prepare young children for life-long success in school. Children need high quality literature available to explore and be read to by an adult.

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What we believe at Hamilton-Madison House

We combine the goals of SOAR with the daily practice of EXC3EL to help children grow and learn for live-long success. We encourage families to embrace SOAR with their infants and young children at home. Our teachers implement EXC3EL in the classroom and support families in continuing this philosophy at home. This approach involves a developmental-interaction approach that gives children plenty of time and materials to discover and explore in the community and classroom environment. We emphasize the interaction between the learning child and the social and physical environment. We also focus on children’s strengths and interests. Hamilton-Madison House creates welcoming, homelike environments, to ensure that both children and adults feel comfortable and secure.