Characteristics of DIS
Documentation
Our teachers function as observers and documenters by taking notes, writing down quotes, and forming a complete picture of each day’s learning. We use this information to plan the next day’s activities and to document each child’s learning and development. Each day we create a Daily Journal. This document is created with thematic designs, pictures, quotes, notes, and teacher comments; It is the story of your child’s life here at DIS.
The Daily Journal an excellent way to have clear communication with your child about what they are doing at school and bring additional learning home. The journal allows families to develop an understanding of what we are studying and helps parents to ask questions that help children to develop and learn even outside of the school.
This beautiful hardbound book is a document that will not only allow you to remember your child’s educational journey for the rest of your lives, but also provide an excellent resource for discussion with your child.
“ I cannot recall having seen anywhere before preschool children’s work of such high quality as in Reggio Emilia ... But most important, teachers do not underestimate children’s capacities for sustained effort in achieving understanding of what they are exploring nor do they underestimate children’s abilities to capture and depict these understandings.” Lillian G. Katz - Impressions of Reggio Emilia Preschools
先生達は観察者として日々の子供達の行動を記録しています。この情報をもとに先生達は次の日のプログラムを作成し、子供達一人一人の学びと成長をその日ごとに記録（ジャーナル）作成しています。ジャーナルはテーマ、写真、子供の発言、先生からのコメントで成り立っており、DISで子供達の成長ストーリーの記録となります。
ジャーナルは子供達とのコミュニケーションツールにもなります。ご家族の方にもお子様が学校でどの様なことを学んでいるかを理解していただき、学校外でも引き続き学習していただけます。
このジャーナルブックはお子様の成長記録としてだけではなく、お子様とのコミュニケーションツールとして活用していただけます。
Center Time and Project Based Studies
The majority of our curriculum takes place during what we call Center Time. As we believe children benefit greatly from one-to-one interaction with teachers, and small group interaction with peers, we have organized our day to best support this philosophy. During our morning and afternoon center times, children are allowed to move between several activities covering many different disciplines. In this way, each child is allowed to collaborate with peers of a similar ability level and get more focused attention from our teaching staff. In addition this method allows our students to participate in a wide variety of activities and experiences each day.
Throughout the course of collaborating during Center Time the children develop ideas for projects alongside our teachers. Projects are in-depth multi-disciplinary studies that allow the children to become deeply involved in research and learning on a grander scale. The process of project based learning allows children to gain knowledge and mastery of concepts which may normally be considered by many to be beyond the understanding of young children. For example, while learning about The United States the children might become interested in the Grand Canyon. This may lead to the children to inquire as to why the Grand Canyon looks the way it does, which would then require us to look into erosion.
In the end, an inquiry based project in the theme of The United States organically led the children to an understanding of the concept of erosion.
Center Timeと呼ばれる時間にカリキュラムの大半が行われます。子供達は先生との一対一の交流、また少人数単位での密な交流から多くを学ぶと信じ、カリキュラムはその考えのもと組まれています。午前と午後のCenter Timeでは複数のアクティビティを用意しそれぞれ異なるルールや法則の中で対応力を身につけていきます。子供達は毎日多種多様なアクティビティに参加し、幅広い経験値を積み上げていきます。
Center Timeでは子供達も先生達と一緒にプロジェクトのアイディアを出していきます。プロジェクトは広い領域にわたるため、子供達は調べて探求することを通じ、深く学習に打ち込むことができます。プロジェクトをベースに学ぶことにより通常の同月齢で学ぶ内容より、はるかに多くの知識、理解を得ることができます。例えばアメリカを学んでいく上で子供達がグランドキャニオンに興味を持ったとします。そうするとなぜグランドキャニオンがこのような形になったのかが気になり、その探求とリサーチを経て、侵食を学ぶことになります。もともとアメリカがテーマとして始まったものが侵食の理解へと繋がるのです。
Community Learning
Every month we have exciting events or outings that relate to our current studies. We strongly encourage our parents to join us for these special days so that they become actively involved in learning alongside their child. Parent participation also allows the creation of a school community. These events range from holiday-related parties at school, to large, whole school outings to places like the aquarium or zoo. Whenever we travel anywhere as a school, we work to transform that environment into an extension of our curriculum and lessons.
We are also constantly engaging with our community and inviting guests to share their skills or knowledge with the children. In turn we also make an effort to venture out into our surrounding community to try and make a positive impact.
In addition to this, when children reach our Oak program they are involved in monthly excursions to art museums, our school’s farm campus, and other exciting local destinations. As a school we believe that children have a great deal to learn from real-world experience and interacting with members of the community.
毎月テーマに沿ったイベント、遠足などの課外授業を用意しております。子供達と一緒に学んでいただくこと、スクールでの学習状況を理解いただくためにもご父兄の皆様にもご参加いただくようお願いしております。また保護者様のご参加によってスクールのコミュニティも作られていきます。イベントはホリデイにちなんだパーティーから学校全体で行く遠足まであります。遠足ではその環境をカリキュラムにどう最大限取り入れるかに努めています。
また私たちはコミュニティとの繋がりや多方面からのゲストを呼んで子供達にスキルと知識を共有してもうら機会を多く設けています。同様に私たちも積極的にコミュニティに出て貢献するよう努めています。
Oakクラスではプログラムの一環として毎月美術館やDISのファームへ遠足へ行きます。私たちは実際の環境での実体験、またそのコミュニティの人々と触れ合うことで子供達がたくさん学べると信じています。
Environment
We put a big effort into providing a beautiful and thoughtfully designed environment for children’s education. In the Reggio approach the classroom is thought of as an additional teacher and our facility is filled with art, photographs, and other exciting visuals to stimulate learning, discussion, and exploration. We have high quality furniture and utilize thoughtful classroom layouts. We believe children care just as much about their environment as adults and have every right to a wonderful space for learning.
私たちは子供たちの学べる環境を美しく整え、あるべき形を深く考えることに力を入れています。レッジョアプローチではクラスルーム自体も先生の一人と考えおり、ルーム内のアート、写真、その他の目で楽しめるたくさんの装飾からも学び、会話、探究心を刺激していきます。家具やレイアウトも考え抜かれたものを採用しています。お子様も大人同様に自分の学ぶ環境に気を遣い、整った環境で学ぶことにより、得られる事が大きいと考えます。