BLOG
Teaching Gifted and Creative Students – There is No Such Thing as “Normal”
In the ideal learning environment, students and teachers work together in a space that includes mutual respect and appreciation. In this environment, all students feel valued, and teachers know how each student’s developmental needs and interests affect learning. Teachers identify each child’s strengths and find ways to nurture and develop these gifts and talents. This…
The Engineering Design Cycle is Alive and Well in the QUEST Center
Over the past several weeks, the sound of electric cardboard cutters has been an almost constant hum in the QUEST Center. Peering through the windows of our largest design studio, one sees 20 small bodies, each one completely engaged in the very best kind of experiential learning. The teacher is truly the “guide on the…
Learning About Connections Outside of the Classroom
It’s beneficial for children at every age to talk about connections. Many of us learned about the relationships between natural things from the two-dimensional world of science textbooks. We absorbed a sequence of facts about various topics in a linear progression. Yet we do not live in a two-dimensional world; very few things move linearly,…
Nature as Teacher – Caterpillars into Butterflies
Caterpillars turning into butterflies, bean seeds sprouting and growing into nourishing food, and watching the ever-changing phases of the moon are wonderful events that show us how to slow down, enjoy, and explore. More than anything, we want our children to be captivated by all the natural world offers. For it’s that captivation that will lead…
The Importance of Hands-On Learning
Small children are naturally curious and march to their own drums until rules or constraints are imposed by parents and teachers. For me, it is a sad day when children start to ask of adults, “How am I supposed to color this?” or “What is the right way to solve this problem?” In my opinion, we should encourage children to try things their own way.
The Importance of Flexibility, Originality and Creative Problem Solving for an Unpredictable Future
Small children are naturally curious and march to their own drums until rules or constraints are imposed by parents and teachers. For me, it is a sad day when children start to ask of adults, “How am I supposed to color this?” or “What is the right way to solve this problem?” In my opinion, we should encourage children to try things their own way.