Independence is a skill. Like learning how to swim or ride a bike, it is not something that comes naturally or develops overnight. What It looks like and what It means to be Independent needs to be modeled and practiced repeatedly, until It Is mastered. Interiors Elementary: Developing Independence, Movement, and Motor Skills Children who have been in the Interiors preschool spend three years preparing to be independent.
As they enter the Interiors lower elementary environment, they are once again explorers, embarking on a new stage of development. They ask serious and Important questions: Who am l? What am P Where did I come from? Who and what came before me? While seeking these connections, they journey closer and closer to independence. Like the Interiors preschool environment from whence they came, students are free to move and explore In the Interiors elementary environment. Through movement, children explore their world.
They touch It, they move and manipulate It, they go outside and out into the world to examine the natural beauty around them. The materials in the Interiors elementary environment are spread throughout the room in a logical and orderly manner. Journals are in scabies, materials are on shelves, pencils are in a pencil holder by the pencil sharpener and work mats are In a basket by the library. Important social connections are made – Interiors lessons are now given In small groups and students enjoy working with one or two classmates.
Interiors students in this stage of development are learning how to establish community and the Interiors environment gives them freedom to explore this in a safe, supportive manner. Children learn to discuss ideas and listen to others without Judgment. The Interiors elementary learning materials offer the reality, incorrectly demonstrating learning concepts, encouraging and enabling Interiors students to explore with their Imaginations, creatively and authentic Interest.
Interiors understood that realizing one’s place in the world and being able to function as part of a community is an important part of being independent. Children in the Interiors elementary environment are encouraged to experience, observe, and yes, make mistakes as they try to make sense of their world. As they develop, Interiors students begin to move away from the concrete materials and proceed to thinking and reasoning abstractly on their own. They develop self-control both physically and emotionally, toward what Interiors called normalization.
By being an important part of and engaging in the classroom community and beyond, students learn the social norms of society and I how to adapt and behave within the context of different social settings. Independent and capable means being free to explore and develop. Independence and well-being do not come from sitting at a desk for long hours and memorizing facts. These are achieved by exploring, experiencing and creating your personal working relationship with others and with the world.
