The classroom is the “third teacher” in our kindergarten and preschool classes. In our view, a classroom needs to reflect what the students have learned and offer them plenty of inspiration for independent learning. That is why toys are not necessarily of the highest priority in our classrooms. Instead, we provide the students with plenty of inspiration when it comes to arts and crafts, the natural sciences, theater, puppetry, role play, and much more.
The actual learning experiences of our students are particularly important when it comes to designing the learning environment, and we draw on this in our classrooms. As such, the classrooms are often quite empty at the start of a school year and become fuller as the students work and continue to learn. This means that the classroom is their playground, and not their teacher’s. From our point of view, this makes an enormous difference when it comes to the students identifying with their own learning and with school in general.
Each preschool classroom is equipped for the subject taught there. One room offers space for drama, another is equipped with resources for science experiments and discoveries, while another is dedicated to art. Since our program is based on the close partnership and consultation between all teachers, groups often work together and all students have the option of visiting the classrooms depending on the projects they are working on.
Our program is supplemented by a wide variety of books and resources in our school’s own library. Library visits are fixed part of every student’s weekly schedule. Our librarian works together closely with teachers in order to support upcoming projects with the relevant resources and teachers our students about the proper use of a library, about books as a resource in discovering various topics that they might look into as part of one of their projects.