INDIANAPOLIS - The changing of the leaves is also changing the direction of learning for pre-school students near downtown Indianapolis. Their education is directly affected by the daily changes in the world around them.
The buses arrive for another day of pre-school at St. Mary's Child Care Center. Once they have their snack, small groups of students put on their coats and head out for the short hike to the downtown canal.
"It's a remarkable classroom. It's such a gift that we're so close to the canal," said Director of Curriculum Lynne McGuire.
It's where teachers take their cue on what the children will learn.
"They get to do research, they work together, they ask the questions. Sometimes they lead, the teacher is a co-researcher, so she doesn't have to know everything about what they're studying before they start out, because she's gonna learn as well," said Executive Director Connie Sherman.
The approach is based on the Italian educational concept known as Reggio Emelia.
"In the Reggio philosophy, the image of the child is strong, competent and capable, and we consider them as citizens with rights and responsibilities right from birth," Sherman said.
"So what you'll see is a lot of small group work, a lot of children who are engaged in their learning, a lot of children who are really active in their environment," said McGuire.
The focus is on child-directed learning and the bulletin boards in the school's hallway document that learning. For example, one day a four-year-old student noticed a magazine with a photo of then-candidate Barack Obama on it. Then the students started following the election of Barack Obama as president and one student suggested writing him a letter. Months later, they received a letter from President Obama, along with an autographed picture. They've even framed the envelope from the White House.
Teachers call it "authentic learning."
"So instead of having flashcards, posters or that kind of thing, they'll have to paint, etc. To look for color in nature, shapes in nature," said McGuire.
The Child Care Center has grown to three locations over the past ten years, teaching 250 pre-schoolers each day.
