Children are strong, capable and inventive. As educators, our role is to support these qualities as children make meaning of their world. At the Trails School, we are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach and the emphasis it places on respect and responsibility in the classroom and throughout the school community. Children bring their unique personalities, interests, past experiences and strengths to the classroom and we honor each child’s individuality and integrate it into the curriculum.

We build on each child’s diverse strengths and individual interests through observing them at play, listening to their questions and observations, and forming collaborative teacher-student relationships so that they are active participants in their own learning and investigate topics that are of particular interest to them. The process of learning and investigation is deepened through introducing new materials or mediums through which the children can express their ideas, using the classroom environment to create meaningful context, providing hands-on experiences and multi-sensory learning opportunities, engaging with the surrounding community and always inviting further questioning and hypothesizing. This work is done with small groups of children so that each child can be a contributing member to the group’s learning and to facilitate the development of empathy and respect for their fellow learners.