Age Appropriateness: Refers to the universal, predictable sequences of growth and change. From this knowledge, teachers prepare the learning environment and opportunities for experiences.
Before and After School Care (BAC): Both before and after school time that can be multi-age in grouping. The community's philosophy and values are extended throughout the day.
Behavior Management: Action that an adult takes to maintain a safe and healthy environment with respect for all. A student's change in behavior or actions is supported by identifying what kinds of behaviors or actions are acceptable, and clarifying the consequences of a student's behavior.
Benchmarks: State standards for grade levels pre-k through high school, set by the Oregon State School Board or other state school districts.
The Childswork Community: Includes students and all of those involved in supporting students' growth (school administrators and personnel, teachers, assistants, families, caregivers.)
Conferences: Meetings between families and teachers that are held formally, twice a year. November conferences are for the purpose of building a partnership and planning for group and individualized curriculum. The second conference is to share observations and evaluate the progress in the learning continuum of each student and teacher.
Constructivism: Using prior and first hand experience, gained from exploration, to make sense of the world and construct knowledge. Meaningful, internalized learning in which students actively reflect on experiences, and construct understanding of the whole subject as well as the part. In the process, students' ideas expand in complexity. Curriculum matches as well as challenges each student's understanding, thereby fostering growth and further development.
Core Curriculum: Includes writing, math, reading, science, social studies, social development, self-expression, and health and physical development.
Education Assistant: Person who supports the classroom community on common educational goals. The educational assistant is not responsible for gathering or receiving information regarding a student. This information is to be directed through the classroom teacher.
Exploration Time: Discovery and experimentation typically experienced in centers or choice time. The environment and tools created for exploration time are developed to facilitate children's construction of knowledge.
Focused Exploration: Exploration of a singular concept.
Guidelines: The boundaries that allow all to learn in a safe and healthy environment.
Individual Appropriateness: Refers to accepting each child as a unique person with an individual pattern and timing of growth, as well as individual personality, learning style, and family background. Both the curriculum and adult interaction with children should be responsive to individual differences.
Integrated Curriculum: The combination of all core curriculum components into a whole unit of learning.
Journals/Portfolios: Samples of students' best work (student chosen) throughout the year that reflects their goals, growth, and meaningful learning.
Problem Solving: A problem is a situation where a child has a goal or interest that cannot be immediately reached. Whether a situation is a problem or an individual matter, depending on an individual's reaction or relationship to that situation. Through the problem-solving process children use their skills and ideas to reach mutually acceptable solutions and implement them. This process can be related to social, emotional, or academic problem-solving opportunities.