Where Children Love to Learn

Through the eyes of a child, the world is their playground, full of undiscovered mysteries waiting to be explored. They learn through touch, taste, sound, smell and sight, testing their boundaries to see how the world responds. They engage with parents, model after peers, and manipulate their surroundings, gaining knowledge from each new interaction. As sensory learners, a child’s environment is crucial to their physical, cognitive, emotional and social development.

To create an environment where children can truly begin to learn and develop, it is important that they first feel safe and loved. When you walk into a classroom at The Rise School of Austin, you notice pictures of each child’s family throughout the room. Every classroom provides a cozy, quiet area where children can separate from their peers if they begin to feel overwhelmed. Students’ work is prominently displayed, and everyone’s creation is celebrated no matter the outcome. These elements provide a sense of security and inclusion and enable children to feel confident to express their individuality and dive into their surroundings to engage in learning. Rise teacher Melissa Gardner shares, “The classroom environments at Rise are set up with incredible care and intention.  We view the classroom as our ‘third teacher’ which is why it is essential to create an environment that is enriching, peaceful and safe.”

The design and layout of a classroom are also important to provide a space that fosters learning, creativity, and independence. Multiple play centers with a variety of activities and easily accessible materials enable children to choose how to interact with their environment and their peers. This helps children to “develop self-help skills and important autonomous behaviors,” according to Early Childhood News.

At Rise, each classroom has eight distinct learning centers intentionally set up to address the many domains of development. The centers include dramatic play, blocks, reading, writing, art, science, sensory, and manipulatives.

The materials provided at each learning center are equally important to creating an impactful learning experience. Children are provided with a variety of sensory tools related to each activity to offer multiple sources of stimulation and learning. Materials with different textures, colors, shapes and complexities allow children to explore and expand upon concepts through hands-on learning.

At The Rise School, children are also provided with opportunities for group activities to learn alongside same age peers. They learn cooperation, communication and the intricacies of social interactions and they develop the language and social skills necessary for continued development.

“There are three teachers of children: adults, other children, and their physical environment,” according to Loris Malguzzi, founder of the Reggio Emilia approach to early education.

The Rise School of Austin incorporates each of these to create a meaningful space where children are able to reach their maximum potential. Through the individualized instruction from their teachers, group activities alongside their peers of all abilities, and through a meticulously designed classroom space, children at Rise receive a high-quality education in an intentional classroom environment.

Learning Center Benefits 

• Dramatic play center: develop social and problem-solving skills, explore concepts of diversity, and develop imagination and creativity
• Block play center: develop early math skills, improve hand-eye coordination, and expand vocabulary and oral language
• Writing center: develop fine motor skills, expand print awareness, engage in self-expression
• Reading center: develop pre-literacy skills, improve speech and cognitive skills, develop positive association with books
• Art center: express ideas and feelings, expand knowledge of print, encourage the development of neural connections
• Science center: explore cause and effect, develop thinking and reasoning skills, make sense of the natural, social, physical and material world
• Sensory center: stimulate sense of touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing, explore concepts of measurement, expand vocabulary, explore numerical concepts
• Manipulatives center: develop numerical understanding, explore concepts of measurement, geometry, patterns, and data analysis

Contact
The Rise School is now enrolling for the 2019-2020 school year.
512-891-1682
riseschoolaustin.org
4800 Manor Rd Building J
@riseatx