Our Philosophy
St Catherine's School has an outstanding reputation in early childhood education. Our uniqe St Catherine's program in the Early Learning Centre is based on the world-renowned Reggio Emilia philosophy. It celebrates the natural wonder and curiosity of children and fosters a life-long love of learning in all children. Inquiry learning continues throughout the Junior School.
We believe that learning during the early years of life is critical for the development of the whole person and our inquiry-based program reflects the interests of the children and encourages them to take responsibility for their own learning.
Rather than seeing the child as an ‘empty vessel' waiting to be filled with knowledge, our educators believe strongly in a child with unlimited potential who is eager to interact with, and contribute to the world. Every day we remind ourselves of one of the core elements of our philosophy which is ‘Nothing without Joy'!
The Reggio Emilia philosophy, which underpins our ELC program, highlights the importance of the following:
- Image of the Child - children are seen as being strong, capable, full of resources, curious, amazing and they have enormous potential. We believe they are capable of constructing knowledge
- Relationships - the development of each child's social competence is crucial to their learning. There is a focus on the development of a sense of community which is based on respect for others, openness, constructive co-existence and listening. Excellent communication between parents and teachers enables parents to feel involved in their child's learning
- Listening - "Why do we forget so easily that in order to talk, we first had to listen?" (Eulalia Bosch) - the children are listened to, observed closely, teachers ask questions and the children's ideas are explored
- Environment - the environment supports the learning as ‘the Third Teacher', therefore we are committed to the creation of conditions for learning that enhance and facilitate children's learning experiences. The children learn from the spaces they are in - they need beautiful, orderly space where everything has a purpose. Children are free to spend more time on projects that interest them and are often able to move between activities at their own pace
- Teacher - the educators are seen as facilitators and researchers as they learn with and show respect for the children
- The Hundred Languages - children to make discoveries and learn in many different ways -they move, draw, paint, sculpt, create collages, act, dance, sing and create music, which we refer to as the Hundred Languages...and a hundred, hundred more
- Projects - teachers provide experiences that provoke children's learning. The child is seen as a protagonist; an active constructor of his/her own knowledge. Children are capable of long term sustained learning when the topic is of interest to them
- Documentation - the children's work is documented in order for the children to see the development of their thinking and learning. It also enables the teachers and parents to better understand the children
- Collaboration - children learn best when working with others: other children, the family, teachers and the community. Parents provide ideas and skills which make them active partners in the children's learning. Teachers encourage, support and develop collaborative learning.