MUSE ELEMENTARY: Learning about the project.

As you probably already know, Prophetik is hitting the road this summer for a handful of charity fashion shows.  We keep telling you that the tour benefits Suzy Amis Cameron's MUSE Elementary, but we haven't really told you what it is.  Let's start here. (And keep checking back for additional information on the project or visit www.museelementary.org)

MUSE Elementary's Mission and Vision:

"At MUSE Elementary, we create an environment where joy leads and learning follows - where young minds are stimulated through intellectual rigor and hands-on experience, bodies are nourished with fresh organic foods, and awareness of each individual's connection to our planet and all living things, is cultivated daily"

The Program:

MUSE Elementary focuses on a Reggio-inspired experience.  The key priniciples include:

1. The Image of the Child:  Adults see each child as unique, strong, and full of potential.

2. The Role of the Teacher: Teachers are partners in the child's learning experience.

3. Symbolic Representation: Children are given chances to represent their ideas and emotions through "languages", including verbal, written, visual art, drama, and more.

4. Education Based on Interaction and Collaboration: Education is a collaboration betweeen children and peers, teachers and other teachers, teachers and families, and the school and the community.

5. The Project Approach: Children learn through long-term projects based on their own curiousities, interests, and understandings.

6. Time: Projects and activies are not fragmented, nor decontextualized.  Instead, they build upon one another over time.

7. The Role of the Parents: Parents are active participants.  They must give their time and talent.

8. The Role of the Environment: Through conscious use of space, color, natural light, appropriate learning materials, and displays of children's work, the environment becomes another teacher.