Teaching Philosophy
We believe that learning best occurs in an educational framework that values the stages of childhood development, provides greater interaction between child and teacher, and integrates the arts into a rigorous academic program.
6 ways OCS serves to nourish the human spirit and raise the educational achievement and life possibilities for our students:
- Our multi-age, play-based kindergarten. A learning environment that fosters the imagination while introducing literacy, numbers sense and community awareness, laying a solid foundation for academic activity.
- Our small size. Allowing us to remain close to a home community that nurtures and accepts a diversity of personal philosophical beliefs and values.
- Our teaching philosophy. A framework of education that encourages ecological awareness, individual achievement and social awareness. We develop students who think creatively and analytically and are well prepared for high school.
- Our commitment to providing the accountability a public school must maintain. We balance this with a Waldorf approach to measure student achievement in varied and developmentally appropriate ways.
How learning best occurs at OCS
Our standards-based, approach guided by the Core Principles of Public Waldorf Education features a range of effective educational practices that contribute to our high student achievement and strong, stable learning community.
Elements of our effective learning practices:
- A multi-sensory curriculum
- Limitations on media and the use of technology
- Integration of the arts into the full curriculum
- Active learning incorporating movement
- A curricula and method geared to the stages of child development
- Science taught experientially
- Thematic lessons scheduled into “Lesson Blocks”
- Teachers looping with students
- An educational culture of musical and theatrical performances, gardening and environmental environmental, and seasonal festivals
At Ocean Charter School, we set the foundation for our students to become self-motivated, competent, and lifelong learners, active in their communities, and capable of positively shaping our culture, rather than merely reflecting it.
