Broad Program Goals
The program at Satori:
1. Challenges students by making them think in a new ways and making curriculum personally meaningful, substantive and manageable for each child.
2. Individualizes by presenting curriculum and discipline with a range of levels and multiple intelligences so that individual needs of students are met. The program is designed so that all children can learn and grow regardless of their level.
3. Encourages creativity by providing open-ended activities and questions that value a student’s process, not just products. The program encourages divergent thinking by asking children to reach inside themselves to find their unique expression of self. Integration of the arts in the program provides students with new perspectives and extends possibilities.
4. Establishes problem-solving as both academic strategies and ways to assume personal responsibilities. The program encourages students to define problems, brainstorm possibilities, evaluate solutions, and implement their plan.
5. Fosters respect by valuing individuals, accepting differences and establishing a community where people, their opinions, their environment and the Earth are honored.
6. Provides a nurturing atmosphere that empowers students by defining safe boundaries and adjusting personal responses and the environment to each child’s needs. The staff makes every effort to balance the needs of the group with the needs of individuals for an optimal learning environment.
7. Engages and inspires
each child to learn by allowing choices in their own tasks, topics, and products
using the multiple intelligences areas as guidelines. We encourage their passions
by sharing our passions for learning with them.
Student Outcome and Goals
| Satori students will demonstrate a Sense of Self by: | ||
| 1 | Using self-directed learning skills | |
| 2 | Developing interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence skills | |
| 3 | Maintaining their natural love of learning | |
How do we do it?
The focus at Satori is on teaching children not curriculum. We offer a rich curriculum that integrates ability-appropriate competencies and Arizona State Standards with our students' interests.
Content (subject areas and topics) is chosen with teacher/student cooperation. The teacher then designs activities using multiple intelligences and multiple levels of difficulty to meet the learning needs of each student. The content for a school year is tied together through the use of a theme such as patterns, relationships, change, etc.
Students at Satori are taught strategies and processes to deal with personal and academic problems. We foster respect by valuing different ideas and solutions.
Products range from answers to questions to research reports. Open-ended activities and questions encourage our students' creativity. Students and teachers work together to define quality work in a product.
What does it look like?
Satori classrooms are active, invigorating environments where children are learning from each other as well as adults. Students engage in both group and individual activities. Choices of a variety of activities are given whenever possible.
Worksheets and textbooks are rarely used. Teachers work with small groups of students teaching, practicing and assessing skills. Many students work on learning tasks which are planned with the help of the teacher. Some students may be working on individualized learning packets, which they complete at their own pace.
There are computers in every classroom, preschool and K/1. Students use the computer to word process, practice academic skills and do research. The Internet is available in all K/1 classrooms.
Students learn many concepts through hands-on activities that combine discovery with high-level questioning techniques. Questions and discussions lead students to high-level concepts and stretch them to surpass what is traditionally expected of their age and grade.