Kindergarten private school - help!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is much less teacher-in-front-teaching at Dalton vs. somewhere like St B or Trinity. Of course there are some instances of it, but it is not the majority of the lessons. These are obviously generalizations, but progressive teaching is usually more student-centered and and focused on experiential learning, while traditional teaching is more teacher-led and focused on memorization. Both the progressive schools (Dalton) and the traditional schools (St B) have some elements of both philosophies in their curriculum, so it is not surprising that you may have seen a teacher led lesson at Dalton during your visit.

This is very helpful, thanks. My inclination would be to want something in between progressive and traditional - the learning of practical skills with a deeper understanding in a structured environment. It's really hard to get a real feel of these school from their open houses and such.

What kind of preschool is your child at? We chose progressive for preschool on purpose for the creativity, behavior and social emotional stuff (I had to teach the hard academic skills on my own lol). But for K plus schooling we like traditional and structure ( we are very interested in St B). I think Horace Mann follows a similar mindset - their nursery is progressive and Reggio based, and the rest of the school is pretty traditional. I think it’s the best of both worlds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are older, but my advice to you for the early years is to choose a school close to where you intend to live. It’s easier for everyday life, playdates, and making connections with other families. I sent my DCs to a neighborhood K-8, and it was great. They ended up at HM and NBS for high school— both great fits for them at that stage in their lives.

Were you at a downtown k-8 by chance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is much less teacher-in-front-teaching at Dalton vs. somewhere like St B or Trinity. Of course there are some instances of it, but it is not the majority of the lessons. These are obviously generalizations, but progressive teaching is usually more student-centered and and focused on experiential learning, while traditional teaching is more teacher-led and focused on memorization. Both the progressive schools (Dalton) and the traditional schools (St B) have some elements of both philosophies in their curriculum, so it is not surprising that you may have seen a teacher led lesson at Dalton during your visit.

This is very helpful, thanks. My inclination would be to want something in between progressive and traditional - the learning of practical skills with a deeper understanding in a structured environment. It's really hard to get a real feel of these school from their open houses and such.

What kind of preschool is your child at? We chose progressive for preschool on purpose for the creativity, behavior and social emotional stuff (I had to teach the hard academic skills on my own lol). But for K plus schooling we like traditional and structure ( we are very interested in St B). I think Horace Mann follows a similar mindset - their nursery is progressive and Reggio based, and the rest of the school is pretty traditional. I think it’s the best of both worlds.

We are at a Montessori, which leans progressive. My son is doing well there, but we feel he could use a bit more structure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is much less teacher-in-front-teaching at Dalton vs. somewhere like St B or Trinity. Of course there are some instances of it, but it is not the majority of the lessons. These are obviously generalizations, but progressive teaching is usually more student-centered and and focused on experiential learning, while traditional teaching is more teacher-led and focused on memorization. Both the progressive schools (Dalton) and the traditional schools (St B) have some elements of both philosophies in their curriculum, so it is not surprising that you may have seen a teacher led lesson at Dalton during your visit.

At our Trinity interview for K, admissions seemed pretty proud that learning there is not focused on memorization. Is this not true?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is much less teacher-in-front-teaching at Dalton vs. somewhere like St B or Trinity. Of course there are some instances of it, but it is not the majority of the lessons. These are obviously generalizations, but progressive teaching is usually more student-centered and and focused on experiential learning, while traditional teaching is more teacher-led and focused on memorization. Both the progressive schools (Dalton) and the traditional schools (St B) have some elements of both philosophies in their curriculum, so it is not surprising that you may have seen a teacher led lesson at Dalton during your visit.

At our Trinity interview for K, admissions seemed pretty proud that learning there is not focused on memorization. Is this not true?

It’s not focused on memorization.

[Anonymous]

I think to state that traditional teaching approach is focused on memorization is a really a broad generalization.

[Anonymous]

No NYC K-6 focuses on memorization anymore- it’s all progressive based to some extent now.