The Dots are a result of a “Guided Discovery” in Room 1. Guided Discovery is part of our social-curriculum process. Teachers at Explorer do not use rewards to motivate children’s behaviors. Instead, we teach them to internalize classroom expectations and learn to be self-directed in managing themselves and their learning.
This Guided Discovery was used to teach Room 1 students about using watercolors. We read the book, “The Dot,” we talked about using the materials—how to take them out, how to use them, how to clean them up and put them away. The students learned about using the palettes on the watercolor sets to mix colors. Then they practiced these expectations. The paintings are a nice product, but the goal of the lesson was learning how to care for their paint materials, and carefully create a piece of art. Now that this is complete, the painting center is now open. This process occurs with every part of our classroom environment and in how we view our learning.
