How we learn
How we learn
Jean Piaget said: “The main goal of education is to create people who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done.”
We believe that the best way for children to learn is by doing, thinking, and reflecting. That’s why we want children to feel like the protagonists of their learning and to give it meaning by being an active part and using the tools we provide. Because when we learn through direct experience, we mature as individuals. Only then can we help children become autonomous, curious, and entrepreneurial.
Continuously, and at each stage of early childhood and primary education, we monitor the development of each child’s learning as well as the learning of each class group in order to strengthen any necessary elements and also broaden horizons.
By the end of primary school, students will have the knowledge, skills, tools, and maturity to successfully face secondary school and all the challenges they may encounter in the future.
Learning challenges are situations or activities designed to stimulate critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving in students.
As its name suggests, a challenge is a goal, an objective to reach, and this implies the integration of knowledge and skills from various disciplines—academic, emotional, and personal. This fosters a very rich and more meaningful educational experience for children.
The methodology we use allows children to work in teams, solve real problems, and apply what they have learned in concrete situations. Moreover, this approach promotes creativity and innovation, as children need to think critically and find original solutions.
Working in corners is a methodology that encourages peer learning. Its goal is to enhance autonomy in the learning process. It is organized around different activities related to various areas: literacy, handwriting, mathematics, fine motor skills, etc. where the child moves freely, but with the commitment to have gone through all the corners by the end of the activity and to be able to self-assess.
Oral communication skills are very important in our school. We believe it is crucial for students to learn how to speak in public, as it is a tool they will definitely need in the future.
From Early Childhood, activities are worked on that promote correct pronunciation of sounds and self-awareness, helping the youngest children to progressively use longer sentences, with more connectors and increasingly precise vocabulary.
In the Primary stage, the work on oral expression, in addition to being encouraged in daily activities (debates, group conversations, various theatrical performances, etc.), is also done individually with presentations that children prepare at home and then explain in front of the rest of the class. It starts in First Grade with the preparation of a story in Catalan and a riddle in Spanish, and concludes in Sixth Grade with individual conferences on topics chosen in Catalan, Spanish, and English.
Reading plays a very important role at our school. Making sure that children become good readers is not an easy task. One of the most important factors for this to happen is to start the process at the right developmental moment for the child. This typically happens between the ages of 6 and 7. Children begin to read in First Grade, and once they have some fluency, they start going to the library. From that moment on, they will go every week and read approximately 200 books in Catalan, Spanish, or English during their time at the school.
Cooperative work is a learning tool in which children are organized into small, heterogeneous work groups with the goal of achieving common goals and objectives. The difference between this way of working and small group work is that, in addition, in cooperative work, specific roles are established that each member must assume. This methodology begins in Fourth Grade. For more information, visit our blog.
During the Primary stage, children begin to use digital technologies as a tool for communication and learning. The Digital Plan is a document that outlines all the actions the school undertakes to develop the digital competence of the children, teachers, and the school itself. This plan also includes a protocol for educating on the proper use of technology. For more information, visit our blog.
Creative Thinking
We all know that creativity will help them express themselves better and develop tools to face new challenges more autonomously. This creative thinking, which goes beyond just the classroom, is worked on through the written expression workshop. It is a weekly activity that starts in Second Grade and continues until Sixth Grade. We mix students from the same cycle with the goal of working on and fostering creativity through language by working on different types of texts.
One of the goals of learning mathematics is the interpretation of the environment, starting with what is daily and through hands-on activities, in order to later establish connections between what has been learned and what is already known. For this learning to be meaningful, it must be engaging, motivating, interesting, and accessible to everyone. The methodology of mathematics spaces helps to achieve these objectives by presenting challenges and problems to students so they can develop or put into practice different mathematical processes either autonomously or by working cooperatively. For more information, visit our blog.
From Early Childhood with the laboratory and project-based work to Primary, observation and experimentation become essential tools for children to understand the world around them. The scientific method encourages children to analyze, develop hypotheses, and research results.
Music plays a leading role in our school. Working on musical intelligence not only helps our children develop sensitivity and a taste for music, but also gives them the opportunity to acquire, in a playful way, tools such as memory, diction, attention, concentration, body awareness, and spatial awareness… all of which are essential tools for learning. Through music and the performances we do at the school, we promote a sense of belonging and group cohesion.
The art workshop, from the youngest to the oldest, is a weekly session in which, in small groups shared with children of the same grade, we develop creativity and sensitivity, learning to appreciate our own artistic creations as well as those of others. Using recycled materials, drawing inspiration from nature, or going outside the school to create art in the open air, discovering the works of various artists, or familiarizing ourselves with different materials, everything is valid to awaken our imagination and foster artistic sensitivity.
On the other hand, we place great aesthetic value on the creations of our children, which is why they adorn our school, allowing children, families, and teachers to enjoy them.
At Escola Lys, we consider physical activity essential for the holistic development of children. For this reason, Physical Education is present throughout their entire schooling. In Early Childhood, we begin with psychomotricity, which works on coordination, balance, and body awareness in a playful way. Starting from Primary, students continue with Physical Education, where they develop motor skills, work as a team, and acquire healthy habits, as well as swimming at the Can Caralleu pool.
The sessions are conducted in English, promoting both sports practice and language immersion. In addition, we make use of both our facilities and the resources in the surrounding area to offer a rich and varied experience, tailored to each educational stage (Parc Putxet, Escola Els Arcs, and Can Caralleu).
Languages
At the school, we understand that learning languages is very important, as it allows children to open up to the world and learn about new cultures. For this reason, we offer a foreign language learning program that starts at 3 years old and continues until 18, as it extends to our secondary school and the baccalaureates.
Children begin learning English at the school, and when they move to Els Arcs, our secondary school, language learning is structured in groups according to level so that each child’s progress can be better supported. Also, when secondary school begins, French is introduced as a language to learn.
On the other hand, during this stage, they will have the opportunity to start the Dual Baccalaureate, which will allow them access to universities in the United States.
Once they begin the baccalaureate at CIC, they will have the opportunity to learn German as well as continue with the Dual Baccalaureate or Batxibach.
From Nursery (I3) to Sixth Grade, all children have two weekly sessions of English conversation with a native-speaking teacher.
This allows children to be immersed in the language from a young age, which helps develop correct pronunciation and a natural understanding of English.
Native teachers can provide an authentic model of the language, including idiomatic expressions, accents, and intonations that are difficult to learn solely through books or digital resources.
On the other hand, this person offers them the opportunity to share aspects of the culture of English-speaking countries, which enriches learning and helps students better understand the language in its cultural context.
From Nursery (I3) to Sixth Grade, the language of instruction for Physical Education and Psychomotricity is English.
Practicing English during Physical Education classes helps students improve their language skills in a different context. Learning vocabulary related to sports and movement can make the language more accessible and fun.
Doing Physical Education in English can promote interaction among our students with children from different backgrounds when they are outside of school, as English is a common language in many contexts. This helps develop social and teamwork skills.
In summary, doing Physical Education in English not only helps improve sports skills but also enriches language learning and fosters a more inclusive and fun learning environment.
Culture and Traditions
All people, no matter where we are from, carry a backpack full of ideas, ways of doing things, thinking, enjoying, eating… from the places that have seen us grow.
Knowing and loving the culture, language, and traditions of where we have lived helps us create a sense of belonging and a bond, sometimes imperceptible, with the people with whom we share the way of celebrating life.
Our school is deeply rooted in Catalan culture. We want children to know our festivals and culture in depth and enjoy each and every celebration with emotion.
This way, they will understand that all people, no matter where they are from, also have traditions that they love and that move them. And if they want to truly know who they are and how they think, they will need to discover what is in their backpack and respect all the languages, cultures, and traditions they find inside.
Emotional management
The Thinking and Speaking area is a 3-18 Philosophy project in which the school participates, teaching Philosophy from Early Childhood to Sixth Grade. Its goal is to strengthen children’s thinking skills, enhance their reflective capacity, and prepare them for reasoned participation in a democratic world.
It is a space for reflection that, through coeducation, inclusion, and emotional work, enables children to incorporate values that allow them to become individuals committed to society, with critical thinking, and better people. In these sessions, we work on concepts such as justice, truth, goodness, beauty, the world, personal identity, time, friendship, freedom, and community.
However, emotional education must be transversal, integrated into all areas. Physical Education is a good example of this. Good emotional health will help children incorporate healthy habits, improve their knowledge and control of their own body and that of others, and accept it.
All the children at the school, when they reach Third Grade, become godparents to a child from I2. These godparents will remain so until the older child leaves the school in Sixth Grade and the younger child moves on to Primary School. Together, they will share celebrations, playtime, and learning moments. This is one of the strategies we use at the school to promote acquaintance and emotional bonds among all the children who are part of it.
The older and younger children get to know each other, have created a bond, and this makes the school feel very family-like.
This project helps foster the self-esteem of the older children, personal satisfaction, a sense of caring for others, and personal involvement. It will help the younger ones feel secure during their first years at the school.
In our reflection spaces (Thinking and Speaking, the assembly), but also in the daily life of the school, in the cafeteria, during recess, in Physical Education… we propose dynamics and analyze different situations that we may encounter, all viewed through the lens of coeducation.
Being able to collectively detect gender stereotypes, analyze them, and find solutions is essential in the present moment if we want our children to develop critical thinking that helps them take a stance on what they experience with their own criteria.
Furthermore, the school’s gender committee, made up of families and teachers, also proposes activities to work on all these aspects in the classroom.
On the other hand, from Early Childhood to the end of Primary School, affective-sexual education is worked on in the same way, starting with self-knowledge of one’s own body and the feelings it generates, as well as respect for the body and feelings of others. For more information.
The need for children to develop critical thinking during their school years in order to become responsible and committed students to society has led our school to establish two weekly reflection spaces, starting from Early Childhood: Thinking and Speaking and the Assembly. For more information.
At the school, we understand recess as an educational space. It is a time when children enjoy play, but it also gives us the opportunity to work with them on how we relate to each other, what to do when someone gets hurt, or when we disagree on something…
This is why we encourage collective play within the class group or grade, so that all children are included during recess and learn new games. On the other hand, offering children play options beyond the ball allows recess time to be much more inclusive and participatory.
Recess time often involves conflicts. For this reason, starting from First Grade, in each class we have a mediator, a child who, for fifteen days, will be responsible for helping their classmates resolve the small disagreements of everyday life. In this way, children develop conflict resolution strategies, get involved in the life of the class group, and learn to communicate assertively.
Participation and Cooperation
Roles are small responsibilities that are distributed among all the children in the class. There are class roles as well as general school roles. With these, we reinforce the children’s autonomy as well as their self-esteem.
On the other hand, they help us work on the acquisition of responsibilities, the sense of belonging to the group, and real involvement in the educational community.
The Assembly is a weekly meeting space for the entire group with the teacher, aimed at fostering group cohesion, decision-making, reflection, and discussion on various topics of interest. It promotes student participation and allows the group to gradually learn how to organize themselves and resolve simple conflicts in everyday situations.
It is a space to educate children in democracy, assertiveness, and the acceptance of diverse opinions.
Once a month, the Assembly will be held jointly with the children of the grade, and once a term, the entire Primary School will meet in the playground to discuss things that need improvement. In this way, shared agreements are made for the entire educational community.
- Banc dels aliments (Food Bank)
- Mostra solidaria del Farró (Solidarity Show on Farró)
- Casal dels infants del raval (Children’s House of the Raval)
Festivities
Festivals and celebrations represent a very important part of our school. Celebrating together makes children feel part of the educational community, fostering a sense of belonging, cooperation, and teamwork. From First to Sixth Grade, each class is responsible for organizing a party and inviting the rest of the children.
Among all of them, we would highlight the school’s Festa Major at the beginning of the school year, where traditional dances, falcons, and giants, dwarfs, and the bestiary dance. This is followed by Castanyada, Santa Cecília, Festa dels Infants, Pastorets, and Christmas.
Starting with the performance of The Jungle Book, the arrival of Clown Mister Xips, who brings us spring, and the legend of Saint George, we work on stage performance, diction, pronunciation, and all the elements that are part of theater.
The school year ends with the End-of-Year Party, the most special of all, where all the children from Petit Lys and the school take the stage and, through a common thread, perform what they have worked on in the music area during that year.
Excursions and Camps
Excursions and outings allow children to apply theoretical knowledge in real-life situations. This helps consolidate learning and make it more meaningful.
Visiting places related to what they learn in class can spark children’s interest and make them more engaged in the lessons. New and exciting experiences can make children more motivated to learn.
Excursions, outings, and camps foster interaction among students, helping them develop social skills such as communication, collaboration, and teamwork.
