Vision

The team of Het Palet works in units in which two years of study work together intensively. Working in units offers children the opportunity to learn from and with each other. Children of different ages, with different talents and characteristics, meet and work together. In one unit, several team members are jointly responsible for all children. This means that 'several eyes' follow the children, but also that team members can make optimal use of each other's qualities. Working in units makes it possible for children to be flexibly and tailor-made according to their needs, interests and talents. At the start of the 2022-2023 school year, this will be visible school-wide in the math block, the reading block and the thematic work. In the course of the school year, we will also develop this method for grammar. Below we explain the four pillars of our vision.

Pillar 1 - A pedagogical basis

Together with parents, the team of Het Palet wants to provide a solid pedagogical basis for all children. We think it is important that the children feel welcome and at home. The team actively wants to create a safe and secure atmosphere, both in the units and on the schoolyard. For us, every child is unique and equal. Each child has its own home group teacher to whom the child visits several times a day. Each child also has a mentor who builds a relationship of trust with the child and whom the child can always turn to. By acting on the basis of clear values ​​and norms, from a dialogue about values ​​and norms and from targeted activities, we teach children to take care of themselves, others and the environment. When children have special educational needs from a pedagogical point of view, we work closely with parents and other parties to achieve optimal coordination.

Pillar 2 - A didactic basis

Together with parents, the team of Het Palet wants to provide a solid didactic basis for all children. We work on the basis of contemporary teaching methods in which we carefully align learning objectives with the educational needs of all children. Teachers at Het Palet are instructors but also didactic coaches. This means that they guide children during the processing of the lesson material in such a way that there is a maximum impact on the children's learning. In the 2022-2023 school year, all teachers and teaching assistants will follow team training on the study days to become proficient in the role of didactic coach.

At Het Palet, the children know the structure of a reading and mathematics block. Children know who provides instruction at which location and where they can subsequently process the material. Children receive instruction and processing within the unit that is appropriate to their developmental level. Instructions on Het Palet are interactive, short and activating. Instruction can be processed on Het Palet in various ways; on paper, digitally, in game form, moving, cooperatively, etc. Children are given every opportunity to learn from and with each other, but they can also consciously choose to work alone and in silence. Unit 2, 3 and 4 have a quiet room in the MFA. During the processing, the children can ask the didactic coaches (teachers and teaching assistant) for help.

Within the units we find peace and structure important and we also consciously work with children on their executive functions. Think of learning to plan, organize, monitor yourself and deal flexibly with change. When children have special educational needs from a didactic point of view, we work closely with parents and other parties to achieve optimal coordination.

Pillar 3 - Meaningful learning

At Het Palet we address the amazement, curiosity, creativity, responsibility and intrinsic motivation of children within the thematic work. We focus on inquiry, discovery and design learning in which children gain knowledge, insights and skills of the 21st century. Examples of these skills that are discussed are: problem solving, self-regulation, collaboration and digital literacy. The attention paid to these skills on Het Palet shows that we consider the learning process that children go through at least as important as a beautiful product. We shape thematic work based on contemporary methods such as KleuterLab (unit 1) and Blink (other units).

Pillar 4 – Focus on children

At Het Palet we believe it is important that children acquire an attitude in which 'lifelong learning' is the starting point. For this it is important that a child feels motivated and responsible for their own learning process. At Het Palet, teachers want to actively guide children in this. They do this, for example, by providing didactic coaching during the processing of teaching material for their own learning objective. The child's mentor also plays an important role in this. The mentor is the first point of contact for children and parents, monitors the development of the child and conducts triangular discussions with parents and child.

In the portfolio, the progress of the child is tracked and we explicitly look at the growth of the child. The Talent Card in the portfolio contains a 'This is how we see you' report. In this, the mentor of the child describes in consultation with the unitteam how they see the child. In addition, the portfolio contains the results of the student monitoring system IEP. IEP stands for 'Insight Own Profile' and shows the growth of children in the area of ​​their 'head, heart and hands'. With the portfolio, we strive for children to become more owners of their own learning process and to increase motivation for their own learning.

Progress at unit, grade and individual level is discussed with the entire unit team and translated into an appropriate follow-up offer. The expertise of the internal supervisor is used for this. We use observation instruments for social-emotional and cognitive development and method-related tests to get an even broader picture of your child.