Young children are naturally inquisitive and we strive to leverage their curiosity by creating experiences that allow them to question, experiment, try new things, make mistakes, and try again.
The Early Years education program at Tesla is designed for students aged 18 months to 4 years old, aiming to develop knowledge and skills through the PYP approach (International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program for children aged 3 – 12), and transdisciplinary themes, and opportunities for them to discover as they interact with the world around them. We emphasize communication in a bilingual environment because we believe that developing their first language is essential to acquiring additional languages as they mature.
The Early Years Principles of learning are:
We are focused on embracing the diverse qualities every student brings to the learning environment. As children physically and socially mature, their natural curiosity provides more opportunities to interact with the world and allows them to develop their skills and knowledge at their own pace. Our goal is to respect every child’s personality, interests, and life experiences to build a learning community focused on developing each child’s individual potential.
We believe inquiry and discovery are the essential paths to learning. When students become active participants in the learning process they develop a deeper understanding of the content and a passion for their experience. Our students consistently engage in learning activities that challenge them to communicate and collaborate with their peers to uncover the mysteries of the world.
Our goal is to arouse student passions by providing learning experiences that are relevant and meaningful. Utilizing prior knowledge about people and the natural world around them, students are encouraged to develop their application skills in context as they are introduced to new experiences and situations.
An effective learning community includes all stakeholders in a child’s environment. Teachers, support staff, students, and the families at home are the foundation for a child’s educational and emotional development. We believe regular collaboration and communication creates the unity and support our students need to develop healthy relationships and enjoy their educational experience.
The program encourages learning through play. It combines the early years program of the Ministry of Education and Training with the project-based-learning method. Teachers organize a play-based learning environment, providing children with meaningful and engaging opportunities for play, encouraging children to take charge of their own learning by inquiring, discovering, sharing, reflecting, taking action both inside and outside the school.
The program is implemented in 6 areas including:
1. Science – Technology: Children’s passion for science and technology is utilized to develop skills in problem-solving, thinking, reasoning, perception and understanding of the world.
2. Language: Right from Early Years, children develop language in both Vietnamese and English in 6 areas of study. They learn and use everyday language to help improve communication skills, awareness, problem solving, self-identification; especially supporting cross-cultural communication and global awareness.
3. Sports: We believe that physical development is as important as intellectual development. Therefore, the physical education program at Tesla is designed to help children develop basic motor skills in a healthy sports environment, through coordinated sports such as football, basketball, track and field. In addition, the children are encouraged to develop essential survival skills such as swimming.
4. Emotional – Social skills: This is an area that helps children develop self-service skills, become aware of who they are and what they can do, and understand themselves in relation to others. They also know how to recognize their own feelings and those of others, express their feelings, empathize and share.
5. Art: A combination of creativity and art, especially architectural art. Children get to explore color, shape, perspective, and design using both traditional and digital platforms to spark the imagination. Children learn how to put art into practice through different art forms such as music, drama, visual arts, design, dance, etc.
6. Math: Engaging hands-on activities with the goal that students use Mathematics as a vehicle for inquiry and provide a language through which they make sense of the world around them. For Tesla’s Math program, children also learn in English and experience Math in the form of problems through math learning activities using computer software.
