At Stepping Stones, we believe that children are the main actors in their own learning and development journey.
Embedded within a bilingual environment (English/French), our teaching method combines the Montessori approach with collaborative and traditional teaching methods. This unique pedagogy is rooted in the belief that all children have immense potential, and that above all the role of an educator and parent is to activate this potential in the child. The combination of these teaching methods offers each child the structure and freedom to explore. As a consequence, guided by attentive teachers, our students are given the opportunity to develop and progress in harmony with their own rhythm.
Each child being unique, the dynamic adaptation of teaching methods occupies a central place in our pedagogy. The aim is to support the child towards reaching their full potential through the attainment of fundamental knowledge and skills (i.e. psychosocial skills, such as managing emotions, creative and critical thinking, etc). This is achieved by adapting our teaching methods to aid each child’s well-being and to build confidence, both of which are essential ingredients for successful learning and development. While we follow the programme of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, most of our students will surpass the objectives of the programme. We aspire to not only teach a set of skills and knowledge, but to also transmit the desire to learn and the capacity to enjoy the learning experience. Consequently, our weekly school programme dedicates one day to activities outside of the school grounds (weather permitting). This day provides the children with the opportunity to learn practically about the environment around them, through activities and direct interaction with places, external speakers and projects. Moreover, on this day the children have the chance to discover and master their environment as well as to put into practice their acquired academic and social skills.
Educating the students to be open minded, upstanding citizens is an important part of our school curriculum and a pillar of our educational project. With this in mind, we undertake projects and activities to teach respect and empathy to the children and invite parents to support us in this endeavour. Moreover, teaching respect and practicing empathy in school facilitates classroom management. Students arrive at school with a receptive attitude towards learning and therefore teachers are better equipped to deal with the social and emotional needs of their students, allowing more time for learning and development activities. As the children progress through their studies at school, their understanding and respect for the feelings and opinions of others lead them to develop good communication skills, a sense of team spirit, an appetite for collaborative work and strong leadership skills. With a strong grounding in respect and empathy, the children are respectful in their relationships and have the comprehension to value diversity and differences with others.
Our educational project aims to enable each child to reveal their potential for creativity and self-confidence and prepare each child to face the future with serenity and joy, sustained by their own inner resources.
Respect, freedom, autonomy, curiosity, solidarity, kindness: everything necessary for a student to flourish.