Approach

OUR APPROACH

At Bloom Community School, we approach school differently. We view education as a dynamic, collaborative, and engaged experience for cultivating joyful, independent, and interdependent learners. Bloom lives out progressive and democratic models for teaching and learning, which support children as both learners and citizens, and promotes diversity, equity, and justice in our school community.

By integrating innovative, nontraditional methods, curricula, and teaching and assessment practices within a multi-layered framework, Bloom Community School’s approach offers a unique, individualized education experience for each child. Within small class sizes of mixed-aged students, and all-classes community activities, Bloom nurtures students in becoming self-aware lifelong learners, collaborative teammates and leaders, and caring, active members of our community.

CONSTRUCTING KNOWLEDGE

Bloom Community School is informed by constructivist perspectives on learning and childhood development, which is based on the idea that children actively construct their own understanding of the world around them through experiences and interactions with their environment. Our aim is to create a more student-centered and democratic learning environment that supports students' intellectual, emotional, and social development.

We view learning as an active, dynamic process that is shaped by both the individual and their home, school, and community environments as well as the social and cultural contexts in which learning takes place. Bloom supports a child's natural curiosity and desire to learn, and nurtures them in constructing their own understanding of the world in a meaningful way.

Constructivist learning theory suggests that children learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process and encouraged to explore, experiment, and ask questions. The role of the teacher is to facilitate this process by creating opportunities for exploration and discovery, rather than simply transmitting information to students. At Bloom, these learning experiences come through carefully planned inquiries through:

Play (indoor and outdoor activities)
Nature-based exploration including observational walks and visits to the Refuge Food Forest
Project-based learning
Democratic decision-making
Teacher-directed learning activities
Experiments
Social-emotional learning (guided by teachers throughout the day)
Math thinking exercises
Reading and listening to books and texts
Talking with one another and sharing ideas and knowledge
Hands-on and text-based research
Designing and carrying out individual and group projects
Facilitated discussions
Field trips
Service-learning and volunteering
All-school activities and celebrations

We emphasize the importance of communication skills and collaboration as part of a 21st-century skills framework. This is closely linked to Bloom’s belief in the importance of social-emotional learning, which research shows is a highly effective way to support students' academic success, mental health, and overall well-being.

Mixed-age classes encourage natural development

Early Elementary

PODS CLASS. Children ages 5-7 are playing, experimenting, and making incredible observations about the world around them -- including themselves, interactions with others, and the natural environment. They learn with their whole bodies and with their senses. They are eager to grasp new concepts, and to see themselves growing. They are learning about how they are similar and different from others, expressing feelings, being helpful, sharing their ideas, and listening to others. Full of discovery, questions, and joy, the Pods love connecting with older students in our school community!

Upper Elementary

SPROUTS CLASS: From ages 8-10, children continue to make connections between their growing knowledge and new information and experiences. Bloom students are ready to explore further afield, and want to become masters in areas of interest. With more sustained focus, they build on literacy and math skills, and start media literacy education. As they want to share what they know and create, they are learning to communicate more effectively. This age brings greater ability to build self-knowledge, and to reflect on feelings and choices.

Middle School

BLOSSOMS CLASS: Ages 11-13/14 bring significant changes in physical and emotional growth. We honor those changes in our students and recognize that they often want more autonomy, responsibility, and leadership opportunities. Bloom students build on research skills and deepen their understanding of design thinking. Students are even more focused on friendships as primary relationships, which brings many opportunities to learn from one another, to deepen listening and collaboration skills, and to practice solving conflicts.