Raising Radishes - Tulsa’s Urban Farm School
By naturally blending a constructivist education with the natural world, we aim to inspire every student with a lifelong love for learning and a profound respect for the environment in a self-sufficient and sustainable environment.
With a curriculum that seamlessly integrates academic subjects with practical experiences, our constructivist school empowers students to become critical thinkers and active contributors to their communities. This approach nurtures independent thinking, problem-solving skills, and a deep sense of responsibility for the environment.
Explore
In an exploratory education setting, children are primarily responsible for the lessons they learn. Such an environment encourages curiosity. Instructors who encourage children to ask questions or investigate something of interest enable those children to develop both the ability to ask good, productive questions and a goal-oriented attitude.
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Inquire & Investigate
Within an inquiry-driven early education environment, children receive the tools to make observations, experiment with what they have observed, and then ask questions to clarify their understanding. The teacher guides their thinking and helps identify ways that they can answer their own questions.
Discover
Children learn best through experimentation and the discovery of facts and relationships. Rather than being asked to memorize facts or learn by listening, children are asked to manipulate materials, experiment, make assumptions, and discover themselves.
Growing in independence.
Facilitating education by exploration, especially with young children, can help them develop a strong sense of self by allowing them to investigate topics, objects, scenarios, and more that interest them. Additionally, by permitting self-guidance in an educational setting, instructors encourage children to be independent and autonomous, though instructors may offer suggestions or resources, the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge are enacted by the children alone.
Self-guided learning and exploration are intrinsic, but pursuing things of interest also leads to connections. If a child finds another child with a similar fascination or a better understanding of a topic, he or she may be inclined to engage with the other child to enhance his or her knowledge. Learning together can be a collaborative, social activity. Allowing children to explore and discover on their own can promote organic relationships that are strong, healthy, and productive.
Learning together as a community
While our program and environment naturally encourage children to become confident, independent learners, we also provide ample opportunities for children to collaborate with family and the Tulsa community.