The Philosophy Behind Our Curriculum

At Dillon we know you want the best for your child. Send your children to a school that values play and still makes sure that children learn the foundations needed for healthy growing minds.

Play

At Dillon we believe children learn through play and inquiry. Every classroom puts play at the center of all they do.

Why play?

Research has shown that play:

• Paves the way for children to develop their imagination, creativity, cognitive skills and dexterity, as well as their physical and emotional strength.
• Helps children develop new competencies that boost confidence and develop the resiliency they will need to face future challenges.
• Helps children understand cooperative learning and encourages them to develop such social skills as sharing, negotiating and conflict resolution, as well self-advocacy and leadership skills.
• Encourages decision-making skills and allows children to move at their own pace and discover their own areas of interest.
• Is a simple joy that is a cherished part of childhood.

Inquiry

At Dillon we also believe children learn through inquiry. We use Inquiry to help build skills and foster the love of learning and curiosity.

Through our inquiry-based curriculum, we:

• Connect students to their local and global communities — and provide them with real-world experiences beyond the classroom.
• Foster what researchers refer to as essential 21st-century skills, including critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.
• Build on the individual needs, interests and strengths of all students – allowing students to work, where appropriate, at their own pace.
• Give students a sense of purpose and foster self-esteem.• Provide opportunities for service learning and enhancing a sense of social justice and responsibility.
• Encourage literacy, oral language and communication skills.
• Integrate content knowledge and skills from a variety of disciplines, so that students come to see and make cross-curricular connections.
• Enhance the multicultural literacy of students by giving them opportunities to learn about and collaborate with people from other cultures.