Our Educational Philosophy
What we teach & how we teach
At Lorien Wood School, our approach to education nurtures each student’s unique gifts through an integrative, holistic philosophy grounded in faith and discovery.
Utilizing Classical Study & Socratic Seminar:
At Lorien Wood, our teaching methodology is founded on the same philosophy and holistic view reflected in our use of an integral curriculum. While every educational approach addresses some facet of how and what children ought to learn, or do learn, or can learn, Lorien Wood’s teaching practices are aimed at providing “the whole story for the whole child.” We recognize the importance of using timeless texts and primary documents, exposing children’s minds to the great minds of the past by means of books, art, music, speeches and other venues by which those great minds expressed their most important ideas. We value the memorization of scripture, poetry and prose universally recognized as “classics,” and equip children to develop skills of logic and argument via Socratic Seminars and debate. Lorien Wood embraces these aspects of classical study.
Valuing the Charlotte Mason Way:
We also affirm the view held by Charlotte Mason, a 19th century British educational reformer, who asserted that the child is born a whole person, deserving of respect and dignity, deserving of “living books,” as she would call them, rather than the predigested content of traditional textbooks. Children are image-bearers, deserving of authentic dialogue with great minds, with their teachers, with one another, and with God. Nature study, picture study, and the practice of narration, as well as a high view of the child are all components for which we at Lorien Wood are indebted to Charlotte Mason’s insights.
Developing a Lifelong Love of Learning:
The concept of “Multiple Intelligences,” made popular by Howard Gardner, also informs our pedagogy, as our teachers collaboratively develop learning activities with the kinesthetic, the auditory, the visual and the social learner in mind. Student initiative is highly regarded at Lorien Wood. We invite and respond to their ideas and proposals, and enlist their enthusiasm as fellow adventurers in the educational journey. Joyful discovery is our modus operandi as our goal is a lifelong love of learning for all members of our school community.
Learning Through an Integral Curriculum
All of Creation reflects the integral nature of God and the reality He spoke into being. We believe our curriculum should likewise reflect this truth. Lorien Wood faculty collaboratively develop thematic units of study that minimize artificial division into traditional subjects, demonstrating instead the integral interweaving of the disciplines into each day’s study.
When our Form Three students consider Europe, they explore its literature, music, art, and geography; they read about it, write about it, calculate, and communicate about it. They simulate the European Union, figure out finances using the euro, retell folktales, and examine religious beliefs. When our Form One students study trees, they observe Van Gogh’s cypress, read and write tree poems, count rings and measure girths of trunks, examine acorns, plant them, track their growth, spell “pine,” “oak,” and act out roots and branches. These are just some examples of integral curriculum at Lorien Wood.
“Education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire” - W.B. Yeats
Grounded in a Biblical Worldview
We believe all truth is God’s truth and that all areas of Lorien Wood’s school life are to be understood in light of God’s word. Lorien Wood seeks to equip students with a redemptive lens through which to view the world. We help develop our students’ ideals of biblical virtue, evidenced through noble character formation. Our faculty-student conversations, purposeful classroom management, and the study of role models in Scripture, history, and literature, all contribute to the formation of virtuous character.
The Value of Hands-on Learning
We believe that children are whole persons and as you engage their minds, you must also engage their hearts and bodies. We value hands-on experiences, living books, recitation, narrative, nature and picture study (all elements of Charlotte Mason). We heed the call of scripture which beckons us to “taste and see,” as we invite our students both “to know” and “to do.” Weaving experiential learning with other elements of our teaching methodology provides a robust learning experience.
Why Outdoor Education Matters
Our teachers are trained to incorporate outdoor learning experiences into each unit of study to encourage students to engage in observation, grow in appreciation, and take part in the stewardship of God’s creation. From gardening, to nature-inspired artwork and journaling, to creek walks to study macroinvertebrates, to extended Field Studies in the Watershed year, our students regularly engage with God's creation to enrich their learning and expand their understanding of Him. Outdoor education driven by a biblical worldview is unique.
Fostering Classical Study and Joyful Discovery
We believe that children have been designed with an innate curiosity about the created world. Inquiry-based learning harnesses a child’s natural desire to discover, understand, form patterns, and make connections about what they learn. We also incorporate Socratic Seminars and lectures for developing intellectual skills and for enlarging the grasp of ideas and values. A love of learning and daily academic discovery enables students to remain actively engaged in the classroom. At Lorien Wood, learning is a daily invitation and an atmosphere of joy is a natural result.
Relational Community
Fostering a community of learners.
Small Class Sizes Helps Kids Feel Known:
Small, mixed-age classes are designed to identify and develop each child’s individual abilities and also serve to help each child feel known and valued as a unique image bearer of God. Community is developed within each classroom as students come together with the common goal of learning as they collaborate and connect with one another.
Parental Involvement Fosters Community:
Parents become familiar with their child’s learning community and develop deep relationships with other families as they serve alongside one another. Our deeply invested parents come alongside students by modeling life-long learning, regularly serving in the school, and offering their time and talents inside and outside the classroom. In addition to annual community events, we hold parent coffees and dinners, family nights, and parents and children frequently gather after school on the playground for times of fellowship.
Meeting the Unique Need of Each Child:
Too often children are excluded from a Christ-centered, well-rounded, rigorous education because they do not fit the mold of a typical Christian school. Either they have a different learning style that causes them to perform poorly in a traditional classroom setting or their parents do not have the means to pay for private schooling. In more unique situations, students may even have a disability that many Christian schools would say they cannot accommodate.
At Lorien Wood, we have always believed that God created us in unique ways and we have always sought to nurture that uniqueness in each child for the good of the body of Christ. We believe a culture of inclusion is Biblical and allows our school to better mirror the whole body of Christ. This allows us to serve the whole family unit.
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