Is an English-French bilingual school right for you? If your child speaks only French or English, can he or she attend a bilingual school? The answer is yes. Bilingual schooling is for everyone, not just for binational families, expatriates or children who have been exposed to two languages from early childhood. However, for this experience to be fulfilling, it’s best to start as early as possible!
At The Garden Academy, pre-school, kindergarten, extracurricular activities and internships in Paris are open to all children, French or English-speaking, bilingual or non-bilingual, and even those with no notion of a second language. All these classes and activities take place at our three schools in the heart of Paris.
The immersion method
When it comes to learning a language, exposure time is key, and what better way than immersion? That’s why the team of international teachers at The Garden Academy are all native English speakers: children are totally immersed in an English environment, right in the heart of Paris! They learn from professionals with perfect English and natural phrasing, and are surrounded by other children of different nationalities: the beginnings of an international education.
In pre-school (ages 2 to 3), kindergarten (ages 3 to 5), after-school and vacation programs (ages 3 to 10), The Garden Academy schools accept students of all language levels. Classes and groups are structured to ensure that each child receives individual support within a program designed for all.
The approach to education at The Garden is for the children to come to a positive school environment where they can work towards and achieve their academic goals and experience the immersion no matter the program they join.
A program open to the world
The Garden Academy welcomes children aged 2 to 10 to its three schools in Paris. In keeping with the French national education system’s “socle commun de connaissances et compétences”, The Garden Academy has designed its own teaching program, combining two complementary curriculums: the American curriculum, with its emphasis on group work and oral expression, and the French curriculum, with its emphasis on writing. This blended educational content enables children to benefit from the advantages of each teaching method.
In this program, children learn mathematics, enrich their vocabulary, develop their oral expression, imagination, creativity and motor skills, and find their bearings in time and space through experimentation. As early as kindergarten, they are introduced to reading and writing, as is the case in American education, where these skills are introduced earlier than in France. This blended program, combined with the native English-speaking international teaching staff, gives the children at The Garden Academy a real window on the world from an early age. In this way, The Garden Academy is truly an international school, right down to the implementation of its unique pedagogical program. Having an international teaching staff that is well experienced in different approaches to learning whether that be play based learning, Montessori, STEM, ensures the staff know what techniques to apply depending on the situation or child and that the kids are consistently having fun, are engaged and most importantly happy while learning a language.
Curriculum & pedagogical approach
The Garden Academy looks to separate themselves from the rest by developing a curriculum that blends different pedagogical approaches that focus on a positive classroom environment. The children learn and develop their understanding of English whilst completing fun and engaging activities the children enjoy!
The team are continuously looking to work on improving The Garden curriculum that blends different elements of the French, English and American curriculums. This approach to the curriculum exposes the children to all the academic facets of education at an early age but within a fun and engaging environment and program that includes art, music and much more!
Where the Garden looks to stand out from the crowd and be different to other international bilingual Montessori schools is not only the curriculum program but then approach to education, the pedagogy. The Garden looks to take inspiration from different pedagogical approaches that contribute to our idea of a positive pedagogy where learning and valuing the child allows each of our students to progress and develop at their own pace, calmly and confidently.
Montessori, Freinet… but not only!
The teachers at The Garden Academy use a variety of “active” practices to create a program that helps to awaken children: the pedagogy of Maria Montessori, which takes into account the rhythm, strengths and challenges of each child; the Freinet method, which advocates experimental trial and error; Reggio Emilia teaching, which encourages inventiveness; or the American STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) approach, which aims to strengthen critical thinking. Your child will play with color, music and movement whilst also developing their language, counting and math or their written and drawing skills. In the classroom, the goal of the environment is to allow the kids to use their imagination within different settings, whether it be playing chef in the kitchen, reading a book in the library or building a town and railway in the construction corner.
This range of pedagogies allows each child to benefit from a personalized learning experience through which they can develop at their own pace… the respect for rhythm, so dear to Maria Montessori!
Workshops
The Garden Academy offers a variety of English-language activities throughout the year, both during and outside the school year. The workshops enable children to learn and improve their English through an inclusive, cultural and artistic approach. In addition to academic subjects such as phonetics, reading and the fundamentals of mathematics, The Garden Academy’s teachers invite children to explore the practice of yoga and meditation, as well as gardening and the arts, with a particular focus on music and singing. Vic, The Garden Academy’s music teacher, is a musician originally from South Africa. Having worked in several countries, he now passes on to the children not only his love of this art form, but also his very international culture.
The team of teachers are trained to allow children to gain autonomy, sharpen their critical sense and progress at their own pace. During their time in the program the kids will develop their curiosity and autonomy by being exposed to a wide range of activities. Our teaching team invites children to take part in fun educational games based on art, science, music, song or reading. The games and workshops are varied, creative and based on the week’s theme. Several months before the course begins, the supervisors choose the theme, select the games and activities and prepare the materials. The theme stimulates the kids’ imaginations and makes The Garden Academy camps even more fun!
A typical day at The Garden Academy
In pre-kindergarten, a class reserved for children aged 2 to 3, The Garden Academy provides instruction entirely in English. From kindergarten onwards, ages 3 to 5, the program is delivered in English in the mornings and French in the afternoons.
8:30- Welcome and free time
– Teaching methods: workshops, music or another art form such as theater or drawing
– Reading time in English
– Fun activities: park outings, games, yoga
– Organic lunch
– Quiet time or nap
– Teaching methods: workshops, music or another art form
– Organic snack
– Fun activities: park outings, games, yoga
16h- Quiet time
Extracurricular activities for children up to age 10, all in English
The Garden Academy welcomes bilingual and non-bilingual children aged 3 to 10 to its three schools in Paris on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays until 6.30pm, on Wednesdays all day and on Saturday mornings. All extracurricular activities are offered exclusively in English, and children are divided into groups according to age and language level. Workshops are carried out in small groups, which allow our teachers to define the needs of each child. They are able to assess what children favor and lean towards naturally in their learning and what is most favorable to their development. Thanks to this personalized follow-up program, the team is then able to assess the progress of each child and give feedback about their progress to each family. A key aspect of The Garden’s programs is that the after school is an extension of the core curriculum and values, this means that the children can continue their immersion up until 10 years of age. The idea is that the second program provides additional support and exposure for the families wanting to continue the immersion and development of their children. For the children joining either of the school programs this is additional exposure, which is only better for the development of the accent and understanding and for those children older than 5 years of age the after school program provides the option to continue their instruction and exposure until the age of 10. Our native English-speaking teaching team offers children support in an environment where they are totally immersed in English whilst having fun with hands-on activities rich in educational content. The kids will learn vocabulary of everyday life, learning through singing, through games, hands-on experience with and exposure to the language.
Montessori games used at The Garden Academy
The teachers offer the children assembly games and puzzles: these Montessori activities help develop the children’s fine motor skills, patience and observation. They also use the xylophone, a classic from the Montessori range that offers children the chance to develop their motor skills while stimulating the auditory and visual senses, thanks to colors. The Garden Academy’s pedagogical teams also suggest that children discover the Bird to feed with insects: a magnetic game that they love, and which improves fine motor skills. The kids have the liberty to choose a fun game or activity at any time and we have something suitable for all ages. Our team uses many Montessori materials and toys, such as educational books, stacking games, logic games… the principle is always the same: to combine fun and pedagogy, while allowing the child to make his or her own experience!
Reggio Emilia workshops at The Garden Academy
Much of Reggio Emilia’s approach focuses on the importance of the environment, even going so far as to call it the “third teacher”.
By giving children access to materials for role-playing, The Garden Academy teams enable them to stimulate their imagination, become someone else and “put themselves in someone else’s shoes”… In this way, children develop their social skills, increase their self-confidence and empathy: essential qualities for flourishing in society and revealing their full potential.
Teachers at The Garden Academy also create immersive spaces in the classroom for children to explore and build anything they can think of! They create what they want, design, plan, work collaboratively… These constructive activities from the Reggio Emilia approach develop their spatial awareness, motor skills, problem-solving abilities and logical thinking.
Reading at the heart of learning
The Garden Academy has opened an online English-language bookshop for children, The Garden Store. In this store, you’ll find English-language books for all ages, including books that children study in class. Whether to touch, look at, listen to, discover or rediscover: books are great teaching tools and learning vectors for becoming bilingual or perfecting a language.
At The Garden Academy, teachers organize daily reading sessions in English. They gather the children around a book to comment on its illustrations, its story; talk about its hero, the world in which it evolves, etc. These moments enable the children to enrich their vocabulary, exchange ideas, use their imagination and reveal their creativity. Story time is a highlight of the day for the kids, whether it is listening to the teacher or picking out a book for themselves, reading is an integral part of the program. In addition to the core curriculum content, the programs integrate engaging and fun elements to capture the kids imagination and make sure they enjoy their time at school whilst developing their understanding of the English language. All of our programs incorporate arts, music and reading (story time) . These activities added to the positive learning pedagogy and Native English speaking team is what The Garden team believe will ensure the children will have fun and enjoy their time at our school.
