Understanding our Curriculum

Here at Brighton Academy, we want you to feel well-informed about our curriculum. Our goal is to provide you with a clear understanding of the standards we uphold and the exciting learning modalities we offer to help each child reach their full potential. At the end of each day, we want you to feel confident and knowledgeable about what your child has learned and how they've engaged with their friends and guides.

What Makes Us Different

Unlike other homeschool programs that often rely on a single learning method, Brighton Academy embraces eight different learning modalities. This allows us to tailor education to each child's individual needs and interests, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach. Each child explores their passions and actively participates in building a curriculum that includes activities, goals, adventures, and offerings that resonate with them, all while being guided by our teachers and peers.

Who Benefits Most?

Our program is designed to ensure that every child can excel and succeed, regardless of their individual strengths or challenges. At Brighton Academy, children develop strong levels of confidence and self-esteem, which serve as the best motivation for becoming risk-takers and adventurers in their learning journey.

The most important aspects of our curriculum include the focus on offering a well-rounded, internationally sound program, with no limits or restrictions for children, teachers, and families.

Our Vitamin 8 for Learning:

Brighton Academy believes every child deserves an opportunity to learn and develop with all the tools the world has to offer, with no restrictions. We have created a unique curriculum which allows our team to offer eight different learning styles, when introducing, preparing, guiding, directing, and motivating our learners. We are not restricted by the following, but are proud to have the guidance and support of multiple learning modalities. In addition, we are always excited to adapt and extend our knowledge to align with current generations. 

Montessori

  • Respect for the child: Acknowledging each child's individuality, strengths, and weaknesses, and showing respect by not interrupting their concentration.
  • The absorbent mind: The belief that children up to age six have a special ability to absorb information, culture, and skills from their environment without conscious effort.
  • Sensitive periods: Times when a child is particularly receptive to learning a specific skill, like language or order. Teachers observe and provide the right materials during these phases.
  • The prepared environment: A carefully designed classroom that is child-sized, organized, and accessible, with materials that invite exploration and hands-on learning.
  • Auto-education: The idea that children are naturally motivated to learn and can educate themselves through their own exploration and experiences.
  • Freedom within limits: Children are given the freedom to choose their activities and work at their own pace, but within a structured environment with clear boundaries.
  • Independence: A primary goal is to help children become self-sufficient by giving them opportunities for self-care and independent work. 

Waldorf

  • Holistic Development: Addresses the physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual aspects of the child.
  • Developmental Stages: Curriculum adapts to three stages (early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence) to match how children learn.
  • Head, Heart, Hands: Engages thinking (head), feeling (heart), and doing (hands) through integrated academics, arts, and practical work. 

Reggio Emilia

  • Image of the Child: Children are seen as competent, full of potential, and subjects with rights, not empty vessels.
  • Hundred Languages of Children: Children express themselves in diverse ways (drawing, music, movement, print, etc.).
  • The Environment as the Third Teacher: The classroom is thoughtfully designed to inspire curiosity, collaboration, and exploration.
  • Role of the Teacher: Teachers are guides, researchers, and partners who observe, document, and facilitate learning, often called "co-learners".
  • Documentation: Teachers record children's work and processes (photos, notes, transcriptions) to make learning visible and reflect on it.
  • Collaboration: Strong relationships and communication between children, teachers, and families are vital for co-constructing knowledge. 

 

RIE

  • Basic Trust: Believe in the child's innate ability to be an initiator, explorer, and self-learner.
  • Safe Environment: Provide a physically safe space with cognitively challenging, age-appropriate materials for self-discovery.
  • Uninterrupted Play: Allow for long periods of independent play, which is crucial for developing skills and motivation.
  • Involvement: Include the child as an active participant in caregiving by explaining what's happening, rather than treating them as passive recipients.
  • Sensitive Observation: Watch the child closely to understand their needs, cues, and development, stepping in minimally.
  • Authentic Communication: Talk to the child  as you would another person, describing actions and emotions without patronizing praise.
  • Consistency & Limits: Establish clear boundaries and routines to build security and discipline. 

Multiple Intelligences

  • Multiple Modalities: Instead of one general intelligence (like IQ), humans possess several independent intelligences.
  • Different Strengths: Each person has a unique combination, with some intelligences more developed than others.
  • Education Focus: The theory encourages diverse teaching strategies and assessments to engage different intelligences, moving beyond rote learning. 

            The Eight (or Nine) Intelligences

  1. Linguistic: Word smart; using language effectively.
  2. Logical-Mathematical: Number/reasoning smart; logic, patterns, problem-solving.
  3. Visual-Spatial: Picture smart; thinking in images, maps, designs.
  4. Bodily-Kinesthetic: Body smart; using the body to solve problems or create.
  5. Musical: Music smart; sensitivity to rhythm, pitch, melody.
  6. Interpersonal: People smart; understanding and interacting with others.
  7. Intrapersonal: Self smart; understanding oneself.
  8. Naturalistic: Nature smart; recognizing and classifying elements in nature.
  9. Existential: Life smart; pondering deep questions about life and death (often considered potential). 

 

DAP (Developmentally Appropriate Practices)

  • Age Appropriateness: Knowing what children are typically capable of at certain ages (e.g., what concepts they grasp).
  • Individual Appropriateness: Recognizing each child's unique strengths, interests, and learning pace.
  • Cultural/Social Appropriateness: Considering the child's family, community, and cultural context.

 

EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage)

 

High Scope