What is a Lab School ?
Lab schools, or “laboratory schools”, are innovative schools operating in close collaboration with or within university departments. They appeared in North America in the late 19th century (for example, at UCLA or Toronto). In general, lab schools aim to promote:
- Dynamic classrooms
- Improving children's learning and well-being
- Professional development programs for senior and pre-service teachers
The pedagogy
Our pedagogy draws inspiration from the work of pioneers in pedagogy such as Maria Montessori, Célestin Freinet, John Dewey, Alexander Neill or Rudolf Steiner. Its foundations are firmly anchored in current research in learning sciences, psychology, sociology, neuroscience, and the humanities (philosophy and anthropology).
With the support and supervision of the Board of Education and the researchers who collaborate with the Lab School Network, the teaching team designs an evidence-based pedagogy and the scientific evaluation of pedagogical practices, in terms of academic success and well-being at school. Our scope of analysis includes actions such as multilevel classes, peer-to-peer tutoring, and soft skills teaching.
The sixth Grade
At the Lab School Paris, the 6th grade class is integrated into a single cycle 3 class (Grades 4,5 and 6) that allows students to become familiar with the expectations of the college.
As students enter Grade 6, their learning intensifies and it is important that they learn to work more and more independently. This is why we are setting up for the 6th graders:
- differentiated teaching
- an afternoon dedicated to 6th grade students (Friday)
- a strengthening of the practice of the reverse class
- a major structuring project for the whole year, which will be defined collectively at the start of the school year
