Blockbuilding has been an essential part of the Wooster School kindergarten program since the arrival of master teacher Jennifer Ellis.  As an expert in Early Childhood Education, Ms. Ellis studied the importance of block building and its impact on cognitive development at Wheelock College and Bank Street College.  Prestigeous independent schools in Manhattan are now creating news by incorporating blockbuilding into their programs.  Here is the link to an article on block building which appeared recently in the NY Times.

Through block play children experiment with abstract concepts using concrete materials.  For example, children can explore things like patterning, symmetry, and fractions without knowing the labels and get a deep understanding of the concept long before it is covered in tradtional academic ways.  Blocks allow them to break apart and reconfigure their understanding well beyond their current familiarity with the subject matter.  This is one example of what we mean when we say children can learn more deeply through play.

At Wooster, teachers meet children where they are in their development. They encourage them to explore open-ended materials and provide additional challenges for them to help them develop 21st Century competencies like critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, leadership, collaboration, and risk taking.

                                                                                              

Jennifer Ellis
Ms. Ellis graduated Wheelock College as a Wheelock Scholar in 1985 with a BS degree in Early Childhood and completed a Masters inn Education with an Early Childhood focus in 2000 from Bank Street College in New York.

Ms. Ellis develops and presents workshops for other Early Childhood professionals on this as well as other early childhood topics.