Meet The New School: pdXed

The Portland School of Experiential Education (pdXed school) is a preschool for children ages 2.5-6 years old located in NE Portland. I sat down with the school’s founders and teachers Val Smith and Jamie Melchert who spoke enthusiastically about experiential education and their vision for a progressive learning community.—KSL

Upon entering pdXed I was amazed by the open floor plan, light, color in just the right places, and the overall feeling of the school, and it smelled good (which may be no matter to others, but is crucial to me). These details which are far too often overlooked in schools are inspired by the Reggio Emilia tenet of viewing the environment as the third teacher and is something pdXed feels strongly about.

The space holds a beautiful library, work rooms for various activities, a studio, multiple classrooms with designated areas for fantasy play, self-directed projects, art, communal tables and spaces for cooking, collaborative project work, eating and morning meetings. Yes, meetings. Part of pdXed’s negotiated curriculum surrounds student inquiry, where students hold meetings to make collective decisions about what kinds of activities and concepts will be explored based on the children’s natural curiosities.

The students also practice the democratic process within their classroom. Examples would be voting on issues such as what to name the school Beta fish and problem solving community issues through collaborative discussions.

Val mentions that what they collectively adore and respect most about John Dewey’s philosophy, of education, one they model at pdXed, is the inclusion of reflection amidst the learning process and amidst the Pattern Of Inquiry. The “Pattern of Inquiry” is one crucial and awesome aspect of Experiential Education says Jamie. “We feel the inclusion of reflection takes learning and makes it relevant, thoughtful, meaningful, applicable, and essentially at its best, re-spurs the pattern of inquiry and cycle of learning and promotes, fosters and cultivates the development of a sincere life-long love of learning.”

Val and Jamie are impassioned educators who thrive on the result of what comes from their students’ ideas and interests. They both support a student/teacher partnership model and value each child as an individual thinker and doer with limitless capabilities and potential.

pdXed is a relationship based school with teachers referring to students as co-learners and friends with purposeful intentions of creating a mutually respectful and authentic relationship based on trust and equality.

The learning environment at pdXed is one of collaboration and cooperation that engages both students and teachers. Their passion can definitely be found in concrete ways around their school as every space is a thoughtful expression of their philosophy and vision. I did find myself wondering about the roots of Experiential Education and what it looks like in the classroom. The two explain that they see many methods of teaching as promoting, supporting or even

somewhat defining in application Experiential Education/Learning including Montessori methods, Reggio Emilia Approach, Place Based Education, Active Learning, Interest Based Learning, Problem and Project Based Learning, Service Learning, and the HighScope Approach. The pdXed school views Experiential Education as an umbrella to all of the above mentioned teaching/learning methods/approaches.

“The definition of Experiential Education varies from organization to organization, as does its philosophical and theoretical beginnings. We credit John Dewey as the philosophical father of Experiential Education, but certainly put our own spin on our interpretation of his theories and acknowledge, value and respect the countless others who have collectively contributed to this progressive approach to both teaching and learning.” Says Val.

On any given day the children at pdXed might participate in a community meeting, cook and bake, play outside, practice yoga, gardening and engage in fantasy play. And typically, young students enjoy all that pdXed has to offer; a rich experience in a thoughtful and progressive environment.

The mission of the Portland School of Experiential Education (pdXed) is to offer an experience-based, process-oriented, individualized, engaging and developmentally appropriate approach to learning within a small, nurturing, multi-age, progressive learning community. We value the development of authentic relationships and support a student/teacher partnership model. We follow and respect the child’s interests by utilizing a negotiated curriculum based on student inquiry. Through the nurturing of innate curiosities and exchanging of ideas, within an active, collaborative and cooperative learning environment, pdXed is committed to fostering a life-long love of learning.

For more information about experiential learning visit, http://www.aee.org/about/whatisEE

http://www.nsee.org/standards-and-practice.