The project-based approach to education enables children to think outside the box, building on their interests, working in teams to discuss & innovate to solve problems, learning as a community. Unlike Direct Instruction methods that require a child to listen passively, our approach empowers the child to be an active learner & participant in the learning process. Children are encouraged to dialogue, critique, compare, negotiate, hypothesize, & problem solve through group work. Although we have adopted more of a project-based approach many of our ideas reside within the Reggio Emilia approach multiple perspectives promote both a sense of group membership & the uniqueness of self. This helps the children learn how to build reciprocal relationships, much like in real life. Unlike Montessori which is very individualistic, Reggio encourages children working in collaborative work groups solving problems as a team, learning from each other to advance cognitive development.