The teaching methods based on Glenn Doman’s philosophy have been applied for over fifty years in many countries using different languages with outstanding results. Confirmation of these studies has been demonstrated by the very pleasing results we have achieved. Glenn Doman created and founded the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential. His reading method is based on the development of care and early stimulation in children and was designed in order to prevent possible deficiencies, to make teaching and learning easier and reduce the developmental gaps in learning.

Language acquisition is the cornerstone of our school’s education programme. One of our main priorities is that our pupils learn the four languages equally. With the growing cultural union between Europe and the rest of the world we are aware of the importance of enabling our pupils to speak and write Spanish, English, German and Chinese in a natural way. The students have language classes every day; this is significantly more than the average in a state school. The four languages are taught by native teachers. We use reading and writing comprehension programmes. Languages are introduced in the First Stage of Pre School (from 4 months). In this way pupils are made aware from the very start of the cultures and traditions of each country and in so doing each language is put into a meaningful context so that pupils may become aware of the cultural heritage of Europe and the World.

Our Quadrilingual Education incorporates the following areas::

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development: The children gain confidence, to establish positive relationships and to take interest in their environment
• Communication and Language: The children begin learning Chinese, German, English and Spanish through stories, songs, music and movement. We use “Jolly Phonics”; a multi sensory approach to teaching literacy through synthetic phonics. Speaking and Listening – Reading-Writing, is taught using the same approach in Chinese and German.
• Mathematic Development: IBasic maths and number concepts, helping to develop logical reasoning skills, counting, number recognition and sequence using practical fun methods.
• Knowledge and understanding the World:Building self awareness to enjoy and respect the environment.
• Physical Development: Physical activity plays a major role in motor skills development.
• Creative Development: Within the specially equipped classes we nurture a child’s natural talents to explore, discover and apply their creative skills.

All the above areas are taught and supervised by qualified, experienced teachers.

Music is a universally understood form of communication which is able to convey to listeners mood, emotions, thoughts, impressions and cultural values. Music strengthens peace, tolerance and solidarity between people.
Our European project enables the pupils to develop their musical talents through our instrumental and choral groups.

The Suzuki Method

The Suzuki Method was conceived by Dr Shinichi Suzuki, a Japanese violinist. Suzuki noticed that children pick up their native language quickly. He reasoned that if all children have the skill to acquire their native language, then they have the necessary ability to play a musical instrument.
The Suzuki Method is known primarily as a method of teaching music and a musical instrument to children. However, this approach, also known as the Education of Talent Method or focus on mother-tongue acquisition, has proven world-wide that its scope and applications are as vast as the notion of education itself.

Importantly, this method does not exclude the application of other educational systems; rather it enables any methodology or pedagogical system of any area of knowledge to be supported in accordance with the principles of the Suzuki Method. And this is possible because these principles are based on the way children learn their mother tongue, that is, in an atmosphere of love and respect.

Teaching any instrument, like the mother tongue, should take place in a positive environment; one of motivation, joy, honesty, discipline with love and recognition of achievements. There must be an atmosphere of order with much joy and this teaching method relies not just on the positive connection between teacher and pupil, but also on the active involvement of parents.

The open days held at the Colegio Europeo Daos are an excellent opportunity for parents to observe their son or daughter’s typical school day.
The school currently organizes open days at Nursery and Infant levels. They prove to be enriching days for both parents and child.

The primary objective of our Literacy Project is to introduce children to reading and writing in a natural and gradual way, a child’s first experiences are made fun and playful to ensure the child’s participation, motivation and interest.
To do this we use strategies to encourage reading which involve the participation of parents. In this way a child is able to improve expression, expand his/her vocabulary and broaden his/her view of the world.

Given that literacy is an essential element of a child’s learning process; we ensure that reading and writing skills are integrated into all aspects of the curriculum at Nursery / Reception stage. It is essential that we promote an appreciation of the importance of reading and writing as a source of information and enjoyment so that the child develops what is a vital level of competence in preparation for the challenges of the primary curriculum.

In addition to benefitting from the methodology of the classroom, pupils have access to the resources of our school library, where books are available in all four languages (Spanish, English, Chinese and German).

It is now clear that a child’s stimulation is crucial to all aspects of their developmental process whether biological, psychological or social. As a child grows and evolves, so do their abilities, and therefore it is essential to have them constantly interacting with the world around them and to stimulate their potential. There has been a great deal of research which has shown that children lacking in stimulation perform less well at school in relation to those who have received appropriate stimulation. For this reason early stimulation plays a fundamental role in our educational programme, especially in the Infant stage. Maths is of course one of the most important subjects that our children study at school, with this in mind our stimulation programme for 2013-2014 shows great emphasis in the area of Mathematics. Logical reasoning and mental calculation are tools we use to act and interact with the world around us. It has been proven that a child with high problem solving capabilities will become more alert both in school and at home. Doing maths mentally also helps a child develop a sharp memory and concentrate more. The child also becomes more observant with the things surrounding him/her and becomes more confident enabling them to overcome any fear of mathematics they may have. The better they understand numbers, the more skill they possess in the operations of arithmetic, they then progress to put these understandings and skills to productive use, helping them to meet the steadily increasing demands of daily living .

Our school’s ‘Educational Project’ acknowledges diversity in the classroom and the need to embrace every child’s skills set with its unique range of strong points and capabilities. To make the most of all the facets that make our pupils, not just pupils, but individuals, we have looked to Howard Gardner and his model of “Multiple Intelligences” (1985-1995) which recognises that there are not only traditional ‘linguistic and mathematical’ intelligences but eight intelligences or capacities. Under this approach success in different fields varies depending on the individual’s dominance in the different intelligence; in every field we use a different intelligence, this does not imply that dominance in any one intelligence is better than another, purely that if we are aware of our strengths and weaknesses, we are more able to make effective use of skills.

The teachers are aware that all pupils are unique and have varying inherent capacities and levels of development depending on the environment, experiences, stimulation and education received etc. understanding that intelligence is an ability and a skill that can be developed.
Some ways in which the theory of multiple intelligences is put into practice in the classroom include ensuring that learning objectives are made relevant to pupils so that they may develop their skills in all areas of intelligence; timetabling cross-curricular learning and implementing various means of assessment so that pupils are given optimum chances of demonstrating their abilities.