ODYSSEY: MORE THAN JUST A PRESCHOOL: Celebrating the individuality and uniqueness of each child, Odyssey, The Global Preschool, is a place where learning knows no boundaries. Located in Setia Eco Park, Selangor, Odyssey offers innovative pedagogy to prepare your child for the world beyond the classroom and school. It connects teachers, children and the community to the world of knowledge around them.
ODYSSEY: MORE THAN JUST A PRESCHOOL
Odyssey values your child as a competent and curious learner and provides educational resources that develop a child’s potential talents, natural gifts and abilities.
“We don’t do things here because I think we should or because the teachers think it’s a good idea, but we choose the right thing based on the values we hold together as a school. The most important thing is that we make all decisions based on the interests of the children first.
At Odyssey, children gain knowledge and skills that help them develop as creative thinkers, communicators and rational individuals who contribute to society as a whole.
An inquiry-based curriculum with a hands-on approach, mind-on-mind and heart-on
The curriculum at Odyssey is inspired by some of the best-known pedagogues from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Reggio Emilia approach from Northern Italy.
The award-winning curriculum has been specially designed with your child’s developmental milestones and interests in mind in the early years.
At the Reggio Emilia-inspired campus, children embark on a journey of exploration where they are encouraged to engage deeply in the learning process. Projects and activities are based on their own interests, questions and answers. The immersive curriculum encourages the child to engage, experience, analyze and solve problems using their hands and mind.
This is where the project comes in. It could be a cooking project, an outdoor learning project, or an art project depending on the theme.”
Teaching at Odyssey is therefore not limited to the compulsory curriculum, but takes place independently. It combines conceptual understanding, competence, interactive approach and citizenship.
Celebrating the manifestations of a child’s educational journey
Speech is not the only language that children use to express themselves. It is just one of the many languages they use to communicate their thoughts, understanding and creativity. And it’s this idea that inspired Odyssey to honor the different ways children represent their ideas and perspectives.
During the team’s first visit to the small town of Reggio Emilia, they were very motivated by the innovative environment, the creative techniques and the emphasis the educators put on the child’s voice, which is so valuable.
Colors of Odyssey is a platform for showcasing creative expressions and art forms created by children that symbolize their interpretation and expression of different thoughts, views and feelings. Since its inception in 2009, the annual flagship event has grown into an iconic project that celebrates the dynamics of children and the role of parents, teachers and community in shaping lives.
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Three important elements in the Odyssey learning journey
The first is the teacher or educator, the second is the environment and the third is the child himself.
Teacher
Odyssey has some of the best in-house educators who are qualified in early childhood education. More than 70% of them are graduates with experience. At Odyssey, the teacher is not an instructor, but a guide and equal partner in your child’s learning journey. They observe children, their questions, stories, interests and give them opportunities to learn and explore. A low teacher/child ratio ensures optimal learning for each child, facilitated by activities, experiences and materials that are open and developmentally appropriate.
Children
The Reggio Emilia approach believes that children are competent and inquisitive, able to learn through their own interests, explorations and interactions with educators, peers, parents and the environment. Therefore, at Odyssey, children are encouraged to collaborate and work in groups, where each child’s participation, questions and ideas are valued equally.
They are engaged in a variety of hands-on experiences that challenge and stimulate their minds to think, understand, interact and negotiate. Projects and other creative activities such as art and music provide an environment that is conducive to holistic development.
Environment
The Reggio Emilia approach recognizes the importance of the environment for the all-round development of the child. Odyssey has a spacious and purposeful environment that ensures optimal learning and stimulation.
Odyssey’s learning labs, such as the studio, outdoor playground, music garden, water playground and small cooking lab, have been thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of tactile, auditory and visual learners. Diverse experiences and multi-sensory lessons help instill in children a love of learning.
Bilingual immersion program
Odyssey offers a bilingual immersion program available to all children at the school. Each class at Odyssey has an English-speaking teacher and a Mandarin-speaking teacher. This means that children are constantly spoken to in two languages.
They may not yet know the meaning of the words, but when they hear what the teachers say, the brain absorbs the different sounds.
During the years when they begin to read and write, they realize that they have heard these sounds before. This removes the resistance to learning the language because the sounds have already been introduced. Now it’s just a matter of recognizing and putting the sound on paper.
Why should you choose the Odyssey and Reggio Emilia approach?
Specially designed for innovative and exploratory learning, Odyssey offers an award-winning curriculum in a well-equipped Reggio Emilia-inspired campus.
Care at its best
The teachers share a very close bond with the children as they have no assistants and all the care is provided by them. In Odyssey, having meaningful conversations and taking advantage of teachable moments is a very important part of the environment. The teacher knows when to pick it up, continue the conversation, ask open-ended questions and get the child to think for himself. This is what long-term learning provides.
Innovative teaching for the 21st century
This pedagogy attracts the best teachers with diverse skills because it gives them the opportunity to exercise their creativity and reach their full potential.
The decisions you make for your child today determine their success in the future. We cannot change the past, but we can certainly provide them today with the best educational experiences and environments that will elevate them into competent, self-motivated, socially adaptable and responsible citizens of the world.
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ODYSSEY: MORE THAN JUST A PRESCHOOL