The FTK Way
Progress reports, a FasTracKids Parents website and videos help parents experience their child’s education first hand!
Parents play a very important and influential part in a child’s education. Education.com‘s article titled “What Research Says on Parent Involvement in Children’s Education” shows that the earlier a parent gets involved with their child’s education, the more successful they are going to be. At FasTracKids®, we don’t just enroll children, we enroll families. We welcome and expect parental involvement.
Educational Research
Educational Research
Research has shown that the most important learning years are from 0-8, as the brain forms vital connections. When we are born, we have billions of brain cells. The minute we start receiving stimuli, such as the light our eyes see, the sounds we hear, and what we touch, the brain begins to form connections. It's like we are building this massive highway system to the brain and it's by this highway that the information we learn travels quickly. The stronger and wider we can make those connections between the ages of 0-8, the larger the platform for our capacity for learning.
Brain-Based Research
Brain-Based Education and Educational Zigzagging
Neurological Research
The importance of early education is supported by many research studies and many educators. How to deliver early education to young children and take full advantage of the opportunities to wire the brain is not so well defined. Development of a program to instruct young children must include experts in early childhood education who have focused their research on how the brain learns. Research is the basis for the FasTracKids® signature curriculum and it determined how the early childhood education program was constructed.
FasTracKids Educational Goals
FasTracKids Educational Goals
1. To Prepare Children for School and for Life:
When today’s children begin to enter the workforce, chances are that they will be working in jobs that have not been created yet. Children will need the ability to think creatively in order to succeed in our rapidly changing world. The FasTracKids® classroom is a child-centered environment, where children are encouraged to be instrumental in their own learning. The incorporation of an interactive whiteboard, part of The FasTrack Learning Station®, allows the children to be directly involved in the early learning concepts that are being studied. Their interaction with this technology gives them confidence at an early age that will be useful later in life, when other technology skills are needed. The CD-Rom based curriculum combines hands-on activities, role plays, experiments and videotaping to develop a fun, interactive lesson. The students will grow in their self confidence and self esteem while they build a solid foundation for future learning. When children begin their learning experience in a fun, high energy environment, their love of learning will carry through the remainder of their educational experiences.
FasTrack Learning Approach
FasTrack Learning Approach
FasTracKids® is committed to encouraging every child to maximize his or her potential. FasTracKids classes are focused on helping children excel in creativity, communication, confidence, critical thinking and collaboration. Our proprietary Educational Zig-zagging℠ method allows children to gather information through exposure to visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning, meeting the needs of various learning styles. This method allows FasTracKids to accommodate many different learning styles, while identifying the development of different early learning skills. FasTracKids incorporates these elements in each structured lesson, providing opportunities for children to experience growth in each subject area while having a great time.
The FasTrack Learning Station
The FasTrack Learning Station
The same technology used in leading academic and science centers like Oxford University, MIT, Harvard University and NASA along with leading research centers and companies such as Microsoft, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Merrill Lynch and Boeing is also found in the FasTracKids classroom. At the heart of the FasTracKids® Curriculum are CD-ROM based lessons delivered via The FasTrack Learning Station®, a unique combination of computer technology, LCD projection and an interactive white board. This exciting technology engages children in the early learning process and allows trained FasTracKids instructors to concentrate on the developmental needs of each child.
Videotaping
Lights, Camera, Remember!
FasTracKids® videotaping helps with public speaking and recalling previous lessons.
Young children giving an oral presentation on concepts they have learned is not a common technique in early childhood education. Allowing children the experience of being videotaped and reviewing their own presentations develops children's creativity, communication, confidence, critical thinking and collaboration skills and is extraordinarily unique. Also, by having students organize their thoughts and displaying them in front of a camera and audience, FasTracKids shows parents proof of what their child is learning while students gain self confidence in sharing their ideas.