Atelier

The ‘100 Languages’ approach to education

The atelier is one of the iconic environments of the ‘100 languages’ approach.

A dynamic research space where children explore the languages of graphic design, modelling, light and digital media using tools and materials designed to help them see things from different perspectives.

In this space, time has a quality all of its own: explorations remain open-ended, the works are often a work in progress. These processes involve anticipation, effort and discovery. They are spaces where children and educators explore purposefully, formulate hypotheses, and return for further exploration.

In Becoming nurseries and schools, this idea extends beyond the physical space and permeates the micro-contexts found in every section: carefully designed environments equipped with tools for observing, investigating and modelling. And to make the most of the children’s collections – objects they have gathered, traces of the world around them – which provide ever-present opportunities to continue giving meaning to their experiences.