Prepare your schedule using the three-hour work period rule. Students are given three hours to choose the work they want to do without any set group activity. This time period does not consist of play time, story time, music or anything other than activities that each child wants to perform. Your duty is to observe and help when required, but the goal is to allow students to engage unobstructed in classwork that interests them.
Group your classes in mixed ages in three- to six-year spans. For example, a typical class could contain students in age groups such as newborn to age 3, age 3 to age 6 and age 6 to age 12. This mixture provides older students an opportunity to teach younger students, facilitates group problem solving, promotes socialization and stimulates interaction.
Arrange your class by subject area, and allow students to roam freely with no restrictions on time spent on one subject. By presenting subjects such as history, art, geography and math, students will inevitably gain a broad base of knowledge.
Provide academic feedback through observation and extensive personal reports on each student, rather than grading papers. Intense observation allows you to tailor special projects to each student that take into account areas that need improvement. Compile your report into a portfolio and share it with parents to chart a student's progress.
Limit class size to 30 children, which enables you to provide individual training to each child, and to observe the entire class during individualized activities. This also helps form strong bonds among classmates as students remain in the same group for as many as six years.