Academics
Learning to read and write fluently are vital skills for children .All the parents wish that their children master these skills. The majority are keen to help, but are not sure how to go about it. It is a good idea to invite the new parents to a meeting where it is explained how reading and writing is taught in the school. The system allows whole class teaching with children from a young age, even in pre school and allows parents to be involved.
In the pre-primary, students are given a strong foundation of social, emotional, physical and academic skills to become productive learners, an effective communicator and a responsible student. We lay stress on activity based integrated learning. Instruction is based on the needs of the children. Play way method of teaching is followed in these classes, making learning a wonderful experience for every child. At this stage emphasis is also laid on developing language, visual and listening skills. The classrooms are colourful so as to interest the minds of the little ones and also to suit their learning styles.
LEARNING STYLES:
It is commonly believed that most people favor some particular method of interacting with, taking in, and processing stimuli or information. Based on this concept, the idea of individualized “learning styles” originated in the 1970s, and has gained popularity in recent years. A learning style is the method of learning particular to an individual that is presumed to allow that individual to learn best. It has been proposed that teachers should assess the learning styles of their students and adapt their classroom methods to best fit each student’s learning style.
Students preferentially take in and process information in different ways: by seeing and hearing, reflecting and acting, reasoning logically and intuitively, analyzing and visualizing, steadily and in fits and starts.
What are learning styles?
Students preferentially take in and process information in different ways: by seeing and hearing, reflecting and acting, reasoning logically and intuitively, analyzing and visualizing, steadily and in fits and starts.
What are the types of learning styles?
Visual Learners:
learn through seeing…
They learn best through talking things and listening to what others have to say. Auditory learners interpret the underlying meanings of speech through listening to tone of voice, pitch and speed. These learners often benefit from reading text aloud and using a tape recorder. They like to read for pleasure and often involve their friends in making up and acting out stories. They have clear and precise speech. They are easily soothed by music and even love to sing and recite poems and songs.
Auditory Learners:
learn through seeing…
They learn best through talking things and listening to what others have to say. Auditory learners interpret the underlying meanings of speech through listening to tone of voice, pitch and speed. These learners often benefit from reading text aloud and using a tape recorder. They like to read for pleasure and often involve their friends in making up and acting out stories. They have clear and precise speech. They are easily soothed by music and even love to sing and recite poems and songs.
Kinesthetic Learners:
learn through moving, doing and touching…
Kinesthetic persons learn best through actively exploring the physical world around them. They prefer hands on learning through both touch and movement. They may find it hard to sit still for long periods and may become distracted by their need for activity and exploration. They are early crawlers and walkers and during their pre school years are drawn to climbing, jumping.
Every concept taught in pre-primary takes care of all the three learning styles and the activities are designed accordingly so as to stimulate all the three types of learners.
Another New Program followed here is JOLLY PHONICS.
Kinesthetic Learners:
Jolly phonics is basically a British program based on teaching English through synthetic phonic approach. Jolly Phonics is a systematic, sequential, phonics program designed to teach children to read. Children learn 42 sounds of the English language, rather than the alphabet. They are then taken through the stages of blending and segmenting words to develop reading and writing skills.
Each sound has a suggested storyline, a picture to colour and a corresponding action. By performing an action for each sound, students are using kinesthetic auditory and visual ways to help them remember. This multi-sensory approach is a very effective way to reach all children as well as being enjoyable as well.
The teaching has been divided into 5 basic skills which are as follows:
- Learning letters and sounds.
- Learning letter formation.
- Blending – for reading.
- Identifying sounds in words – for writing.
- Tricky words – irregular words.
Although the teaching has been divided into these 5 basic skills, it is important to realize that they are all taught at the same time.