Finding Our Way to Lifelong Learning

What a truly enjoyable year we had this year in Montessori By The Sea. The students who attended Learning Support developed skills in a wide range of areas, such as Math, Language, Social-Emotional Learning, Fine and Gross Motor Skills, Sensory Learning and Executive Functioning Skills.

Through specialised programmes, Learning Support enables children to use their own individual strengths and interests to allow them to fulfil their full potential. The Learning Support programme at MBTS complements Montessori philosophy and methodology, endeavouring to promote autonomous, successful and lifelong learning by building children’s knowledge, understanding, confidence and interests. As well as supporting students academically, Learning Support aims to enable students to take responsibility for their own learning through fostering self-efficacy and developing strategies that they can apply independently.

In Language, we focused on developing our reading and writing skills, comprehension competency, and spelling proficiency. This was done through evidence-based, sequential, multi-sensory programmes such as the ‘Wilson Reading System’, ‘Raz-Kids’, ‘Building Bridges of Understanding’ and ‘Words Their Way’.

In Math, we used the Montessori approach to building our knowledge of foundational Mathematical concepts, progressing on to more difficult areas, ensuring we used concrete objects and hands-on activities to promote our understanding of Math.

Fine and Gross Motor Skills were developed through a range of different activities in collaboration with external agencies such as Occupational Therapists. Manipulating Thera-putty, squeezing, threading, cutting, pinching and lots more activities were explored to strengthen children’s muscles in their hands and improve manual dexterity, while also preparing them for handwriting. Gross Motor Skills were incorporated into our ‘Sensory Circuits,’ where we practised activities that allowed children to reset and regulate their systems so that they could engage in optimal learning in the classroom.

I thoroughly enjoyed employing the Emotional Literacy programmes ‘Zippy’s and Apple’s Friends’. As well as equipping all Casa and Lower Elementary children with necessary social-emotional skills such as coping with difficult feelings and conflict resolution, it allowed me to get to know all of the children. We had such a fun experience engaging in all of the learning opportunities.