Melissa Brown
Learning Resource Program Director
Two years ago Dr. Jackson made an inspiring proposal to our board of trustees to expand the Learning Resource Program as part of a broader initiative to honor the founding principle of SFDS as a family school. The faculty committed to a multi-year effort to create a school environment based on the concept of No Ceiling – No Threshold. Our goal is to enable all students to achieve high levels of academic accomplishment.
Here we are at the end of two very exciting years, and the LRP has made great strides toward a systemic, meaningful integration throughout the School. Thanks to our amazingly effective LRP teachers at every grade level- in partnership with our students, teachers, and parents- we have been able to impact the learning of all SFDS students in significant ways.
Following are some examples of how the LRP program is being implemented in classrooms throughout the School:
When you visit a classroom anywhere from kindergarten through 7th grade during reading instruction, you’ll see small groups of students with teachers who are using a broad range of books and teaching strategies that differentiate by interest, readiness, and learning style. Our LRP teachers enable us to broaden our approach by providing explicit, multisensory instruction that benefits whole classes of students, and provides specific instruction ideally suited for various individual learning styles. LRP teachers also give students a greater command of the material by providing preview / review sessions for concept development and increased fluency. Through these types of push-in and pull-out support, LRP instructors can tailor to individual learning styles while helping shape lessons that benefit the entire classroom.
Arrive early enough on a school day, and you’ll find a small group of 4th graders, known as the Writing Club, who are actively structuring and organizing written expression with LRP teachers to help them strengthen their foundational writing skills. This club builds on students’ interests and provides them with the support needed for mastery. Similarly, in upper school history classes the current prospectus for assignments has been redesigned collaboratively by the history and LRP teachers to be highly specific, enabling students greater independence and clarity, and structuring a step-wise method for students. Through this integrative and collaborative approach, our teachers are learning new skills and tools to better support all students.
Visit a 5th grade classroom during a brainology lesson and see students actively constructing clay models of their neurons expanding as they learn the benefits of a “growth mindset.” Walk down the hall to the 6th grade during a study skills class and listen to students learning and applying specific strategies for acquiring, applying, and transferring knowledge. These classes, taught by LRP teachers, facilitate and encourage a metacognitive understanding of learning styles.
If you attend a meeting of the Parent Group on Learning Differences you will witness the partnership between parents and LRP teachers. Improved communication links have enhanced our shared goals and informed our instruction and interventions for individual student’s progress.
The entire faculty has worked hard over the last two years to create meaningful collaborations with the LRP program, allowing us to refine our curriculum to better meet the needs of our students. Making additions to a successful program takes great courage, cooperation, skill and wisdom. SFDS teachers have responded to this challenging initiative, demonstrating all of those requisites plus great generosity. The LRP teachers have been welcomed and integrated into the fabric of this community that seeks to provide No Ceiling – No Threshold opportunities for our children. The parents have been equally as generous and patient as the partnership with LRP has developed. Our recent Parent Survey on Differentiated Instruction gives insight to many successful beginnings as well as our next steps in making this program even more effective.
