Curriculum Overview
LearningSpring has developed an integrated curriculum designed to set high standards and expectations for each student based on their ability, and provide the structure and support to enable each student to succeed. Using a Cooperative Learning Paradigm, the needs of the whole child are addressed by integrating the learning of challenging academics with the equally important mastery of social/emotional, pragmatic language, organization and sensory-motor skills. LearningSpring celebrates each student’s strengths, and works to remediate his or her weaknesses.
Students at LearningSpring often benefit from:
- activity-based learning or learning by doing
- hands-on-learning that enables the development of abstract ideas into concrete realities
- projects that demonstrate practical real world knowledge and experience
- their own specific interests being incorporated and expanded upon in classroom activities and assignments
The LearningSpring Curriculum is multi-disciplinary, rich in content, and is constantly changing in order to be responsive to the student’s needs. It is structured to minimize distraction and to help increase the student’s flexibility. The uniqueness of the curriculum is that it is not based on one methodology, but draws on a variety of techniques and resources. It is comprised of the following:
- an academic curriculum that adheres to the New York State Education Department Learning Standards
- social-Cognitive-Behavioral Curriculum that is taught and practiced throughout the entire school day
- speech/language therapy
- occupational therapy
- physical education
- computer/keyboarding
- enrichment classes in drama, music, art, and yoga
- weekly read-a-louds in Library with opportunities to withdraw books
The Academic Curriculum includes four main components: literacy, math, science and social studies. These academic components follow elementary grade level expectations, while allowing for accommodations for the individual needs of each student. The Academic Curriculum provides opportunities for varied levels of learning and participation and fosters group learning and collaboration. Curriculum topics are presented using cooperative learning groups, a multi-sensory approach and a project based approach. This allows material to be presented and studied using a variety of different learning modalities.
The Social-Cognitive-Behavioral Curriculum is what sets LearningSpring apart from other schools. This interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to address each student’s deficits in emotional and relationship development, social skills and pragmatic language, self-regulation, conflict resolution, problem solving and flexible thinking, and organization and information processing skills.
Relationship Development Intervention (RDI®) is an adapted remediation program at LearningSpring that aims to improve the core deficits of ASD such as flexible thinking, self-awareness, and experience sharing by working in both small and large groups while participating in challenging activities like playing games and doing creative group projects.
Speech/Language Pathologist addresses each student’s needs in an individual or small group setting. The SLP is a member of each classroom’s interdisciplinary team, and as such provides consultation on pragmatic language and social skill development in the classroom setting.
The Occupational Therapist provides remediation for specific sensory-motor, fine motor and gross motor deficits in an individual or small group setting. The OT also addresses sensory and self-regulatory issues as a part of the each classroom’s interdisciplinary team.
The Enrichment Classes encourage self-discovery, foster an appreciation for the arts, and enable students to work together using their minds and bodies.
Adaptive Physical Education classes are provided on a daily basis and strive to improve gross motor skills while developing teamwork and cooperation among students.
Homework is an important part of the LearningSpring program and increases as the student progresses through the grades. Homework facilitates the development of your child’s organization skills and reinforces work learned during the school day.
The goal of the LearningSpring Curriculum is to foster, enhance and develop well-rounded, capable individuals prepared to become life-long learners, flexible thinkers, independent problem solvers, cooperative team members, good self-regulators, successful at making and keeping friends, and active and engaged with their family and in their community.