Our Learning Support Specialist works with K-5 teachers and students to extend and enrich Math learning, as well as support students who have extra needs within the school day. The format of support depends on the needs of the students and teachers of each individual classroom.
How are classes structured?
Our Learning Support Specialist meets with small groups of students, between 2 and 5 days per week, depending on the needs of the class. Working with small groups we are able to provide carefully guided instruction of classroom Math content with consistent use a wide range of “manipulatives” and tools that help students grasp abstract concepts through modeling. Manipulative materials are any concrete objects that allow students to explore an idea in an active, hands-on approach.
- In kindergarten and first grade, classes last 45-minutes, leaving some additional time to provide any additional one-on-one support, as needed.
- In grades 2 through 5, classes generally last one hour and are designed for small groups which allows a much more personalized instruction.
What makes our Student Learning Support approach at OLG unique?
Learning support at OLG takes a comprehensive approach. It is designed with the recognition that learning begins and ends far beyond the classroom walls. In addition to our various school programs, we also draw upon our diverse Parish and school community to help us meet our students’ needs. This comes in many forms such as volunteers in our tutoring programs or financial support for new resources and training.
Thanks to our relatively small student body and, as a result, smaller teacher and classroom aide group, they do get to work very closely together and collaboratively. This way, our faculty and aides truly get to know our students talents, as well as areas where they might need additional help. This allows them to be a much more efficient support to our students. On the other hand, our staff consistently supports one another too! Teachers generously share their expertise with one another. This might mean a teacher mentors a peer who needs guidance on how to meet diverse needs with new curriculum materials or a teacher might model a lesson with examples of easy adaptions that enable all students to fully engage. The examples are too numerous to list.
At OLG, learning and student support is a truly a collective endeavor, where community is really the hallmark of our school.
We invite you to learn more about our Learning Support Specialist and see all the exciting programs she has to support our students!
