School Philosophy!




Our school's educational focus is an approach called
the Subordination of Teaching to Learning, created by Dr. Caleb Gattegno (1911 - 1988), an Egyptian-born mathematician who developed materials and techniques for teaching languages, literacy, math and other subjects. Dr. Gattegno's basic principle is that if teachers encourage children's innate curiosity through multi-sensory learning activities, the teachers can step out of the way and the students will learn far more than they would in traditional classrooms.
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To teach reading and writing skills, we use Gattegno's Words in Color. This effective reading program focuses on these elements of reading and writing one's native tongue: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency in decoding, vocabulary expansion, text comprehension, spelling, and self expression through writing.


Fidel.docx



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Gattegno Mathematics, our approach for teaching math, is firmly rooted in well-established methodology. By relying heavily on the use of manipulatives, primarily Cuisenaire rods, teachers ensure, even in the earliest stages, that students develop models for thinking mathematically. This provides children with a sound basis for accomplishing two essential goals: (1) they become swift and accurate in their computation skills and (2) they focus on problem-solving activities that involve real world application of those skills. The approach is particularly well suited to helping students master the proficiencies outlined in New York State's mathematics standards, since the children must not only arrive at correct answers, but must show an awareness of the mathematical process that leads to them.




rods.docx