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"My teachers help me read. They are special because they make me happy by hugging me and helping me with my words."
Michela, student
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ACADEMIC PHILOSOPHY Our philosophy about academic learning is based on a strong therapeutic relationship between teacher and child. Our therapeutic teachers are skilled in the interaction of therapy and learning, constantly in touch with each child's emotional state. We assess a child's ability to work by looking at language competency, disruptive thoughts and behaviors, capacity to pay attention, and basic academic skills. With respect for unique strengths and difficulties we try to discover what motivates each child to learn.The role of academics in our program has several parts: to help the child be a functioning part of a learning environment, to help the child increase self-esteem, and to help the child master the academic material. Each small class is a therapeutic milieu. The physical structure of the classroom, the daily and weekly routine, the classroom rules, and the strong relationships between teachers and students all serve to create an atmosphere of containment and safety. We teach children how to sit still, how to listen, how to focus on what is being taught, how to take turns and follow directions. Teachers explore feelings, prod, listen, step back, cheer, encourage and guide each child to reach fullest potential. We promote insightful thinking by helping the child see and think about relationships among ideas and objects. We encourage creative thought through questioning, discussion and manipulation of materials. This builds the groundwork for learning basic academic skills. Success in the classroom leads to a feeling of accomplishment, and this in turn leads to further progress. ACADEMICS The Community Therapeutic Day School follows the guidelines of the Massachusetts Curriculum frameworks, individualized, and modified to meet each child's needs. The school offers computers in every classroom as well as a computer lab, and uses creative multisensory approaches to meeting learning needs. A library of children's books supplements books in each classroom and a library of audiovisual material is used by all classes. Each child is administered educational testing each year to asses progress, as well as MCAS assessment in appropriate grade levels. Every child at CTDS also has psychological testing every year by an on-staff psychologist. Teachers work closely with specialists to create and administer academic programs for each child to maximize learning potential. Curriculum includes: English
Language Arts THERAPEUTIC APPROACH TO LEARNING DISABILITIES Many
children at CTDS have difficulty learning or expressing what they
know. Some may have problems in visual or auditory perception,
spatial relationships, conceptual understanding, memory or attention.
At CTDS the learning specialist is more than a special education
teacher. We address not only the disabilities but the emotions
that accompany them. The key to progress and growth is within
the relationship between the specialist and the child. Intervention
is provided in an individual or in a small group setting. The
learning specialist teacher develops strategies that are shared
with the classroom teachers to integrate the educational curriculum.
Copyright
© 2004 Community Therapeutic Day School |
