Early Learning (EL) – Ages 2 and 3
At Good Shepherd we believe in growing and learning through play. Our Florida certified teachers use pedagogy acquired from their Bachelor or Master’s work to nurture our students’ natural curiosity about the world. Using a hands-on approach, discovery is gained through the students’ senses and imaginative thinking, resulting in the beginnings of logical and abstract thought.
In order to assure that each child rises to meet his/her full potential, curriculum is differentiated according to the child’s Learning Style. This is accomplished in a warm, loving environment where EQ is as important as IQ. Our students feel happy, respected and emotionally supported.
Music, Spanish, Art, Physical Education and Media are all an integral part of the school experience. Through these additional opportunities, Good Shepherd Early Learners become highly creative learners. They learn to express their own views, show fresh approaches to situations, and develop an intensified sense of wonder, supporting the beliefs of our weekly Chapel Service.
For those students who show reading readiness, exposure to letters and sounds through talking, singing, and rhyming, elaborates on the traditional visual and phonetic approaches and becomes a regular part of the school day. The teachers and teacher assistants role model through storytelling and help all students develop fine motor skills, to make the connection between reading and writing.
Early mathematics of counting, sequencing, sorting, matching, and patterning are mastered though the use of manipulatives. Our young mathematicians acquire a relationship with numbers that transforms an abstract process into a familiar and realistic entity. Problem solving is presented in a risk-free environment where they are encouraged to create a large number of divergent methods to arrive at a convergent answer.
Learning through play with an individualistic approach creates a foundation for lifelong learning.