VIDEO: Our Lady of Grace Students Thrive With Creative, Inclusive Learning and Flexible Seating
GRAVESEND — Come into class and find your seat! At Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy in Gravesend there are a number of options because the teachers here know every kid is different.
“I like challenging things. And when the teacher gives something challenging I always like to finish them,” one student said.
“I don’t like science because it’s tedious,” another said.
“I’ve always wanted to be an author, and I just like writing personal stuff,” a third student said.
But they’re all in agreement on one thing — student success requires creativity.
“Not one size fits all, so creativity is a very important part of our learning process,” said teacher Jeanmarie Bisset.
She finds working hands-on with her students helps them in spades.
“Our test scores are proof how much just moving them around, more hands on work just gets them involved in their own learning process,” Bisset said.
Principal Kelly Wolf says the inclusive strategies they’ve implemented over the last year have made a world of difference. The 4th graders scored a 100 percent in math on the last standardized test.
“Coaches come into the building to institute into classrooms, do nows that look like state test questions, small group instruction, taking the time to teach children how to answer multiple choice questions and flexible seating truly contributed to that edge of putting it over the top,” Wolf said.
Students can sit in a beanbag chair, on a wobble stool, stand at a desk or kick back in lounge chair — and the students say when you’re doing something like converting decimals to fractions — it helps.
“I feel like I learn better whenever I’m in the calming corner because, like, I’m not too overstimulated by my shoes or my jacket, stuff happening,” said fifth grader Vito Caruso.
“I love it because it actually feels like I’m at home, and I get to relax so everything’s not pressured. It works a lot” said Calista Velazquez.
Faculty at Our Lady of Grace say they’ll continue to implement and experiment with inclusive learning strategies — until there are 100s across the board.