Instructional Style
Providing a variety of learning experiences
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Students work in a range of different settings throughout the day. |
We are much more than a collection of separate classrooms. Students are grouped for instruction, play and worship in various ways throughout the day. Each classroom is organized by grade level. Students of varying abilities and skills work together on similar material with adjustments for acceleration or remediation by means of projects, independent activities and challenges, tutoring, adapted assignments and group work.
Some groupings include several grade levels. Lower grade students work across grade levels in a Shared Space. Basketball, chorus, shared field trips, and hand bell choir cluster older students across grade levels, fostering the sense of community and emphasizing the importance of learning from and with others.
Students' intelligence is manifest in multiple ways, and so Mustard Seed provides a variety of learning experiences to make use of all the senses in learning.
Material is thematically organized, integrating the various disciplines of study.
Class take trips throughout the school year, usually connecting to a theme, allowing children to experience learning beyond the school walls. Thematic units allow students to focus on details and build connections to see a bigger picture. Teachers typically work with three major science themes and three major social studies themes each year.
The school strives to have an approach to learning that is developmentally appropriate. Students work in a variety of settings: individually, with partners, in cooperative groups, and as whole classes. Inquiry, guided discussion, and question-and-answer techniques stimulate creative thinking.
