Learning Support
Accelerated Learning
Christ the King has specialist Teachers and Educational Assistants to provide Literacy and Numeracy support for students. The Support Team delivers intervention programs to accelerate identified students. We believe collaboration and communication with classroom teachers is an important part of this process. To best support student learning at Christ the King we have a tiered approach to learning intervention. We believe good quality differentiated classroom teaching is the essential first step in supporting student learning. To supplement students identified as needing additional assistance, we offer small group intervention programs. For students requiring further intervention, targeted 1:1 literacy lesson sessions can be offered. These programs are outlined below.
In accordance with best practice, early intervention is our priority, however support groups are offered on a needs basis throughout all year levels from Year One to Year Six. In our Kindy and Pre Primary years, the school provides Speech and Occupational Therapy screening for each child. Christ the King has an assessment policy and schedule for the whole school, whereby all students are regularly monitored in each year level.
Current learning support programs offered at Christ the King include:
MINILIT
MiniLit is an intensive, small-group program offered in Years 1 to 3. It is a structured synthetic phonics based program aimed at students who are finding reading and writing difficult. The program is engaging and incorporates the big 5 aspects of good quality literacy teaching. Including; phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Small groups of students will work through the program together for 3-4 sessions per week, of approximately 45 minutes’ duration and spanning for 20 weeks.
MACQLIT
MacqLit is an explicit and systematic reading intervention program for small groups of older students, from Year 4, who find reading and spelling difficult. The comprehensive sequence of lessons is engaging and includes all the key components necessary for effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Small groups of students will work through the program together for 3-4 sessions per week, of approximately 45 minutes’ duration, spanning for 20 weeks.
EXTENDED MATHEMATICS UNDERSTANDING (EMU)
EMU is a research-based intervention program developed by Dr Ann Gervasoni of Monash University. The aim is to improve children’s knowledge and confidence with mathematics. The program offers a series of intensive small group learning experiences, designed to meet the individual needs of each child who is experiencing difficulty in learning mathematics in the early years and beyond.
At Christ the King the EMU Intervention Program is delivered by a trained specialist teacher, who delivers planned, targeted, learning opportunities which span 20 weeks, with approximately 4 sessions per week (of 30 minutes duration), with the aim of accelerating the child's mathematical learning. Here at Christ the King, the program is aimed at the children in Year 1. Students are selected via consultation with the EMU specialist teachers, classroom teacher and Support Team. Data from class work and the MAI assessment is used to determine students. At the completion of the program, the aim is students can participate in the classroom program within the average band for their cohort.