New Learning Center for the Youngest GAC Minds

Greater Atlanta Christian Schools (GAC) opened the doors to its “Young Learners Hall” in October. The nearly 3,000 square foot addition to the Early Childhood Village is designed to help the youngest Spartans better conquer reading and learning challenges by identifying the child’s learning style and fostering it.

The new addition supports the school’s “Learning Differences Initiative” for Kindergarten through 5th grade. This facility includes three classrooms for reading coaches, a speech therapy room, computer lab and a Sensory Integration room. It also has a comfortable reading lounge for students and a conference room for parent-teacher meetings.

Rhonda Hawkins, the principle of the Early Childhood Village and Elementary School, says, “The idea behind the new facility is to identify each child’s specific learning style and place that student with the teacher that will best suit their needs."

Hawkins explains, there are three main types of learning styles: visual, learning through seeing; auditory, learning through hearing; and kinesthetic, learning through moving, doing and touching. “Children are created with all kinds of minds. I hope to see the idea of different learning styles embraced and viewed as gifts from God rather than learning disabilities,” Hawkins said.

The facility is designed to appeal to all the different learning styles.

The integration room is used by occupational therapist and includes a rock climbing wall, balance beams, hanging balls and a mini trampoline. Other new programs in early childhood this year included the introduction of the iTouch and iPad to kindergarten students. All these efforts hope to indentify kids with a kinesthetic learning style and help foster them.  

GAC has sent its teachers for continued education on these topics. Elementary teachers create a portfolio for each student built around the “All Kinds of Minds' Attuning a Student” process, containing specific information about each student's learning profile, affinities, strengths and weaknesses, along with personalized teaching suggestions.

Teachers are planning to hold "Learning About Learning" workshops for parents, so they can become more knowledgeable about the All Kinds of Minds approach and terminology. The link below provides more information on the topic.

Next year the Early Childhood Village is currently accepting new student. The school will be adding a program for 3-year-olds next year as well.