New Teaching Method for Port Reitz School

Since March 2018, Port Reitz School has been teaching according to the ‘Learning for All’ method. This method is based on the ideas of psychologist and professor Feuerstein (1921-2014) and focuses specifically on people with a disability or developmental delay. The development of the individual child is leading.

According to Feuerstein, learning barriers are the starting points – not ceilings that hinder further development. He emphasizes the importance of developing thinking and learning skills. His method assumes that people must be equipped with skills to select relevant information, to make choices and to argue and to solve problems.

In 2017 we came in contact with the Engels’ family of the (PIT) Personal Integration Therapy Foundation. They have worked out the method. Since more than half of the students at the Port Reitz School have an intellectual disability, we were immediately interested in the introduction of this method.

It clicked directly with the Engels family and in March 2018 four teachers and Ton and Thea followed an extensive workshop. In addition, from 1st of  May 2018 we have hired a teacher who has been working with this method for several years: Monica Owito.

We started with 26 children from class 1, 2 and 3 and the results after 2 semesters were above expectations. 20 out of  26 children have made enormous progress in reading and writing. Moreover, they learn to count, the value of numbers and to pay.

In 2019 we also introduced the method for classes 4, 5 and 6. We also see very good results here.

Over time the aim is to make ‘Learning for everyone’ available for other schools in the region.