Learning Strategies

Language Processing Strategies

Many of the students at the Academy have some difficulty with processing language, either written, oral, or both. Often this difficulty has gotten them labeled as slow, or worse. The Academy has many strategies to address language processing disorders, including providing information in both written and verbal form, allowing alternative means of assessment in classes, providing structured assignments with many checks for understanding, and pacing material to allow for time to process information. Small class sizes guarantee that each student has preferential seating with regard to the teacher, and that the teacher is always available to clarify and expand on information presented. Students are directly instructed how to highlight and summarize material, and how to use that material to study for tests or to assemble projects. Students at the Academy own their books, which allows them to directly highlight and take notes in the text, leading to greater understanding of the material.

Addressing Memory Issues

Short term and working memory difficulties are at the heart of many learning disabilities, and can impact all areas of a student's life. Multi-sensory techniques allow students with memory issues to gather the same information in many different ways, increasing the likelihood that the information will be transferred to long term memory in a way that can later be retrieved. Students learn to tell stories to help them remember math concepts, visualize mental movies of material that they are reading, and to make storyboards of works of literature to allow for organization and categorization of characters and plot elements. Academic content can be recorded on notecards for later review, and vocabulary words and math facts can be reviewed by playing catch while stating information. The supportive environment at the Academy allows students to function as active learners, utilizing their memory skills to their fullest potential.

Buiding the Writing Process

Many of our students struggle with written expression, which is a form of language processing. The Academy provides direct instruction and support in basic areas such as how to write a complete sentence, what a paragraph should contain, and how to edit written work. No matter where a student's writing skills are, the Academy will take the instruction from that level by providing guided pre-writing activities, and breaking writing tasks down into manageable parts.