All Kinds of Minds

Our school utilized the Schools Attuned management binder resource to help us in coming up with strategies for students who were sent to the Student Assistance Team. As our school switches over to more research based interventions that must be documented and graphed to show growth or not, we are using the interventions in the binder as Tier I strategies mostly. I believe that the lessons and activities related to the constructs should be taught regardless of whether or not children are sent to the SAT. These interventions are not brand new. They are things we should be doing anyhow, as educators, to teach our students about how they learn best. At that point, then the interventions could be added to strengthen one’s teaching.

During our last week of school the third graders put on the Schools Attuned Fair for the upcoming second graders. Although this is usually supposed to be presented to parents, we decided to try something new. We learned about the constructs throughout the year and then spent the last three weeks reveiwing and learning the specific lessons for the fair. It was a huge success. The third graders were able to take it very seriously and station managers knew their roles. We had several children “floating” around to help if anyone needed it. The second graders enjoyed the morning as well. They enjoyed the lessons and learned about their learning. Next year, we hope to continue working with the second graders and find a night to invite the parents. Diane Childress

Last week I completed the exam accommodation schedule for our students at Forman School. It was enlightening to see that students who were once resistant to taking an exam in the library for a distraction free environment or in the computer lab where they would have access to a word processor to compose essays were now readily signing up for the services they needed. Students are no longer ashamed to ask for accommodations or deny they need them. In our Learning Center, Learning Specialists begin the school year planning demystification sessions for each of their students. Following discussions of a student’s strengths, the Learning Specialist leads the student into understanding his neurodevelopmental profile and its impact on school performance. Gradually the student becomes comfortable talking about his learning profile and acknowledging the fact that he may need accommodations in the classroom and when taking examinations. It may take some students longer than others to understand and accept the nature of their learning problems, but with careful guidance and support of their Learning Specialist, most, if not all, students learn and apply strategies to perform better in school and will advocate for needed accommodations without fear of being ridiculed or “different.” Acceptance is the key.

As our school year closes and the seniors graduate I ask the question “What’s next for them”. Having been taught to advocate for themselves, and with the majority of them being demystified, I ask if the college world will understand that students with learning disorders still require support. Fortunately the majority of the senior class members have chosen colleges and universities that have specific programs for students with learning disorders. At Forman using the AKOM language enables our students have a much clearer understanding of their own learning process. They are constantly told that it will be important to contact the college early and discuss their individual needs, seek out resources, clearly articulate their strengths and challenges. I recently spoke to the senior class about their legal rights under The American with Disabilities Act and what they can and can not expect from colleges. There are many misconceptions that students and parents have about a students rights once they graduate high school. My message to them was to understand the basic abilities of their mind (Neurodevelopmental functions) to the best of their abilities because this will be a life skill.

I’ve been talking to folks outside of the Forman community about how we get teachers to buy in to Schools Attuned. I find this a fascinating topic. So often, those who are closest to the point of impact for students who learning differently serve as advocates who champion the cause. Some classroom teachers respond by explaining that they are not special educators or that they did not go into teaching to work with “these kids.” Classroom teachers, public and private, have these students in their classes. Most classroom teachers do not have an understanding of variations in learning or learning differences. We need to be mindful of the time needed for teachers to change their mindset. Teachers need to have the opportunity to be heard and their concerns should not be discounted. By listening deeply we may gain the place where we should begin our work in presenting a new framework for understanding. This is the first step to creating a partnership that leads up to teacher buy in. The Schools Attuned work provides the opportunity to pull back and learn more about student learning. Once the classroom teacher gains an appreciation for variations in learning using the specificity characteristic of the Schools Attuned model, there is forward motion.

Since our intensive training in the Schools Attuned Program, Subject Specialist Path, which earned faculty a certificate two summers ago, all Learning Specialists at Forman School now use the neurodevelopmental terms in the Learning Profile write-ups which they compose for each of their students before classes begin. This one page Learning Profile provides a “snapshot” of the student that includes his/her learning strengths, challenges, affinities, and necessary accommodations. These profile pages are given to parents, classroom teachers, college advising staff, and other professionals who need access to this information. Learning Specialists are also asking that students use the neurodevelopmental terminology when articulating their learning needs. As a faculty, we are making a conscientious effort to include this specific language in the comments we write home to parents each term. The problem we are facing is that oftentimes parents and educators do not fully understand what is written in the learning profiles because they never had the All Kinds of Minds training. Students are also experiencing difficulty learning the terminology. Forman is a high school which specializes in teaching only those students having learning differences. Do you believe using this technical language makes our reports more accurate, or should we write in layman’s terms?

My role at Forman School, a private school for bright college bound learning disabled students centers on bringing two different playing fields together. A percentage of our students are funded by their local school districts. I have to deal with the districts, attorneys, advocates and parents. One issue that surfaced with regard to public schools deals with classification. I was involved in a PPT with a district who stated that the students testing, as good as it was, could not be used to classify the student, and thus allow him to be eligible for services. The student’s testing had been done at the All Kinds of Minds clinic. The language used in the All Kinds of Minds testing really is phenomenal, yet we were told that standardized testing needed to be done in order that classification could be determined. Districts are looking for numbers, especially the difference between the Verbal and Performance on the WISC IV. At Forman we speak a language that follows the AKOM language, but I have to speak the Public School language when running PPT meetings. How do we change the mind set?

I recently shared AKOM’s Research Base of the Schools Attuned Porgram, www.allkindsofminds.org/Research/Index.aspx, with colleagues. Several teachers asked for this information following our school wide Schools Attuned work. While we work exclusively with college bound students who have learning differences, prior to learning the neurodevelopmental constructs, our teachers possessed many varied understandings of the learning differences. These different interpretations were the cause of varied perceptions. A year following the program, evidence of our common understanding was abundant. Classroom teachers were more confident in working with struggling students. Instructional planning was more learner centered and student engagement increased. The research base includes studies that demonstrate these changes. We are presently using the research base to inform further implementation. I review educational research regularly and I was excited to learn that AKOM has a research team who actively studies advances in educational, psychological, medical and clinical research. This is translated into the further development of the program. The content of Schools Attuned has many authors from the field of learning. Our students benefit from this daily.