tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82246974742842965982024-03-20T04:17:32.157-03:00Bridgeway AcademySpecializing in education of students with learning disabilities.Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-57319725790337431482013-01-25T11:08:00.000-04:002013-01-25T11:08:11.903-04:00Technology in the Classroom<h3>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">
By Drew Hayman, Bridgeway Academy Teacher</div>
</span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></h3>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">It
is the advent of a new generation of technology where your TV can
access the internet and the need for home staples like the home landline
telephone are falling by the wayside. We in the education system are
trying
to prepare the students for this new age. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The question with new
technology becomes what is available to help the student get there? To
begin with, it is the teachers at Bridgeway Academy as we are attempting
to help those students prepare for the future, with
a tool set that can help them continue to expand even after this current
wave of technology passes and we advance to another level.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This year the school has
started to develop a program where the students are using a mobile
technology lab filled with iPads. This new technology at school has
really opened up new avenues of learning by allowing our
students to experience an immersive learning environment through apps.
Each application specializes in its function and engages the students
with interactive, hands on learning. Learning that prior to now would or
could have been filled with only a text book.
Exploratory learning functions at its best when given to a student that
is engaged in their learning and interested in the concept that you are
providing a structure for. The school has been using several different
apps that range from dissections, to bridge
creations and even making movies. The students have just started to
experience iMovie an app designed by apple that allows them to create
trailers for future feature films and even the full movie. The budding
producers have created some exceptional pieces so
far. The students are also learning to make use of the iPads abilities
to read text back to them and even record their voices as text so that
it writes the words out for them. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Apps are small programs that
can be downloaded for a nominal cost or in many cases free. Gone are the
bills for suite programs of $400 or more. I personally welcome the new
era of .99 cent programs that may only do
a limited function but usually perform that function very well. There
are many programs offered and sometimes it is difficult to distinguish
what is actually good or isn’t before you purchase it. An excellent
site to start the search is <a href="https://owa.bellaliant.net/owa/redir.aspx?C=WjEA4EtmZUuA31XItpW65hFzvGWVzs8IGmTw0kcAYh9cb_2riTeNCwMfG8we8hAuAc9J3OfdpUY.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.slideshare.net%2fgtoews%2ffree-apps-list" target="_blank">http://www.slideshare.net/gtoews/free-apps-list</a>
it lists out many different applications and the levels in which they are good for. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The iPad and iPod technology
are easily accessible to any person regardless of technology background.
Using point, drag, and swipe technology the devices take a lot of the
difficulty out of the equation of a PC and
allow all users to quickly understand how to use the device and to
easily enjoy the experience. If anyone is concerned about the potential
difficulty of the items usage I challenge you to give it a try or even
have your student teach you how to use it. The
devices can be extremely safe as more and more functions are being
created to help lock them down. There are many tutorials and web sites
available to help you learn to use your device to its fullest
potential. The best aspect of this technology is the absolute
enthusiasm the students have shown for using it. To walk into a class
and hear a student playing the piano or guitar and then realize that
they are doing so on the iPad is truly incredible.</span> </div>
</span>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-16997138288546354482012-11-16T12:32:00.000-04:002012-12-05T14:23:25.808-04:00Social Studies and Hands-On Learning<h3 style="text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">Social Studies has always been a
personal interest of mine, and I am always looking for new approaches to teach
my students their units.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I am
more than familiar with getting lost in the dates, names, and locations of
certain units when I was a student myself, and want to ensure that that’s not
all Social Studies becomes for my students, as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">This subject can be taught in so many
different ways, and by using so many different modalities, that it is often interesting
to see what students can come up with themselves when given the opportunity. I
personally enjoy doing a lot of hands-on work with my students in the
classroom, as I feel that this helps them gain better insight into the
information than a worksheet or page of information might.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">That is not to say that some students
do not learn best by reading and answering comprehension questions based on the
material; I have students who would prefer this method, and I base their
individual lessons around this style of learning. However, when we do hands-on
learning in the classroom, I find that most students are willing to try an activity,
before returning to their particular activity; the way that they learn best.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">Last year, during a unit on the Great
Depression, my students looked up the average size of a shanty that people were
forced to move into after the Stock Market Crash. Once they found this
information, they used tape to section off how big it would be, and in groups,
had to figure out the layout of their particular shanty, and how they would
live in it as a family unit. We also did something similar when they learned
about fallout shelters during the Cold War. The students enjoyed being able to
push all the chairs and desks out of the way, spread out on the floor, and in a
way, live the information, instead of simply listening to it.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">This year, my Grade 9<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">'</span></span>s were learning
mapping during our unit on Physical Geography, so we created a treasure hunt
around the outside of the school. This was done to reinforce the material they
had already been learning, and give them a hands-on approach to a subject that
is difficult for some students to grasp. They went outside, created their own
maps by counting paces, by creating their own legends, and by using the mapping
skills they had learned in the classroom, outside of the classroom. The
students were very excited to switch maps with each other once their good
copies were done, and it was fantastic to see them working together, and
helping each other find the “treasure” I had buried according to the directions
on their maps.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">I try to use hands-on learning in my
teaching as much as possible. I feel that it not only helps to reinforce skills
learned through discussion and writing work, but often helps to provide students
with pertinent information that they may not have gotten otherwise. I also feel
like this approach helps information remain with students longer, and helps
illuminate certain scenarios they might have been difficult to fathom or
understand otherwise. Dates and events in the past can be difficult to connect
to, and I feel that the more hands-on you become with these subjects, the more
you can create a connection to it. Social Studies can be a dynamic subject when
approached in multiple ways, and I feel that a hands-on approach helps students
understand that learning these topics don’t have to be boring or monotonous; they
can be engaging, interesting, and entertaining when presented in interactive
ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-49272323899010705312012-10-15T14:21:00.000-03:002012-12-05T14:21:36.698-04:00Knowing My Students<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Written by Mr. DeGrasse </h4>
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As an educator it is important for me to get to know my
students. What this means is going deeper than just finding out their favourite
sport or who their best friend is. This means I need to get to know how to
teach each student and get to know how each student learns. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Each student that walks into my classroom is different. They
are not cookie cutters of each other, but instead are complex individuals. Each
brings personal experiences, interests, strengths and areas of need. So why, as
a teacher, would I present the material in my classroom to each student the
same? Instead, I should strive to teach the material covered in class in a way
that suits each student’s learning style. Forcing every student to learn one
way will only cause anxiety, confusion, and frustration within the class. Some
may say that in a class of 20 to 30 students it is next to impossible to
individualize for each student. I say, however, that it is almost impossible
for a student to succeed in school if you don’t individualize. I would compare
it to making someone run the 100m with a leg cramp or play soccer using only
their left foot. It could be done, but why limit their potential? At Bridgeway,
because the class sizes are smaller and we have access to information about a
student’s learning disability (LD), the job of individualization is made much
easier. </div>
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The work in the classroom should be designed to enhance the
student’s strengths while building up their skills in the areas of need. In
each class I have a mosaic of students who may share learning styles or have
their own unique learning style. My job as a math teacher is to present the
material in a way that is interesting and in a manner that best suits each
student’s LD. What
may work for one student with a particular LD may not work for another. The key is
finding a way to make the material “click” and allow them to understand what is
being taught and know how to apply it. </div>
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There is not one approach to teach a particular topic to a
student. I could teach them five different ways to accomplish the same task. What
I’m looking for is that one way that allows them to truly understand what is
being asked of them. Occasionally one of my methods may not work and a student may come up with their own system of doing something. Sometimes their technique
may be a rephrasing of what I taught them, just in their own words. Other times
they may come up with a method that makes sense to them but stumps me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At times explanations aren’t enough and a student who learns better using visuals may need to see what I’m saying. I’ve used desks to make
graphs and matrices, I’ve had students use technology to illustrate and record
their findings, I’ve had to explain math by making references to television
shows, and I’ve even had students act out algebraic questions. Whatever allows
the students to understand the material is how they will learn and retain that
information. </div>
Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-18567363493093595252012-04-30T08:00:00.000-03:002012-04-30T08:00:03.259-03:00What is Working Memory and Why Does it Matter?<em>Learning disabilities are complex, impacting individuals in many different ways. Imagine struggling the mental juggling that's required every day - remembering the sequence of events in a story or doing math calculations. Those functions are linked to working memory, and when yours is weak, many things become a challenge.</em><br />
<br />
<em>Here's a great article on working memory and why it matters from the <a href="http://www.ncld.org/" target="_blank">National Center for Learning Disabilities.</a></em><br />
<br />
<em>The <a href="http://www.bridgeway-academy.com/" target="_blank">Bridgeway </a>Team</em><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ncld.org/ld-basics/ld-aamp-executive-functioning/basic-ef-facts/what-is-working-memory-and-why-does-it-matter?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_uniq=4ae811dd9a114a3c#.T5rQeCPgIIc.blogger">What is Working Memory and Why Does it Matter?</a><br />
By Annie Stuart<br />
<br />
Remember the day when someone rattled off a phone number while you just hoped against hope you'd recall the string of digits as you were dialing? That was working memory toiling away. With the advent of cell phones, you may no longer use it this way very often. But working memory still plays a central role in learning and our daily lives. <br /><br />If working memory is weak, it can trip up just about anyone. But it really works against a child with learning disabilities (LD). You can take steps to help a child with weak working memory, whether or not LD is a part of the picture. Start by understanding what working memory is all about. <br />
<h3>
What is working memory?</h3>
<br />Working memory is your brain's Post-it note, says Tracy Packiam Alloway, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. "It makes all the difference to successful learning," she says.<br /><br />You can think of working memory as the active part of your memory system. It's like mental juggling, says H. Lee Swanson, Ph.D., distinguished professor of education with the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Riverside. "As information comes in, you're processing it at the same time as you store it," he says. A child uses this skill when doing math calculations or listening to a story, for example. She has to hold onto the numbers while working with them. Or, she needs to remember the sequence of events and also think of what the story is about, says Swanson. <br /><br />Brief by design, working memory involves a short-term use of memory and attention, adds Matthew Cruger, Ph.D., neuropsychologist with the Learning and Diagnostics Center at the Child Mind Institute in New York City. "It is a set of skills that helps us keep information in mind while using that information to complete a task or execute a challenge," he says. Working memory is like a foundation of the brain's <a href="http://www.ncld.org/ld-basics/ld-aamp-executive-functioning/basic-ef-facts/what-is-executive-function" title="What is Executive Function?">executive function</a>. This is a broad and deep group of mental processes. They allow you to do things like plan ahead, problem solve, organize, and pay attention.<sup>1</sup> <br /><br />"Working memory helps us stay involved in something longer and keep more things in mind while approaching a task," says Cruger. "And, how can you plan ahead if you don't use working memory to keep your goal in mind, resist distractions, and inhibit impulsive choices?" <br /><br />But if you struggle with working memory, pieces of information may often evade your grasp like a quickly evaporating dream. You find yourself stripped of the very thing you need most to take action. <br />
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Types of Working Memory</h3>
<br />"You can't overemphasize how often working memory is used in the classroom," says Cruger. Children (and adults) use two main subtypes of working memory throughout the day. Both develop at a similar rate during childhood, and often reach their highest level in early adulthood.<sup>2</sup> <br /><br /><strong>Verbal (auditory) working memory</strong> taps into the sound (phonological) system. Silently repeating that phone number while dialing makes use of this system. "And anytime kids are expected to follow a multi-step set of oral instructions, they are using these working memory skills," says Cruger. If there's a weakness, however, they may not be able to keep the instructions in mind while working with them, he says. This is true even when they fully understand what to do. Other tasks that require use of this type of working memory are learning language and comprehension tasks.<sup>3</sup> <br /><br /><strong>Visual-spatial working memory</strong> uses a kind of visual sketchpad of the brain. It allows you to envision something, to keep it in your "mind's eye." Students use this skill to do math and to remember patterns, images, and sequences of events.<sup>4</sup> <br /><br />They might use it to visualize the layout of the classroom during the first couple of weeks of school, says Cruger. "A teacher says, 'Once you're done with this, go to the center area, take something to do and then go to this table and work on this,'" he says. "That involves multiple steps where the child is negotiating himself in the world." If not identified, a deficit of this type is ripe for misunderstanding, he says. For example, it might seem as though a child is simply not paying attention.<br />
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How is working memory linked with learning and LD?</h3>
<br />Working memory can be a central problem for many people with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), says Cruger. Or, it may be one of many things that is weak among a set of attention and executive functioning problems. <br /><br />Those with weak working memory are likely to have learning disorders, too. In a government-funded study, Alloway and colleagues tested more than 3,000 grade school and junior high children in the U.K. They found that one in 10 had very poor working memory. <br /><br />This turned out to be a reliable indicator of who would struggle in the classroom, she says. In fact, when following up six years later, they found working memory to be a more powerful predictor than IQ when it comes to learning.<sup>5</sup> "Ninety-eight percent with poor working memory had very low scores in standardized tests of reading comprehension and math." <br /><br />These weaknesses may show up later, when executive skills of comprehension and analysis come into play, says Swanson. "Schools do a pretty good job of drill and repetition and teaching kids phonics, but when you get into things like comprehension, it can begin to fall apart."<br /><br />And, if a child has a learning disability, weak working memory can add insult to injury. For example, a fifth grader who is still sounding out words while reading is relying heavily on working memory to help compensate. This puts a huge tax on the working memory system, says Cruger. At this stage, you want reading to be more automatic. You want to be able to look at a word and recognize it, he says, and not have to recruit attentional or working memory resources to the task. But for a child who needs to compensate but can't rely on working memory, the process can become all the more painful. <br /><br />This weakness may compound things, especially for those with LD, says Alloway. "I've worked at schools where the average 10-year-old can remember and process four pieces of information, but one with poor working memory can look like an average 5-year-old," she says. "For this child, the teacher talks too fast, making it hard to keep up. So the child may eventually start disengaging altogether."<br /><br />Combine these challenges with high anxiety, which also puts demands on working memory, and it becomes more than a double whammy. "Your emotional state can play a role in working memory performance, which can in turn influence performance on tests," says Alloway.Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-83606609941558310912012-04-28T08:00:00.000-03:002012-04-28T08:00:03.565-03:00Emergent Learning 2012 - A Success!<em>Thanks so much to everyone who attended </em><a href="http://www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com/" target="_blank"><em>Emergent Learning: Turning Tides in 21st Century Education</em></a><em> this week. It was a wonderful, two-day conference that brought together more than 1100 individuals in our region (and beyond!) who care about kids and wanted to learn more about the many ways we can support them - mentally, academicallly, emotionally and socially.</em><br />
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<em>We thought we'd share some of the highlights of our two days together in pictures. We look forward to seeing you next year!</em><br />
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<em>The </em><a href="http://www.bridgeway-academy.com/" target="_blank"><em>Bridgeway</em></a><em> Team</em><br />
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<img alt="Sheree Fitch" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m30gnsCvew1ruvw28o1_250.png" /><br />
Sheree Fitch leads her Breathe, Stretch, Write! workshop.<br />
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"<a href="http://emergentlearninghalifax.tumblr.com/post/21724361693/it-is-critical-in-todays-world-that-all"><span style="color: black;">It is critical in today’s world, that all students believe they have the opportunity to learn.</span></a>"<br />
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<img alt="" src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m30glpptU71ruvw28o1_250.png" /><br />
Early morning yoga.<br />
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"<a href="http://emergentlearninghalifax.tumblr.com/post/21724925762/education-should-not-be-all-about-curriculum"><span style="color: black;">Education should not be all about curriculum outcomes, but making kids want to come to school”.</span></a><br />
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<img alt="Birds of a feather session." src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2zx6cICRL1ruvw28o1_250.png" /><br />
Birds of a Feather session.<br />
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"<a href="http://emergentlearninghalifax.tumblr.com/post/21720904541/you-have-to-be-able-to-look-a-student-in-the-eye"><span style="color: black;">You have to be able to look a student in the eye and tell him you believe in him</span></a>."<br />
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<img alt="Wendy Kraglund-Gauthier and education student, Charity Visser, speak passionately about reducing stigmas in the classroom." src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2znohOr6C1ruvw28o1_250.png" /><br />
Workshop presentation with Wendy Kraglund-Gauthier and Charity Visser.<br />
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"<a href="http://emergentlearninghalifax.tumblr.com/post/21716222941/good-teachers-modify-adapt-and-then-overcome"><span style="color: black;">Good teachers modify, adapt and then overcome.</span></a>"<br />
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<img alt="Skilled Trades Learning Workshop" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2zhn0GjqR1ruvw28o1_250.png" /><br />
Skilled trades learning workshop.<br />
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"<a href="http://emergentlearninghalifax.tumblr.com/post/21713071345/we-have-to-stop-asking-how-smart-are-you-and"><span style="color: black;">We have to stop asking “How smart are you?” and start asking “How are you smart?</span></a>"<br />
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<img alt="Reception" src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2y8ai8Faj1ruvw28o1_250.png" /><br />
VIP reception for Sir Ken Robinson.<br />
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"<a href="http://emergentlearninghalifax.tumblr.com/post/21653610350/teaching-is-the-heart-of-education"><span style="color: black;">Teaching is the heart of education.</span></a>"<br />
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Bridgeway student Kenzie was the first to have her book signed by Sir Ken Robinson!<br />
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"<a href="http://emergentlearninghalifax.tumblr.com/post/21653512946/we-need-to-change-the-programme-not-reengineer-how"><span style="color: black;">We need to change the programme not reengineer how our children think!</span></a>"<br />
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<img alt="" src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2xzmxrAsU1ruvw28o1_250.png" /><br />
Sir Ken Robinson's keynote presentation!<br />
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"<a href="http://emergentlearninghalifax.tumblr.com/post/21651952094/our-technology-is-changing-there-is-no-way-to"><span style="color: black;">Our technology is changing, there is no way to predict what the future hold for our children</span></a>."<br />
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<img alt="The line up." src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2xkxrKthV1ruvw28o1_250.png" /><br />
Registration - day one!Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-42291361364592747962012-04-19T08:00:00.000-03:002012-04-19T08:00:07.812-03:00The Damaging Myth of Normalcy<i>Yesterday, we introduced you to Jonathan Mooney, University graduate, author and co-founder of <a href="http://www.projecteyetoeye.org/home.html" target="_blank">Project Eye-to-Eye</a>, a mentoring program for students with learning disabilities.</i><br />
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<i>As a child, Jonathan was labelled as severely learning disabled. Today, he writes about how that felt, and how damaging it can be to try to force kids to be "normal". This article originally appeared on the <a href="http://www.smartkidswithld.org/" target="_blank">Smart Kids with LD</a> website.</i><br />
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<i>The <a href="http://www.bridgeway-academy.com/" target="_blank">Bridgeway </a>Team</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.smartkidswithld.org/parents-community/first-person/the-damaging-myth-of-normalcy#.T41qgkMGYPQ.blogger">The Damaging Myth of Normalcy – Smart Kids With LD</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">By Jonathan Mooney</span><br />
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By the time I was in second grade I thought I was stupid and crazy. Why? Because that’s what I was taught. Those are not thoughts I would have come to on my own. Think about it. We all know some awesome little nutty red-headed kid who was completely happy until he went off to school. Two years into it he’s lost 10 pounds, has developed some strange phobias, a tic or two, and is even talking about suicide!</div>
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<strong>“Bad” Seeds</strong></div>
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How does that happen? It’s the result of a fundamental paradigm shift. In preschool and kindergarten the approach is self-directed, project-based learning. Children move from here to there, and for the most part they decide what they want to do.</div>
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In first grade, they’re introduced to their desk and that’s when the problems start. Suddenly, it’s “Jon, you sit there. I’ll tell you what you can do with your body. I’ll tell you when you can get up. I’ll tell you what you’re going to learn.”</div>
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<em class="quote" style="color: #36706f; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 26px; line-height: 29px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 30px;">Experts call it socializing kids. But does anyone honestly believe it benefits society to make a seven-year-old beg to use the bathroom?</em></div>
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For me, this is where crazy began. The classroom became one giant hierarchy with gold stars and behavior charts to show everyone who were the “good” kids and who were the “bad” ones. The bad kids, of course, were the ones that didn’t follow the rules.</div>
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<strong>A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy</strong></div>
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I was a bad kid because I tapped my foot. And then I started tapping both feet; next I began drumming my fingers.</div>
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In reality, a handful of kids in every classroom in America do the same thing. Eventually the teacher says, “What is your problem?” That happens to be one of the most damaging statements you can make to a child. The child naturally concludes he has a problem or is broken in some way. That’s the beginning of the self-fulfilling prophecy where kids with ADHD come to believe they’re sick or diseased.</div>
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Ironically, science tells us otherwise. We now know that kids who tap their feet are not doing so because they’re bad, or trying to be irritating, or because they’re on their way to a life of crime. They’re doing it because it accesses a physical motor memory that facilitates focusing. It’s what that child needs to do in order to learn.</div>
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<strong>No-Win Situation</strong></div>
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When the teacher yells, “Focus!” it stops the tapping—but it also stops the learning. The child starts staring out the window and misses the lesson. Now he gets yelled at for that too. The teacher angrily repeats the “f” word: “focus, focus, focus!” And now the child is in a no-win situation: he gets yelled at for shaking his leg, which he needs to do to focus, and he gets yelled at for being inattentive when his way of learning is thwarted.</div>
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The cycle continues: “Focus!” When he focuses by shaking his leg, he becomes the “bad” kid or the problem child and is sent someplace different with all the other deviant kids.</div>
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The lesson that child has learned has nothing to do with math or science. Instead, he’s learned that he has no place in the classroom when he is being himself. He can either stop being who he is or he can get the hell out of the room.</div>
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That’s how crazy and stupid starts. It has nothing to do with learning disabilities or brain pathology. It has everything to do with the myth of normalcy.</div>
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Do your children a favor and let them in on the real craziness. Let them know they’re not crazy, stupid, broken, or bad. Make sure they understand the institution is at fault, not them.<span class="wp-caption-dd"></span></div>
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<span class="sourceInfo" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">Jonathan Mooney finally learned to read at the age of 12. His first book, the award-winning <em>Learning Outside the Lines</em>, was published in 2000, the year he graduated from Brown University. He is the co-founder and Director Emeritus of Project Eye-to-Eye, a mentoring program for students with LD, continues to write and speak widely on the subject of learning disabilities, and accepted the 2009 Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities Community Service Award.</span></div>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-66559533691777176672012-04-18T08:00:00.000-03:002012-04-18T08:00:04.797-03:00An Inspiring Interview with Jonathan Mooney<i>Jonathan Mooney was once labelled, "severely learning disabled" and told he would never do more than flip burgers for a living. He proved the doubters wrong by graduating from Brown University, winning awards and co-authoring two books, Learning Outside the Lines and The Short Bus. He's also the co-founder of <a href="http://www.projecteyetoeye.org/" target="_blank">Project Eye to Eye</a>, a mentoring and advocacy organization in the US for students with Learning Disabilities. Tomorrow we'll share some of his writing on "The Damaging Myth of Normalcy", but today we wanted to share an interview he did recently with <a href="http://www.smartkidswithld.org/" target="_blank">Smart Kids with LD.</a></i><br />
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<i>Enjoy!</i><br />
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<i>The<a href="http://www.bridgeway-academy.com/" target="_blank"> Bridgeway</a> Team</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.smartkidswithld.org/parents-community/first-person/jonathan-mooney-still-telling-it-like-it-is#.T41qkrtE-VY.blogger">Interview with Jonathan Mooney « Smart Kids With LD</a><br />
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<strong><em>SK:</em></strong><em> No one would have believed that a child who didn’t learn to read until he was 12 and visited the principal’s office so frequently that he was on a first-name basis with the office receptionist would graduate from one of the best schools in the country and author two award-winning books. Who do you think would be most surprised by your success?</em></div>
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<strong>JM:</strong> A lot of people. I believe that there are teachers out there who are changing lives in a positive way, but the majority of the educators in my life, with the exception of five or six, really came down on the “you’ll flip burgers” side of things. The list of who would be surprised is a long list.</div>
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<strong><em>SK:</em></strong><em> Who would not be surprised by your success?</em></div>
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<strong>JM:</strong> I do not think my high school English teacher would be. I really hated the guy because he pushed so much and was so hard. In retrospect—and I think I even understood this back then—he pushed me in a way that was inclusive. He pushed me to write, but writing could be dictating; he pushed me to do the class essay, but that essay could be written on a computer. He pushed and pushed but he accommodated because he knew I could do it.</div>
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<strong><em>SK:</em></strong><em> You refer to your mom as resilient, yet you seem pretty resilient yourself. I read that you dropped out of school while in sixth grade and even contemplated suicide before you reached 12. What helped you get through that period?</em></div>
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<strong>JM:</strong> I think what helped me get through that period were three things: First, my mother brought home a tape of an interview with a young man at Yale Law School who couldn’t read a word—he was dyslexic—and his mom read every one of his law books to him. What was so special was that it wasn’t the story of the guy who “fixed” himself; he still couldn’t read.</div>
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Second, I left school and really spent time doing things I cared about and enjoyed. There’s a remediation culture out there that sends kids to resource rooms instead of recess and tutoring instead of art class after school. Young people spend entire days organized around what is wrong with them with little opportunity for talent development, much less the opportunity to just be a kid. So we carved out a space for me to really develop things I was interested in and good at.</div>
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And third, we had a plan to go into a new environment. I was leaving sixth grade and going into an entirely different school. This gave me the opportunity to do things differently, and to reinvent myself. Kids get stuck in an identity, and it’s really hard to get out of that—not just with peers, but with teachers too. The file follows you, and you’re the “bad kid,” so when something happens in class you’re the first person they look at. Young children don’t have a chance to break that cycle.</div>
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<strong><em>SK:</em></strong><em> How do you balance the need for interventions with the risk of making a student feel inferior or different?</em></div>
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<strong>JM:</strong> I have no debate with the importance of mastering certain skills, either as a form of empowerment or pragmatism. The key is to strike a balance: what you put in has to be justified by what you get out. Following the law of diminishing returns, you want to get right up to that point where what you are putting in is balanced with what you are getting out. It’s a very individual decision.</div>
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<strong><em>SK:</em></strong><em> What do you say, then, to the professionals who believe that reading difficulties can often be completely remediated?</em></div>
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<strong>JM:</strong> When you make the argument that dyslexia can be remediated away or “fixed” you undercut the moral argument for accommodations—essentially, that dyslexia is an immutable difference, and you have an obligation to change your practice. Because if we say to a school district or a state “invest enough money and you fix this,” they don’t need to get books on tape, or time extensions. We’ve seen this in California. For the state standardized tests, someone who has no hands will get time extensions; someone who is blind will get a reader. Nobody will challenge that. But they will not give accommodations to you if you are dyslexic because their argument is “we can fix that.” Parts of the LD community that have argued “we can fix this” have given ammunition to the people who don’t want to give accommodations.</div>
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<strong><em>SK:</em></strong><em> You often talk about the idea of “normalcy,” and about how much we all miss in our efforts to conform. I particularly love your quote, “Normal is a state that no one actually visits.” Would you elaborate further?</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">
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<strong>JM:</strong> The word “normal” has a history. It didn’t come into the English language until the 1860s; before then, there was no word for the norm or normal. It’s a very abstract concept, connected to statistical thought. If I take an average of 25 different heights and then I go back to the 25 people, the reality is that nobody is that “norm” or average; they are a little bit above and below. It is a state of being that doesn’t really exist. It’s like the horizon; every time you try to approach it, it gets further and further away. It is not a place where one can live.</div>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-77827989319358140322012-04-11T08:00:00.000-03:002012-04-11T08:00:14.743-03:00Immaturity May Lead To Misdiagnosis Of ADHD<em>The <a href="http://www.cmaj.ca/" target="_blank">Canadian Medical Association Journal</a> published a <a href="http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2012/03/05/cmaj.111619.full.pdf+html?sid=99d54d4a-27ef-4dee-ac42-1f431486f2da" target="_blank">study</a> last month looking at ADHD diagnoses in children between the ages of 6-12 in BC. They found that the youngest children in the class - those born in December - were much more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than those who were born in January.</em> <br />
<br />
<em>Here's a summary of the article from </em><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/242512.php" target="_blank"><em>Medical News Today.</em></a><br />
<br />
<em>The </em><a href="http://www.bridgeway-academy.com/" target="_blank"><em>Bridgeway</em></a><em> Team</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/242512.php#.T4RT6ZyPS44.blogger">Immaturity May Lead To Misdiagnosis Of ADHD</a><br />
<br />
The youngest children in the classroom are significantly more likely to be
diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (<a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/adhd/" title="What is ADHD?">ADHD</a>) - and prescribed medication -
than their peers in the same grade, according to a study just published in
<i>CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).</i> <br /><br />ADHD, which is often
treated with prescription medication, is the most commonly diagnosed behavioural
disorder in children. Two recent studies have shown a link between the relative
age of children and diagnosis of ADHD and prescription of medication. Younger
children in the same grade as children who may be almost a year older may appear
to be immature compared with their older peers. This apparent lag in maturity
has been called the "relative-age effect" and influences both academic and
athletic performance. <br /><br />Researchers from the University of British
Columbia were interested to see whether this relative age effect was present in
Canada and looked at a large cohort of 937 943 children in British Columbia, a
province where the cut-off for entry into kindergarten or grade one is Dec. 31.
The research included children who were between 6 and 12 years at any point
during the 11-year study conducted from Dec. 1, 1997 to Nov. 30, 2008.
<br /><br />Researchers found that children were 39% more likely to be diagnosed and
48% more likely to be treated with medication for ADHD if born in December
compared to January. Due to the Dec. 31 cut-off birth date for entry into school
in British Columbia, children born in December would typically be almost a year
younger than their classmates born in January. <br /><br />"The relative age of
children is influencing whether they are diagnosed and treated for ADHD," said
lead author Richard Morrow, University of British Columbia. "Our study suggests
younger, less mature children are inappropriately being labelled and treated. It
is important not to expose children to potential harms from unnecessary
diagnosis and use of medications." <br /><br />There are significant health and
social ramifications of inappropriate diagnosis of ADHD. Medication to treat
ADHD can have negative health effects in children such as sleep disruption,
increased risk of cardiovascular events and slower growth rates. As well,
younger children who have been labelled ADHD may be treated differently by
teachers and parents, which could lead to negative self-perception and social
issues. <br /><br />"This study raises interesting questions for clinicians,
teachers and parents," noted coauthor and psychiatrist Jane Garland, University
of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital. "We need to ask ourselves what
needs to change. For example, attention to relative age of children for their
grade and more emphasis on behaviour outside the school setting might be needed
in the process of assessment." <br /><br />Although the prevalence of ADHD diagnosis
and treatment is about three times higher in boys than girls, the effect of
relative age applied to both. In fact, girls born in December and typically
younger within their grade were 70% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than
girls born in January. <br /><br />"The potential harms of overdiagnosis and
overprescribing and the lack of an objective test for ADHD strongly suggest
caution be taken in assessing children for this disorder and providing
treatment," conclude the authors. <br /><br />The ADHD medications included in the
study were methylphenidate, dextroamphetamine, mixed amphetamine salts and
atomoxetine. <a href="" name="ratethis"></a>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-33812522728765834272012-04-09T08:00:00.000-03:002012-04-09T08:00:00.672-03:00Changing lives through clay<em>Another one of the keynote speakers that we're very much looking forward to hearing at the Emergent Learning conference this month is <a href="http://www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com/3/custom_form_2.htm" target="_blank">Bill Strickland</a>. </em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em></em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Bill was born in 1947 and grew up in Manchester, an inner-city
neighbourhood of Pittsburgh. During Bill’s high school years he struggled to
stay focused on school, but a serendipitous meeting with a teacher inspired him
to choose a new path: from his education at the potter’s wheel in Frank Ross’s
studio grew his vision for a craft’s guild for students like himself. </em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>His
vision grew wings because he had a teacher who believed in his potential and
served as his guide. From high school, to university, to the creation of a
Manchester Craft’s Guild (MCG) and then the Manchester Bidwell Corporation,
Bill’s vision of an education nurtured by beauty and nature came to life. </em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>We invite you to be a part of Bill's presentation - either by attending the two day conference this April 23-24 in Halifax, or through the purchase of a ticket to Bill's presentation. You can purchase either online at <a href="http://www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com/">www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com</a>. </em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>In 2011, Bill Strickland was presented with the Goi Peace Award. Here is his acceptance speech. We hope to see you in the audience for Bill's presentation!</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>The <a href="http://www.bridgeway-academy.com/" target="_blank">Bridgeway </a>team</em></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em><br /></em></span>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-32895652807412665352012-04-05T09:57:00.001-03:002012-04-05T09:57:43.151-03:00The countdown to Sir Ken Robinson is on!<em>It's hard to believe that we're just over two weeks to the <a href="http://www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com/" target="_blank">Emergent Learning</a> conference and <a href="http://www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com/3/miscellaneous4.htm" target="_blank">Sir Ken Robinson's</a> keynote presentation. </em><br />
<br />
<em>Sir Ken is one of three keynote speakers at the conference, along with more than 40 other fantastic workshop presenters, that we'lll be welcoming to the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax. If you'd like to join us - either for the full two-day conference or just Sir Ken's keynote presentation - there are still tickets available. Visit our website at <a href="http://www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com/">www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com</a> to register online.</em><br />
<br />
<em>While we're getting ready, we thought we'd share a presentation that Sir Ken did about a month ago at the Learning Without Frontiers conference. See you in a few weeks!</em><br />
<br />
<em>The <a href="http://www.bridgeway-academy.com/" target="_blank">Bridgeway</a> team</em><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-XTCSTW24Ss?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-49424050394976756962012-03-29T08:00:00.000-03:002012-03-29T08:00:11.133-03:00Bullying – Advice for parents<em>This week, we're focusing on bullying, inspired by the release of <a href="http://www.bullymovie.ca/" target="_blank">The Bully Movie.</a> On Wednesday, we looked at bullying and learning disabilities, and why kids with LD's are more susceptible.</em><br />
<br />
<em>Today, another article from the <a href="http://www.ncld.org/" target="_blank">National Center on Learning Disabilities</a> offering advice for parents of children who are bullied. You can also go back to September on our blog, when we shared some great <a href="http://bridgewayschools.blogspot.ca/2011/09/dealing-with-bullies-who-is-standing-up.html" target="_blank">advice for parents on dealing with bullying</a> from our own Angela Rudderham. </em><br />
<br />
<em>Share your stories on bullying and your advice on how to cope with us through your comments. </em><br />
<br />
<em>The <a href="http://www.bridgeway-academy.com/" target="_blank">Bridgeway</a> team</em><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ncld.org/ld-basics/ld-aamp-social-skills/social-aamp-emotional-challenges/bullying-what-parents-can-do#.T3HyAeI6Bdc.blogger">Bullying – What’s a Parent to Do?</a><br />
<br />
<table class="contentpaneopen">
<tbody>
<tr><td valign="top"><span class="small">By Sheldon H. Horowitz, Ed.D. </span><br /><span class="small"> Published: February 17 2012 </span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="heading_separator"><hr class="heading" />
</td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top"> How familiar are these phrases? <br /><ul style="overflow: hidden;">
<li>Kids will be kids and teasing is normal; they really don’t mean any harm.</li>
<li>Just ignore it and it will go away.</li>
<li>All you have to do is stand up for yourself.</li>
</ul>
<br /> Is this the kind of advice that you would give to your child if they reported being picked on at school? Sure, maybe the first time they were called a name, or the second time they were intentionally pushed to the back of the line in the cafeteria. But is this the approach you would take if your child was singled out in a mean and hurtful way day after day? Of course not! <br /><br /> And what about these phrases:<br /><br /><ul>
<li>You need to remember to use your words instead of your hands.</li>
<li>Detention again? Why can’t you stay out of the principal’s office?</li>
<li>Did you know the boy who tried to hurt himself because he was picked on?</li>
<li>I wonder why she is missing so many days of school… she seems like such a sweet girl.</li>
</ul>
<br /> The thoughts and feelings underlying these comments and questions could be unrecognized signs that bullying is taking place. <strong>Bullying involves not only the victim, but also the one doing the bullying, and those who stand by and don’t take action.</strong> Even when it is not possible to protect the victim from a particular incident, there is no excuse for not taking a stand and taking action that will discourage or prevent bullying behavior from happening again. <br /><br />What should parents do?<br /><br /><ul>
<li><strong>Stop bullying before it starts.</strong> Let everyone know (your child and his friends, school personnel, the bus driver, sports coach… everyone!) that you are on the prowl for signs of bullying and that you expect everyone else to do the same. Preventing and stopping bullying is a shared responsibility, and one that is not voluntary. Ask to see the school-wide no-bullying policy (if they don’t have one, insist that they create one!) and ask that the details regarding recognizing and reporting, consequences, and prevention activities be shared frequently with parents and faculty.</li>
<li><strong>Use the word “bullying” with your child; make sure they know what it means.</strong> They may not know that the hurtful behavior they are being forced to endure is wrong, mistaking it for “attention” or “acceptance” from peers. If your child is the one doing the bullying, help them to understand the negative impact it has on their status (which is often why they engage in bullying behavior in the first place). And if they are bystanders when bullying is taking place, help them to know what options they have -- doing nothing not being one of them -- without fear of being targeted themselves.</li>
<li><strong>Help your child know what to do, and assure them that they will not get in trouble.</strong> The perceived consequences of “tattling” could be keeping your child from sharing their bullying experiences. Help your child know the difference between “tattling” and “reporting an incident of bullying.” This is equally important for children who are being victimized, who are themselves the aggressor, or who are bystanders and not speaking up on behalf of those directly involved.</li>
<li><strong>Know your rights and don’t be afraid to exercise them.</strong> The U.S. government, under both education and civil rights law, recognizes that bullying and harassment are forms of discrimination. Include a goal about bullying in your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP); ask about bullying at every parent teacher conference; and if bullying issues are not properly addressed, be prepared to file a formal complaint with the Office of Civil Rights. None of these actions are excessive or inappropriate to ensure the safety and well-being of your child.</li>
</ul>
<br /> There are lots of topics about which children, parents, and school personnel might disagree, but there should be no question that every individual deserves respect and that it is everyone’s responsibility to protect the physical and emotional wellbeing of every child, treating them as valued and respected members of the community </td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-80951622981618764792012-03-28T08:00:00.000-03:002012-03-28T08:00:11.988-03:00The Truth about Bullying and LD<em>The issue of bullying is getting a lot of attention this month, thanks to the release of the report by the cyberbullying task force in Nova Scotia, <a href="http://cyberbullying.novascotia.ca/" target="_blank">Respectful and Responsible Relationships: There's No App For That</a>, and the premiere of <a href="http://www.bullymovie.ca/" target="_blank">The Bully Movie</a>.</em><br />
<br />
<em>Kids with learning disabilities and other special needs are especially vulnerable to bullying. That's usually because their differences - academic struggles, social skills deficits, etc. - make them different, and being different makes them a target. Is it any wonder that kids with LDs are also more susceptible to anxiety and depression?</em><br />
<br />
<em>The <a href="http://www.ncld.org/" target="_blank">National Center for Learning Disabilities</a> is currently focusing on bullying and its impact on kids with LDs. Here's a great article they recently published looking at bullying and LD.</em><br />
<br />
<em>The <a href="http://www.bridgeway-academy.com/" target="_blank">Bridgeway</a> team</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ncld.org/ld-basics/ld-aamp-social-skills/social-aamp-emotional-challenges/facts-and-myths#.T3HSlSEKkFc.blogger">The Truth about Bullying and LD</a><br />
<br />
<table class="contentpaneopen">
<tbody>
<tr><td valign="top"><span class="small">By Sheldon H. Horowitz, Ed.D. </span><br />
<span class="small"> Published: February 17 2012 </span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="heading_separator"><hr class="heading" />
</td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">It’s hard to assign a number to describe the incidence of bullying — data from different sources report different findings — but one thing is certain; the deeper you dig, the clearer it becomes that the prevalence of bullying is staggering. * <br />
<br />
<h3>
Statistics</h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>10% of children report having been the victims of severe bullying at least once during the school year</li>
<li>75% report being bullied at least once during the past 10 months</li>
<li>25-50% report being bullied at some point during their school years</li>
<li>Every day, more than 160,000 students skip school because they are fearful of being bullied</li>
<li>40-75% of bullying incidents in school take place during class breaks, in the lunchroom, bathroom, or hallways</li>
</ul>
<br />
And how about these findings? <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>30% of children who suffer from food allergies report being bullied at school (sometimes by verbal taunting but more often, by having the allergen thrown or waved at them!)</li>
<li>30% of children who report having been bullied said they sometimes brought weapons to school</li>
<li>60% of boys who engaged in bullying behavior during grades 1-9 were convicted of at least one crime by age 24</li>
<li>The average bullying episode lasts only 37 seconds, and school personnel are reported to notice or intervene in only one in 25 incidents (in contrast to another report where teachers said they intervened 71% of the time and students reported teachers taking action only 25% of the time)</li>
</ul>
<br />
Whether the number is 10% or 75%, the message is clear: bullying is widespread, often goes unnoticed, and can have immediate and long-lasting consequences. <br />
<br />
<h3>
And what about students with learning disabilities?</h3>
<br />
Are children with LD at special risk for being harassed, bullied, or intimidated? Consider the following:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>A second grader with dyslexia whose difficulties with decoding unfamiliar words results in giggling and name calling whenever he is called upon to read aloud or write on the board in class (with this taunting more often than not carrying over into other setting, such as the cafeteria and school yard, and leaving an indelible impression about this child that will mark him as different for years to come)</li>
<li>A fifth grader with LD and AD/HD who, despite her enthusiasm, creativity, and deep knowledge of the subject matter, is always the last to be chosen by peers for group projects because of her disorganized approach to work and her need for initial modeling and structure when working on assignments</li>
<li>A ninth grader with LD and AD/HD who is told not to climb on the new gym equipment but is egged on by his peers until he succumbs and breaks the rules, resulting in punishment and further victimization by his peers</li>
<li>An eleventh grader with LD who struggles with rapid reading and short-term memory and comprehension deficits whose guidance counselor is discouraging him from setting his sights on enrollment in a competitive college physics and robotics program (when math and science are areas in which he excels academically)</li>
</ul>
<br />
Some might agree that these are examples of bullying behavior, and others might say that they describe how individuals with LD often suffer from the “soft bigotry of low expectations.” The reality is that all students are vulnerable to the negative impact of bullying, and students with dyslexia and specific learning disabilities, AD/HD and other disorders that impact learning and behavior are indeed at special risk. They are often vulnerable by virtue of their having low self-esteem triggered by low achievement. They might see themselves as outsiders in their peer groups and often have trouble making and keeping friends because their need for special types of intervention, accommodations and support are misunderstood. <br />
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What can parents and other concerned adults do to diffuse the powerful negative impact of bullying? <br />
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<strong>Don’t wait for bullying to present as a problem.</strong> Assume it is happening, assume that students are at risk, that teachers and other school personnel are either unaware or incapable of dealing with this problem alone, and that it’s just a matter of time before someone close to you is effected by bullying. Parents need to know that their comments and complaints about bullying (to children, other parents, and school personnel) are taken seriously and they should not hold back sharing information in fear of retribution or ostracism. <br />
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<strong>Punishing the bully is not the answer.</strong> Pointing a finger at the perpetrator doing the bullying may seem like a feel-good answer to the problem, but it is only the tip of the iceberg and will likely not change the person’s behavior. The underlying problem has much more to do with how each person, in school, at home, and in the community appreciates diversity. Whether a person has big ears or long legs, whether they have light skin or dark features, whether they are athletic of klutzy, outgoing or reserved, or whether they are accelerated learners or have special learning needs, the ways that we talk about these differences and the underlying value we place upon these individuals needs to be clear: everyone is deserving of respect. Period. No exceptions. <br />
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<strong>Provide support for everyone involved.</strong> No single approach to preventing or stopping bullying is recommended for all situations, but a number of options have been found to be effective. They include: <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Implementing school-wide anti-bullying awareness programs that include all members of the school community, setting clear expectations and acknowledging and rewarding positive behaviors and acceptance of diversity in ways that are visible and recognized</li>
<li>Offering social skills training and other such interventions for students who are likely to be perpetrators or victims of bullying</li>
<li>Creating safe and confidential ways for students to report bullying</li>
<li>Conducting parent awareness and training programs that link to school policies and practices regarding reporting bullying and resolving conflicts in ways that minimize stigma to the children involved</li>
<li>Improving vigilance by school faculty and student leaders (especially in often unsupervised areas) so that bullying behavior is recognized and stopped</li>
</ul>
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What can parents do? The best advice is to follow your heart…. and stop bullying from claiming your child as its next victim. <br />
<br />
<br />
*The statistics cited come from a variety of sources: <br />
<a href="http://facts.randomhistory.com/facts-about-bullying.html">55 Facts about Bullying</a>; <a href="http://www.stopbullying.gov/references/online_resources/index.html">References and Resources from StopBullying.gov</a>; <a href="http://www.abilitypath.org/areas-of-development/learning--schools/bullying/articles/walk-a-mile-in-their-shoes.pdf">Walk a Mile in their Shoes: Bullying and the Child with Special Needs</a>; and <a href="http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-statistics.html">Bullying Statistics</a>. </td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-80291966667503869412012-03-27T13:58:00.001-03:002012-03-27T13:58:35.951-03:00Bully - The Movie<em>We have only seen the previews, but we can already tell that <a href="http://www.bullymovie.ca/#/HOME" target="_blank">Bully </a>is going to be an important movie. A few of our staff have been invited to a preview of the movie in Halifax tomorrow night, and we hope to share some of their thoughts here after they have had a chance to see it.</em><br />
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<em>In the meantime, you can watch the preview below and visit the <a href="http://www.bullymovie.ca/#/HOME" target="_blank">Bully movie website</a> for more information. This movie is only scheduled to go into full release in a few Canadian cities, so be sure to demand it in your community by clicking <a href="http://eventful.com/competitions/bully2012" target="_blank">here</a>.</em><br />
<br />
<em>The Bridgeway team</em><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/2393JZxbiKc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-39249198090478776842012-03-22T08:00:00.000-03:002012-03-22T08:00:10.156-03:00The rights of students with LD to education - The Supreme Court decides<em>Later today, the Supreme Court of Canada will hear a case that is important to every student with learning disabilities in our country. The decision will be watched closely by departments of education, school boards and families everywhere. We'll report on the outcome as soon as we get more information.</em><br />
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<em>In the meantime, here's a recent press release from the <a href="http://www.ldac-acta.ca/" target="_blank">Learning Disabilities Association of Canada</a>, one of the interveners in the case.</em><br />
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<em>The Bridgeway Team</em><br />
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<b><span style="color: #167084; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #167084; font-size: medium;">LDAC one of 17 Interveners in Moore case at Canada’s Highest Court </span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #167084; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #167084; font-size: medium;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Verdana; font-size: x-small;">March 8, 2012 (Ottawa) </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana,Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Verdana; font-size: x-small;">The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada (LDAC) along with 16 other groups have been granted intervener standing in the appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada of Moore v BC (Ministry of Education) and School District 44 North Vancouver. The Appeal which is to be heard on March 22, 2012, at the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) in Ottawa, concerns whether the School District of North Vancouver and the Ministry of Education of BC discriminated against Jeff Moore, a severely dyslexic student by failing to provide him with meaningful access to an appropriate education. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Verdana; font-size: x-small;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Verdana; font-size: x-small;">Jeff Moore suffers from dyslexia and when he was in elementary public school, between 1992 and 1995, his family believed that because of funding cuts for special needs education, Jeff was not receiving sufficient early intervention and a range of services which would have allowed him to become functionally literate. At the beginning of grade 4, Jeff was placed by his parents at their expense in an independent school specializing in teaching students with learning disabilities (LD). In 1997, the Moores filed a complaint with the BC Human Rights Tribunal, claiming that Jeff and other students like him had been discriminated against for the foregoing reason, seeking reimbursement for their education expenses as well as other remedies. Hearings between 2001 and 2005 resulted in a decision in 2005 by the BC Human Rights Tribunal that the Ministry of Education and the School District had discriminated against students with LD including Jeff, by cutting funding and services and by not providing meaningful access to public education services. <br />
<br />
The BC government and the School District appealed the Tribunal decision to the BC Supreme Court and the BC Supreme Court overturned the Tribunal decision, finding that no discrimination occurred. The Moore Family appealed this decision to the BC Court of Appeal and the appeal was heard by a panel of 3 judges. Two judges, forming a majority, dismissed the appeal but the third judge gave a written dissent in favour of the Moores. The Moores were granted leave to appeal the BC Court of Appeal decision from the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) in December 2011. <br />
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LDAC has appeared at every level of the Moore claim as an intervener, represented at each hearing by our volunteer lead lawyer, Yude Henteleff, C.M., Q.C., a prominent and nationally respected human rights expert and advocate. Mr. Henteleff has advocated at each hearing for the right of <span style="font-size: x-small;">children with LD to services which provide LD students with those resources that enables meaningful access to the education services provided to all other children. </span><br />
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The SCC hearing provides a unique opportunity to advance the rights of LD students across Canada and it is fundamental to the work of LDAC to participate. If successful, this appeal will hopefully assure meaningful access to educational services by such students across Canada. In any event, LDAC’s position will come to the attention of governments and school divisions across the country who hopefully will initiate needed changes. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
<br />
<em>Click below to link to the Supreme Court of Canada documents of Frederick Moore on behalf of Jeffrey P. Moore v. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of British Columbia as represented by the Ministry of Education, et al.</em> <br />
</span><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca/case-dossier/cms-sgd/dock-regi-eng.aspx?cas=34041">http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca/case-dossier/cms-sgd/dock-regi-eng.aspx?cas=34041</a> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Click below for a link to the decision of the Court of Appeal of BC (October 29, 2010) </em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="color: #006599; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #006599; font-size: x-small;">British Columbia (Ministry of Education) v. Moore</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006599; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #006599; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, 2010 BCCA 478 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></span></span>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-39653605335497999972012-03-21T07:00:00.000-03:002012-03-21T07:00:00.155-03:00Angela's advice - Should my child have a tutor?<span style="color: black;">
<em>With a myriad of options out there when it comes to tutoring services, we're delighted to offer some advice from our own Angela Rudderham on deciding when your child might need the support of a tutor - and what you should be looking for.</em></span><br />
<br />
<em>The Bridgeway Team</em><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Angela E.
Rudderham</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Director, <a href="http://www.turningtides.ca/" target="_blank">Turning Tides Community Outreach</a></span><br />
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">Every parent wants their child to succeed in school and have
a future full of opportunities and possibilities. We send them to school each
day with all their supplies and a balanced lunch and trust our educators will
work to develop our child’s true potential and foster in them a desire to
learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unfortunately, the reality is that not every child’s true
potential is unlocked from simply attending school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, 15-year-olds in Nova Scotia scored
statistically lower in academics than the Canadian average, according to
Statistics Canada. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Math and literacy scores in Nova Scotia are
among the lowest in the country, </span><em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">and the Nova Scotia dropout rate in 2010 was 8.6%. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only 28% of students from Nova Scotia will go
on to university and 8% will go on to a college or trade education. Our children need other supports to ensure
their success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The question is, when are
additional supports necessary, and what form should they take?</span></em></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tutoring is an excellent way to build academic confidence, improve grades and learn new skills.</span></em></span></div>
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</span><br />
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</span><em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">You may want your child tutored if:<o:p></o:p></span></span></em><br />
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</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Your child still needs help mastering basic skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></em><em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Teachers will move
forward whether your child has mastered the skill or not. If basic skills are
not mastered, then the student will struggle when relying on them to solve more
complex problems. These skills need to be re- taught until mastered. <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Your child struggles with organization, working independently, or lacks
study skills. </span></b></em><em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Often the brightest students who learn quickly may lack
organizational skills or become overwhelmed when faced with a testing
situation. Anyone can benefit from learning how to organize notes, break down
large assignments, meet due dates or discover how they best take in
information. <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Your child has a learning disability.</span></b></em><em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will interfere with the learning
process in areas such as the intake, storage, processing, retrieval and/or
output of information. A tutoring service that has extensive experience and
training in helping students with learning disabilities should be able to show
the student how they learn best and provide strategies for independent success.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Your child is struggling with big life changes.</span></b></em><em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A move, divorce, new school,
family issues can all contribute to your child being distracted from their
school work. Working closely with a tutor will ensure a smoother transition.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Your child struggles with behavioral, social or emotional needs.</span></b></em><em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often these needs can
contribute to missed instruction time. A tutor with experience working with
students who have had similar needs will often have a large tool box of
strategies to draw from to keep your child engaged and on track.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Your child has missed a lot of school due to medical or other reasons.</span></b></em><em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> A tutor can go back and teach what was missed and help the student
gain back the confidence that they may have lost. They can also work around the
student’s schedule.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">You want to give your child the competitive edge to get ahead.</span></b></em><em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is always room for
improvement. Striving to do our personal best is an excellent habit to develop
at any age. <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Your child needs homework support.</span></b></em><em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Parents, homework and the
student can sometimes be an unpleasant combination to say the least. In most
homes, both parents are working or have other major responsibilities and there
just isn’t time to give your child the homework support they need without it
taking on a rushed or negative tone. Let someone else be the “bad “guy and save
your parent/ child time for the important stuff like hugs and kisses.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">The right tutoring
service will be able to match your child’s needs with the right service. They
should understand the importance of rapport building between the student and
the tutor. The tutor should be willing to work with your child’s teacher,
provide regular updates and reports, and improvements should be noticed after a
few months. Be wary of services that will not let you observe or listen in on
sessions at least once or have no way to measure the acquisition of new skills.
There is little doubt that anyone can benefit from tutoring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do your homework and shop around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ask questions and compare services and prices
until you find the right fit. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">Angela Rudderham is the Director of Turning Tides Community
Outreach, a community-based organization providing social, behavioural and
organizational support to individuals across Nova Scotia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For more information on tutoring, social
skills, parenting and professional development programs offered by Turning Tides,
please visit </span></span></em><a href="http://www.turningtides.ca/"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">www.turningtides.ca</span></a><em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;"> or call 902-404-TIDE (8433).<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-61342525288052981122012-03-20T12:30:00.000-03:002012-03-20T12:30:03.633-03:00It takes a village...<em>We have been extraordinarily lucky to receive the support of some wonderful organizations and individuals in our community, many of whom introduce unique learning opportunities to our students. These individuals donate their time and expertise on a regular basis, and we wanted to take an opportunity to thank them publically. We'll highlight a few more of our community partners on our blog pages in the coming months. If you have the opportunity to visit these organizations, please take a moment to say Thank You on behalf of our school.</em><br />
<br />
<em>The Bridgeway Team</em><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.henrys.com/" target="_blank">Henry's Photo.Video.Digital</a><br />
<em>Dartmouth Crossing</em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSiZ_0V3tDehfE_pGNmau2Rcnwd8fzpq0X5NvucVXmSS_MiEA9veqtF3HrJCKmvnVjzZBGK1qGLgCjeQBF31uRJDQYf8LLNqRq_fUGjVUQOHmd1j_B0fTF8PzGB2mj-OJZfFXtZDfhPwm/s1600/Henrys+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSiZ_0V3tDehfE_pGNmau2Rcnwd8fzpq0X5NvucVXmSS_MiEA9veqtF3HrJCKmvnVjzZBGK1qGLgCjeQBF31uRJDQYf8LLNqRq_fUGjVUQOHmd1j_B0fTF8PzGB2mj-OJZfFXtZDfhPwm/s1600/Henrys+logo.jpg" /></a>The team at Henry's has been supporting us in a variety of ways over the last two years. From taking donations at major sporting events to helping us document some of our most memorable moments, the Henry's team has been there every time we ask. Recently, they donated a new digital SLR camera to our Dartmouth school, which is being used by our yearbook committee. Staff are also be donating their time to teach our students in Truro and Dartmouth the basics of photography.</div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.propsfloraldesign.com/" target="_blank">Props Floral Design</a> and <a href="http://www.hydrostonemarket.ca/Servicepages/Larex.html" target="_blank">Larex Properties Inc.</a><br />
<em>Halifax</em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14XRB6PSGkOtuYwhVRFX6bHjkGd3HPbf0Sx-1kjUuq4YXhry6zVb-3xRr2oBADM7x4Qwb2Jqzuco0jf-cM-St3OAc1ayKS2BrM3kCBxq6dMgwpTBUdfSMtfu4KbB7_vmVNlzCyoBF6yjL/s1600/IMG_1429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14XRB6PSGkOtuYwhVRFX6bHjkGd3HPbf0Sx-1kjUuq4YXhry6zVb-3xRr2oBADM7x4Qwb2Jqzuco0jf-cM-St3OAc1ayKS2BrM3kCBxq6dMgwpTBUdfSMtfu4KbB7_vmVNlzCyoBF6yjL/s1600/IMG_1429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14XRB6PSGkOtuYwhVRFX6bHjkGd3HPbf0Sx-1kjUuq4YXhry6zVb-3xRr2oBADM7x4Qwb2Jqzuco0jf-cM-St3OAc1ayKS2BrM3kCBxq6dMgwpTBUdfSMtfu4KbB7_vmVNlzCyoBF6yjL/s200/IMG_1429.jpg" width="148" /></a>We have sung the praises of Susan MacIntosh before for the wonderful work she's doing with our students. Every month, Susan volunteers her time to come to Bridgeway's Dartmouth location to teach a new floral arrangement to students who have joined our floral club. She brings hundreds of flowers, interesting containers and other props the students use to create their floral masterpieces, all of which are paid for through the sponsorship of Larex Properties. <br />Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-72655798347910708402012-03-15T08:00:00.000-03:002012-03-15T08:00:16.602-03:00Emergent Learning - Reforming Education and the Edmonton Public School experience<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nova Scotia’s education system needs to change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Declining enrollment, budget cuts and
increases in the number of students with special needs means we don’t have a
choice but to examine the way we deliver education in our province.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">A decade ago, then Superintendant Angus McBeath led Edmonton
Public Schools through a series of major changes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, students and parents have the power to
choose the school that meets their needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is also more emphasis on supporting teachers and principals with
research-based best practices and more involvement by stakeholders in
supporting the crucial work of teaching and learning.</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Angus McBeath will be a keynote speaker at <a href="http://www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com/" target="_blank">Emergent Learning: Turning Tides in 21st Century Education</a> this April 23-24, 2012. He'll be sharing the lessons learned in Edmonton, with advice for Atlantic Canadians. We hope you'll join us for what promises to be an interesting conversation on the future of education in our region. In the meantime, we thought we would share a bit of a preview.</span></em></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Rhonda Brown</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bridgeway Academy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had a really interesting conversation not too long ago
with Angus McBeath, a consultant, Senior Fellow in Education for the </span><a href="http://www.aims.ca/en/home/default.aspx"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Atlantic Institute of Market
Studies</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, and former Superintendant of the </span><a href="http://www.epsb.ca/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Edmonton
Public Schools</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s a veteran of
the education system, having started his career as a teacher in PEI in the
early 1970’s before moving to Alberta a few years later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He worked as both a teacher and administrator
in his 30 year career.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I called Mr. McBeath after hearing an extended interview with
him on Maritime Magazine on CBC Radio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(You can hear that interview </span><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/maritimemagazine/mind-the-gap/2011/09/26/the-edmonton-model-interview-with-angus-mcbeath/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was talking about the Edmonton approach to
schooling, where parents have the choice of which schools to send their kids to
– public or private.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has led to a
system where schools are more competitive, specialized programs have been
developed, and students can attend schools that speak to their interests and
abilities. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So how is it working?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>McBeath believes it’s working quite well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He says parents in Edmonton have been
remarkably adept in making choices for their kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, who knows a child better than the
parent?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can match the school to the
needs, aspirations and hopes of their children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The process is also easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Each student receives a one-page passport with their name and ID number
on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All parents need to do is visit
the school they’re interested in and pass in their passport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Students are accepted as long as the school
isn’t full and any members of the local community who want access are accepted.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">About 57% of students in Edmonton choose to go to a school
outside of their own neighbourhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
local transit system provides subsidized bus passes for students, helping them
access schools around the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also helps the transit system by
guaranteeing a critical mass of passengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Traditional bus service is arranged for schools where Edmonton Transit
isn’t appropriate or available.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Parents can choose to move their child if the school isn’t
meeting their needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>McBeath told me
about a battle to close a school in a suburban area. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enrollment at the school had dropped from 1300
to just 350. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A group of parents rallied
to save the school, but as McBeath points out, it was the parents who chose to
leave the school who decided the fate of the school. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This sounds like a good solution for Edmonton, but would it work in Nova Scotia? Join the conversation at <a href="http://www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com/" target="_blank">Emergent Learning: Turning Tides in 21st Century Education</a> to be a part of the conversation.</span></div>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-26305085237944397122012-03-12T08:00:00.000-03:002012-03-12T08:00:04.167-03:00Why Bridgeway Matters - Eleven years later<em>The recent conversations on education, tuition support and extending the Bridgeway model across Nova Scotia has brought us back in touch with students and families we haven't heard from in quite a while. </em><br />
<br />
<em>Here's a note one former parent sent to offer an update on her son and why she believes Bridgeway still matters.</em><br />
<br />
<em>The Bridgeway team</em><br />
<br />
Speaking from our experiences, our son, now 28 years old, spent 8 years at Bridgeway Academy, graduating in 2001. Without this school's constant support, our son would have been a drop-out with limited education, with minimal job skills or have some kind of criminal record. He would not be where he is today, as a successful individual, employee and fellow taxpayer of this province. We are very fortunate to receive two years of funding under the former APSEA (Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority). The remaining six years we paid ourselves.<br />
<br />
We cannot tell you enough how important schools like Bridgeway Academy are to helping those individuals with their education. The public school system cannot do what this school has done. Being an EPA (Educational Program Assistant) with the Halifax Regional School Board for 12 years, I saw for myself the day-to-day operations of a classroom. Much of what I saw did not impress me with regards to the average child. Those with an LD are even more disadvantaged in today's classroom.<br />
<br />
Any classroom teacher having a wide variety of 25 plus needy students in her class does not have the ability to help one student with a learning disability. Bridgeway can with its dedicated knowledgeable teachers and very small class sizes.<br />
<br />
We agree with Mrs. Lucinda Low (founder of Bridgeway Academy) - <em>"We would be happy to work with parents, school board officials and the Department of Education to place a school in every district of our province."</em><br />
<br />
We need to do whatever it takes to help those very intelligent individuals with this invisible disability, whom just happen to learn things in a different way. Our son is just one of these people whose life was changed because of Bridgeway Academy.<br />
<br />
<strong>Keep and extend the Tuition Support to Bridgeway Academy, Churchill Academy and Landmark East.</strong><br />
<br />
Ivan & Linda Lockyer<br />Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-86757732914609358092012-03-09T08:00:00.000-04:002012-03-09T08:00:08.727-04:00Why Bridgeway Matters - A Teacher's Perspective<em>Our teachers are amazing. They believe passionately in the potential of each student they work with, and celebrate each success. Many have worked in both the public school system and at Bridgeway, and feel the doors that open for students at our school may not be found anywhere else. Here is one teacher's perspective on why Bridgeway matters.</em><br />
<br />
<em>The <a href="http://www.bridgeway-academy.com/" target="_blank">Bridgeway </a>team</em><br />
<br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Drew Hayman</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As a teacher, I fully believe that our
future lies with our students and that as time continues to progress, I see a
problem growing between our students and the education system. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not allowing our students to realize
their full potentials and because of this we are creating, for many, gaps
between the levels of education and their true potential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I began at Bridgeway Academy, I saw a
lot of students who were being given a second chance at a life that <u>they</u>
would be in control of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I left the
public school sector after being given the opportunity to teach at Bridgeway
and at that time I felt, and still do, that I was leaving a broken system for
one that was fixing much of what ails the public sector.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout time, students have had learning
differences, difficulties, or disabilities, and they have always been given
labels to allow them to fall through the cracks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, we are finally realizing that these
students should not be falling through the cracks but instead should be allowed
to realize their full potential. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The students that utilize the Bridgeway and
other DSEP schools are able to succeed when given the chance to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if the Tuition Support Program was to be
removed the students that currently experience such great success would not be
able to feel like they should. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be
a large financial burden to take a student from a public school system and
place them into the private sector. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I put this question to you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your child was experiencing problems in
school and you knew that if they could get the attention they needed in a
setting that was not the mainstream public system, wouldn’t you try and take
that chance?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am in no way saying that
the TSP is perfect; in fact, I do believe that it has a fatal flaw in that it
is limited to 4 years and the funding runs out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a student’s gap in their learning is at 6
grades behind, it puts an awful lot of pressure onto the student to close that
gap in 4 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reality of the
situation is that the TSP needs to be available for as many years as the
student needs it, so that the gap that was created in a setting in which they
are not suited to learn in can gain the skills and abilities to learn in any
setting. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bridgeway opens its doors to many different
students with many learning differences. This setting that allows the students
to leave classrooms of 30 or more, to classrooms of eight, so that they can
regain not only missing skills but confidence in their abilities and in
themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Staff looks at every
student as an individual case, and while working with the student, they
discover what delivery methods and testing strategies work best. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We teach the students in the way they learn
best. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not the way everyone else does,
because when it comes down to it, wouldn’t you rather show everyone what you
can do not what you can’t?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-81098247688547641382012-03-07T08:00:00.000-04:002012-03-07T08:00:03.062-04:00Emergent Learning presenter series - Maximizing Ability through Cognitive Neuropsychology<em>Here's another one of the amazing presenters at the upcoming <a href="http://www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com/" target="_blank">Emergent Learning: Turning Tides in 21st Century Education</a> conference. Be sure to register now for to be a part of this presentation and many others we'll be offering!</em><br />
<br />
<em>The Bridgeway team</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times;"><strong>Maximizing Ability - A Cognitive
Neuropsychology Approach</strong>
</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times;">By Dr. Erica Baker</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times;"><a href="http://ericabaker.ca/" target="_blank">Erica Baker & Associates</a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times;"><br />
Don't be frightened by the title! In fact if you've never heard of
neuropsychology or neuroplasticity (another scary sounding term you’ll hear me
use), you are the perfect audience for this presentation. This is a talk for
parents, teachers, and anyone who needs a reminder about the possibility for
positive change and growth in our children...our students...ourselves. <br />
<br />
Basically, neuropsychology is the study of the brain and how it relates to our
daily functioning (e.g., thinking and problem solving, memory, mental speed,
attention, academic learning, etc.).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change with experience and
activities. <br />
<br />
Whether learning to crawl, talk, dance, read, play piano, write, drive a car,
solve algebra problems... our experiences create brain pathways (circuits) that
make us who we are and what we know. <br />
<br />
Essentially, the brain gets better the more we use it and it changes in
structure and function throughout our lives. <br />
<br />
In this presentation, I'll attempt to review some of the research to support
neuroplasticity, explain how the brain’s ability to change in structure and
function is relevant to all of us, and hopefully motivate and encourage you to
take the opportunity to help and encourage others to discover their abilities,
talents and passions.</span></span></div>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-16894672454901671162012-03-05T08:00:00.002-04:002012-03-05T08:00:10.053-04:00Why Bridgeway Matters - A Concerned Parent<em>Why does Bridgeway matter? Because it makes a difference in the lives of children. Here is another story from a part of our school family.</em><br />
<br />
<em>Enjoy,</em><br />
<br />
<em>The Bridgeway Team</em><br />
<br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">This is our
story.....<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">When our son first started public school
we knew there was an underlying condition. Eventually he was diagnosed with an
SLD (Severe Learning Disability) and we were able to identify the areas of
opportunity that would be essential to his overall learning ability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">We worked with
the public schools and the LINKS program to help our son develop to
the best of his ability. He attended the after school programs with LINKS,
received resource support on a regular basis, received home help and
followed IPP plans. Even with all this help it was just not enough to
bring him up to speed and to reach his maximum potential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a hands-on learner who needs constant supervision,
guidance and reminders for his everyday work. Our son also suffered
from anxiety issues and showed physical symptoms of stress
related problems which ultimately caused him to miss quite a bit of
public school. At this point, to say we were desperate and frustrated beyond
belief would be an understatement we did not know who to turn to or what to do
next. Then we heard about Bridgeway Academy and everything they had to offer; ultimately
Bridgeway Academy became our family’s salvation and a pivotal turning point in
our lives. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">In September of 2010 our son started at Bridgeway Academy and the
changes that we have seen have been simply remarkable. Not only is he actively
engaged and participating in his classes, but he is gaining and developing
the confidence he needs as well as much needed social and life skills. His
anxiety issues are gone now and he is happy to go to school every day.....you
cannot imagine what a relief it was for us all to have him happy once again and
enjoying getting up and going to school every day.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">With
the results we have seen to date we are very confident that our
son will continue to grow and develop at Bridgeway and they will help him
gain the confidence and the strength that he will need to help him through his
studies. There is no question that Bridgeway is the best choice for him as
they will be able to provide him with the individualized attention that will
cater to his needs and future development. It gives us great peace of mind to
know that Bridgeway shares our views and concerns and will be our son's best
advocate when it comes to helping children with learning disabilities. </span></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">We would
like nothing better than to integrate our son back into the public system,
and we have asked ourselves this question over and over again and each time the
answer is still no..... we will not jeopardize our child's future and
everything he has learned at any cost, we simply cannot take that
risk. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The public school system just does not offer
the support for our son that he requires, they simply are not equipped
to handle children with special needs, we know we have done the
research. He will not get the individualized attention that he needs and as a
result he will be lost in the system as he once was before. We will not go back
to how it was .....the tears, the frustration and lack of motivation we
experienced on our son’s behalf as well as our own. At Bridgeway our
children learn to deal with their disabilities, adapt and integrate their
challenges into their everyday learning’s and the much needed life skills. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">
It is our hope that the TSP funding continues and does not stop short at the
3+1 year commitment. As for us and many other parents in the same situation,
when the support funds run out we will do whatever it takes to keep our son at
Bridgeway; unlike the TSP funding, SLD'S do not go away, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I share
our story with you today in hopes that we can make a difference in the lives of
these children, our story is only one of many and I appeal to you today to
learn from our experience and help change the current support program and
extend indefinitely to those in need. We
desperately need more schools like Bridgeway in Atlantic Canada to give other
children a fighting chance at life. Our children are our future and as a
parent it is my responsibility to ensure my child, as well as others, get a
fighting chance and every equal opportunity in life. It's just the right
thing to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Sincerely,
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">A
concerned and devoted parent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-66479400926352296042012-03-02T08:00:00.000-04:002012-03-02T08:00:08.317-04:00Emergent Learning presenter series - Ari Najarian<em>Here's another one of our featured presenters at our upcoming conference, <a href="http://www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com/" target="_blank">Emergent Learning: Turning Tides in 21st Century Education</a>. </em><br />
<br />
<em>Ari Najarian is a former high school IT and Social Studies teacher, who now runs an IT consulting company called Torusoft. He develops software, plans and develop programs, and helps clients figure out what role tablets and smart phones should play in their organization. His presentation is called, Hands on in the BYOD Classroom.</em><br />
<br />
<em>Registration is still available at <a href="http://www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com/">www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com</a>.</em><br />
<br />
<em>The Bridgeway team</em><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/74MhgUpkDvs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-51036453553716474622012-02-28T16:00:00.000-04:002012-02-28T16:00:03.506-04:00Why Bridgeway matters - Noah's story<em>We would love to live in a world where schools like Bridgeway aren't needed. But after thirty years, the demand for our programs are going up instead of going away. Here's another story on how Bridgeway is making a difference in the life of a child. Thanks to Kelly and Noah for sharing their experience.</em><br />
<br />
<em>The Bridgeway team.</em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am writing on behalf of my son Noah, he is a 12 year old
grade 7 student at the Truro location of Bridgeway Academy. Noah is in his 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup>
year at Bridgeway, and has come so far with the support he receives on a
continual basis. As a parent not only do I see the accomplishments he has made
in the classroom, however the improved sense of self-worth and new found
self-esteem. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Going from a school where he struggled on a daily basis with his
academics, which in turn led to frustration and complete discouragement. Noah
now leaves his school day with a sense of pride and ease. He spent more
time being frustrated than he did learning. He had wonderful teachers in the
public system, however their resources were so terribly limited that no amount
of time they spent with him could even touch the experience he has had thus far
at Bridgeway. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is completely unjust for so many children to struggle
with their education. How will they ever move on in life and become productive
members of society if they can’t have the support they so deserve right now.
Our children have the right to a proper education, whatever their needs may be.
When the answer is so obviously sitting in front of them , how can the
government blatantly ignore the answer to this growing problem? If it boils
down to cost, would it not make sense to provide children with a learning
disability the proper education now, opposed to paying for it later. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sincerely</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kelly</span></div>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-74426239614783222262012-02-28T14:00:00.000-04:002012-02-28T14:00:05.670-04:00Why Bridgeway Matters - Supporting Mental Healt needs<em>Often, our students are dealing with more than learning disabilities. Anxiety, depression and mental health concerns often come along with the struggle to learn. It's amazing the difference a small but dedicated and trained staff can make!</em><br />
<br />
<em>The Bridgeway team</em><br />
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I would like to share
with you the positive impact that <span id="lw_1330382684_0"><span class="yshortcuts">Bridgeway Academy</span></span> has had, and continues to have
on the realization of an education for my oldest daughter , 19 years of age,
diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,
and a Language Based Disorder of Written Expression. My daughter has spent her
life healing from the trauma of her early repeated childhood abuse prior to
adoption. Her education has been interrupted by intermittant, and longterm
inpatient stays at the IWK Healthcare Psychiatric Unit. Homeschooling was the
only option feasible for her during her most challenging years, until I moved
my family closer to Bridgeway Academy. The tuition supports have allowed my
daughter, and her younger sister with ADHD, and other learning issues to attend
this wonderful school. My daughters both have a chance, because of Bridgeway to
earn a high school education which will see them both ready to attend a <span id="lw_1330382684_1"><span class="yshortcuts">post secondary education</span></span>.
It is my oldest daughters dream to attend university, and then continue to set
up a theraputic ranch to help youth, much like herself to recover from
childhood trauma. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I do not believe it is
possible to mix children with these complex learning, and behavioural/mental
health issues with students whom do not understand their personal struggles.
The years of adolescence are challenging enough, without the added issues of
the burden of misunderstood disabilites. These children, and all children in
our province, deserve the special attention to their education and mental
health needs in schools like Bridgeway. These children deserve a place to heal
their devistated self-esteems and rise to the top with the helping hands of
teachers and behavioural support instructors like Bridgeway offers. In my
experience of raising children with special needs, forcing children to stay in
the public school system married with the lack of youth mental health
services, is the reason for teens in the age group of 14-19 years, to to have
suicide the second highest reason for death in Nova Scotia, according to
Statistics Canada . It is time the province assist with supporting the needs of
this fragile age group children, and schools like Bridgeway are an important
step to realizing a positive future for our troubled youth.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sherry</span></div>
<br />Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8224697474284296598.post-64565667043444902102012-02-28T12:00:00.000-04:002012-02-28T12:00:06.530-04:00Why Bridgeway matters - A Mom's perspective<em>Another Bridgeway parent shares her perspective on the need for schools like Bridgeway. </em><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My son, now in
Grade 11 at Bridgeway Academy, has a physical disabiltiy as well as a learning
disability, which effects learning all skills related to
organization, spacial perception, mathematics, and interpreting social skills.
He is a gifted young man in terms of all areas related to language and reads,
comprehends and expresses himself at a University level. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It became more and
more apparent as the school years went on, that the great talents he does
possess would be of little benefit to him, if he didn't develop the self
awareness and tools to work around the deficits that were holding him back
in terms of relationships and organization. Even if you have a lot of
knowledge and alot to say, it does you no good if you don't have the
skills to have a reciprical conversation and make proper eye
contact. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While in grade 7, the result of his mounting frustration
culminated in a severe anxiety disorder resulting in months of hospitalization.
Then we discovered Bridgeway Academy. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bridgeway has given us our son and family
back. They take complete responsiblity for teaching your child. You no
longer have to play teacher at home, for your child to pass. For
instance, the parents sign an agreement that they will not help their child
with homework, and if the child can't do it independently, the teacher will go
over it with them again. What a concept! ! Sooo different from the hours
and hours per night we used to spend at home re-teaching him each evening,
resulting in meltdowns for everyone. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our son is now a very happy, well adjusted
young man, who no longer meets the criteria of an anxiety disorder, his
confidence is soaring, he has perfected so many social skills that needed to be
taught, just like a math problem, step by step. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Schools like Bridgeway are
essential to many students, who fall through the wide cracks in our public
system. These kids need teachers who are highly trained and an environment that
is tailored for them. Society will benefit from the productive competant
citizens that are a product of Bridgeway. It should not only be for the
priveledged few who live in HRM. Integration is a noble concept, but at
what cost?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tamara</span></div>Bridgeway Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477156117926432071noreply@blogger.com0