Teachers at Darlington understand that every student has a unique learning profile and that those who struggle need teachers who recognize and understand their learning differences. To enhance support and learn new skills for dealing with issues in the classroom, 18 faculty members participated in this summer’s Schools Attuned session hosted at the Lower School June 18-22.
“Finding a common program, like Schools Attuned, that blends current brain research with best teaching practices that we can all work with has huge advantages,” said Libbie Zimmer, director of Darlington’s Learning Center. “It gives us a common language so we can speak clearly and accurately about a child’s performance. It provides a systematic process that all teachers can use when there is a child who is struggling academically or when a child is not being challenged enough. It encourages teaching in and out of the traditional classroom, which is so important in an environment like Darlington where learning takes place everywhere you turn. And most importantly, it challenges us all to dig deeper with every child because the research proves that all children can learn, we just have to help find different ways to present, connect and relate.”
First developed in 1987, Schools Attuned was launched as a year-round professional development program in 2000, providing K-12 educators with a framework and tools to understand and manage differences in learning in the regular classroom. It also equips general classroom teachers to make the best instructional decisions to ensure that each student can find academic and social success. The program focuses on management techniques such as demystification, bypass strategies, interventions at the breakdown points, and the strengthening of strengths and affinities.
Based on the pioneering work of
Dr. Mel Levine, a noted professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, Schools Attuned has been featured in Newsweek, USA Today, Teacher Magazine, Scholastic Instructor and on television’s Oprah and Today Show programs. Dr. Levine, the author of The New York Times No. 1 best-seller “A Mind at a Time,” will visit Darlington in mid-August. He will present an overview of the neurodevelopmental constructs, a lecture that is open to the community, Aug. 16 from 7-9 p.m. in Morris Chapel and speak to Darlington faculty members the following day about “The Wrath of Math.”
"Schools Attuned was, by far, the best professional development workshop I have attended in my 15 years of teaching," said Cindy Stinson, fourth-grade teacher. "Understanding how to use the student's strengths to improve his/her weaknesses was eye opening. I am excited about this added dimension to the Darlington curriculum, and I look forward to implementing the strategies in my classroom to foster an even more individualized learning experience for my students."
Faculty members attending the workshop experienced a variety of techniques to help them identify with different learning struggles. Topics included memory, neuromotor function, spatial ordering, language, temporal-sequential ordering, higher order cognition, social cognition and attention.
“Changing the way we teach in order to fit different learning styles is essential to making a student-centered classroom,” said Kevin Ivester, Middle School math and computer teacher. “The section on social cognition was the most interesting to me. We learned why some students have trouble assimilating themselves into a classroom setting. Certain kids may have trouble in a group project because they don’t know how to relate and interact well with their peers, while others may thrive in a group situation because they enjoy bouncing ideas off of others. A mixture of individual and group work is necessary so that all students have the opportunity to be successful throughout the year. I hope that this year I will be able to reach more students by creating an environment that is stimulating for all types of learners.”
Ann Glass, Lower School librarian, felt that all sessions were equally valuable, adding that Schools Attuned has definitely changed her approach to teaching and learning. “Although many of us have been using a variety of teaching methods, we now have the knowledge and resources to figure out what type of approach will work best for the class as well as for particular students who are struggling,” she said. “In the past, I thought some students were just not interested in a particular area. Now I can reevaluate those students and present the material while playing to their learning strengths.”
Most agreed that the most effective part of the class was having the opportunity to work together as faculty to build a common knowledge base that would best serve Darlington students as individuals, classes and the school as a whole.
“I am glad to have a group of colleagues to work with to help get the complete picture on our students so that we can find ways to help them in every class,” said Michelle Major, Middle School English teacher. “Often you see a student in terms of the strengths or weaknesses he or she has in your particular content area because you only get to see that student for 50 minutes each day. The observations of other teachers will help us to build a picture of each student through many lenses which, in turn, will help us adjust practices or habits so that a student can learn to succeed in any given class, even one that he or she doesn’t particularly enjoy or feel confident in.”
Five additional faculty members will participate in Schools Attuned sessions at other locations in August. Darlington aims to have all faculty members participate in Schools Attuned by the year 2010. Thus far, about one-third has done so.
“Darlington students, like most independent school students, are competitive and come with varying skills,” said Steve Bartholomew, director of Lower School. “Before taking this seminar, I felt that students who couldn’t compete in a regular classroom would not be a good fit for the Lower School. I have since come to realize that all students bring strengths to the classroom and need the right environment and encouragement for their success. Encouragement can be defined as identifying their affinities and providing the correct strategies and interventions that will facilitate a positive learning experience.”
For more information on Schools Attuned, please visit
www.allkindsofminds.org.
