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Thoughts on College Transitions

By Melissa Rubin, Principal of The Student First

Lately, as seniors and their families “get serious” about applying to college, I have found myself having conversations about how students with learning differences can frequently be better equipped to transition into college than their neurotypical peers. I’m sure you all have had similar discussions. While at first dubious, these students tend to walk away with more self-confidence, knowing they have the skills they need to succeed in college. 

Here are the skills I think of - I wonder if you all have others to add to this list:

• RESILIENCE AND ADAPTABILITY: Inevitably, our students have had to face and overcome challenges in their academic careers. Oftentimes, the students I end up working with are only diagnosed with a learning disability in middle or even high school. That just shows you how resilient and adaptable these kids have been; they were able to develop compensatory strategies that masked some of their difficulties. As these students begin college, unlike others who haven’t needed to be as resilient, they enter with strong coping mechanisms they can apply when they face challenges in school.   

• OUTSIDE-OF-THE-BOX THINKING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING: In addition to developing resiliency and adaptability, students with learning disabilities will often think creatively about how to solve a given problem. So, navigating academic struggles can lead to developing novel approaches to different tasks, and new and unique perspectives during discussions and/or projects. 

• TIME MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION: Given how much extra time and effort many of our students need to put into their work, they have developed systems that help them prioritize and manage their time effectively and efficiently. Other students who have seemingly sailed through middle and high school probably haven’t honed these skills as much. Therefore, provided our students continue applying what they have learned, their ability to balance their coursework, extracurricular activities, and social life in college will be more advanced. 

• SELF-ADVOCACY AND USING AVAILABLE RESOURCES: By senior year (hopefully), our students know when they need help - and perhaps more importantly, know how to seek out resources for the help they need. Whether this means going to office hours or seeking out tutoring or counseling, they know how to take a proactive approach to their learning. Before deciding on their next school, I encourage students to check out and compare what resources are available to them to see whether one will be more supportive than another, should the need arise. 

By embracing their unique journeys, students with learning differences can leverage their experiences to thrive in college and beyond, turning perceived challenges into strengths that enhance their educational experience.

I've Never Been a Mathlete, but I Am Mathletic

by April Pendergast, Learning Specialist at Kent School

Recently I've had the great honor of being asked to coach some second-year employees of our school (though they are seasoned professionals in education) through their action-research project, which Kent requires of all second-year faculty members. This research project is one of the things that stands out to me as the most valuable experience Kent can offer its community members: a chance for faculty to embrace and model growth mindset in shared inquiry, to experiment, and to hone their craft, whatever that may be. 

One teacher I am working with, who has taught middle school through college, is currently facing some challenging experiences in one of the mathematics classes she teaches. "What I'm seeing," she told me one day over lunch, "is that they get the math right. They just don't understand the question, the goal of the problem, or the vocabulary. It's word problems, and they can't really read them."

This echoes something in Treating Math Anxiety by Dr. Aditya Nagrath (which, as an aside, is one of the most nicely specific books about how to instill growth mindset I've read). He states, "Not knowing how best to communicate their anxieties and misunderstandings, children turn to memorization strategies and processes to attempt to get through the materials" (30). This schematic approach to math is one of those strategies that "works until it doesn't." When kids know what to do and how to do it, but don't know why they are doing it -- what the numbers mean, essentially -- then we are teaching grammar with no language. A teacher can explain the "what" of as many example problems as they want, but if a student doesn't understand the "why," then they will never really be learning what the teacher is seeking. 

Worryingly, "Students who do not understand the teacher at the classroom level do not tend to 'catch up'" (Nagrath 30). We can't remediate by "going over the same materials but slower" (31), rehashing the schema of the mathematics problem at hand, when the root of the misunderstanding is the fundamental heuristic of the language of mathematics (see "Solving Algebraic Word Problems Using General Heuristics Instruction" by Bradley Witzel amd Jonté A. Myers). The challenge, then, is for us learning specialists, especially those who, like me, are not extremely math-literate, to flex their fluid reasoning and try to understand why the mathematical processes that their students are working with operate the way they do. That usually means going a step back from wherever the student is right now in their work to the previous unit, and having the student explain why the previous concepts worked the way they did. The more a student can explain the logic of known mathematical concepts, the more they will empower themselves to work through the logic of newer mathematical concepts. In the same way coaching a student in writing requires them to articulate their logic, they must also do so with their mathematics work. 

While I, admittedly not a mathlete, cannot correct students where they go wrong in a mathematical explanation, I can, as someone who is mathletic, notice when they falter or are unsure in their explanations and tell them to circle that bit to a) go back to the parts they do understand and see if any analogous logic fits, b) ask their teacher or a trusted other person to explain the schema to them, or c) watch a helpful YouTube video that describes the schema. 

One nice analogy Dr. Nagrath mentions in Treating Mathematics Anxiety is to treat learning math just like coaching basketball. The coach never shoots the ball for the player, the player just tries again and again. When the player misses many shots in a row, the coach may step in to correct the technique, and once the technique is corrected, the player is still not expected to make 100% of their future shots. The same is true for mathematics practice -- they will not ace 100% of the problems they face, even when they understand both the heuristic and the schema. Lifting that expectation students have of themselves can go a long way to rebuilding their grit when encountering math problems. 

Dear NEALS Members and Supporters,

I am finding it hard to believe that September is more than halfway through.  I just completed my first full week at school and I am happy to say the feeling I have is optimism.  The past few years (for me) have begun in a state of anxiety and stress. I feel like the pressures of the pandemic have finally lifted and I can begin to move my attention to being proactive with learning support and developing best practices with students.  What a difference a few years make!

The NEALS Board met in August to begin planning our programming for this year.  We are kicking our events off on Wednesday, September 25th with an online discussion of The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.  I encourage members to join us online whether you have read the book or not.  I think the discussion will help us all be more mindful of how our students use technology in and out of school. 

We are also working on planning regional meetings. A few have been added to our events calendar, but we welcome members to help out by hosting gatherings in your area.  Please reach out to info@nealsonline.org if you would like to host a NEALS get-together. Meeting hosts will be reimbursed for supplies and/or refreshments.  The time I spend connecting with NEALS members is invaluable to me; I am always stimulated and motivated after I get a chance to “talk shop” at a NEALS event.

I wish you all a joyful Fall!  

Regards,

Laura Foody

Acting President

You Don’t Know What is Going to Happen Tomorrow...

by Chris Ouellette

NEALS' President

Director of Learning Support, Learning Specialist Emma Willard School

Happy Tuesday Folx!

As we commemorate 25 years of our journey, we eagerly anticipate our first in-person NEALS’ conference since 2019, with an unwavering commitment to directing our gaze towards the future!

Our educational landscape is rapidly evolving as our understanding of neuroscience grows, we gain more experience with diverse student populations, and innovative ways to meet the needs of our students continue to emerge. Generative AI continues to grow and shape policy at schools, so much so that we centered last year’s conference around it. The College Board plans for the SAT to be fully digital by the end of this year. How do we plan for our future when it is impossible to predict? Looking at trends can be helpful (rise in teen mental health needs) especially as trends often turn into reality (counseling departments at independent schools are seeing more and more students every day). We can also look at the signals (more students missing class days when tests are scheduled), though they aren’t always the best predictors. As Greg Bamford from Leadership+Design told us, “Trends evoke certainty. Signals raise questions. Trends are often discussed. But signals, as perceived outliers, are often dismissed”.

In order for us to really dive into planning for the future, we have secured a dynamic partner of the Leadership+Design group for our Keynote speaker, Antonio Viva. Antonio will be leading us through a keynote and afternoon activity focused on: “Educators as Experience Designers, Thinking Like Futurists”. The hope is that this work will assist you on your task of finding clarity, not certainty, about the future landscape. Bob Johansen reminds us that “the future will reward clarity, and punish certainty”, while Leadership+Design remind us to "be more curious than certain". 

A quick search on Futurist Thinking yields: “Futuristic thinkers have the ability to look past the events of today and into the possibilities of tomorrow. They can visualize compulsory new ideas about customers, products, services, strategies and business models” (The Complete Leader). In the realm of education, it's vital to reframe our approach away from purely business-oriented thinking. Our students and their families are not just customers but integral members of our educational community. Instead of selling products, we provide curricula; our services encompass the expertise of specialists. Our strategic plans serve as blueprints for educational models rather than business strategies. Regardless of where you fit into this educational ecosystem, it's incumbent upon us to guide our communities in envisioning the potential future. By doing so, we ensure that we're offering our young learners the best opportunities for growth and success.   

We are truly looking forward to seeing you in person at Emma Willard School on April 19th! Please make sure to register on our NEALS’ website by April 10th so that we can finalize our numbers. 

The wise words of Immortal Technique tell us that "You cannot change the past but you can make the future". I am truly honored to make the future alongside each of you! 

Cheers,

Chris

Dear NEALS’ Members and Friends,

It is with great pleasure that we extend our warmest invitation to you for the 25th Annual Conference for the Northeast Association of Learning Specialists. This milestone event promises to be a momentous occasion, marking a quarter-century of collective knowledge sharing, collaboration, and innovation within our esteemed community.

Event Details:

Date: Friday April 19th, 2024

Location: Emma Willard School, 285 Pawling Ave. Troy, NY. 12180

Why Attend?

Our annual conference serves as a platform for learning specialists and practitioners to convene, exchange insights, and explore emerging trends and developments within special education. We have invited keynote speaker Antonio Viva, a partner with Leadership + Design, to help us shift towards becoming experience designers as we think like futurists in order to explore and plan for the rapidly changing educational landscape. We hope that this conference offers you invaluable avenues for professional growth, idea exchange, and fostering meaningful connections.

Informational Links:

Keynote Speaker: Antonio Viva

Schedule Sneak Peak: Schedule

Hotel Information: NEALS has a small block of rooms being held for members at Courtyard by Marriott Albany Troy/Waterfront, 515 River St, Troy, NY. 12180. Book Here

Directions: Directions to Emma Willard School

Registration:

You can register for the experience on the NEALS Website

Join Us:

As we celebrate a quarter-century of excellence and look forward to the future, we invite you to join us at the 25th Annual Conference. Together, let us continue to advance our collective knowledge, inspire innovation, and shape the future of education.

We eagerly anticipate your participation and look forward to welcoming you to Emma Willard School in Troy, NY. for what promises to be an enriching and unforgettable event.

Warm regards,

Chris Ouellette

NEALS’ President

President's Letter January 2024

by Chris Ouellette

NEALS' President

Director of Learning Support, Learning Specialist Emma Willard School

Happy New Year to our NEALS’ Members and Supporters,

I hope your holiday season brought you what you were looking for as we closed out 2023 and rang in the start of 2024. Last week at Emma Willard, we spent some time choosing three different learning sessions delivered by our peers. Nine of our colleagues produced seven 45-minute workshops covering topics ranging from mental health trends to learning from alumni about life after high school. I was thrilled to see that five of the seven offerings focused on student support!

In December, I shared what I was grateful for during the holiday season. This month, I want to take a moment to reflect on both what NEALS has been able to accomplish and what we hope to bring to you moving forward this year.

Gathering and Connection

The NEALS Board continues to meet monthly, a shift that began during the Covid pandemic. While this initially felt like it might be too much, I found that it has kept us on track quite well. In August, we made the commitment to work hard to get back to a strong offering of gatherings and connections, both virtual and in person. NEALS had a virtual Table Talk in September: "Back to School with NEALS," and another in November: "Managing Difficult Discussions" with special guest Dr. Jaime Greene. In addition to our virtual offerings, there were four in-person regional gatherings in NH, Boston/Metrowest, Capital Region NY/Western MA, and CT/NY/MA. I attended two of these, providing much-needed connection with colleagues in the industry.

Upcoming Gathering and Connection Opportunities

• Regional Gatherings being organized for February. We are hopeful that these will be in person, and we are ready if Mother Nature decides we need to move to a virtual setting.

• Virtual Gathering in March. This will be a great opportunity to meet together and for members to get a small glimpse into the work being created for our annual conference.

• NEALS’ 25th Annual Member Conference. We look forward to seeing you on Friday, April 19th, 2024, at Emma Willard in Troy, NY. Our educational landscape continues to change rapidly, so it is our goal to look at learning specialists and the work we do through the futurist’s lens. 

• Board Participation. We are searching for new members to work with us on the board. We are a small, yet mighty group, and we are looking for more dynamic educators to join us in the work that we do. Please direct any questions or interest in joining to: Chris Ouellette, chriscgo@gmail.com. 

I am wishing you all of the good energy I can muster as you return to your work after an extended break. The work that you do is invaluable, whether you hear it or not. I encourage you to seek out those moments where you can find connection and growth. Above it all, make sure to listen to the words of the group ¡MAYDAY! as they tell us to “make room for new blessings”. 

Cheers,

Chris

Savor the Moment Because Time Flies

by Chris Ouellette

NEALS' President

Director of Learning Support, Emma Willard

Hello Folx,

Happy December to you! As we approach the end of another calendar year, I wanted to reach out while taking some time to reflect on what I am grateful for during this holiday season. This year has been full of peaks and valleys for sure. Commitment number two in the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership centers on curiosity. It asks us to “commit to regarding every interaction as an opportunity to learn” and this has been a driving factor for my own personal growth this year. My gratitude list for 2023 is still growing, and here are three of the items on that list:

Professional Development

I was lucky enough to engage with some phenomenal professional development over this past year. I had the pleasure of attending multiple offerings from NAIS including the Equity Design Lab with Joe Feldman over the summer, as well as an offering from Leadership + Design focused on developing Badass Facilitators. As the educational landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace, continued learning is the only way to keep up. Seeking out opportunities for professional development does not need to rely on your school having a massive budget, there are plenty of free options out there, from webinars to articles to conversations with the experts within your building. Whatever avenue you pursue, the folx at L+D will encourage you to “go get your learning”.

Students

This one seems like the easiest one for me. No matter the day, my students teach me something new. Oftentimes the lesson they teach has nothing to do with academics, yet always helps me to become a better educator. Our students bring to us hope for the future. They bring us a desire to learn and grow into the people who will shape the world going forward. These students bring a range of emotions that shape the world in which we engage, whether joy, frustration, or sadness. These students are thirsty for knowledge, and hungry for challenge, and frankly, who would we be if we denied them that? I believe that we all know this, and it is always worth saying again; building relationships with our students is vital to helping them reach all of their lofty goals. When we focus on these relationships first and foremost, we set up the spaces where students can simultaneously share their successes as well as lean into the discomfort from the areas where they have felt less than. 

NEALS

The NEALS group has been an indispensable source of strength and inspiration for me throughout the challenges of the past year. In the course of 2023, I've had the privilege of not only meeting, but also forging meaningful connections and rekindling old ones with numerous exceptional members. Whether in virtual spaces or in person, the time spent together has been a wellspring of support and camaraderie. This work has also allowed me the honor of stepping into the role of President and it continues to offer me the pleasure of working with an amazing team on the NEALS Board. Each team member brings dynamic experience and insight to the table, strengthening all of our conversations and our offerings. Collaborating with a team of thought partners really does make this volunteer work extraordinary. 

As you engage with the reflection that is warranted at year’s end, I hope you are able to find the moments that keep you going in this field of specialized education. As you reflect, remember Tupac's wisdom: always “be grateful for blessings”. 

Cheers,

Chris

(I Studied) The Routes I Took

by Chris Ouellette

NEALS' President

Director of Learning Support, Emma Willard

Hello Folx,

     Happy November to you! I hope that your spooky season went smoothly as you supported our youth! We recently received our mid-term grades for the first term, and it's no surprise that this is the period when an increasing number of students proactively reach out to schedule meetings to discuss and enhance their study habits. Before I embark on sharing my insights with these young individuals, I took the time to seek out inspiring quotes on the subject of studying. Whether the wisdom originated from notable figures such as Malcolm X, Gandhi, Abigail Adams, or KRS-ONE, the underlying message remained consistent: achieving a successful education requires dedicated effort and profound thinking. When considering how to impart my guidance to students, I draw inspiration from the words of Jay-Z who aptly reminds us that "nobody's built like you, you design yourself."

     We recognize that every learner is unique, with individualized systems that work best for them. However, it's all too common in the independent school environment to find systems that tend to favor a one-size-fits-all approach. Students are often encouraged to participate in structured study programs, allocate more time for teacher meetings (even when teachers are unavailable), and are advised to put in extra effort to create flashcards or dedicate more time to reviewing their notes. Independent schools frequently impose the same structures on all students who have earned a C- or below during a reporting period. If I cannot deconstruct these review structures in favor of transforming them into personalized conversations, I must redirect my attention towards reforming these one-size-fits-all systems. While we should strive to individualize our approach as much as possible, there are a couple of slight shifts I recommend each student take a look at attempting:

Length of Time

     Many students come in to tell me that they are devoting hours and hours of time towards studying for a specific test, and oftentimes they report finding success that doesn’t match those hours of studying. I almost always ask students if they are cramming or spacing. Most of my students end up sharing stories of filling the two to three nights before a big test with multiple hours devoted solely to studying (memorizing). I choose to share with them that they may find better results if they shifted to studying using the spacing technique. Exactly what it sounds like, spacing is centered on multiple smaller study sessions spread out over more days:

(Hendrick and Caviglioli, innerdrive.co.uk)

One of the interesting pieces that I encounter are the student reactions to the idea of only studying for 30 minutes at a time. I ask students to do a quick search which yields results on our ability to maintain focus at anywhere from 10-90 minutes before a break is needed.  I then remind them that it is whatever works best to maximize their results, and we move on.

Structure

     Students often report receiving instructions to reread their notes or review practice problems if they wish to prepare for the next assessment. However, we understand that these approaches are rather passive when it comes to engaging with information. To significantly enhance retention, it's crucial to adopt a more active approach. Some quick and easy recommendations I provide include trying to summarize each concept from memory, attempting to teach a subject to someone else, or partnering up for quiz-style studying. One of the newer concepts I've discovered and started recommending is the idea of interleaving which involves mixing up your study of concepts within a broader topic. Instead of studying each full concept within a topic in a linear fashion, you intertwine concepts with each other:

  (Busch, Watson, Bogatchek, @Inner_Drive).

This approach helps students accomplish three specific things. First, it provides an opportunity for discrimination learning, allowing them to identify differences between similar things. Second, it assists in remembering the similarities between different things. Third, it naturally creates spacing within concepts (Busch, Watson, Bogatchek).

     There are numerous changes that students can make to improve their study habits. They don't necessarily have to make major shifts, especially if they are uncomfortable doing so. However, the willingness to adapt their habits is just as crucial as acquiring new tools. If a student can recognize that their current habits aren't yielding success and can also identify which adjustments might be comfortable to try out, then they are well on their way to achieving success. 

Cheers,

Chris

More Curious than Certain, Though Still Human

by Chris Ouellette

Director of Learning Support, Emma Willard

NEALS' President

Hello Folx,

Happy October to you all! I hope that your September was both reinvigorating and fruitful as the students returned to being within your walls! When I was selected to become a Leadership + Design fellow for the 2021-2022 school year I was asked to live the phrase “Be More Curious than Certain”. This phrase was one that I wrestled with at first because I thought, of course there were moments that could have certainty. How could we ignore facts? The phrase really clicked in for me when I realized that being more curious than certain was important when there was a human element involved. I was so excited to go back and try out my new phrase. As you can probably imagine, the first time I led with “I am curious about the choice to…”, I was met with some frustration at my choice of words. My colleagues did not believe that I was actually curious about the choice, and felt as if I was just sugar-coating the fact that I thought they were wrong. 

The truth is, my colleagues were right. I learned that once your colleagues feel that you are telling them that they are wrong, it doesn’t matter if you were actually curious. This fact was challenging to wrestle with. Last year, we had Monica Guzmán come to campus to discuss her book I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times. Similar to L+D, Monica encourages her readers to lead with curiosity. Many of my colleagues asked questions about how to respond when “it feels like the other person already has an opinion”. Her answer was simple: “Of course the other person has an opinion already, they are human, and that doesn’t mean that they aren’t curious”. While I felt validated by this response, it meant that I also had some significant work to do with my colleagues. 

My task was clear: how could I help my colleagues see that I cared about what they had to say, even if my previous actions would indicate that I disagreed? Clear, definitely not simple! My ultimate decision was to dive more deeply into the relationships I was developing with my colleagues. It felt right to show how much I cared, and how much I valued their input (which wasn’t any different than when I first said “I am curious”). I also took a pause from leading with “I am curious about the choice to”. I hadn’t lost my curiosity, in fact, it had grown. I just wanted to make sure that my colleagues felt my care first and foremost. 

This year I have been committed to a return to leading with “I am curious about”. It has landed with mixed results, though they have been far more positive. Most recently, I was having a conversation with a colleague about a choice around a student’s strong Covid concerns. Before I could share that I was curious, my colleague felt my disagreement. Though they felt judged initially, after a quick reminder about humans and opinions, we dove into my curiosity around the choice. This allowed us to create a stronger solution together! I am committed to seeing this phrase through. I know that the journey will be bumpy at times, and it helps me to continue remembering the words of the GZA, “live a life full of humility, gratitude, intellectual curiosity, and never stop learning”. 

Cheers,

Chris

Back to School with NEALS

By: Chris Ouellette, President of NEALS and Director of Learning Support at Emma Willard School

Happy September Folx! As I sit here thinking about our upcoming orientations for new faculty and the full school, I can’t help but hope for a shared and worthwhile experience. Priya Parker reminds us in The Art of Gathering that, “the first step in convening people meaningfully” is “committing to a bold, sharp purpose”. That purpose for opening meetings is to engage with the evolution of our communities as new and returning folx merge with the goal of best serving our students. Equally as important as thinking about coming together is the need to remember who you are bringing to your community, your signature presence. I wanted to share three tips that could help you reflect on your role within the start of the year using the Liberatory Design mindsets from the National Equity Project as a framework. 

-Practice Self-Awareness: We have to start by looking in the mirror if we want to be an effective partner for our colleagues. We should want to see how “our perspectives impact our practice,” so we need to examine our biases to “increase our capacity to work with humility, curiosity, and courage”. The Leadership + Design sticker on my water bottle, “be more curious than certain”, provides a mantra that can support the start of the year, should we all strive to reach it.

-Share, Don’t Sell: We are often bringing a set of knowledge and skills to the group that many of our colleagues might not have experienced on their journey to the current spot. We work in a world that requires a yes from our teachers. It is tempting to want to try “to convince them of value” with the information that we provide. The work of the learning specialist will only be strengthened through the partnership with teachers. This is also where I struggle the most.

-Build Relational Trust: This one feels obvious, and it is also good to remind ourselves of this. When we “invest in relationships with intention”, we are better able to ensure that students receive the support that they are needing within those grey area moments. During orientation and beyond, make sure to work to “invest in each other” so that you can “develop trust, share openly, and collaborate authentically”. 

Doug E. Fresh tells us that “hip-hop is supposed to uplift and create, to educate people on a larger level and to make a change”. We can’t begin to make that change happen within education if we don’t start and attend to the continuous process of building and shaping our communities from the jump. 

Cheers,

Chris