Wolanski Family Specialist Learning Centre
is an integral aspect of what Emanuel School has to offer students in Years K-12, whose learning styles and issues may be somewhat outside the mainstream.
Working in partnership with class and subject teachers, parents and other stakeholders, programs are developed to accommodate students so that they are able to work towards maximising their learning potential.
Philosophy
Students who may also have a characteristic of learning outside the mainstream, broad as it is, often define themselves in terms of those issues. This is not how we see them; they are students who also happen to have a learning difficulty and/or gifts and talents respectively; equally, they may not be a native English speaker. Maximising learning for these students involves recognising them as whole people, educationally, socially and emotionally. We seek to demystify learning issues by explanation, demonstration and discussion and use this as a platform to offer appropriate learning and teaching programs to build skills that might be missing or under-developed. The ultimate goals are maximising of individual potential, within a positive learning environment. Along with the traditional 3 Rs - Reading, (W)riting and (A)rithmetic -- the emphasis adopted by the Specialist Learning Centre team also follows another 3 Rs that current research shows are influential in effective learning and memory. These are Relationships, Resilience and Reflection. These relate to curriculum matters, interpersonal skills and life goals.
Methodology
An experienced educational and developmental psychologist and expert teachers assess students' needs and develop programs to address these. Decisions are made on the best form of delivery of these given the resources and time available and the balance that has to be struck to accommodate the largest number of target students. Where students' needs fall outside the ambit of the School, we encourage interaction with external specialists, like speech and occupational therapists, other psychologists, etc.
Innovation
Our quest for continuous improvement means that we are constantly evaluating and trialling new techniques, methodologies and software. Where these prove their worth, they are adopted and integrated into school programs.
