LOTF High School Mentorship Program Orientation

1
LOTF High School Mentorship Program Orientation

• WELCOME
• Students

2
This Program is for

• High school students with learning disabilities
  who will be soon transitioning to post-secondary
  education (grade 11 and 12)
• A learning disability means that you have an
  average to above average IQ but there is an
  weakness in one or more areas that make it
  difficult to reach your potential

3
Program Description

• This program will give you the opportunity to
  work with a mentor in one of the following
  components
• 1. Transition program with scheduled appointments
  with a mentor
• 2. Casual drop in training times in adaptive
  technology (software that assists with reading,
  writing, and studying)

4
Mentors

• The mentors are successful university students
  who have learning disabilities
• The mentors role is to prepare you for the
  transition to post-secondary

5
CONTEXT

• Before the mentors present
• I would like to explain a little about learning
  disabilities
• and some of the terminology the mentors will be
  using

6
Understanding Learning Disabilities

• We all have a unique combination of the following
  characteristics that influence how we learn
• Learning Profiles (weakness and strengths)
• Learning styles prefer to learn by seeing
  (visual), hearing (auditory), doing
  (kinaesthetic) or focusing on details (left
  brain) or the whole picture (right brain)
• Personality and perception
• Understanding the above helps you choose wisely
  about your education

7
The Learning Model

• Step 1
• Senses (stimuli attention)
• Step 2
• Processing (auditory, visual, kinaesthetic,
  tactile, speed)
• Step 3
• Memory (working memory, long term memory)
• Step 4
• Expression (writing, speaking, doing)

8
Step 1 Senses

• Information from the world comes to us through
  our senses (eyes, ears hands)
• Before this information is processed we must
  first pay attention to it
• If an individual has difficulty attending to
  incoming information it could be an attention
  problem such as ADD or ADHD

9
Learning Disabilities are defined

• As a weakness in one or more of the following
  steps
• Processing
• Memory
• Expression
• People with learning disabilities have an average
  to above average intelligence with a weaknesses
  in one of the above areas

10
Step 2 Processing

• Once we have paid attention to the incoming
  information
• It is then processed or interpreted in specific
  parts of the brain
• Visual processing
• Auditory processing
• Tactile processing
• Kinaesthetic processing

11
Step 2 Processing

• Processing creates meaning from sounds, symbols,
  movement and sensations
• Visual processing difficulty
• Example, difficulty recognizing letters and
  grasping their meaning
• Auditory processing difficulty
• Example, difficulty recognizing sounds and
  grasping their meaning

12
Step 3 Memory

• After information is processed it is then
  interpreted and stored in the brain
• We have two storage capabilities
• Working memory
• Long-term memory

13
Working Memory

• is a limited capacity that holds our conscious
  thoughts and works through information at the
  moment
• holds, manipulates, rehearses and organizes the
  processed information in our conscious thoughts
  for a short length of time
• is involved in the process of learning

14
Long Term Memory

• long term memory stores information for longer
  periods of time
• When you can remember a fact, you have retrieved
  it from long term memory
• Retrieved information has been learned

15
Step 4 Expression

• Step 4
• Expression (writing, speaking, doing)
• To express information the individual must
  encode (create meaning) and hold information in
  working memory

16
Example Writing

• Writing involves
• encoding (creating meaning)
• holding the idea that you want to write down in
  working memory
• retrieving how to spell a word from long term
  memory into working memory
• holding how to form the letters in working memory
  (the mechanics of writing)
• Writing, speaking and doing are where we observe
  many LD characteristics

17
Creative Living

• Presentations
• Elysa
• Leigh Ann
• Kristen
• Sofia

18
How to Register

• Choose Scheduled or Drop In
• If you choose scheduled,
• Choose location
• High School
• University (you are responsible for your own
  transportation)

19
Choose a time

• At the High School
• During the last part of approved classes
• At lunch
• After school
• At Nipissing University
• After school
• Evenings
• Weekends
• The high school student must arrange their own
  transportation and have their parents consent to
  meet at the university

20
Choose

• Choose a mentor
• Choose your greatest priority
• Where, when, who
• Complete the check list
• (What would you like to learn)

21
Topics covered in the transition program

• Understanding your learning disability
• Understanding your learning style
• Choosing an educational institution, program, and
  courses that suit your strengths and style
• Understanding what accommodations are needed to
  succeed
• How to self-advocate to teachers
• Learning strategies to help you learn more
  effectively
• Learning adaptive technology to assist in the
  heavy work load

22
Consent To Release Information

• Students with learning disabilities are most
  successful when they understand their learning
  disability (their strengths and weaknesses)
• Having access to your current assessment
  information is vital for the transition program
• Please sign and have your parents sign the
  consent form