Learning Differences

Westmark serves students who struggle academically in more traditional learning environments.

Learning involves four steps:

1. Input of information
2. Organization of information
3. Memory
4. Output

Learning differences can manifest at one or more of these steps.  They often reveal themselves in a student’s reading or writing skills.  A child with a learning difference may also experience trouble memorizing math facts, or understanding how to organize the steps of a difficult problem, even after repeated instruction.  Organization is often a mysterious process for the student who learns differently – an overflowing backpack and misplaced homework may be an everyday occurrence.  Some students struggle with attention issues as well, which make it challenging for them to access curriculum solely through traditional means.

A key point to remember when thinking about learning differences is that they are very individualized.  The way learning differences affect your child will be unique and will require an individualized learning program.  It is important to see in all children’s learning profiles both their weaknesses and their strengths in order to better help them understand the particular way in which they learn.  The more students understand about how they learn, the more likely it is that they will develop strategies to compensate for their weaknesses and take pride in their strengths.

Here at Westmark, teachers help students develop the strategies needed to succeed in school and encourage them to discover new ways to process information.  Through multi-modality instruction and alternative assessment activities, Westmark students have the opportunity to utilize their strengths and become self advocates, critical thinkers, problem solvers and independent learners.