Dr. Selz brings the Shut-Down Learner caravan to the Center School in Abington, PA, on 1/24 at 7:00. He will be talking about dyslexia, ADHD & struggling shut-down learners. There will be plenty of time available for interaction and questions and answers, not to mention book purchasing!!!
The Center School is located:
Center School
2450 Hamilton Avenue
Abington, PA 19001
(215) 657-2200
As students file into Jace Dutweiler’s Flex Time technology period at Logan Elementary School in Logan Township, New Jersey, they grab kits of Legos and begin to build elaborate projects. Inspired by concepts in The Shut-Down Learner: Helping Your Academically Discouraged Child, by Richard Selznick, PhD, Director of the Cooper Learning Center at the Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper, for 30 minutes each day this “special” period allows students to show personal gifts that may not show in the regular classroom.
Since the release of Dr. Selznick’s book in 2009, schools like Logan Elementary have been inspired to create programs that encourage students to learn through the use of hands-on tasks and visually-based activities. Flex Time, a program developed by Logan principal Bob Fisicaro, gives children a chance to express creativity through a number of different course modules or “cohorts”. The school completely revamped its curriculum as a result of the inspiration from Dr. Selznick’s book.
“When I wrote The Shut-Down Learner, I was primarily aiming to help parents gain perspective on their struggling children,” says Dr. Selznick. “Never in my wildest imagination would I have thought that a school district would revamp its curriculum based on concepts from my book.”
In his book, Dr. Selznick describes shut-down learners as students who struggle with reading, writing and spelling, leading to a lowered self-esteem and a dislike for school. They become so increasingly angry that they try to avoid school tasks such as doing homework or taking tests.
Read more by visiting NJ.COM - Logan school takes new approach to building strength
State Senator Marty Golden (R-C-I, Brooklyn) will be hosting his 5th Annual special education forum and is inviting educators and parents of students of School District 20, 21 and 22, to attend on Friday, March 11, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Regina Pacis Center located at 1258 65th Street in Brooklyn.
The guest speaker will be Dr. Richard Selznick, author of The Shut-Down Learner: Helping Your Academically Discouraged Child.
The event will also feature a panel of experts who will discuss and answer questions from those in attendance on a variety of important topics. The panelists include: Helene Craner of Resources for Children with Special Needs, Ellen McHugh of Parent to Parent New York State, Kim Sweet of Advocates for Children of New York, Dr. Richard Selznick of the Cooper Learning Center, and Lauren Katzman of the New York City Department of Education’s Office of the Chancellor.
Informational tables featuring local advocacy organizations, community resources and State and City agencies devoted to special education will be available.
Does your child have a learning disability? Dyslexia? Is he or she starting to shut-down in school.
Dr. Selznick's article on Understanding Shut-Down Learners and the the Seven Strategies for addressing these children appears in the September-October issue of Calgary Child Magazine: www.bluetoad.com/publication.
The Shut-Down Learner was nominated to be included in the Guide to Online Schools 50 Best Blogs about learning disabilties.
To view the complete list and to learn more about the Guide to Online Schools go to: www.guidetoonlineschools.com/tips-and-tools/learning-disabilities-blogs