Every child matters. Every child has strengths. Every child has a right to have their education feel right and fit right. Every child deserves to be understood for who they are.
Our children bring so much to the learning environment and we–as parents, teachers, and administrators–owe it to them to take time to know them and understand their passions, dreams, personal aspirations. Whereas some children may not fit well into the structure of our modern day school system, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are lacking, or deficient, or learning disabled. Some students are “creative types.” They may be “non-traditional learners” who absorb and process information in ways that are not traditionally taught.
Content or traditional tutoring is not always successful in teaching children how to study or learn independently. Additionally, it can feel stigmatizing when there is a focus on a child’s weaknesses. Traditional mental health services can also feel stigmatizing to children.
Dr. Toni Tarnell uses the same PLC premise of normalizing and strength-based intervention to teach children skills for managing their emotions and learning about the connection among thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
Getting below the surface and understanding how children think, how they learn, and what they are passionate about can unlock a set of resources that can be used to boost their overall success and build their self-esteem. Through this strength-based approach, children can reach their potential and develop into healthy, productive adults and contributors to society.
Dr. Tarnell and the teachers at Premier Learning Centers foster a collaborative relationship with the child. They learn about his or her strengths, desires, and interests. Then they teach executive functioning skills and assist with restructuring negative, defeatist thinking into positive, constructive ideas. As a result, children feel confident and succeed.
Learning Center Evolution
The evolution of Premier Learning Centers emerged from a multitude of experiences, research on gifted children and twice-exceptionality, several hundred evaluations, collaborations with other professionals, and an integration of ideas about what children need to succeed and feel good about themselves. read more…
Twice-Exceptional Children
Neuropsychological evaluations help identify children who are “twice-exceptional,” meaning that they display both giftedness and some kind of learning issue or difficulty regulating their behavior or emotions. Often the gifts are unnoticed, and the child’s deficits are highlighted. read more…
The Non-Traditional Style of Learning
There is an important subset of children who can be described as having a non-traditional style of learning. Whereas there has been much research dedicated to understanding individual learning styles, children in school are not taught to understand this variable from a normal position of self-awareness and knowledge. read more…