We get to know our students so we can build on their strengths
When learners come to INSL LLC, we spend time getting to know them as people, not just as clients. We spend time with the family and ask what the student likes, what they do on a typical day, and what they want to learn. Instead of testing or finding out what is “wrong,” which is a deficit approach, we want to know what the learner’s strengths are. Knowing our students’ lived experiences and what they enjoy helps inform us about their learning systems, as well as offers us ideas to build on prior knowledge and what they want to know next.
We also believe in building agency in our learners, which means thinking of themselves as people who can do things on their own, separate from others. It is crucial to develop agency in order to become independent learners, so they can advocate for their needs beyond our sessions and schooling. We encourage questions, curiosity, and wonder. Often you will hear us ask “I wonder…?” and invite our students to share their ideas. This builds learning capacity, and in the shared pro-social experience of learning together, we help our brains scaffold ideas using language to describe our thinking.
Ultimately, as Dr. Ellyn Arwood, who created the theory and methods we use at the Institute, says, “When a person connects language to the concepts, then the meaning becomes part of a long-term memory” (Arwood, 2011, p. 55). After all, what is the point of learning new things, if we can’t remember them to use them later? The work of INSL LLC is to help build knowledge in our learners, who become more interested in learning as they expand their ideas through building conceptual understanding. An INSL LLC student who was recently working on math ideas said, “I really like how you are teaching me math by learning about animals that I like”. Learning the meaning behind the math equations and not just how to find the answer, helps students apply concepts to new applications, which is another level of learning. When the learner can use language to describe their own thinking, learning is at its highest level.
