Tutoring Expert FAQs
About Strategic Learning
The school system offers generalized education for classrooms but many schools do not possess the resources to provide unique solutions for individual children. At Strategic Learning Clinic, we address each child’s learning challenge(s) and develop a strategy to match their needs, personality, strengths, and weaknesses.
We offer the following unique services:
- Diagnostic testing and extensive meetings with you and your child to ensure we have a complete understanding of where your child needs extra support
- A customized education plan outlining the steps that will help your child work through the difficulties that he or she is experiencing
- One-to-one teaching so that your child gets the attention and support he or she needs
- Specialized reading, writing, math, and study skills programs that are proven and based on the most current research about how children learn
- Unique computer-based brain training programs for improved auditory processing, language skills, attentional abilities, and reading fluency
- Cognitive training to improve a student’s information processing ability. Children develop good work habits, strategies, and insights which they can apply in and out of school
Most parents have a gut feeling when their child is not progressing the way they should at school – even if the report card does not indicate a problem. If you suspect your child could be doing better in school, trust your instincts and give us a call. The information you will get from our initial consultation will help you decide if Strategic Learning Clinic makes sense for your child.
Here are some of the signs that may indicate your child needs help:
- Your child is getting low or failing grades and you have been unable to solve these problems at the school
- You think that your child is not performing to their potential
- You are receiving comments from the school that your child is not paying attention in class
- Your child knows something one week but forgets it the next
- Your child lacks the ability to write essays or study in an organized manner
- Your child seems to be acquiring skills very slowly (such as reading, writing or math)
- Your child feels prepared for a test, but then fails that test
- Your child has difficulty completing homework independently and there are tears and stress surrounding it
- You have noticed behavioural changes relating to your child such as not wanting to go to school or complaining of stomach aches or headaches
Children don’t usually “grow out of” academic problems so it is important for parents to get the right help as early as possible.
Call us at:
Phone:
(514) 966-1553
To set up an initial consultation
Email:
Many parents come to us overwhelmed by the many tutoring options available in the marketplace today and unsure about how to make the right choice for their child. The reality is that most tutoring – whether delivered by a mature student, a classroom teacher or in small groups at centres – relies on worksheets and repetition with the hopes that the more a child practices a subject, the better they will get at it. Unfortunately this approach doesn’t resolve most academic problems.
At Strategic Learning Clinic, instead of tutoring, we offer a unique teaching approach designed to get to the root of the problem. Our specialized programs are effective because they are based on the most current research about how students learn and because they are delivered by experienced teachers who work one-on-one with our students at their own pace. This approach repeatedly gets results – even when other methods have failed.
If your child is experiencing learning problems, here are some important things you should know:
- Implementing a program without first doing a proper assessment of your child’s learning problems will not lead to the right solution – At Strategic Learning Clinic we offer a unique 4-step assessment process which enables us get to the root of all academic problems
- Small group tutoring does not solve learning problems – research has shown that a one-on-one teaching approach, like the one used at our centre, is critical to achieving positive, lasting results
- Repetitively filling out worksheets or tutoring students to complete their homework does not get to the root of learning problems – that’s why our specialized programs are based on the most current research about how children learn, and are designed to teach to each child’s specific needs
- Using CEGEP and university students, or classroom teachers to tutor students does not usually resolve learning problems – you need experienced teachers, like the staff at Strategic Learning Clinic, who have an in-depth knowledge of the learning process and how to address specific academic problems
- Don’t buy into promises or guarantees that seem too good to be true – we believe in telling parents the truth about their child’s learning challenges and providing a realistic plan that will produce results for their child
Our trained experts evaluate each child through an individualized and thorough 4-step assessment process. Each child’s academic strengths and weaknesses are identified and a program is custom-built to address their unique challenges. This specialized approach has helped thousands of students become effective learners and is the key to our success.
Our process involves:
- An initial consultation
- Standardized testing and referrals to other professionals if required
- The development of a customized education plan designed to address your child’s specific learning challenges
- Ongoing monitoring of your child’s progress
So many factors affect a student’s progress, including the age at which they start getting help, their learning style, what kind of home and school support they have, and what their specific learning issues are. So the answer to this question will be different for every child. However, once you’ve come in for an initial consultation, we will be able to provide you with a realistic assessment of what kind of support your child will need and how long it will likely take.
Dyslexia is defined as having a difficulty with the alphabet, reading, writing, and spelling in spite of normal to above average intelligence, conventional teaching, and adequate socio-cultural opportunity. Dyslexia is a word commonly used to describe so many different reading and spelling problems. It encompasses many language difficulties and does not just mean the “person who sees the word backwards.” Children with dyslexia may be bright, have good vocabulary skills, and may even do well with numbers and math, but reading and spelling are hard. If you have been told that your child has dyslexia or you are concerned about their reading and spelling skills, we can help.
Strategic Learning Centre is known for its specific expertise in this area. We offer many specialized programs, including one for children with dyslexia. The Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing® Program is a unique and effective reading and spelling program that allows students to “unglue” the individual sounds in words. This program is very different from any other reading program taught in either public or private schools or other learning centers in the Montreal area.
Our founder, Karen Foley, has extensive experience in special education and reading, and has been working with students who have learning disabilities for over 30 years. That is one of the primary reasons she opened Strategic Learning Centre in 1989 – to help parents solve their children’s learning problems. Since that time, the centre has helped thousands of students become more confident, successful learners.
If you have been told your child has a learning disability or you suspect that he or she does,contact us at
Phone:
514-966-1553
to set up an initial consultation
Email:
Here are a few web sites about learning disabilities that parents find helpful:
Learning Disabilities Online
Rick Lavoie
(Author of It’s So Much Work to Be Your Friend: Helping the Child with Learning Disabilities Find Social Success)
www.RickLavoie.com
Learning Disabilities of Canada
The key to unlocking your child’s potential
Our goal is to strengthen the foundation of your child’s learning skills so they can better process and absorb the world of information around them. Parents ask us all the time what makes Strategic Learning Clinic different from other learning centres. First of all, SLC is a learning clinic; think of the Clinic as a doctor’s office for students with learning difficulties. The journey begins with our first meeting. We thoroughly get to know your child by reviewing, among other things, their language and motor development, past and current academic performance and behaviour, and relevant testing that has been done. We then implement individualized testing to pinpoint your child’s unique needs, followed by a strategic plan to address them. Your child is carefully monitored and evaluated at each stage of their progress.
We also differ from other learning centres in that your child will often begin with remediation in English, French, and math rather than tutoring. Remediation fills in the missing bricks in your child’s foundational abilities by going back and teaching them what they did not learn in previous grades. Like the development of core muscles for your body’s physical performance, developing these core aptitudes are essential for the brain’s ability to perform mental tasks, and achieve success in most educational disciplines.
Our remediation specialists are accredited teachers who have been specially trained to teach our remedial programs.
We understand the range of emotions that brought you here: frustration, fear, hopelessness. We sincerely hope you give us the opportunity to do what we do best: Provide your child with the required tools and skills in order for them to have the best possible future.
At the Strategic Learning Clinic, instead of just tutoring, we offer
- A specially designed programme for your child’s optimal success.
- Programme are based on current research and are delivered by experienced teachers based on your child’s learning capabilities.
- Through our effective consultation and assessment processes, we get to know your child’s underlying learning challenges.
- To understand your child’s learning and to redesign the programme for optimal offerings, we conduct frequent monitoring and retesting.
Our teachers conduct 1-on-1 remedial teaching sessions through various online, interactive platforms.
As opposed to tutoring, Strategic Learning Clinic’s remedial programs have benefited thousands of students for decades and have amply demonstrated that when a child is properly taught how to learn, then money and time is always wisely spent.
Traditional, content-based tutoring cannot guarantee success for all students. Studies have shown that at least 30% of students benefit from proven remedial programs taught by specially trained teachers in order to address long-standing learning challenges. This is what Strategic Learning Clinic has provided since 1989.
At Strategic Learning Clinic, we help you decide which of our specialists is best suited to fill in your child’s skill gaps. Parents have relied on our expertise in making this decision for over 33 years!
Our specially trained remedial teachers teach mostly English, French, math, history/geography, and science. If your child needs help in another subject, please contact us to inquire and we will do our best to accommodate their needs.
Program
Strategic Learning often recommends a combination of remedial and neuroplasticity programs to address your child’s reading impairment in decoding, fluency, and/or comprehension. Optimal results are obtained when these programs are done in conjunction with one another.
For over 33 years, Strategic Learning has been one of the acknowledged experts in remedial reading instruction in North America. Our process, proven programs, and outstanding dedicated teachers all contribute to our students’ enormous success over that time.
Due to the specialized nature of our remedial programs, for the vast majority of students, online learning is similar to in-person learning. These programs are so interactive that it is as if your child and the teacher are in the same room! Having said that, for a small number of students with severe developmental delays, online learning may not be ideal.
Summer is an ideal time for remediation! Your child has more time for sessions during a less stressful time of year. Many parents take advantage of those summer months to work with us more intensively over the summer, as much as five times per week. The more sessions your child has per week, the more quickly they progress!
Strategic Learning Clinic has offered exclusively online sessions since March 2020 and we have seen the same gains for students as before.
Since March 2020, parents have unanimously declared that they appreciate the convenience of the child having online sessions; gone are the days when a parent will have to travel long distances, often in inclement weather, to have sessions. This constant travel also took a toll on the child’s energy level over time. Since online sessions have been proven to be as effective as in-person sessions, everyone benefits.
Our remedial sessions during the school year are typically held for one hour twice per week. After a certain number of hours have been completed, we will reassess your child’s progress and needs.
Some learning centres offer group learning sessions, which while slightly less costly, have not been proven to address the root causes of an individual child’s challenges. As well, group learning is rarely preceded by a thorough analysis of that child’s needs.
Strategic Learning offers web-based neuroplasticity programs that are most effective when done on laptop or desktop computers.
The neuroplasticity programs are web-based; the student logs in online. Nothing is installed on your computer and the set-up is simple.
In order to ensure the success of the sessions, it is preferable for parents not to be present during remedial sessions. Any parent wishing to receive an update on their child’s progress may contact the teacher directly.
We are renowned for our remedial programs in English, French, and math. In English and French, our focus is on reading (decoding), comprehension, and writing. We also offer specialized tutoring in other subjects, such as science and history/geography.
Strategic Learning’s renowned executive function and study skills programs have helped countless students better plan when it comes to submitting quality assignments. We cover essential ‘soft skills’ such as time management, organization, planning, and task initiation.