Our Programs Get Results
Our specialized programs, many of which are not available anywhere else in Montreal, are effective because they are based on the most current research about how students learn. These specialized programs include both cognitive training and academic remedial programs.
Our cognitive training programs are designed to improve language and listening ability, reading and comprehension, attention and focus, and problem-solving skills. Academic remedial programs are designed to improve reading, writing, study skills and math. Students can also receive teaching to improve their marks in subject area content.
All of these programs are also unique in the way they are delivered – by experienced teachers and clinicians who work one-on-one with our students at their own pace. This approach repeatedly gets results, even when other methods have failed.
Our programs, most of which are available in English and French, are for students of all ages. They include:
- Fast ForWord® for language and reading
- Cellfield Reading Intervention Program
- Interactive Metronome® for focus and attention
- Cogmed Working Memory Training
- Feuerstein’s Instrumental Enrichment for cognitive training
Programs for Focus and Attention
Programs for Reading and Writing
- Fast ForWord®
- Cellfield Reading Intervention Program
- Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing® Program (reading and spelling)
- EMS (Enseignement multi-sensoriel simultané)
- Reading Comprehension Program
- Writing Program
Programs for Math
Additional Programs
Interactive Metronome® for focus and attention
Interactive Metronome® is a drug-free approach to improving the processing abilities that affect attention, motor planning and sequencing. This improvement, in turn, strengthens motor skills, including mobility and gross motor function, and many fundamental cognitive capacities such as planning, organizing and language.
Through IM training, participants are taught to synchronize various hand and foot movements to the incoming visual and auditory signals. Many students find that after doing this program, they have a better developed internal clock that allows them to process information faster and to plan their time more efficiently. Gains from this program in motor planning and sequencing can lead to improvements in the following areas:
- Attention and Concentration
- Language Processing
- Behaviour (Aggression and Impulsiveness)
- Motor Control and Coordination
- Academic Performance
More information regarding the Interactive Metronome® program, ideal for elementary and high school students, can be obtained by calling Strategic Learning Centre at 514-631-9745 or at the following web site: www.interactivemetronome.com
Cogmed Working Memory Training
Cogmed Working Memory Training is a five-week home-based computer program that helps with attention problems by training and increasing working memory capacity. Studies consistently show that most people with attention deficits have a working memory deficit. Research also shows that deficits in working memory are related to poor academic and professional performance. After training with Cogmed, students demonstrate clinically proven results, with improvement in the ability to concentrate, control impulsive behaviour, and better utilize complex reasoning skills. In the end, better academic and professional performance can be achieved.
Cogmed consists of 25 training sessions of 30-40 minutes each, done over five weeks. The scientifically developed and tested software adjusts the complexity level for each exercise, in real time, for maximum training effect. Each user has a Cogmed Coach who leads the training, tracks results and gives support and helps to motivate the participant. This program was licensed by Dr. Vicki Veroff and Strategic Learning Centre provides the coaching to optimize students' performance. More information can be obtained by calling Strategic Learning Centre at 514-631-9745 or by visiting the Cogmed web site at: www.cogmed.com.
Fast ForWord® Language and Reading Programs
Research has shown that only four to six weeks of Fast ForWord® training produces language gains of up to two years and improves a student’s ability to hear the individual sounds in words. This gives students the foundation to be able to acquire basic reading and spelling skills. Based on more than 30 years of neuroscience research, Fast ForWord® programs use computer technology to target the language and reading skills widely recognized as the keys to all learning. These programs are ideal for students, ages five to adult, who have difficulty with sound awareness, language ability, and/or the processing of auditory information.
More information about Fast ForWord® (developed by Scientific Learning) can be obtained by calling Strategic Learning Centre at 514-631-9745 or by visiting the Fast ForWord® web site at www.scientificlearning.com
Cellfield Reading Intervention Program
Cellfield is a computer-based intervention that addresses the inefficient neural wiring underlying reading problems, including dyslexia. Brain imaging research shows that poor readers have fewer reading brain circuits and in the wrong places. This makes reading laborious and too slow for good comprehension. Usual remediation methods alone cannot produce the desired reading results. However, Cellfield enables reading to become more automatic, increasing both fluency and comprehension.
How does Cellfield do this? Cellfield uses acoustically modified sound to rewire the brain so that children can hear the differences between words. Cellfield also uses brain plasticity principles to improve the ability to visually process text. And Cellfield's activities integrate the visual, auditory and motor functions that are relevant to fluent reading. On average, the reading skills of Cellfield participants improve between one and two grade levels in just ten days. More information can be obtained by calling Strategic Learning Centre at 514-631-9745 or by visiting the Cellfield web site at:www.cellfield.ca or www.cellfield.com.
Feuerstein’s Instrumental Enrichment (FIE)
Feuerstein’s Instrumental Enrichment is an intervention program designed to enhance the cognitive skills necessary for independent thinking and academic success. Through these learning experiences, students learn “how to learn” which can lead to increased academic performance.
FIE consists of fourteen "instruments of learning” which help learners develop the tools and habits of thinking allowing them to process information, see connections, visualize spatial and temporal relationships, reason deductively and inductively, and communicate in precise ways. As a result of this cognitive growth, students are able to deal with increasingly complex problems and situations in school, home and in life. Teachers at Strategic Learning Centre have been trained in this method and we are currently offering the Level 1 instruments. More information on the FIE program can be obtained by calling Strategic Learning Centre at 514-631-9745
Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing® Program - LIPS®
(English reading and spelling program)
The LIPS® program offers a completely unique and effective approach to solving reading and spelling problems for students of all ages. Because some students cannot hear the individual sounds in words, they often learn to read by memorizing words. To be a competent reader, students must go beyond memorization and learn to use our universal sound/symbol system in reading and spelling.
The LIPS® program is a unique phonological training program that uses sensory cues from the ear, the eye and the mouth to teach this critical decoding of words, as well as spelling skills. This program is complemented by a program that teaches sight words to improve reading and spelling.
More information about the LIPS® program can be obtained by calling Strategic Learning Centre at 514-631-9745 or by visiting this web site: www.lindamoodbell.com
Enseignement multi-sensoriel simultané - EMS
(French remedial reading and spelling program)
EMS is a multi-sensory reading program in French, which simultaneously uses visual, auditory, tactile and kinaesthetic pathways to teach accurate decoding, spelling and reading comprehension skills. Each lesson is presented in brief, sequential steps that allow students to make progress at their own pace and develop confidence in their ability to read and write French. This program is based on the renowned multi-sensory Orton-Gillingham method of reading and spelling and has been adapted by the Canadian Dyslexia Association for French Mother Tongue and French Immersion students. This program works effectively with all ages. For more information about EMS, please call Strategic Learning Centre at 514-631-9745.
Many students can read fluently but have difficulty in understanding or retaining what they are reading. At Strategic Learning Centre, we do not hand out practice worksheets requiring students to read story after story and answer questions related to what they have read. This provides practice only and does not teach children “how” to comprehend. Instead, we teach students how to make detailed pictures in their minds, using the information from the text. This shows students how to transform the words that they read into meaning so they truly comprehend what they’ve read. This ability to visualize and verbalize helps students to retain information when reading and during lectures, resulting in better project marks, test results and higher quality homework. This program works effectively with all ages. For more information about our unique Reading Comprehension Program, please call Strategic Learning Centre at 514-631-9745.
To earn good marks in school, students must be competent writers. At Strategic Learning Centre, our students work one-on-one with experienced writing teachers to become skillful in producing many different types of writing, including story writing, book reports, projects, essays and research papers. Our unique writing program emphasizes writing “for a reader” and helps students learn how to edit their writing to make their ideas more concise and understandable. In the earlier grades, students are taught the elements of a good story (setting, plot and characters) and the elements of good writing (sentence construction, spelling and punctuation). In later elementary and beyond, students are taught to write well-structured paragraphs, projects, essays and research papers. This program is suitable for students of all ages, including CEGEP and University. For more information on our Writing Program, contact Strategic Learning Centre at 514-631-9745.
Remedial Math Instruction (Elementary and High School)
Mastery of elementary math concepts is essential for success in math at the high school level. Students, who are struggling in math, are given an individualized standardized math test to begin. Areas of math that are measured include the basic concepts of math (i.e. the number system), the operations (addition, subtraction, etc.), and the application of math concepts (problem solving, measurement, time and money, etc.). A specialized program is then implemented to teach these missing skills.
At SLC, the JUMP ( Junior Undiscovered Math Prodigies) approach to mathematics teaching is the basic program utilized for struggling students, up to and including the Secondary 2 level. This innovative approach to mathematical instruction was developed by Dr. John Mighton, a mathematician from the University of Toronto. He believes, that with the right instruction, all students can master mathematical concepts.
With JUMP math, students develop competence by finding solutions for simplified models of a problem before moving to more complex problem solving. Students are not asked to struggle with open-ended mathematical problems until they have mastered the skills and concepts that will allow them to solve more simplified problems. Through guidance, meaningful instruction and practice, students develop confidence and competence in the understanding of mathematics.
For more information about our Remedial Math Teaching and JUMP math, call Strategic Learning Centre at 514-631-9745
Instruction for High School Math Courses
Many students, who have been successful math students at the elementary level, begin to falter with the demands of the higher level math courses in high school. Some students may need a more intensive remedial approach as described above. However, many other high school students just need some extra tutoring support to solidify the concepts that they are learning at school. With the Reform emphasizing problem-solving, many students need extra practice and guidance to prepare for the demands of the Ministry exams.
At SLC, students get help in reviewing the concepts learned in school. As well, our qualified team of teachers makes sure that all students have a strong mathematical base. And in addition, students are given lots of practice to prepare for their tests and exams. With SLC’s approach to math teaching, students improve their marks and gain confidence.
For more information about our high school math programs, call Strategic Learning Centre at 514-631-9745.
Like all of our programs at Strategic Learning Centre, our Study Skills program goes beyond the basics and teaches students “how” to learn better and dramatically improve their study habits. We begin by teaching students to identify the main idea and the most important information – only then can good note taking occur. The second thing we do differently is teach students how their brains process information and then we introduce them to a wide variety of strategies that they can use to master the content they are studying. Through our Study Skills Program, students learn strategies for learning and remembering information, and better note taking, time management, and organizational techniques. This program is suitable for students beginning at grade 4 and right through to CEGEP and University.
High School, CEGEP and University Subject Teaching
Many students at the high school level or beyond may begin to experience difficulty in a particular subject area – even though they don’t have any serious learning problems. Reasons for this can include that the subject content is very advanced, that the language of instruction is making it challenging for the student to follow, or that the teaching style of the instructor doesn’t suit the learning style of the student.
At Strategic Learning Centre, our subject content teachers are specially trained and experienced in the subjects they are teaching. Through one-on-one instruction, students not only learn the content but also the “how” of learning. The skills students acquire improve their marks and give them “tools” that can be applied to all subject areas. We offer subject teaching in math, science, history, geography, chemistry, biology, English and French. For more information about our Subject Teaching, please call Strategic Learning Centre at 514-631-9745.
At Strategic Learning Centre we are committed to getting results and helping our students achieve academic success. That’s why we offer all of our programs during the summer months as well. Because children are out of school, the summer gives us the opportunity to address serious reading, writing, comprehension, math or French difficulties with intensive, daily instruction. This concentrated, one-on-one teaching can have dramatic results. In addition, the summer gives many students the opportunity to participate in our cognitive and brain training programs without the pressure of attending school. Intensive summer work can enable students to return to school in the Fall, having made significant progress in their areas of weakness. For information about our Summer Programs schedule, please call Strategic Learning Centre at 514-631-9745