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Our approach |
Philosophy |
| Learning is a two-way process best facilitated by questions, answers, and challenges. Challenges often have the added benefit of generating more questions, thus spawning a love of learning. |
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| At Baker Language & Learning Center, our desire is to see students actively involved with the material which they are studying. Often, students come with a feeling or a statement that they are not "good" in a specific study area; we aim to squelch that self-perception by working with the student to discover his or her untapped talent. |
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| "If a student can shift from saying, 'I'm not good at math (or writing, or science)' to 'This isn't so hard even if it's not my favorite subject,' I feel a student has made great strides in gaining the confidence to succeed in those areas," says Center Director, Amy Baker Williamson. |
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Critical analysis |
| Thinking in an educational setting is more than a simple search into the mind's stores for the correct answer to a question. It involves reason and critique, examination and analysis. In order to take education out of an academic context and into real life, a student must be able to analyze the content of what she or he is learning and find a practical application for that knowledge. In this way, a student sees the correlation between seemingly unrelated disciplines, thus beginning a lifelong love of learning. |
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| Beyond the construct of arguments that accompanies thoughtful analysis, an examination of a student's own reasoning process is encouraged at Baker Learning Center. When this is done, a student can examine the basis of his or her own opinion and evaluate its appropriateness in a given situation. This is what makes critical thinking more than just problem-solving. |
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| At BLLC, we encourage the Socratic method of learning; that is, identifying a Problem, presenting an Example, engaging in Discussion and Two-way questioning. In this way, the student is actively engaged in the learning process, rather than a simple repository into which information is deposited. |
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How to get started |
| The first step to receiving services at Baker Language & Learning Center is the telephone interview whereby parents and Center Director, Amy Baker Williamson, have a conversation to establish the needs of the student and family, learning or care goals, and availability of space at the Center. |
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| Once an objective is formed for tutoring, parents are asked to complete an application with their child in order to facilitate a team-oriented approach. That is, the child should be actively involved with the objectives of the tutoring and provide input as to what he or she believes will create the best learning outcomes. If a student is not motivated to do the work, it is difficult to achieve a parent's stated goals. By doing the application together, families begin to form a shared vision. |
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| When the completed application is received with copies of the student's latest progress reports, a time slot is scheduled and a program is established for the student. Regular parent interaction and/or quarterly conferences are scheduled for specific program work; quarterly progress reports can be requested by parents for students doing regular homework maintenance. |
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