The Children’s Health Council, the Bay Area Professional Development Provider for the Schools Attuned®Program, has selected Redwood Day School as an East Bay training site. The nationally recognized The Schools Attuned® Program is a student-learning program developed by leading child development specialist Dr. Mel Levine of the University of North Carolina. The program includes on-site teacher training each summer for instructors from across Northern California. The entire Redwood Day School faculty completes this training.
The Schools Attuned® Program is a professional development and service delivery program that helps educators acquire the knowledge and skills, and offers a system of innovative tools, to meet the diverse learning needs of K-12 students. For the past 30 years, understanding children’s brain development and learning styles have been the focus of Dr. Levine’s work at the University of North Carolina. He is a world-recognized expert at assisting educators in using neurodevelopment research to create a successful learning environment for all students. Dr. Levine has appeared on national television programs such as The Today Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
“Dr. Levine’s ideas help teachers engage students to help them better understand themselves and make learning more alive and enjoyable. In practice, they ensure that our students are exceptionally prepared for high school after they graduate from Redwood Day,” said Dr. Michael Riera, Head of School at Redwood Day School. “Over the past four years, we have sent the majority of our teachers to Schools Attuned® trainings, and we’ve enjoyed great success applying his ideas. These tools are an integral part of the rigorous academic program and culture we offer at our school,” added Riera.
Dr. Levine has determined that all children learn using a unique combination of eight identifiable learning styles including a student’s strengths in memory, language, and visual cognition. The Schools Attuned® program trains administrators, teachers, parents and students to recognize and understand different learning styles and introduces tools that help students learn better, based on the strengths and weaknesses of their specific learning style. This approach dramatically improves learning with all types of students.
“Children absorb information and learn new concepts in different ways,” commented a third grade teacher at Redwood Day. "Dr. Levine's training program has given me and my colleagues practical methods to tap into a student's strengths, identify how best to reach that student, and to design lessons, materials, and assignments accordingly,” added the teacher.
