Writing is a critical skill that crosses all content areas and which enables people to communicate in a clear and sophisticated manner. At Ivy Prep, we know that success at school, at work, and in all relationships requires the ability to communicate our ideas to others with clarity and sophistication.
We provide direct instruction in writing, using our own materials or actual school and work content. Creative and expository (analytic) writing instruction focuses on teaching students to identify their message, to organize their ideas to communicate them to others in a clear and effective manner, and to edit material as part of the writing process.
Since each individual learns in a unique way, we customize writing instruction toward the style and needs of the individual student. That can take the form of the traditional “Cornell Method” of outlining, computer brainstorming (“graphic organizer”) software, speech-to-text programs, or “low-tech” options such as outlining, post-it notes or index reference cards. As our students develop a clear sense of how to best approach the writing process, they begin to transfer that knowledge to an array of writing contexts with ease and success.
We particularly aim to use adaptive technology with students who have output problems such as Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities (“NLD”), graphomotor problems, and scanning difficulties that contribute to problems with editing. These technologies can take the form of speech-to-text and text-to-speech programs, electronic keyboards, and methods of abbreviated note-taking from recordings of classroom lectures. When appropriate, we also advocate for and teach methods of preparing for oral examinations as an accommodation for difficulties in written production.