Building Thriving Minds, LLC Tutoring
Building Thriving Minds specializes in identifying, strengthening, and transforming the lives of struggling students.
Mission Statement
Building Thriving Minds provides foundational cognitive and academic skills enabling struggling students to become more engaged and focused on their learning. Additionally, through my tutoring practice, I strive to provide parent support and outreach so they understand how to advocate for and assist their child in school and beyond.
"Science has moved forward at a rapid pace so that we now possess the data to reliably define dyslexia...For the student, the knowledge that he is dyslexic is empowering...[It provides him] with self-understanding and self-awareness of what he has and what he needs to do in order to succeed."
Sally Shaywitz, M.D., co-director of Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity
—Testimony before the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, United States House of Representatives
Specialized Tutoring in:
- Providing interventions to increase cognitive abilities related to visual and auditory processing issues, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia, slow working memory, attention and comprehension skills.
- Strengthening and creating new neural pathways in the brain to facilitate efficient learning.
- Building foundational skills necessary for students to be successful in reading, spelling, writing and math.
Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. "Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia may experience difficulties in other language skills, such as spelling, writing, and speaking. Dyslexia is a life-long status, however, its impact can change at different stages in a person's life. It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed academically in the typical instructional environment."
-Taken from The International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
Classes & Hours
Building Thriving Minds, LLC offers one-on-one tutoring sessions based on diagnostic and prescriptive assessments to develop an educational plan to meet the needs of your child.
- Sessions can be scheduled from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
- Minimum of two 50-minute sessions each week.
- Quiet classroom in my home-learning center, centrally located in Missoula, MT
- Online sessions offered through Zoom
- Keeps communication open between teachers and parents.
Services Offered
Structure of Intellect (SOI)
The Structure of Intellect theory (SOI) was developed by Dr. J. P. Guilford during World War II to assist the US Army to select future pilots for their rigorous training. He identified specific cognitive abilities necessary for prospective pilots. Since WWII, Dr. Bob and Mary Meeker adapted the Structure of Intellect to measure the abilities needed for academic performance.
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Currently, SOI is being used around the world to help children with learning difficulties, as well as with "gifted" children to increase performance in already developed skills. SOI works to enhance learning abilities. Structure of Intellect's philosophy is that intelligence is not "fixed,” as had been supposed.
Intellectual abilities can be taught.
With the appearance of studies in the plasticity of the brain, researchers have brought this new awareness into the fields of neuroscience and education.
By focusing on improving the underlying brain functions that are impeding a person’s progress, we see huge gains in overall cognitive function and even the remediation of learning disabilities.
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SOI-IPP: Integrated Practice Protocol
IPP was created from client needs because there was often an indication through SOI testing and therapy that a client may have vision or sensory-integration problems that were as inhibiting to learning as were the undeveloped learning abilities. These conditions often underlie learning achievement.
SOI-IPP allows trained practitioners to treat clients’ problems with specially developed exercises to improve focusing, sensory integration, and auditory skills. Weaknesses in these areas inhibit successful learning in school and beyond. Areas assessed include:
Sensory Integration:
Crossing the midline of the Body
Mentally Crossing the Midline
Balance
Body in Space
Small Motor Coordination
Visual-Processing:
Targeting
Moving Focus
Eyes – Teaming
Shifting Focus
Aiming Focus
Due to CoVid-19 and all online sessions, I am not able to treat my clients using SOI_IPP.
Reading & Spelling
I offer individualized instruction for students experiencing language-related difficulties using an Orton-Gillingham or Structured Literacy approach, which provides the multi-sensory and systematic foundational skills necessary to enable confident reading and spelling. Orton-Gillingham has been shown through research to be highly effective for students with language-based learning difficulties, such as dyslexia. Prior to starting an O-G program, it is often necessary to first build a strong phonemic awareness of our language, using highly specialized programs to help students develop these critical pre-reading skills.
Math & Writing
When teaching math to young children, I use an approach that follows Orton-Gillingham methodology, Math-U-See, which focuses on concretely building the concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions, telling time and understanding money through the use of manipulatives.
The Institute for Excellence in Writing curriculum lays the foundation for my writing instruction. "In order to succeed in every area of life, children must hone the skills needed to communicate confidently and effectively. Through the process of learning to write well, students learn how to think clearly and to express themselves eloquently and persuasively." IEW website
Equipping Minds - Cognitive Skills Training
Equipping Minds is a holistic approach that goes beyond academic instruction. It addresses underdeveloped cognitive areas which make learning and remembering difficult. Recent research has demonstrated that Equipping Minds works to increase working memory, processing speed, attention, comprehension, critical thinking, and communication skills by focusing on the whole person, by incorporating this cognitive development program with sound therapy and primitive reflex exercises to strengthen the memory, providing a strong foundation for effective learning.