Here is a teacher who knows how to use a test to maximize learning:

I was quite impressed by a certain science teacher in the Richmond School District. This science teacher teaches my client’s daughter who is in grade 8.

Why am I impressed? Well, whereas most teachers would just use a test to see how much a student has learned, this science teacher goes beyond that. Mr. Smart* actually asks his students to take the marked tests home, correct the mistakes, and then bring the corrected tests back for an “upgrade”— that is, if done right, the teacher would move the grade one notch up. If, for example, a student got a “C+” and he/she dutifully corrected all the mistakes and brought the test back to the teacher, the final grade for the test would be “B+” instead of the original “C+.”

This is very clever. By dangling a carrot before he students – promising to revise the marks for a properly corrected test— the students who didn’t do well the first time will be highly motivated to look carefully at their mistakes and to find out what the correct answer should be.

To me, that is getting maximum value from a test!

* The science teacher’s name has been changed to protect my client’s privacy.

Steve Jobs is gone forever. His contribution to special education lives on, however.

Today’s special education students are blessed to have so many Apple products available to support their learning. For the dyslexic student who cannot read fluently, if he/she has a Mac that can do text to speech, then the obstacle to learning becomes less daunting. And for those students with working memory problems and cannot correctly copy from the board, an iPod Touch with a camera or an iPhone can do the trick — one click and the image of whatever needs to be copied can be captured.

The world has lost a brilliant star. We will miss Steve Jobs.

Too little too late -- small garden hose for a big fire!

So much of what we do in special education has to do with being timely. The earlier we detect the learning problems, the earlier we can do something about it.

Unfortunately, early identification and intervention is much talked about and not practiced enough. A non-intrusive and fun screening done at our office which takes less than thirty minutes will often do the trick in detecting “at-risk” young children. This is why we offer School Readiness Screening so parents with young children entering kindergarten can have a chance to be alerted for possible learning problems.

The cost of the early screening is negligible when one considers how expensive LD intervention services can be. If parents allow learning problems to go unchecked, the cost at the end will be far greater. And I am talking about the social-emotional cost which cannot always be measured in financial terms. Many LD individuals suffer from having a low self-esteem as well as other social adjustment problems.

The earlier the LD student receives attention, the more likely the learning problems can be reduced so that they will not suffer unnecessarily.

One of the nicest and most original comments I have received recently from a Chinese client was this: she said, “You offer your services with the fluidity of water and the smoothness of silk.”

Somewhat surprised and puzzled, I asked her to elaborate on what she meant by that.

She then explained, “Well, through your consulting and strategic planning, you help us go around obstacles – just like water. Nothing can stop water; it has a way of getting through somehow. That is what you do best!”

“What about the silk part?” I asked.

My client answered, “You always smooth things out, whether it is through “diplomacy” or “networking” – you achieve goals without ruffling feathers. The process is as smooth as silk – it feels good to have problems solved discretely, without creating too much extra work for us, the parents. That is important for busy folks like ourselves.”

Needless to say, I was walking on air for the next few days, thanks to the kind words of my grateful client. I am very happy that what I tried so hard to achieve in my work can be “felt” and appreciated by my client.

The goal that I set for myself in managing our clients’ cases has always been the same: aim for excellence. We have expertise in learning disabilities in our organization; we have a “network of excellence” to draw from when it comes to finding suitable subject tutors; and we are efficient in solving the student’s learning problems. We help struggling learners reach their targets in a timely way!

Incidentally, the analogy of “water” and “silk” is very Chinese – “fluidity” has a sort of gentle dynamics to it while “smoothness” denotes grace and diplomacy.These are highly valued qualities in the Chinese culture.