Who We Are “I’m through accepting limits, because someone says there so…”

1. Defying Gravity“Because everyone deserves the chance to fly!”Teresa LincolnHDF 414Fall 2010Robert Vincent

2. Who We Are“I’m through accepting limits, because someone says there so…” Vision Statement “Look what we’ve got:a fairytale plot, our very own happy ending.” • Defying Gravity will guide students with specific learning disabilities in mainstream classrooms down a path towards developing self-confidence, and learning to be their own advocate. To meet these goals, Defying gravity will take a holistic approach, including body, mind, and spirit. Physically, students will have the opportunity to develop strengths, focus on achievements, and the concept of ABILITIES. Mentally, students will discover their own learning styles, and develop techniques to apply them to all aspects of life. Spiritually, students will work to develop, and nurture a stronger self image, and higher confidence in themselves. The program looks to target issues that pertains to specific developmental periods, and will happen on three different levels targeting high school students, middle school students, and (older) Elementary school students.

3. Target students “these things were sent to try us.” • High school: The ideal HS student is starting to discover the core values of Liberation on their own. It is very likely to have HS students in all stages of either cycle. The ones in need of intervention the most have spiraled into a depression, and do not see that there is any light at the end of the tunnel. With this group, it is important to focus on the future and gain confidence by doing things and looking forward to see what can be done. Also students will begin to see their strengths in different ways, and learn to take an individualized strengths-based approach to handling difficult material. They will also begin recognizing, and being able to use the strengths they see in others, and are able to effectively ask for help. • Middle school: Students are likely stuck in the “do nothing, inward” stage of socialization. It is possible (and ideal) that the student is in the bubble of wanting to make a change, but does not know how, and is stuck, and discouraged. They are developmentally not ready to do things on their own and NEED to be brought up by older mentors, so they don’t get “lost” The biggest things Defying Gravity will focus on will be: building confidence by self discovery, and self acceptance, living by the core values of Liberation, and developing, and applying individual’s strengths. • Elementary school-Most likely students this young will not understand why they are the way they are, and start to shut down because of lack of understanding. It is likely that ES students are in the transition of coming from focusing only on negatives, and weaknesses, going to silence, frustration, and depression. For this age group, Defying Gravity will focus on acceptance, and understanding, helping students gain confidence by learning about themselves, and watching others (role models) succeed. Hopefully working with mentors will show them what can be done, and the potential that they have. DG will also avoid students falling further into the negative spirals of Socialization, and will help reinforce the ideas that the “early interventions” are providing, but also acting as a social outlet and support in addition to the school’s academic approach. • A trap for all age groups is getting stuck in the middle of the Cycle of Socialization, when a student wants to break out, and do something, and improve their life, but does not know how. This desire to change can come from a positive or negative stimulus, but regardless, if the student does not have the knowledge, tools, or support to proceed, they are likely to get discouraged, and sucked into a depression stage that will be hard to break initially, but once out of it, the student will be able to blossom. • Each part of the Defying Gravity retreat will be facilitated by college aged young adults. These facilitators will be working behind the scenes to motivate students to discover things on their own. They will be there as support, but will step back as much as possible, encouraging students to step up.

4. What We Will Do“You can have all you ever wanted.” All students attending should be able to come away from Defying Gravity with: • The sense of belonging to a community • Accepting the idea that no individual is the same, and everyone has different strengths, and ways of learning, and doing things • The knowledge and understanding of individual diagnosis’s, and what they mean in and out of a classroom setting • The ability to identify their own learning style, and strengths • The understanding of what it means to have a learning disabilities and how to see, and use their “disability” as a strength, talent, and ability • The ability to shift their focus from disability, to ability • The ability to not only see core values of the cycle of liberation, but to believe, and live by them • The desire and ability to take charge of their own life • A boosted sense of self-confidence, and higher self-esteem • Less of a need to rely on others as advocates, and will be able to effectively advocate for themselves

5. “You can have all you ever wanted.” In addition to these goals, High school students should come away with: • Knowledge of self-disclosure techniques • Exposure to life paths beyond high school • Wanting to help themselves by living to their potential, as well as wanting to bring up, and develop others Middle School Students will be able to: • Focus on their own individual achievements, and accomplishments, not comparing themselves to those of their peers. • Know when, and how to ask for help • Look and live beyond a label of a “disability” Elementary school students will: • Know how to appropriately react, and respond to bullies, or teasing from classmates • Be able to see special talents they have as true strengths

6. How We Will Get There“’Till I try, I’ll never know…” • The program goals for Defying Gravity will be achieved through a series of workshops, activities, and small group discussions. The activities will allow for creative thinking, teamwork, and self-discovery. The workshops will provide information and opportunities for students to answer their own questions and provide an understanding that they are not alone in what they go through. Additionally, they will see that they are now a part of a community of people very similar to themselves. The group discussions will be held in groups of same age peers, and in small groups that include members from each grade area. The groups of mixed aged students will be set up as “families” that will act as mentoring groups. They will help develop each group in a different way, but are essential to the program’s success as a whole.

7. High School Students “I’ve decided to make you my new project…I’m determined to succeed, just follow my lead!” • By allowing them to have younger students to mentor, they have the opportunity to be a role model, and a hero to younger students. They will also be able to see the leadership potential they have when they lead their family in group discussions, and different activities. Putting high school students in charge of other students will allow them to develop their strengths, and social skills. By working with younger students, the HS students will be able to progress through the Cycle of Liberation while still at the retreat, and under the guidance and support of the facilitators. By laying this foundation, they are more likely to use the tools, and confidence learned here to continue on their own after the retreat is over.

8. Middle School Students “…there’s nothing that can stop me.” • The middle school students are too young to really be able to see their own potential, and see into their own futures. By having older students to look up to within their “families” they will be able to how much they will be able to do, and how far they will be able to take things. They have an older “brother”, or “sister” that they will be able to look up to, and use as support, and guidance. Ideally, at the end of the retreat, they will continue to seek out guidance of the elders in their family long after the retreat is over. In addition to having an older role model, the middle school students will be able to work with the younger elementary school students, and be able to help adopt them, and help them in their journey. Having younger students look up to them, as well as to the high school students will provide them with an immediate confidence boost. They will feel important.

9. Elementary School Students “I’ll be back for good someday; to make my life, and make my way…” • The elementary school students are a part of the families as the kid brother, or kid sister. Their presence will allow the older students to grow, and develop their own sense of confidence. They will get the benefits of having many older students who are eager to teach, and protect them. By having older students to work with, the youngest students will be receiving a balance of nurturing. At their stage of development, and understanding, it will be extremely powerful for the little ones to have the individualized attention that the older students will be able to provide. They will likely latch on, and try to mimic at least one of the older students they work with. This is where the older students will be able to act as long term mentors, and remain in contact, and help develop the youngest members of their family.

10. “Together we’re unlimited….” • Within the “family” groups, activities and discussions will be based around teamwork and trust sequencing. This way each mentoring group will learn to trust and depend on one another, forming a sense of togetherness. The discussion groups will allow students to share things that they love and are passionate about, as well as things they don’t like, and find difficult. This is also an opportunity for all of the students to share the pride they have in their own, and their family member’s accomplishments. Talking about things that individuals are proud of will help empower the whole group. The students will be able to collaborate, and help find solutions for one another that incorporate the passion, pride, and joy the student has for some things into things that they find more challenging. Ideally by the end of the Defying Gravity retreat, the groups will continue to support one another and go to their “family” when they need guidance, support or advice.

11. How We See It: Leadership Models“You’ve got me seeing through different eyes” • I used the ideas from Harro’s Cycles of Socialization, and Liberation, and rewrote them to fit my target groups, and Defying Gravity’s goals specifically. I used information from individual’s experiences, as well as information that learned from my contacts. These cycles depict a good before, and after (long term) image of where students thought process will be.

12. The Cycle of Liberation and Cycle of Socialization (Harro) were adapted to fit this group specifically, and are attached separately from the PowerPoint.

13. Path through Cycle of Liberation“What is this feeling, fervid as a flame…I do believe that it can last.” 1. Knowing that they are not living alone, helping reach out to others Younger kids within mentoring groups 2. Community at the retreat (HS, MS, ES, college facilitators, any outside adults) Get PUMPED 3. Start at retreat Exposure to potential (self) discovery learning how to learn, and strive by using collaborations, group work/discussions 4. Working closely with mentoring groups small scale, but will give practice, and exposure Act as role models, being accessible, and present to MSs. and ESs. end of Defying Gravity program 5. Maintain- continuing contact w mentoring groups Resisting sliding back into socialization cycle Not stopping!! Continuing to move forward and work through obstacles that will come up 6. Not being afraid of new things, or different approaches. Facing challenges, and reaching out for help when needed 7. “Stretching the circle wider” Being confident enough in self, to want to, and be able to reach out, and take in others who need help.

14. Why We Need It“Look how bright we’ll shine…” • Students with learning disabilities struggle in the education system not because they cannot learn, but because they learn differently than their peers. As a result of being different than their peers and being flooded with negative messages and stereotypes, these students start to believe that they are not capable. Students thinking like this result in having a lowered self confidence and sense of self-worth. Thinking this way leads down a dark path of frustration, depression, and being closed-minded. Defying Gravity is set up to boost confidence at the root of the source, and will take the student’s negative self image, and open them up to the concepts revolving around love and support. Students will work with what they are already good at, and develop ways to translate their strengths and learning styles into what they see as disabilities. This method of self discovery will have to potential to do many things. Students will reinforce their strengths and previous achievements, as well as opening themselves up to the ideas of self love, and support. It is vital for students to make these shifts as early as possible. The sooner they see themselves as able, and strong, the sooner they will be able to stand up for themselves. Hopefully, they will then be able to go out into the community and try to help bring other’s up as well. Programs like this do not exist, and as a result, students are struggling socially in addition to the academic challenges they face, they do not know how to ask for help, and they are not reaching their potential, or have wasted time not knowing how to find it. Don’t you think “it’s time to try Defying Gravity”?

15. Where We Come From“…dreams the way we planned them, if we work in tandem” Westchester YMCA swim team Orca Pods Developed by Gaku Ito, Pods were set up to have an “Elder” swimmer, “baby” swimmers, and in between “middle” swimmers. The goals of this program were to create strong team foundations revolving around the inclusion of all swimmers, and the idea that everyone is an important asset to the team/family. The Pods were also used to inspire communication of ideas and creativity amongst swimmers (especially in the realm of social activities such as team bonding events and cheers). They were also used as a way to empower Elder swimmers, by offering them opportunities for more responsibility as future leaders. SMILE Program In the Science Math Investigative Learning Experiences program students and teachers came together from different schools and backgrounds from around Rhode Island, and worked together to discover and teach one another about topics they were all interested in. The students were able to make friends and network from different schools all across the state. Camp Environment Taking the concept of “time standing still” from a summer camp environment. Also, the idea of taking all of the participants into a completely different environment, allowing them to focus on only what is going on around them, and not stressing about things that are happening in the “real world” while they are at the retreat. URI Leadership Institute Creating small groups of students that continue to use one another as social outlets, and support long after the program is over. Also being able to have access to a community, that offers many different levels of support, and mentoring opportunities. SOAR: America’s Premier Adventure Program for Youth with ADHD, and LD’s The camp SOAR is the closest program that I came across when researching for my project. There are still some major differences in what I envision for my project however. SOAR’s philosophy is that “everybody with a learning disability and attention deficit disorder poses inherent talents and gifts. These abilities can mean incredible success in adulthood once these students negotiate the challenging obstacles of childhood, adolescence, and traditional education system, usually unable to respond to individual learning styles.” SOAR uses outdoor adventures to help students find their strengths, and build confidence.

16. What We Are Made Of“…helping you with your accent…” The Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Gave information about support programs that the state provides students, along with legal rights that students with disabilities have. The state of Rhode Island has set up “early intervention” programs, which theoretically provide students with the support they need sooner, however, this program does not deal with any issues the student faces outside of the academic classroom. Classroom Teachers and Education Students Who provided their insight about issues that they and their students faced in a mainstream classroom. Each teacher had a different lenses, and experience. I was able to pull information from: Michal Ennis, a high school Biology, Pam Westkott, 3rd grade teacher, Tory Waldeisen, a URI student teacher, with a Special Ed. Concentration, and SulinaMohany, Teach for America, and an inclusion teacher. Professional speakers/authors Dr. Rick Lavoie, a public speaker, and author who “does not (ever) speak to student groups. His message is for the adults who live/work with kids who struggle.” While he talks to a different audience than I am interested in, he was able to confirm that what I am thinking of is not a common approach. His website and publications contained valuable information. Dr. Scott Crouse, a researcher, author, and school psychologist, who chooses to direct his work towards students. He was able to provide a lot of help, and insight as to why some of his colleges do not talk to a student audience, and also what he does, and how he does it. His book, Uncovering the Mysteries of your Learning Disability a manual for Discovery, Self-Awareness, and Self- Advocacy (Scott Crouse, PhD, 2009) was able to provide me with concepts that were important to incorporate into my program. Overall, I want the students who go through my program to work through all of the concepts that Dr. Crouse highlighted in his book. Frostig Center In Pasadena, California is a research and support center for children with learning disabilities. They work to help identify where learning disabilities came from, and how to teach LD students more effectively. They act as an academic support to students, their parents, and educators. The center does outreach to educators across the country to provide more information to more educators nationwide. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) The American’s with disabilities law thatIDEA is the legal documentation that requires schools to provide students with an Individualized learning plan (IEP) or a 504 plan with appropriate accommodations. The accommodations are meant to level the playing field with average students.