answers for teachers
We hope the FAQs below will be helpful for you! If you have a question that’s not covered here or would like to reach out anyway, click here to send us a note. We’d love to hear from you!
What is the range of skills your program addresses?
Our program addresses all the foundational literacy skills ranging from reading comprehension to purposeful writing.
How is your program different from other literacy and learning support programs?
Our program is unique in that we show and teach the specific actions that form the basis of language processing using the students’ own curriculum material.
Is the method that you offer difficult to teach?
No, it is straightforward and effective. The method consists of a simple process that the student needs to learn, practice and master in order to achieve to their full intellectual potential in a language processing setting. The steps themselves are easy to follow and the Wordspace is set up so that the student can practice these skills on curriculum work at any time or place.
Is the LEARN method proven to be effective?
The methodology was created and refined over the past 30 years in classrooms and in one-to-one sessions with our co-founder. We have benchmarking and documentation showing the results of its usage on hundreds of students, revealing staggering reading and writing performance shifts of anywhere from 15 to 60 percentile points over the course of a school year.
How can I implement LEARN in a classroom environment?
LEARN is an acronym that can be used in any learning environment. This sequential process can be implemented during a teacher’s presentation of material of any kind as well as in the guided or independent reading that occurs throughout the day in the classroom or through homework assignments. The method is embedded in our online Wordspace — the Wordspace is great for classrooms too! We have built in support for educators and tutors that are working are using the Wordspace with one or more students. They can also use the Wordspace from home!
Can I use any material in the Wordspace?
Yes! The Wordspace was designed to work with any text informative or literary. PDFs can sometimes present a challenge. The current most effective way to transport a PDF into the Wordspace is to first copy and paste it into a plain text application and then from there into the Wordspace. We are currently working on creating a PDF decoder to facilitate this process for our members.
Are there resource supports available to help me with the method?
Yes. Our online Learning Centre is available in the Wordspace — it contains video tutorials of all key aspects of the process. There is also an open webinar each month which any teacher can join to hear the key components of the program and pose questions. If you’d like to join the webinar, send us a note to register.
What should I share with parents about LEARN/Next Knowledge?
The most important idea to share with parents is that their child is being taught a method for their listening, reading and writing that will immediately increase their competence and therefore their confidence in their ability as a learner. The most important aspect of this process is that LEARN can be internalized so that their child will be able to carry this new-found knowledge with them wherever their goals and dreams lead them.
What should I tell my school administrators about LEARN/Next Knowledge?
The most important message to any administrator is that LEARN, the Wordspace and its online learning companion, Alice, were specifically designed to be easily accessible and implementable from both a teacher training and cost perspective. The LEARN method itself is straightforward and the Wordspace has built in tutorial components to help any learner quickly grasp the foundational aspects of it. Additionally, the administrator will be happy to hear that the challenges they face on a daily basis are taken into account by Next Knowledge both in our institutional pricing policy as well as in the specially tailored tutoring features that can be added to help facilitate the learning of “gateway” or prerequisite course material.
Is there an institutional pricing/deployment model?
Yes! Our system has been designed to accommodate the unique demands and requirements of in-class learning. Please contact us for more information on how Next Knowledge can be deployed in your learning environment.
Is the program that you offer to individuals different from your institutional program?
Not at its core foundation. We offer an online Wordspace which anyone can use to acquire critical language processing skills. The difference between the portal for private and institutional users is that there are specific features built into the portal for teachers within institutions that enable them to directly interact with their students through a shared document channel as well and through access to an embedded document area. This area contains processed text that the institution has selected as part of their participation in our program.
As a private tutor or coach, can I engage the program to use with my students and clients?
Yes. The Wordspace is formatted so that anyone can create a group membership that would give access to many of the same features offered to institutions. You can contact us to find out more about this service.