The Teaching and Learning Center Approaches the Big "1-0"

Over the past 10 years, the Glenn Teaching and Learning Center has experienced many defining events. When we began in August 2006, we were uncertain of the path ahead. Our team met, developed protocols, strategies, ideas and goals. Today, we are clear we have made significant progress as a Learning Center and for the students we serve.

Our first goal was to define the Teaching and Learning Center and develop a description of what learning specialists will accomplish in assisting teachers and students. During those first few years, we set out to educate others on our role and expectations. The early years were characterized by many conversations that defined a “learning specialist” role. Darlington had never had a Learning Center and therefore the terminology was unfamiliar to everyone.

We became the Glenn Teaching and Learning Center, thanks to a gift from the Glenn Family, and slowly became the leader in the area providing comprehensive services to students at no extra cost. Our model was not a “fee for service” model that other schools had adopted. Our model was to serve all students by working with teachers in the classroom and to provide additional services to those with identified learning differences in a small class setting. In addition, we work with students before school, after school and during lunch to assist them with study skills. Our breadth of services would not be possible under a different model.

Each year, our learning specialists have attended as many professional development opportunities as possible. We work to find funding to take teachers to conferences similar to the Learning & the Brain Conference in Boston. Over the last couple of years, we have moved from being an observer, to assisting in the presentations. We have taken teachers to other schools to observe their practices. Visiting other programs and schools is essential to our growth and meeting challenges, thus helping us to strive to be the best. We also visit colleges that provide extra support to students. This enables us, through Darlington’s College Guidance Office, to provide college counseling to our students.

In order to broaden our knowledge, we were awarded a Thatcher Master Teacher Fund grant for this year. Our grant proposal incorporated visiting other schools to gather information on their programs. The goal is to assimilate information on policies and program directives, and evaluate these to guide our strategic planning.

By meeting with other learning specialists, and gathering information from their experience, we could identify goals for the Glenn Teaching and Learning Center. This year we have gathered information from schools in South Carolina, Missouri, Tennessee, New York, New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Georgia. During these visits, one theme emerged. Learning centers around the country struggle with similar challenges as we do and they desire more information. 

As a result of our travels, we realized that the Glenn Teaching and Learning Center is a leader in providing services to students. During a visit with Charlotte Christian School’s academic dean, we decided to collaborate and form a Learning Center Symposium. Thanks to the Thatcher grant, we will have over 50 learning specialists meet at Clemson University March 6-8, 2016. 

The program will include presentations on policies, strategies and the sharing of ideas on best practices. In addition, the Clemson University Academic Success Center will provide a tour of their facilities and will discuss college offerings for student success. While we have a significant number of participants, we have others that cannot attend due to scheduling, but have requested to attend the next symposium.

We have plans for another symposium next year and hope to continue it as an annual event. Sharing information is key to helping all of us to become better, and we believe that we can facilitate better support for all students through this initiative.

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