This flyer is from a specialized juku (learning differences) around the corner from where we live in Kitsilano.
Inside of three-fold brochure
Some of elements that are frequently emphasized in juku advertising and also appear here:
- one-on-one
- “individualized”
- diagnosis to guide lessons
Less typical is the reference to a specific pedagogical approach, Orton-Gillingham. While I am not familiar with this approach, the mention in this flyer certainly suggests a concern with a research-foundation for approaches adopted in tutoring.
A quick check on Google Scholar reveals close to 100 articles that refer to this approach in 2010 and 2011 (as of June 2011) suggesting that it is at least widely-cited, though I am unable to sift through these citations to note whether the citation is approving, critiquing or name-dropping.
The outside of this folder flyer mainly contains some branding, contact details and a column “About ???”:
??? is a learning center that specializes in one-to-one remedial tutoring for children who struggle in school and/or have learning differences. Tutoring is based on the highly-effective and widely-recognized Orton-Gillingham approach, which combines the proven success of phincs with a multisensory delivery method of teaching.
Not sure whether the U.S. spelling of “centre” suggests that this is an American approach or juku, though nothing suggests a chain and the website only mentions the single Vancouver location.
It is pretty unclear to me what exactly “multisensory” means here, though the inside of the flyer (see above) mentions that,
Visual, auditory, tactile and kinestehtic modalities are all used to teach and to learn.
Hm… still don’t really know what that means, though it sounds like it may be akin to some of the learning strategies that seem almost physical in their practice that I see in juku, i.e. rhythmic repetition of terms, vocabulary, etc. The website also offers a FAQ entry on “What is multisensory tutoring?” but it offers more fancy terminology rather than information.
Note that the focus on learning differences is one that is rare in Japan though I’ve discussed two examples of a focus on special needs education in the juku context.
