 | Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall sees all students as talented and unique. We embrace the rich diversity of our students and we design many of our programs in response to those differences. CH-CH is a school where all students can succeed!
We recognize that students entering high school will often struggle with the increased demands of a college-preparatory program. Often, even strong students will need additional support in specific subject areas or help in skills such as organizing their work, taking notes, or studying for quizzes and tests. The Learning Center is a supplementary resource for students who want to strengthen their study skills and organizational abilities.
The Learning Center’s primary objective is to help students become independent learners who are aware of their learning styles and who can advocate successfully for their educational needs. The Learning Center faculty, along with all members of the CH-CH faculty, draws on the theory of multiple intelligences and brain-based and learning styles’ research in our day-to-day teaching and learning. We strive to stimulate and support the variety of ways that our students learn, and we believe that students have the obligation to understand their own asymmetrical excellence—whether in the areas of math and science, language, or the arts.
Learning Center teachers work in conjunction with classroom teachers to improve students’ time-management strategies, organization of assignments, understanding of key concepts, note-taking strategies, study techniques, writing skills, and computer literacy. The extra edge gained from Learning Center can make a crucial difference for students in their current classes—and in their future studies in college.
To enable all students to understand how they learn best, they fill out a “learning style inventory.” Learning Center teachers then develop academic goals with each student for the term. Progress is monitored weekly and the focus of the student’s work in the Learning Center is adjusted accordingly. |
 Dr. Robin AbelDirector of the Learning Center, 9th Grade Dean 781-314-0838 Elmira College, New York - B.A. University of Delaware - M.Ed. Wilmington College - Ed.D. Dr. Abel has been teaching twice gifted students for the past 16 years. With an undergraduate degree in both Mathematics and Elementary Education and experience in the Bahamian School district, she found herself teaching at a college preparatory school for ADD/ADHD students. There she not only gained experience working with extremely creative yet challenging students, but worked on the completion of her Masters Degree in Education at the University of Delaware.
After completing her Masters work, Robin assumed the position of Assistant Headmaster. Also during this time Dr. Abel began working on the creation of a Holocaust course appropriate for middle and high school level students; her work was recognized by the National Holocaust Museum Memorial. Moving on to complete her Doctorial Degree at Wilmington College, and conducting research on the relationship between social skill development and academic development and Attention Deficit Disorder, Dr. Abel was then given the responsibility of running a small school for ADD/ADHD students and doubling its population. During this time Dr. Abel was asked to write a special needs curriculum and create the academic standards for a national educational corporation holding over 30 schools.
Dr. Abel holds teaching certificates in High School Level Mathematics, Elementary Education, and Secondary Administration. After the birth of her daughter, Lola, Dr. Abel looked for opportunities in which she would have time to spend with her family and still continue to work with the students she loved. We are extremely lucky Dr. Abel was not afraid to move to a colder climate. She enjoys learning and has been excited about meshing Howard Gardeners theories on Multiple Intellignece with theories on Learning Styles and differential Instruction into concrete classroom methodologies. Dr. Abel lives on the Chapel Hill - Chauncy Hall campus with her husband, Greg, and daughter, Lola. When not working Robin enjoys reading, belly dancing, cooking, designing and making costumes, traveling and going to festivals with her family. |
 Ms. Laurie FriedmanLearning Center 781-314-0908 Oberlin College - B.A. University of Chicago - M.A.T. Simmons College - M.B.A. Mass. Dept. of Education - Math 5-8 licensure |
 Mallary KohlmeyerLearning Center 781-314-0934 University of Massachusetts Amherst - B.A. - Communication Disorders |
 Susan LeingangLearning Center Teacher Univ. of Calif. - LA - B.A. Sociology |
 Daniel MertschLearning Center 781-314-0870 University of Dortmund, Germany - B.A., M.S. - Special Education |
| | Top "Ten" Reasons to use the Learning Center 1. Individual Learning Style Profiles: The Learning Center develops Individual Learning Style Profiles for all students at CH-CH. This allows the faculty to create lessons to engage students’ strengths.
2. No Hiding in the “Back Row”: The Learning Center has ongoing communication with grade level teams, so no student is ever left behind.
3. Layers of Support: The Learning Center coordinates its work with the work classroom teachers are doing, providing layers of support for students.
4. Evolution and Progress: The Learning Center program evolves to meet the skills development of students as they progress from grade to grade.
5. Monitoring their Progress: A student’s classroom progress is monitored by the Learning Center, and the student’s work in the Learning Center is adjusted accordingly.
6. Learning Style Inventory: Each student completes a “learning style inventory” in order to help the students and their teachers unlock appropriate learning strategies.
7. Individualized Strategies: The Learning Center teachers work with the entire CH-CH faculty to develop classroom strategies that address students unique Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences.
8. Resources: Learning Center students have access to computer technology and software such as Inspiration, Geometer Sketchpad, and Carnegie Learning Software to help build and reinforce academic skills.
9. Real Time Practice: The Learning Center overlays executive functioning skill development on top of the core curriculum, so that students have real-time practice with real skills.
10. Daily Communication: The Learning Center makes daily assignments available online to parents, guardians and house-parents during study hall so there’s never any guesswork about what is due, and when.
11. And Lastly - EXPERIENCE: The Director of the Learning Center has over 16 years experience working with students with learning differences and a Doctorate specifically related to the academic success of students with ADHD. |
| |