National Institute of Learning Development

Apply To Enroll

NILD - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF LEARNING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

The NILD Educational Therapy course introduces and develops the foundational methodology for training students in ‘how to learn’, utilizing the first level of NILD Educational Therapy techniques. These techniques aim to enhance and optimize the student’s existing cognitive systems for improved efficiency.

Upon successful completion of this course, the educational therapist should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of NILD philosophy and methodology
Understand the comprehensive approach that fosters learning through perception, academics, cognition, and emotions
Explain the distinctions between NILD methodology and tutoring
Recognize how reading, spelling, and math can benefit from enhanced cognitive functioning
Identify learning challenges and apply specific tools to develop and enhance thinking skills
Design an educational therapy program tailored to the student’s strengths and vulnerabilities determined by assessment, and effectively implement the intervention program
Initiate annual student assessments
Foster literacy skills, including phonemic awareness, phonics, and syllabication.

NILD Level 1 : Equips the beginning educational therapist with the tools used to identify and assess student’s learning needs, and prepare the beginning educational therapist to create and implement individual educational therapy plans utilizing the NILD techniques specific to educational goals for student. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to

Demonstrate a beginning understanding of NILD philosophy and methodology.
Describe NILD’s comprehensive approach that develops learning through perception, academic, cognition and emotions.
Explain the difference between NILD methodology and tutoring.
Understand how reading, math and spelling can be impacted by improving cognitive functioning.
Identify learning challenges and apply specific tools to develop and enhance thinking skills.
Design an educational therapy program according to the strengths and vulnerabilities determined by assessment and implement an effective intervention program based on the NILD techniques.

Begin to learn how to assess students annually.

Develop literacy skills in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics and syllabication.

NILD Level II : This course will build upon prior knowledge and equip the
educational therapist to more effectively implement NILD techniques.
Specifically, upon successful completion of this course, the educational
therapist will be able to:

Demonstrate the ability to question students effectively
Demonstrate a beginning understanding of mediated learning
Interpret test results with emphasis upon prescribing an
appropriate individualized program
Demonstrate proficiency in Level I techniques and a working
knowledge of Level II techniques
Develop skills of pacing, transitions and bridging
Continue to improve understanding of cognitive functions

NILD LEVEL III : This course will equip the educational therapist to more
effectively implement NILD techniques by having an understanding of cognitive
functions, cognitive modifiability, and mediated learning.

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

Evaluate the 5 core techniques in the light of cognitive
functions
Demonstrate competency in the Level II techniques
Develop language competencies in students by using
techniques that utilize reading comprehension and written expression
Incorporate cognitive function development within NILD
educational therapy techniques
Refine diagnostic and prescriptive competency
Refine questioning skills to stimulate oral language
Further develop the skills of pacing, transitions, and
application of mediated learning
Articulate an understanding of the theoretical constructs
that underlie NILD Educational Therapy®

Rx Discovery for Math

The Discovery Math course is tailored to train teachers to deliver math intervention in a group setting, specifically targeting students in grades K to 5. The program aims to foster number sense, math fluency, vocabulary, and problem-solving strategies. Hands-on, research-based activities will be employed in this dynamic intervention, supplemented by mediation techniques, to reinforce fundamental math concepts and enhance students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills, all within an environment designed to minimize anxiety and maximize thinking.

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will gain a better understanding of students’ math needs and will be equipped to strengthen their math skills.

Course Requirements:

Prerequisite: None
Pre-course Preparation: Participants are required to read articles provided as pre-course material.
Course Activities: Participants will develop an understanding of number sense and acquire skills to be effective mediators

Course Workload and Evaluation:

Participants will dedicate seven to eight hours to prepare the pre-course assignment, and evaluation will be based on the demonstration of participants’ understanding.

Purpose:

The course aims to promote students’ comprehension of numbers and enhance their problem-solving abilities.

Goals:

Students will develop the cognitive functions necessary to improve their mathematical skills.

Materials Required:

Participants will need ‘Coming to Know Number, 2nd Ed.: A Mathematics Activity Resource for Elementary School Teachers’ by Grayson H. Wheatly & Anne M. Reynolds.

Search and Teach

Alpha to Omega, in collaboration with NILD (National Institute for Learning Development), presents “SEARCH AND TEACH”. Together, they form a formidable duo aimed at early intervention.

“The strength of SEARCH & TEACH lies in its focus on early intervention. This dual approach equips educators with an effective tool to identify learning disorders at the onset of a child’s academic journey, thus preventing the downward spiral of failure. With timely identification and intervention, many children can be spared the lifelong consequences of learning disorders.”

Search:

Search is a 20-minute individual test designed to identify vulnerabilities to learning difficulty in 5 and 6-year-olds. The test content surveys perceptual and neuropsychological functions fundamental to learning, providing profiles of individual strengths and weaknesses in foundational reading skills. SEARCH yields a total score assessing vulnerability to educational failure and offers insights into potential clinical diagnoses derived from intensive psychiatric and neurological studies of individual children.

Teach:

Teach is a resource book containing instructional tasks tailored to align with the SEARCH profile of assets and deficits. These targeted perceptual simulations directly address deficits uncovered by SEARCH and confirmed by multidisciplinary assessment. TEACH comprises 55 learning tasks meticulously developed and tested over four years to address pre-reading skill needs identified by SEARCH. It offers an individualized program while allowing for some small group review activities with children sharing similar needs.

Rx Discovery for Reading

The Rx for Discovery Reading training focuses on the five essential components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. This training systematically teaches NILD educational therapists how to utilize NILD materials and methodology to develop these components

Group Educational Therapy

NILD educational therapists are trained to adapt and implement the five core techniques in small groups, typically consisting of four to six students per group. By fostering peer mediation, students’ self-regulation skills are enhanced, social learning and cooperation abilities are facilitated, and interactive language among peers is promoted. Through Group Educational Therapy (GET), the effectiveness of NILD intervention is amplified