Live It, Learn It
The Academic Club Methodology for Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD
By Sally L. Smith

Improve school success for students who have learning disabilities and ADHD with “Academic Clubs,” the proven learning-by-doing approach presented in this energizing guidebook. Sally Smith — the highly respected founder of the Lab Schools, where 95% of students with learning problems go on to college — shows elementary school educators how to immerse students in any subject using drama, painting, sculpture, music, and other art forms. To help educators use this fun, multisensory teaching technique to motivate students, this handbook gives them

• an easy-to-follow 15-step process for establishing an Academic Club with minimal expense
  
  
• information on how the clubs promote positive behavior and foster cooperation among students
  
  
• detailed profiles of Academic Clubs, complete with suggested activities, decorations, character roles, and costume ideas
  
  
• insightful interviews with teachers who have used the Academic Club Approach
  
  
• chapters on using the approach in different settings, including junior high, high school, and summer programs
  
  
• principles for effective group management

Sally Smith’s infectious energy, humor, and creativity helps teachers transform their classrooms into clubs where each student belongs and learns.

1. What Is the Academic Club Methodology?
   
   
2. Why the Academic Club Methodology Works for Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD
   
   
3. How to Keep Students Engaged In Learning: Why Few Behavior Problems Arise in Academic Clubs
   
   
4. The Sequence of Academic Clubs at The Lab School and Baltimore Lab
   
   
5. Using the Academic Club Methodology with Middle and High School Students
   
   
6. Summer School Academic Clubs: Thematic Adaptations in 6 Weeks
   
   
7. Using Props, Songs, and Teacher-Made Games
   
   
8. How to Assess Students Using the Academic Club Methodology
   
   
9. Start Your Own Academic Club: Here’s How!
   
   
10. Conversations with Club Leaders
    
    
11. Academic Clubs Can Transform Schools: Dare We Do It?
    
    

Appendix A: Teaching Approaches Designed for Different Behavior Characteristics

Appendix B: Some Principles of Effective Group Management with Students with Learning Disabilities

Appendix C: The Lab School of Washington and the Baltimore Lab

References