The Learning Journey

A Different Kind of Learning Support

At Illuminated Learning, support begins with understanding how each student learns.

We look beneath the surface — beyond marks, frustration, avoidance, or “I’m just bad at this” — to understand each learner’s unique profile, strengths, and challenges. From there, we create a structured, individualized path using intensive remediation, research-based strategies, and steady one-on-one support.

Intensive Remediation

With a little schoolhouse magic

Illuminated Learning is a little different than your local public or private school, tutor, or enrichment centre. We don’t implement a curriculum, we don’t stick to assigned homework, and we don’t place students on a predetermined path. Instead, we use effective, research-validated reading intervention based on the science of reading. We teach scientifically backed strategies for processing information and managing stress – helping people become more independent. We apply our expertise in learning, and learning difficulties for children as young as 5, teenagers, and adults of all ages.

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Tutoring vs. Remediation

How Do I know if Remediation is Necessary Instead of Tutoring?

A person may benefit from tutoring when they need additional support with a particular area of the curriculum. For example, a student may understand most of the foundational skills, but need extra help understanding a specific math concept, completing an assignment, organizing their ideas for a writing task, or preparing for an upcoming test.

Tutoring typically focuses on helping the learner succeed with current curricular demands.

Remediation, on the other hand, may be more appropriate when a learner has significant or persistent gaps in foundational knowledge and skills that make it difficult to access or keep up with grade-level instruction. These gaps may occur in areas such as reading, written language, mathematics, attention, or other foundational learning skills. In these situations, simply providing additional help with current schoolwork may not address the underlying difficulty.

Remediation is designed to identify and directly address the underlying processing skills that are not yet well established.

Remediation is typically more intensive, systematic, and individualized, with the goal of strengthening foundational skills needed for long-term academic success

In short, tutoring supports current curricular learning, while remediation addresses underlying processing skill gaps that may be preventing a learner from progressing effectively.

Applying a Holistic View

Considering both intellectual and emotional needs

We guide students through a specialized, structured program – helping them reach their full academic potential. Our programs teach students how to learn in a way that meets their needs —and, because these needs extend beyond the academic setting, we provide mindfulness and meditative techniques, as well as executive functioning support.

We believe meeting students where they are at, and identifying their unique learning needs and style of learning, are key to helping bridge the gap between current performance and individual potential.

Research Based Programs

One in ten (10%) Canadians has a specified learning disorder.

Symptoms & Indicators:

Avoids reading, but usually likes being read to
Does not connect sounds and letters
Memorizes words instead of sounding out
Weak sounding out
Reading is slow, choppy, and awkward
Spells phonetically, but not accurately (ex. bote instead of boat)
They may or may not have a diagnosed Specific Learning Disorder (SLD)

Causes:

80% of specified learning disorders are related to reading and spelling.

Symptoms & Indicators:

Avoids reading
Does not read for pleasure
Often has difficulty understanding what has been read
Has difficulty following directions, especially multiple steps
Weak planning and organizing skills
Often finds written expression and math challenging
Has difficulty grasping humour
Weak at interpreting social situations
Has challenges thinking critically and problem solving
Often described as "unmotivated" or "lazy"
They may or may not have a diagnosed Specific Learning Disorder (SLD)

Causes:

Without appropriate instruction, more than 74% of children entering Grade 1 who are at risk for reading failure will continue to have reading problems into adulthood

Symptoms & Indicators:

Illegible handwriting
Has difficulty with letter formation, size, and spacing
Lacks and or misuses grammar and punctuation
Challenges with organizing thoughts and ideas
Weak and slow writing fluency
They may or may not have a diagnosed Specific Learning Disorder (SLD)

Causes:

Without early identification and intervention, persistent challenges in the classroom can negatively affect a child’s self-perception and confidence.

Symptoms & Indicators:

Difficulty understanding and grasping mathematical relationships
Difficulties with estimating numerical values
Challenges with memorizing and recalling math family facts
Difficulties performing accurate and fluent math calculations
Often does not follow proper mathematical operations
Difficulties solving word problems
Struggles with understanding and applying mathematical concepts
They may or may not have a diagnosed Specific Learning Disorder (SLD)

Causes:

At Illuminated Learning we use research based, intensive programs tailored to individual needs – helping people of all ages achieve their full potential.

We develop the processing skills that underlie reading, spelling, and comprehension (including written expression, executive functioning, and math):

Phoneme Awareness
Orthographic Mapping
Dual Coding

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Learning Profiles

Simple View of Reading

Gough and Tunmer, 1986

Good Reader

A “good reader” has strong word-level reading skills and strong language comprehension.

Dyslexic or Compensator

Dyslexic has adequate language comprehension but poor word-level reading skills.
Compensators typically have strong language skills. Their reading comprehension is substantially below their language skills but still average. Also, their word-reading skills are lower than their reading comprehension but are average or low-average. Because their overall reading skills are in the average range, they typically do not arouse much attention from their teachers. Parents and teachers have a hard time putting their finger on the problem yet they know something is not quite right.

Hyperlexic

Hyperlexics typically have language-related deficits that keep them from comprehending what they read. Also referred to as “word callers”.

Mixed Reading Difficulty

Those with the mixed reading difficulty display weaknesses both in language comprehension and in word-level reading.

Taken from David A. Kilpatrick, Essentials of Assessing, Preventing and Overcoming Reading Difficulties, pp. 54-57

Specific Learning Disorders (SLD’s)

At Illuminated Learning we work with individuals who may, or may not, have been diagnosed with a Specific Learning Disorder. Canadian Psychologists use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-V) criteria to diagnose a Specific Learning Disorder (SLD), previously referred to as “Learning Disabilities”. The DSM-V now recognizes that learning disabilities manifest differently in each individual and as such will give the diagnosis of an SLD and also specify the area in which an individual has an impairment(s):

- - - - Reading & Spelling (Dyslexia)
      - Written Expression (Dysgraphia)
      - Math (Dyscalculia)

Reading & Spelling (Dyslexia)
Written Expression (Dysgraphia)
Math (Dyscalculia)

Individual Differences

While individuals may differ in their abilities, the underlying processes required for reading remain consistent. Developing these underlying skills can improve an individual’s ability to read and comprehend.

Scarborough's Reading Rope

These are the many strands woven into skilled reading