With Spring upon us and the end of school in sight, many students are beginning to think about exams and the final push to the end of the year.
Haverford’s Enrichment & Learning Center (ELC) offers academic coaching, resources for test preparation, a quiet location for studying, and services for students with documented learning disabilities like dyslexia and dysgraphia.
The school estimates that about 30% of students use the ELC at some point in their time at Haverford. The upper school’s learning specialists, Mr. Stephen Cloran, Ms. Julia Salamone, and Director of the ELC Ms. Nichole Pugliese, are eager to assist any boy who needs support in their academic journey.
“The three learning specialists here are ready, willing, and able to support boys in every way possible,” Mr. Cloran said.
While many students use the ELC, some may not be aware of the available resources. Any student seeking academic support may check in with one of the learning specialists to discuss their needs.
According to Mr. Cloran, a student can send an email, ask an advisor to make an introduction, or simply stop by. The ELC individualizes assistance to a student’s needs.
“We are going to help the student figure out the question, the concern, the confusion, and then support whatever a boy needs.”
Mr. Stephen CLoran
“We are going to help the student figure out the question, the concern, the confusion, and then support whatever a boy needs,” Mr. Cloran said.
Assistance might include helping a student review an assignment that didn’t earn an expected grade to identify where things went wrong and how to take a new approach for the next assignment. It could be assisting a student with developing a final exam study schedule. Or perhaps it is developing a plan to complete a paper.
According to Mr. Cloran, much more goes into writing a paper than the mechanics, and the ELC can support a student with the energy, time, drafting, and the editing required to get to a final draft.
Relying on the assistance of the learning specialists in the ELC is also a good strategy to avoid academic dishonesty.
Usually when students turn to ChatGPT, it stems from a moment of panic. The ELC can support students in understanding the multiple steps it takes to create a good paper, including the time and effort it takes to complete a project by its deadline.
Resources like the ELC are one of the many benefits of a Haverford education. Of course it is important to know the answer on a test, but it is just as important to know when to ask for help.
“There are many ways to ask for help,” Mr. Cloran said. “I encourage the boys to learn more about us.”
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