TRANSITION GUIDE

The Learning Strategies Center

Welcome to The Culinary Institute of America! In order to help you plan for your educational experience here, this manual has been created to help you address your needs, answer questions and assist you as you begin your education as an independent learner. This guide has been expressly designed for you, a student with specific academic needs. The guide will explain to you how to take charge of your education. It will also address the concerns that you may have when encountering a new and challenging situation.

College is very different than high school. This guide will explain and illustrate some of those differences. Lets begin by saying that one's high school routine is far more prearranged than the college program you are about to commence. For example, in high school, you just had to show up and, generally speaking, the school took charge of your education. In high school, help is automatically arranged for you. Here at college, not only must you recognize that you need help, but then you must personally seek it out. This can be done by speaking to your instructor or coming to The Learning Strategies Center (LSC) for assistance.

Here's another difference between high school and college. In high school having an IEP or a 504 plan may automatically make test accommodations available to you, such as extended test time. However, in college, you as an adult must personally request extended test time in order to make it happen. In college, you must take responsibility for your academic needs and become responsible for requesting the academic accommodations that you need.

We, the support staff at the LSC, will be there to help guide you and teach you how to advocate for yourself, but remember; you must request and make use of what is available to maximize your experience here. You are in charge of your education!

See you on campus!

Addressing Your Needs

Alternative arrangements which are provided to you such as extra time on tests or access to class notes are called "accommodations." In college when you request an accommodation it must be supported by test results as contained in your "documentation." Documentation consists of the test results from an evaluation probably given to you in high school. This evaluation assessed your learning strengths and weaknesses and came up with your needs. Listed below are a number of routinely used accommodations which may appear on your documentation.

• Extra time on tests
• Tests read to student
• Questions explained
• Use of a tape recorder in class
• Use of a scribe
• Books on Tape
• Spelling exemption

The above accommodations are basic and not limited to the ones listed. You may want to spend some time thinking about what your needs are and then connect your needs to the accommodations which you think will be helpful. What strategies have worked best for you? Think about those things that concern you the most about school and how you may be able to take the pressure off those concerns. Now is the time to give it some real thought. Perhaps a discussion with your parents and/or your school counselor will give you the direction that you need. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What can we at The Learning Strategies Center do to help you perform well?

Although the accommodations you can receive in college are very similar to the ones you get in high school there are differences. Accommodations that are considered reasonable and necessary in high school may be considered unreasonable in college. For example, in high school you may have been exempt from a foreign language or given unlimited time to complete an exam. In college, neither of those accommodations apply. Additionally, unlike high school, you the student must ask for your accommodations. No one will know that you want or need accommodations unless you personally request them. So with each new class and new teacher you need to make a new request for accommodations. Having your documentation on file is essential in order for you to be eligible for accommodations, but the accommodations only come about when you ask for them. Having your documentation on file, in itself, does not guarantee accommodations. Accommodations must be asked for.

When you arrive on campus you will need to make an appointment with the Disability Support Specialist. The Disability Support Specialist will discuss with you your learning strengths and weaknesses, the concerns that you might have and which accommodations will best suit your needs. The Disability Support Specialist will utilize what you tell him/her along with your documentation to help you determine a plan of action. The Disability Support Specialist needs your documentation so that both you and he/she understand what your needs are. However, the test scores recorded on your documentation have to be fairly recent to be of value. Your evaluation should not be older than three years.

Pride
When we are motivated, we take pride in our work. Pride enables us to work hard, be creative, and take a genuine interest in what we're doing. However, sometimes we confuse pride with feelings of embarrassment. If we mistake pride with actually feeling weak or helpless those feelings can stop us from getting what we truly need. It's like not asking for driving directions when we are completely lost or not asking for help when we really need it. Pride becomes destructive when it prevents us from asking for help or from being open to strategies that can truly help us. For example, some students say, "I don't want more time on tests. I can do it on my own. I want to prove to myself that I can do it without the help I received in high school. Those test accommodations are behind me now. Besides this is college and I don't want people thinking that I'm slow or getting special privileges! The reality is, you will be doing it on your own! No one else but you will be studying the material; no one else but you will be taking the exams. You will be responsible for the same exact information that everyone else learns. By receiving test or classroom accommodations, you are using strategies that can make you more successful. If being successful means that you need your test read or that you need extended time on an exam, then go for it! For your information, the LSC administers over 1,600 tests in one year with most students receiving extended time as an accommodation. Using your accommodations is not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength, maturity and self respect. As many students tell me, "Mr. Rittel, being here is my dream! I'm here to be successful. I'm going to do whatever is necessary. I'm not going to let anything stand in my way and I'm definitely not going to get in my own way!!"

Fear and Self Esteem
"Fear" is defined as an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by an anticipation or awareness of danger. "Anticipation of danger"- what does that mean? "Anticipation" means that you expect something to happen. When you anticipate danger, you expect something bad to happen. How does this relate to you? Well, maybe you don't want anyone to know about your learning difference because you believe that people will think less of you? Maybe, you've had bad experiences dealing with your learning issues at school and now you expect the same will happen here? Perhaps you think that you're not smart like the other students, and you're afraid that they'll find out or worse, that you believe it's true! If you have negative feelings around school related issues, those feelings may have been with you for a long time, so it might take you time to address them and cast them out. The staff at The Learning Strategies Center can help you address your negative feelings, if that is your wish, and perhaps you can arrive at a new outlook in regard to yourself as a capable, intelligent learner. Let's take a look at what you might believe to be true.

I have a learning disability so I must be "slow," right?
Wrong! Although you may feel unintelligent at times, as we all do, a learning disability has nothing to do with your intelligence.

Having a learning disability means that you learn information in your own unique way. Would you consider, Tom Cruise, Danny Glover, Charles Schwab, Albert Einstein, Cher, Nelson Rockefeller, and Walt Disney to be slow? I don't think so!

Having a learning disability means that you learn best in specific ways that utilize your strengths. Learning strengths work in a similar way to a radio receiving music from far away stations. Some stations just come in stronger with less static, and those are ones we tune in to. So, you might be an excellent hands-on, visual learner and therefore we would show you how to access information using hands- on visual techniques. The Learning Strategies Center will help you utilize your strengths through the strategies, accommodations and support services we offer.

Won't I need to work twice as hard as other students who may study less and get high grades?
In certain classes, you may have to devote extra time to reviewing and studying. However, The Learning Strategies Center can provide you with learning and study strategies that will make the task easier and more efficient for you.

Remember, everyone is different. Some students may need to study more in some subjects and less in others. For example, hands on skills may come naturally to you, but note taking may be difficult.

Speaking to Your Instructor

College, as an educational institution, relies on the student to be pro-active and address his/her own needs. That means that you the student assume responsibility for your services and accommodations. In the past, services and accommodations may have been set up for you by another individual; usually a teacher. Other than possibly the Disability Support Specialist, no one here at The Culinary Institute of America knows that you have special needs. In order to receive accommodations that will address your needs you will have to tell people what your needs are starting with the Disability Support Specialist. Having your needs spelled out on your documentation may make you eligible for accommodations, but... you still must request what you need.

Why would you tell anyone especially an instructor that you have special needs?
You would tell an instructor about your learning or testing needs so the instructor can coordinate support with The Learning Strategies Center he/she could then help provide the support (access) that you would need for each class.

Some students think that their instructor will think less of them if they ask for something out of the ordinary. That is not the case at all. At The Culinary Institute of America your instructors will appreciate your direct request for assistance. It indicates your willingness to learn and to take responsibility for your education. Instructors understand learning disabilities and will honor your request for reasonable and necessary accommodations.

What would you speak to your Instructor about?
You can speak to your instructor about anything that concerns you. You might want feedback as to your performance in the classroom or the kitchen. You might need extended time on exams and/or written work. You might need oral tests, help with note taking, front of class seating, tests at the Learning Strategies Center or instructions written on the board. You might want to tape record lectures or have an alternative type of exam.

It is also important to understand that whatever your specific needs are, they will still remain "needs" throughout the curriculum. Upon entering a kitchen skills class, students occasionally "let their guard down." They say "Now that I'm in a hands-on class, I won't need the accommodations that I needed in the lecture classes." That is not always true. If you asked for extra time on a multiple choice test in a lecture class such as Food Safety, you should be asking for extra time on your multiple choice test in a skills class like American Regional Cooking. You will have written exams, homework assignments, reading and notes in each and every class until you graduate. To get high grade in a skills/kitchen class you need to do well on your written tests as well as in your daily hands-on performance.*

*A note about hands-on performance in the kitchen and our Technical Standards. Technical Standards are the guidelines that our chef/instructors use to determine whether or not a student has learned and can execute the applied skills that we teach. Generally speaking we do not provide accommodations when technical skills are being evaluated.

Making Your Request

If you wish to disclose a need to your instructor there are guidelines to follow. If you are in a 14 or 28 day class, such as Math Fundamentals, Mathematics or Introduction to Gastronomy, you have four days to size up the situation and identify your needs to your instructor. If you are in a seven day class such as Lunch Cookery or Basic Cakes, you have only two days to disclose your needs. The Disability Support Specialist will guide you as to best way to communicate your needs to your instructor.

Here are some typical dialogues you might have with an instructor.

• "Hello Professor Chardonnay, my name is Phil A. Mignon. I would like to take my written tests at the Learning Strategies Center because I need a lot of time to gather my thoughts. I also may need tests read to me."

or

• "Excuse me Chef Hollandaise, my name is Al Dente. I need help in note taking. Would you please put key points of the lecture on the board?"

or

• "Hello Dr. Smorgasbord, my name is Chuck Porterhouse. I would like to tape record your class. Listening to your lecture a second time will be helpful to me."

These scenarios may or may not represent what you need. However, the Disability Support Specialist will help you to fine tune your requests and rehearse with you the meeting between you and your instructor.

Our faculty will be supportive of you and your needs. If your instructor asks you what your learning disability is about, what he/she is asking you is:

• What are your concerns in the class?
• What are your strengths/weaknesses?
• How can I help?

You will get the help you need as long as you make your needs known!

Making Alternative Test Arrangements

If you wish to take your tests at The Learning Strategies Center, there is a procedure to follow.

1. First you must notify your instructor that you wish to take your test at the LSC. You then work out a time with the instructor to take the test.
2. Next, The Learning Strategies Center Coordinator must be notified at least two days before the test, so she can schedule your appointment and make the necessary arrangements to get the test from your instructor that you will be taking your test at the LSC.
3. The Learning Strategies Center Coordinator must be notified
4. Then on test day, you report directly to the Learning Strategies Center office Room 217 Roth Hall at the scheduled time.

Test Anxiety
Test anxiety is a common reaction experienced by many college students. The typical symptoms of test anxiety include sweaty palms, racing heart beat, general sweating and finally "going blank" or "freezing." Students who experience test anxiety often find the testing situation so threatening that their mind just "shuts down." One of the reasons for the "shutting down" is that the threat (the test) has set in motion a series of physical reactions which can be detrimental to the testing situation.

Here is what can happen:
Your brain reacts to the perceived threat ("I'm going to fail!") by signaling the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland then produces Adrenaline. Adrenaline is a hormone that, when produced in large amounts, prepares you for "fight or flight." Large amounts of adrenaline will prevent you from doing the mental operations necessary for test taking because your body is gearing up for action, not multiplication.

There are a number of ways you can reduce the amount of anxiety you are experiencing during a test. Here is what you can do:

• Ask for help if you need it.
• Over learn the material. Come into the test knowing that you have intensely studied and restudied everything the test will cover.
• Review with your instructor or tutor all of your unanswered questions.
• Work with a tutor to "fine tune" your knowledge.
• If you are entitled to test accommodations, use them. However, "test anxiety" in itself is not an established disability that entitles one to accommodations.
• Learn relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation or visualization.
• Set up an appointment with the Disability Support Specialist to investigate why you "freeze" on tests.
• Get plenty of sleep the night before the test.
• Regularly use the Recreation Center or other means of physical activity for stress reduction and tension release.

Try to think positively under all circumstances. Try not to let negative thoughts invade your positive mind set. Don't fall back on old depressing ways of seeing situations. If you would like clarification as to any of the above suggestions, please stop by the Learning Strategies Center and a staff member will assist you.

Tutoring

Tutoring is a free service at The Culinary Institute of America. Imagine having a comfortable place right here on campus where you can have your homework explained, get help with math problems and paper writing, practice your knife cuts, get a clear explanation of what you must learn, have directions clarified, and develop relationships with students just like yourself as well as our peer tutors. Remember, if you need help it is your own best interests to ask for it.

Acquiring a Tutor
The staff at the Learning Strategies Center can introduce you to a tutor and set up a future appointment for you, or you can just walk in to the Math Lab, Writing Center or Tutoring Center and meet with a tutor or the faculty member present. In any case, tutoring can make learning more accessible and meaningful for you. For instance, let's say you're having difficulty understanding some of the concepts of Cost Control. The tutor, using a step by step approach, will help you to understand the course material so that the time you spend in class becomes more meaningful and enjoyable.

Let's say you're having trouble in your Skill Development 1 class making a tourne cut (pronounced Tor Nay) (football shape) on your carrots. At The Learning Strategies Center we can provide you with vegetables and the opportunity to practice your knife skills under the direction of a tutor. Or maybe you need a review of fractions decimals and percentages. Our math tutors are available to tutor you in the "basics" or help you with more difficult mathematical concepts. Perhaps foreign languages or writing papers or understanding Nutrition or Food Safety are your weakness. Whatever the problem, the Learning Strategies Center will work with you in a way that will address your needs.

By the way, the Learning Strategies Center is not just for students with learning disabilities. It's for anyone who needs it!

The Writing Center
Writing is a skill that you will not only employ throughout the curriculum but in your career and personal life as well. You will use writing in your Introduction to Gastronomy and Writing Skills classes. You will use writing for research projects, note taking, recipes, evaluations and many other tasks. In your Junior and Senior year, in some classes, essays and research papers are used in place of tests. If you have trouble getting your thoughts down on paper, if spelling, grammar and punctuation concern you, then a definite stop for you will be the Writing Center.

The Writing Center can provide you with teacher assisted instruction as well as writing tutors to help you in the construction, editing and final proofing of your papers. Writing does not have to be an obstacle for you.

The Math Lab
The Math Lab is operated by the Learning Strategies Center and provides remediation in the culinary math skills which are a component of the Associates degree program. Students may work with a faculty member or a peer math tutor. Appointments are generally on a walk-in basis. You will be using math throughout the curriculum and the Math Lab is an excellent place to get clarification and develop competency in an important aspect of the curriculum. Many students do their homework at the Math Lab where there is a tutor just a few feet away.

Books on Tape
Most of our text books have been tape recorded by an organization called Library for the Blind and Dyslexic. Many students find that listening to the tapes or CD's and following along in the book is an excellent way to study, comprehend and memorize especially if reading is a slow and difficult task.

Technology at the Learning Strategies Center

The Learning Strategies Center has assistive technology that can provide you with the means to perform as an independent learner.

Kurzweil 3000
Kurzweil 3000 is an innovative PC–based reading system that helps people with reading difficulties or learning differences to improve reading speed and comprehension. Kurzweil 3000 makes reading easier and more enjoyable than ever. It provides both an auditory and visual presentation of scanned text and images on the computer screen. That means, you can place a page of text on the scanner and the computer will read the page to you while you read it from the monitor. This option will enable you to learn material at your own pace, under your own control.

Dragon Naturally Speaking
Dragon Naturally Speaking is a software program used to create papers, reports, e-mail, notes and complete other writing tasks simply by speaking into a microphone. A training session is required so the computer can get used to your voice, but after that, you can freely create written work with the ease of speaking. You can view on the monitor what you have spoken, edit your work and then produce a hardcopy.

Final Note
Note taking is very important at The Culinary Institute of America. Not only is it important for you to take notes for studying purposes, but your notes will also be a valuable source of information for you long after you graduate. Good note taking is a skill. For some students, listening to a lecture or watching a demonstration and taking notes is very difficult. Many students can do one or the other, but not both at the same time. Some can take notes and follow a lecture, but their handwriting and organization are so poor that it affects the quality of their notes. If you fall into any of these categories, here is what you can do:

1. Copy notes from another student in your class who has accurate notes.
2. Ask your instructor to write key points on the board.
3. Tape record the class and do your note taking from the recording combined with the note taking you do in class.
4. Ask your Instructor for a copy of his/her notes.
5. Show your notes to your instructor to make sure you have organized and accurate information.
6. Ask the Learning Strategies Center Coordinator for a copy of the class noted that we keep on file at the LSC.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this guide has provided you with helpful information which will make your transition to The Culinary Institute of America smooth and successful. The Disability Support Specialist will discuss with you all the information you have just read when you meet with him/her. There is a lot of new information to absorb; however, the Disability Support Specialist will be pleased to answer any questions. We, at the Learning Strategies Center, congratulate you on your acceptance to the Institute and hope you have a successful and meaningful experience here. Good luck! Study hard and use the Student Recreation Center to have fun and work off stress.

Contact Information:

Learning Strategies Center
The Culinary Institute of America
1946 Campus Drive
Hyde Park, New York 12538

Fax: 845-451-1034

Jennifer Wrage
Manager
845-451-1287
j_wrage@culinary.edu

Jack Rittel
Disability Support Specialist
845-451-1219
j_rittel@culinary.edu

Mary Dietrich
Disability Support Specialist
845-451-1288
m_dietri@culinary.edu

Marcy MacInnes
Learning Strategies Center Coordinator
845-451-1283
m_macinn@culinary.edu