Grade 7 and 8 students from Rundle Studio (Michelle Schurman, Rundle Studio)

By Jordan Davidson (Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow)

new ways to learn

Rundle Studio offers online class for disabled students learning

Sep 3, 2021 | 1:17 PM

For those Alberta students with learning disabilities there is a new way for them to learn virtually, regardless of where they live.

Rundle Studio is a virtual online school for students with learning disabilities, with their first official semester for grades 7 and 8 starting this week.

This new virtual school belongs to the Rundle College Society, which is an independent, co-educational day school in Calgary which caters to students with learning disabilities.

Principal of Rundle Studio John Wolf says this was an easy way to expand their schools reach without having to construct any new buildings.

“We definitely want to get more students in. With the waiting list that we constantly have at the academy this is a great way to branch out. We really want to help as many students as possible.”

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He says 95 per cent of grads from Rundle College go on to post-secondary institutions, and this was a great way to expand their resources.

Currently, Rundle Studio has a maximum capacity for 28 students in the grades 7 and 8 classes, but Wolf says they hope to expand those numbers as more students become interested.

He goes on to say that about 15 per cent of all students in Alberta have a diagnosed learning disability, or about one to two students in every classroom, and he worries many are not reaching their full potential.

“During the pandemic, we saw that 25 per cent of our students with learning disabilities did better in an online learning environment, providing further evidence that a virtual learning opportunity was needed and wanted.”

Oliver Hope is entering grade 8 at Rundle Studio this fall. Diagnosed with dysgraphia (difficulty producing written language) and a low-processing speed, he was often distracted in a traditional school environment and struggled to learn new material fast enough.

Oliver’s mom Delona says when he switched to learning online he started to excel in subjects because of fewer distractions at home.

“He also started asking the teacher more questions, which is something he wouldn’t do in the classroom. He’s excited to go to a school where having a learning disability is normal; where everyone is just like him.”

More information on the Rundle College Society and Rundle Studio can be found here at rundle.ab.ca.