Our Process

Overview

Individual U.'s approach to remediation and enrichment is inspired by and modeled on one of the most important structures in biological science: the enzyme. In Individual U's smart Edzyme™ ("Educational Enzyme") model, mentors with diverse and remarkable skills are selected and linked in a collaborative, highly integrated team structure which immediately configures itself to bond with an individual student and family and meet their specific needs. Thus, many of the components necessary for the understanding and growth of each student are present at the inception of a student's Individual U. program. The Edzyme process is dubbed "smart", however, because it differs from biological enzymes in one crucial way. While the enzymes inside living cells are unchanged by previous experience, Edzymes evolve, reconfiguring as subtly and frequently as necessary to respond effectively to the evolving circumstances of each student and family.

For more information about the smart Edzyme model of collaborative mentoring, you may enjoy reading Dr. Rudin's article by clicking here.

Getting Started at Individual U.

There are two steps to getting started at Individual U.:

Step 1. Initial Communication and Meeting with Parents
Individual U. may often first hear about a prospective student from his or her school, psychotherapist, neuropsychologist, family friend, educational consultant, pediatrician, etc. Our process with any family first engages when we speak over the phone to confirm an interest in working with Individual U. If the family wishes to continue, the parents come to meet formally with Dr. Rudin and other senior members of Individual U. for a one to two hour session. If scheduling circumstances or inter-personal relationships prohibit both parents from coming to the same meeting, two separate meetings are scheduled. Prior to the parent meeting(s) we ask to review copies of any existing formal assessments and schoolwork that may be helpful in better understanding a student's situation. On the day of the meeting(s), parents will be asked to fill out a basic contact information sheet, as well as a release form if they wish to continue the process and have us meet with their child. The costs associated with the initial review, first meeting(s), subsequent meetings, communication, and remediation/enrichment of a given student can be obtained by speaking with Dr. Rudin or Individual U. Director of Programs, Lorraine Anderson.

Step 2. Eye to I.U. Intake™
The second step toward working with Individual U. involves going through our intake process. We call this an "Eye to I.U. Intake." Depending on a student's age, the nature of the referral, and other existing information, his or her Eye to I.U. Intake consists of a one or two day, four to eight hour mutual learning experience with our mentors, organized around relevant themes of interest and importance. During this time, the student may be a taught a number of topics, asked to teach us, work collaboratively with our mentors to create elements of songs, poems, or essays, build circuits or machines, learn fundamentals of tai chi and/or tai chi sword, or solve puzzles, all in the interest of breaking through his or her impediments. Additional meetings with parents may also be necessary as part of the Eye to I.U. Intake.

The goals of the Eye to I.U. Intake include confirming if there is a mutually good fit with a potential student, establishing a bond with each child, rapidly creating a knowledge base for facilitating his or her success at Individual U., and collecting information to help Dr. Rudin select the initial members of that student's collaborative mentoring team.

Subsequent to the sessions with the student, faculty members spend two to four hours in reviewing and discussing the experience, and in making plans for an initial program.

At the conclusion of the intake process, Dr. Rudin again meets or speaks with the parent(s) of each student to explain our thinking and formally establish an initial program for their child. Release forms and other contractual papers must then be signed prior to any child' s program formally being engaged. The costs associated with the Eye to I.U. Intake or any potential program can be obtained by speaking with Dr. Rudin or Individual U. Director of Programs, Lorraine Anderson..

Our Initial Work With A Student

With the information derived from the Eye to I.U. Intake, a team (Edzyme) of highly accomplished mentors with diverse academic expertise, emotional insight, and mastery in meditative, movement, or chi-channeling practices is then assembled to work in concert to benefit each student. As part of the process, we often function as a liaison between students, families, schools, educational consultants, therapists, and the myriad other experts that may be involved when a student is struggling.

United by their interest in helping students achieve their full potential, the mentors share with each other their best practices, insights and experiences, so that each student at Individual U. can benefit from our diversity of talent and expertise. Subsequent to the majority of mentoring sessions, mentors from a student's Edzyme log into IU's private mentoring database, entering comments on the specifics of that student's session, as well as additional information that may be of importance. Collectively, the database notes offer us a unique perspective on a student's ongoing progress and problems. Sessions in which issues requiring more immediate response may arise are also brought to the attention of the of the senior faculty, managing mentors, Ms. Anderson, or Dr. Rudin as appropriate. The database notes are reviewed by the managing mentors and presented to Dr. Rudin.

Each week, the entire core mentoring faculty gathers for the weekly Individual U. mentors' meeting. Dr. Rudin and Dr. Krausz, and Individual U. Managing Mentors Nic Kelman and Chris Martin initiate the discussion of particular students and the floor is opened for mentors from any team or discipline to share additional insights and suggestions. Outside experts from a number of fields are frequently invited to attend these weekly mentors meetings as well.

Evolving A Student's Program

Each student at Individual U. has a unique and often evolving circumstance. In response, Edzymes can function in a number of ways: providing remediation or enrichment to students both attending and not attending school, splicing students out of classes, or even providing an entire community of learning and affirmation. For more details about specific individualized programs, please see the "Programs" section of our website: www.IndividualU.com