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All trademarks and brands are property of their respective owners.Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.To view our downloadable PDF files, please ensure your computer has the Adobe Acrobat Reader (or similar product) installed. A link to the free program is shown below.
Mrs. Susan McDonald is the founder of K.A.R.A.T.® Learning and Head of School at the K.A.R.A.T.® School of Learning, Greensburg, PA. After graduating with honors with a BA in English and Education from Palm Beach Atlantic University, she began teaching in a private, Christian school in Jupiter, Florida, where she taught middle school English and quickly became the English Department Chair. She then moved to South Carolina and taught in a rural public middle school where her students seemed to need more hands-on learning to keep them interested enough to actually attend school. While she taught in South Carolina, she noticed a trend that dealt with one segment of students who were falling through the cracks of the traditional education methods. She noticed that students who were difficult to manage in the classroom had incredible qualities to add, but were consistently asked to leave the classroom due to how they changed the dynamics of the traditional setting. She was even more distressed that these students were being labeled, “bad students.” She began to teach everyone in her class with lots of movement and quickly noticed that all learning styles were engaged, but especially the kinesthetic learners who needed more hands-on to understand. Mrs. McDonald began to voraciously research learning styles and found a wealth of knowledge on the subject. Students who were failing academically and socially in a traditional classroom were thriving in classes such as Yearbook, Art, Music, and P.E., where they could move and prove their mastery on a subject by using their talents and gifts they had as a kinesthetic learner. This is where she started to call them, “non-traditional learners”—those learners who need something different than ‘stand and deliver’ teaching. Mrs. McDonald was chosen as District One Teacher of the Year in Florence, S.C.; she was also Sam’s Club Teacher of the Year.
Leaving S.C. after a couple of years, she then moved back to Florida where she taught grades 9 – 12 at a private, Christian school in St. Petersburg, Florida. She taught English, along with being the Advisor of the Yearbook and Department Chair in English. She continued to teach with an integrated, kinesthetic approach. This is where Mrs. McDonald created and copyrighted the K.A.R.A.T.® curriculum, an integrated, kinesthetic curriculum that heavily emphasizes academic relevance to real life.
After moving to Greensburg, PA in 2006, Mrs. McDonald completed her Masters of Arts in Inclusive Education from Seton Hill University and is certified to teach all learning styles. She now solely concentrates on non-traditional education, ensuring that students who need more than a traditional education don’t fall through the cracks. Mrs. McDonald believes that each person is “fearfully and wonderfully made ” (Psalms 139) and that each student deserves to be taught according to the way they were designed to learn according to their unique learning style and not expected to conform to one way of learning . Her philosophy is that when educators become a “student” of the child’s learning style, everyone wins! Mrs. McDonald firmly believes that each student is an individual, and, when given a choice, the student should be allowed to question, research, analyze, process, work together, and present his or her findings to a specific audience. This is what creates relevance to students and is the best way to gain their interest in academics. McDonald said, “If we gain their interest through showing relevance to real life, then we have them hooked!” Real life education for the real world is what K.A.R.A.T.® School of Learning stresses each day.
Leaving S.C. after a couple of years, she then moved back to Florida where she taught grades 9 – 12 at a private, Christian school in St. Petersburg, Florida. She taught English, along with being the Advisor of the Yearbook and Department Chair in English. She continued to teach with an integrated, kinesthetic approach. This is where Mrs. McDonald created and copyrighted the K.A.R.A.T.® curriculum, an integrated, kinesthetic curriculum that heavily emphasizes academic relevance to real life.
After moving to Greensburg, PA in 2006, Mrs. McDonald completed her Masters of Arts in Inclusive Education from Seton Hill University and is certified to teach all learning styles. She now solely concentrates on non-traditional education, ensuring that students who need more than a traditional education don’t fall through the cracks. Mrs. McDonald believes that each person is “fearfully and wonderfully made ” (Psalms 139) and that each student deserves to be taught according to the way they were designed to learn according to their unique learning style and not expected to conform to one way of learning . Her philosophy is that when educators become a “student” of the child’s learning style, everyone wins! Mrs. McDonald firmly believes that each student is an individual, and, when given a choice, the student should be allowed to question, research, analyze, process, work together, and present his or her findings to a specific audience. This is what creates relevance to students and is the best way to gain their interest in academics. McDonald said, “If we gain their interest through showing relevance to real life, then we have them hooked!” Real life education for the real world is what K.A.R.A.T.® School of Learning stresses each day.
Don't miss Susan on Talk Block
"The Learning Curve"
9:00 am Every Saturday - Weekly
Starting , May 1st, 2010.
Susan McDonald of the K.A.R.A.T.® School of Learning
talks with guests about the kinesthetic approach
to learning and other educational topics..
"The Learning Curve"
9:00 am Every Saturday - Weekly
Starting , May 1st, 2010.
Susan McDonald of the K.A.R.A.T.® School of Learning
talks with guests about the kinesthetic approach
to learning and other educational topics..
