Suddenly Homeschooling Over fifty million students attend public schools in the U.S. Over half of those are home due to the COVID19 virus school closures. Likely, this number will rise over the next few weeks. Parents homeschooling in a pandemic face a job they didn’t ask for and haven’t had time to prepare for. So […]
Homeschooling May Happen Unexpectedly Due to school closures, many parents find themselves suddenly homeschooling. When this happens without much warning, parents can feel a bit unsure about how to proceed. So, today I’m going to give some pointers for parents who find themselves wondering how they will manage. Although suddenly homeschooling seems daunting at first, […]
Music Training Matters Music training means learning to play an instrument or sing, employing as many senses as possible — fingering the instrument, hearing pitches, seeing the score, feeling the rhythm, moving to the beat. Recent research shows that music education pays off for reading instruction as well! Music in Dyslexia Education Research Around 2003, […]
Grading is not necessary for learning Although grades almost define schooling over the last 75 years or so, grades do not enhance learning. Grading does not produce more educated students. In fact, the reverse is true. This is not new knowledge! Alfie Kohn’s book, Punished by Rewards, laid out the research showing that grades degrade […]
Language Delay Hampers Classroom Success A language delay can seriously impact success in the classroom. This negatively affects the student’s self-esteem and desire to participate. The causes of language delay vary; dyslexia/dyspraxia, autism, second language, premature birth, language deficient home environment, speech problem, hearing problem, and others. Whatever the cause, teachers and parents hold the […]
Teaching spelling isn’t about phonics so much Teaching spelling frustrates both teachers and students. Spelling troubles many students, because learning rules of phonics and applying them guarantees they will miss most of their spelling words when tested. Phonics is helpful for early reading; it can’t be trusted for spelling because English spelling is based more […]
Science Education as a Response to Nature The most natural way to do science education lies in responding to the science all around us! Back before we were insulated from weather and geography, people learned to watch the sky for storm warnings and to consider the mountains and valleys through which they traveled so slowly. […]
Brain Injury Requires Rest After a brain injury, both body and mind will need a lot of extra rest to rebuild. Avoid asking a student of any age to push harder or go longer. When fatigue sets in, allow for breaks or shorter sessions. The Damage may be Invisible Your student may look fine, and […]
Different Scheduling for Different Kids “What sort of scheduling did you follow when you were homeschooling?” asked my friend, Susan. “My boys drive me crazy arguing about when to do their school work, even though they enjoy it.” I surprised Susan by telling her that one daughter started her school day by 7:00 a.m. Furthermore, […]
Oral Reading Should NEVER be Required! Forcing a student into oral reading, especially in front of peers, attaches a huge load of negative emotion to reading. As a tutor, I spend as much time overcoming “reading PTSD” as I do teaching the skills. How Izzy Overcame her Reading Block Izzy is dyslexic and she stutters. […]