Are students happy and excited about learning most of the time? Humans of all ages love to learn new things and master new skills. And yet, school choice remains daunting for many parents. If you seldom see the joy of learning on your student’s face, find out why. Start by spending time with the student, […]
Author Richard Whitehead Richard Whitehead facilitates the Davis Dyslexia Method at his center in the UK. His articles impressed me over the past few years. I share his admiration for Ron Davis’s pioneering dyslexia research. So, when he recently published a dyslexia book, Why ‘Tyrannosaurus’ But Not ‘If’?: The Dyslexic Blueprint for the Future of […]
What is Scanning? Scanning means finding words in the text by quickly glancing at each line or paragraph. Students with dyslexia or other reading difficulties find scanning less intimidating than oral reading, and it accomplishes the goal of pairing the visual image of the printed words with the meaning of the words, in context. Dyslexic […]
Teaching: Modeling, Supported Practice, Mastery Teaching involves 3 steps: Modeling (the teacher shows the student how) Supported practice (teacher and student do it together; the student gets help as needed) Mastery (the student does it independently or takes a test on it) Modeling works beautifully in the classroom, and testing happens efficiently in the classroom. Supported practice […]
Touching and Moving Learning Techniques are: Ways tutors incorporate the dyslexic student’s strong kinesthetic (body-related) learning skills into academic work. Background: Many dyslexic students learn best while moving, and remember best if the material is practiced while the body is feeling weight or impact. This is hard to achieve in a classroom. Some students are […]
DYSLEXIA: SEA OF STRENGTHS I first reviewed this powerhouse of information back in 2017. So why did I buy the 2023 Revised and Updated edition? Because A LOT has happened in dyslexia research in the past few years, and the Eide’s are in the thick of it. This book is, without doubt, one of the […]
What is Unison Reading? Unison reading, also known as choral reading, is simply reading together aloud. This can be done by a tutor and a student, a parent and a child, or a teacher in a classroom. It’s especially effective in a classroom because there are enough students reading to make it easy for dyslexic […]
Book Review: Reading Remedy, by Marion Blank, Ph.D. Reviewed by Yvonna Graham, M.Ed. DR. BLANK IS MY HERO The Reading Remedy: Six Essential Skills That Will Turn Your Child Into a Reader, by Dr. Marion Blank, published in 2006, should be required for all elementary teachers. Dr. Blank obtained her Ph.D. in Medical Psychology from the […]
Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education, by Ken Robinson, PhD Reviewed by Yvonna Graham, M.Ed. CAN’T I JUST WATCH THE KEN ROBINSON TED TALK? By all means, watch the 20 minute TED talk: Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? It’s informative and highly entertaining. But if you are a teacher or tutor who […]
Gifted children may do poorly in school Gifted children often do poorly in school. This is true so often that it sounds cliche. A math story problem illustrates one way this happens: “If there are 3 apples and you take away 2, how many do you have?” Unfortunately, tests and worksheets often contain this sort […]