The Problem: High School Students Who Can’t Read These students sit in the back of every classroom, zoning out or mouthing off. They hide a secret and do whatever it takes to keep it under wraps. They can’t read. The Teacher’s Dilemma: No Training, No Time for Non-Readers High School teachers are neither trained nor […]
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 […]
Thinking Can Be Taught! Weak thinking skills may cause or add to a child’s school failure. It’s tempting to jump straight to the “problem” such as reading or math skills without looking for more foundational weaknesses. But, while teaching academic skills is often our first objective, we must also look for ways to strengthen the […]
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 […]
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 […]