What's Going On Inside A Dyslexic Student's Brain?

There’s no such thing as a “normal brain.” In fact, there’s a lot of diversity in how different brains process information — a challenge for educators tasked with teaching a diverse group of learners. Dyslexia is a common variation that affects how kids read, but what’s really going inside the brain of someone affected by it? Kelli Sandman-Hurley’s TED-Ed video explains. 

https://youtu.be/zafiGBrFkRM


http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/09/11/whats-going-on-inside-a-dyslexic-students-brain/

The Six Syllable Types

In English there are 15 vowel phonemes (sounds) but only 5 vowel letters.

 (Okay–7 if you count <y> and <w>). But how does that work– with twice as many vowel sounds to represent as there are letters to represent them!?

For his 1806 dictionary, Daniel Webster figured it out (and changed the spelling of some words to make it work more consistently).  Basically, context predicts the vowel’s letter-sound association.
The syllable type is largely determined by what comes after the vowel in the syllable.  In phonetically regular words, the sound of the vowel is predicted by its syllable type.  More than 90% of English words follow the six-syllable type sound-spelling pattern.
But note this important caveat:  The English language freely absorbs words from other languages, and words with origins other than English do not necessarily follow the syllable types patterns.  Even so, the majority of commonly-used English words follow this pattern,  so it is definitely worth learning the six syllable types.
While the fluent use of these patterns for reading and spelling will require an ongoing commitment to word study, a habit of word analysis will pay enormous dividends in terms of improved spelling and reading and vocabulary growth!

Follow the link to see the 6 syllable types: http://www.lexercise.com/blog

 

 

 

 

Learning Labs at Scottsboro Junior High

“It is virtually impossible to create and sustain over time conditions for productive learning for students when they do not exist for teachers” (pg. 145). Seymour Sarason (1990) from The Predictable Failure of Educational Reform.

This year, Scottsboro Junior High (SJH) has taken on a new positive challenge—Learning Labs. They are using Learning Labs and Lesson Studies to make informed decisions concerning student learning. This in-house professional development model incorporates “learning by doing,” student evidence, and teacher collaboration among the participants.

Their first round with the labs were hosted by two math teachers with a focus on outcome mastery as well as student engagement. The learning lab committee consisted of various content specific teachers (history, ELA, science) and a special education teacher. The student evidence collected was very eye opening. It was also amazing how every teacher involved took something back no matter their content area. This “productive learning” opportunity is proving to be very impactful on our ultimate goal—student achievement.

Here are some guiding principles and pictures of our work:

Guiding Principles for Student-Centered Collaboration

• It’s about student learning.

• Student evidence always informs instructional planning.

• Norms are set and participants are held accountable to the norms.

• Protocols provide a clear structure for the meeting time.

• Ownership is shared among group members.

Think before you test. Are you testing to test? Students have the right to learn, not just to get a grade. Are you using the data for learning and for changing instructional practices?
Love these Student Bill of Assessment Rights!! Your thoughts?

Learning Doesn't Happen Because Something is Taught

"If we are simply covering the curriculum, or letting textbooks or vendor products divine our practice, how do we really know that students have learned what we intended for them to learn?"
-- Michael Fisher

"Something is not taught, until it is learned." 
-- Dr. Katherine Mitchell

It's that time again!  Feverishly working in classrooms, trips to school supply stores, eraser crumbs on our calendars, and of course regular trips to the Keurig.  However, no matter the time of day, our thoughts are on what matters most...the students that are now sitting in our classrooms.  With this in mind, we shift our attention to a critical question.  How do we begin planning for instruction?  It goes without saying that we begin with data and the support of our peers in that analysis.  Then it gets messy.  We are then faced with what often times is a very tumultuous ordeal, navigating our curriculum.  Michael Fisher (author, educational consultant and instructional coach) offers some valuable insight into the common trap of "covering" the curriculum vs. "uncovering" the curriculum.  He shares some background connected to his field experience in New York state along with 6 conclusions that will hopefully provide some new thinking as we begin the planning process in our schools.

Covering the Curriculum

      

Ala. Reading Intervention Stands Test of Time

                                              

CHAT (Live)

How Alabama Coaches Up 

Early-Grades Reading Instruction

Sponsored by:

Tuesday, May 26, 2015, 2 to 3 p.m. ET

http://www.edweek.org/ew/events/chats/2015/05/26/chat-how-alabama-coaches-up-early-grades-reading.html
Panelists for today's chat:
Building Coaches: Christy Mathews and Daphne McClendon
Alabama Reading Initiative's Regional Coach, Tim Cobb   

Article    By Stephen Sawchuk 

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/05/13/ala-reading-intervention-stands-test-of-time.html 

Kindergartners Jaylen Rivers, Jalisha Lee, and KenmaJ Shell, left to right, practice literacy skills with their teacher, Diane Daniel, at Southside Primary School in Selma, Ala. Educators credit teacher professional development for the state’s reading gains. —Julie Bennett for Education Week

"Alabama has made a huge commitment to literacy, and we feel that we've gotten a return on our investment," said Judy Stone, an Alabama education department official who serves as the state's ARI coordinator.

“So what should we say when children complete a task—say, math problems—quickly and perfectly? Should we deny them the praise they have earned? Yes. When this happens, I say, “Whoops. I guess that was too easy. I apologize for wasting your time. Let’s do something you can really learn from!”
― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Having a 2-year-old is not only fun, but mind-blowing at the same time.  I find myself thinking about what lies ahead for him; the obstacles he faces, the successes he will feel in all parts of his life, friendships that will come and go, etc.  It's at these times that I also reflect on my experiences from the classroom and wonder whether I truly motivated my students to learn or if I rather gave them false hope without even knowing.  I now find myself searching for a balance between being a father and being an educator.  In my son's life, I want to do whatever it takes to motivate and challenge his cognitive growth in the years to come.  The following article delves into four essential qualities connected to student motivation (autonomy, competence, relatedness, and relevance).  I hope that you find it as informative and compelling as I did.  Without question, I now have a broader view of what to consider moving forward as a father and an educator! 

 

Strategies for Helping Students Motivate Themselves

The Role of Automaticity in Reading and Test Taking

The discussion of fluency instruction is nothing new in the elementary world, but lately middle and high school teachers are beginning to see the benefit of a fluency awareness at this level as well!

In a webinar by Dr. Timothy Rasinski, a well-known expert in this field, he begins to lay out the importance of focusing not just on the idea of fluent reading, but more importantly on automaticity.  He stated that:

• ·      67% of students who perform poorly on state mandated high stakes reading comprehension test exhibit difficulty in reading fluency (specifically word recognition which equals automaticity).
• ·      25% of the variance in silent reading comprehension on a state assessment given through sixth grade attributed to fluency (word recognition/automaticity).
• ·      25% of young adults lack basic literacy skills required to get a job.

Could a lot of this be prevented from a more focused instruction in word recognition and automaticity? Dr. Rasinski suggests providing students with “guided wide reading” as well as “guided deep reading”. To best develop automaticity a student must experience “intensive, wide and deep, guided and targeted instruction and practice.” Students at all levels must be able to read text in a reasonable amount of time and fully understand what they have read. This impacts a student’s development as a reader as well as their ability to complete high stakes assessments in the mandated time frame. To learn more about this follow the link to the free webinar and article.

Free webinar at http://www.scilearn.com/blog/tim-rasinski-reading-fluency

Wiesen, N. (2013, April 23). Why Dr. Timothy Rasinski Thinks Reading Fluency Should Be "HOT!" Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://www.scilearn.com/blog/tim-rasinski-reading-fluency

Review: Concepts & Tools to Develop a Collegial, Credible, Student-Centered Coaching Cycle

 Reviewed by Janet Kaylor

Professional reading has always been the investment I make in myself to stay on top of my practice as a reading specialist, instructional coach, team member, and leader. Fortunately, my spouse merely smiles when I hand him my personal work expenditures (the professional book bill) at tax season. And since it is an investment in my work with districts, leaders, teachers and students, I want to get the most out of any book I read professionally.

Student-Centered Coaching: A Guide to K-8 Coaches and Principals (2011) by Diane Sweeney was an impulse purchase. The draw for me was strictly the title, “student-centered.” (Read Sweeney's introduction.) As always, I made sure to read this informational text with these three questions foremost:

1. What will I learn and be able to do after reading this book?

2. What logistical considerations in this book will help me apply new learning to my practice?

3. What potential does this book have for impacting the longevity of my work?

With these questions in mind, I want to share some highlights from my learning.

Do you want to read more?  The full review can be found on the Alabama Best Practices Center Blog.
http://www.bestpracticescenter.org/blog/review-concepts-tools-to-develop-a-collegial-credible-student-centered-coaching-cycle/

The 8 Minutes that Matter Most

Some recent coaching conversations sparked my interest in looking deeper into designing effective lessons.  We all have separate tools we use, various ways to prepare, an almost innate systematic approach, etc. when it comes to lesson planning.  So in my 'web' travels I stumbled upon an article written by Brian Sztabnik, an ELA teacher from New York.  His take on what matters most really sparked some connections to what I've experienced when planning for standards based instruction, both past and present.  Below is an excerpt and link to the article.

"If we fail to engage students at the start, we may never get them back. If we don't know the end result, we risk moving haphazardly from one activity to the next. Every moment in a lesson plan should tell. The eight minutes that matter most are the beginning and endings. If a lesson does not start off strong by activating prior knowledge, creating anticipation, or establishing goals, student interest wanes, and you have to do some heavy lifting to get them back. If it fails to check for understanding, you will never know if the lesson's goal was attained."


The 8 Minutes that Matter Most -- 8 Ways to Make it Magical

The Ultimate Goal

The ultimate goal of reading is comprehending or understanding the text. Teachers are always trying to support students with “fix-up” strategies like “re-read”. But, do our students truly understand what to do when they are merely told to “re-read” it?

These strategies have to be taught in connection with thinking strategies. It is not only the act of re-reading, but what are we actually expecting them to think and do when they reread the text?

The link below leads to a blog that goes in-depth with the importance of sharing our thinking with our student so that they can better understand what these “strategies” really look like, feel like, sound like, and think like!

“Maybe we don’t understand what readers really do - and why it matters”

This blog shares great examples, like the one below, that help us better understand why the students are still struggling.

Lexile Levels, Readability, Text Complexity?

The College and Career Ready Standards are designed to increase rigor for the students of Alabama through the use of complex text.  Educators and parents would gain a greater understanding of rigor and how to help their children grapple with elevated learning expectations by gaining more knowledge about Lexile Levels and text complexity. Learn more about how they work together to build a better reader:• https://www.lexile.com/about-lexile/grade-equivalent/grade-equivalent-chart/• https://www.lexile.com/about-lexile/grade-equivalent/downloadable-pdfs/• http://www.readingrockets.org/blog/55202• http://reading.org/General/Publications/Books/BK478.aspx

Coaching Internship!

We had a great week working with coaches from Arab, Albertville City, Boaz, Dekalb and Fort Payne Schools!!! Here are a few reflections from their learning experiences: 

 "The planning phase requires being very proactive and thoughtful. It is very important to know your teachers and focus on student data. Using fine grain evidence and being very specific about the details you observed is essential. You should always reflect and focus on the 3, 2, 1 debriefing protocol so your thoughts and questioning will flow and lead you and the teacher where you need to go. Feedback should focus on student learning and provide next steps."

"I have learned so much about communication between the coach and teacher. I will take back the importance of questioning. Reflection is an important time to organize thoughts independently. The feedback between coach and teacher is where so much learning takes place."

Writing Notes Helps Recall Concepts, Ability To Understand

In this world there are two types of people: those who insist on handwriting and those who insist on typing to take notes. Note-taking is a practical way to acquire and retain information while saving time and effort. However, with the advancement in modern technology, note-taking is changing, and for many, brings up the question over which medium to use to take notes.

Here are two pieces that take a closer look at the advantages to writing in the classroom.  One relates to a recent study of college students while the other is one educator's take on the impact writing plays in the area of science. 

Ink on Paper: Some Notes on Note Taking

The Lowdown on Longhand: How Writing by Hand Benefits the Brain