News and reflections from experts and practitioners on the latest literacy research, events and daily practice
Welcome to Learning Ally's blog. You've come to the right place if you are an innovative teacher who wants to transform more struggling readers into grade-level achievers.
March 6, 2023 by User
In this blog, we are discussing ‘three-cueing,’ and how this instructional strategy may not be as effective for beginning readers to learn how to decode printed text, especially for kids like Joey.
Consider this scenario - Joey has a learning disability. His reading skills aren’t on grade-level. About 85% of his day is spent in general education. The remaining time, he spends in small group instruction. His general education teacher teaches the three cueing method prompting Joey to draw on context and sentence structure, along with letters, to identify words.
In Joey’s inclusion class, his other teacher helps him decode words through an explicit, systematic approach with a scope and sequence to identify words through print to speech. When Joey goes home from school and tries to read to his little sister, he gets confused. Which method should his brain use to read the words in the story? He doesn’t know what to do. Consistency matters when it comes to effective reading instruction, especially for kids who need early intervention. Beginning learners cannot decipher which method is appropriate to use.
Is Inconsistency in Reading Instruction Happening in Your School?
Learning competing methods of reading instruction may be complicating Joey’s ability to learn “how to read” effectively, and causing self-doubt. Encouraging a child to look at a picture when they come to a tricky word, or to hypothesize or guess what word would work in the sentence, takes focus away from the word itself. This can interfere with the ability to use letter sounds to read through the word part-by-part, and their ability to recognize it more quickly the next time they see the word.
One reason for low reading proficiency in many children today may be three cueing because this teaching methodology is missing constrained skills. Constrained skills must be learned early to initiate our brains’ ability to process information. Examples of constrained skills are the alphabet, concepts about print, high-frequency word lists, and how to write our names. Phonics is considered constrained because once we have learned it, we don’t need to learn it again.
The science of reading isn’t just about phonics, but phonics must be explicitly taught to ensure that the child can build on their knowledge agency through literature-rich interactive reading experiences, text-based vocabulary, and background information.
Consistency Matters
In a recent edWebinar with Dr. Terrie Noland, educators took a deep dive into disunity of reading instruction in schools, and how to implement a unified approach to instruction – one grounded in evidence-based practices aligned with the science of reading, brain-based learning, and whole child literacy – a concept that builds an ecosystem around the individual learner, taking into account not only their academic skills, but cognitive, social and environmental factors as well. “When a child is constantly flipping back and forth from this strategy to that strategy, their brains become fatigued,” says Dr. Noland. “That child needs consistency in early reading instruction."
Dr. Noland recommends leading from where you are.
Model literacy leadership by cultivating a shared understanding of the science of reading and brain-based learning.
Build authentic relationships through credibility and humility.
Encourage a curriculum, assessment and systems review to understand how reading is taught across all grade levels, and in all instructional environments of a school.
Evaluate current schedules and how literacy is being taught throughout the day to introduce more reading time in every class.
Grow your own knowledge, and build collective efficacy.
Use positive affirmations, ‘We’re a team! We’re doing this together for the kids!
Shared Understanding Builds Foundations for Higher Learning
Inconsistency of reading instruction delays comprehension to move to complex text. Dr. Noland references the work of Emily Hanford, Executive Producer and Correspondent for American Public Media (APM). Her latest podcast “Sold the Story, How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong” investigates four authors, and a publishing company that have made millions selling curriculum that relies on three cueing - now a disproven theory of reading instruction.
“There is no blame game here,” says Dr. Noland. “Just a call for consistency to ensure baseline fundamental skills are taught to learn ‘how to read’. This will reduce confusion in teaching' methods, and compound essential reading skills that build on our reservoir of agency, create automaticity in reading, and cement the ability for lifelong learning.”
Listen to this edWebinar for a Continuing Education Certificate.
Ready to influence others? Read this blog, “Flipping the Script on Low Reading Outcomes - Learn to Influence Up, Down, and Across the Aisle.”
Learning Ally’s Professional Learning Services
Our Professional Learning Services are designed to strengthen educator’s instructional capacity, so they can deliver a deeper, richer learning experience and promote better academic outcomes. Our nonprofit partners with families, schools, and districts to share research, encourage new pathways to leadership, and expand instructional and teaching knowledge.
Valerie Chernek writes about educational best practices through the use of technology and the science of reading in support of teachers, children, and adolescents who struggle with learning differences.
Categories: Curriculum & Access, Early Literacy, Education & Teaching, Educators, Learning Disabilities, Professional Development, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices, Whole Child Literacy
February 27, 2023 by User
2023 Literacy Learning Landscape
If you had a crystal ball, what would you envision for literacy in 2023?
If you are predicting a learning landscape like this, you are in agreement with three of our brightest experts on literacy, Dr. Molly Ness, Dr. Katie Pace Miles, and Natalie Wexler. These incredible thought leaders gave their predictions in a recent Learning Ally webinar to explore the 2023 literacy landscape
You can register to view their full presentation and conversation at no cost on-demand to learn about:
Early learning instructional skills.
Cognitive load theory and working memory, and how they relate to learning to ensure students are reading comprehensively.
Views about artificial intelligence for learning.
The importance of teaching writing, and much more.
We’re touching on the high points here, but encourage you to view the webinar.
Take a Broader Lens to Literacy Instruction
Our thought leaders describe early reading instruction as a “symphony” of essential reading components that must be taught simultaneously to ensure all children become successful readers. Hear them take a deep dive into reading instruction best practices and discuss encoding, high-frequency words, opportunities to read and listen to complex text, the importance of conversation, text-based vocabulary, background knowledge, constrained and unconstrained skills, and encoding.
Learn how the brain’s conscious memory works to take on new information for recall, and how modulating a heavy cognitive load with linear outlines acts as a roadmap for learning. Also learn why the more knowledge we have in long-term memory, the better capacity we have for reading,
Learn about the exciting shift of “all” teachers becoming “reading teachers” to reinforce reading skills in every subject area to build agency knowledge. Learn approaches to do this in your own class that might include read-alouds/think-alouds of complex text, discussions focused on the chosen text, and staying on the topic for longer periods of time to deepen comprehension.
Hear why too much instruction in phonics for decoding, and not enough language-based skills for comprehension or vice versa won’t move the needle on reading mastery.
Covid Relief Funds
Dr. Miles discusses the use of federal Covid relief funds in the most effective ways with planned goals and measured outcomes to remediate the most vulnerable student populations. Schools must capture what approaches worked and what did not. These funds end in September 2024.
High-Quality, High Dosage Tutoring
Explore why tutoring programs are becoming more prominent in schools to address learning loss. Research by the Annenberg Brown University demonstrates a clear need for evidence-based tutoring programs delivered with fidelity three to five days a week by highly qualified tutors to meet the rigors of learning and relearning important skills. In many teaching universities, literacy professors are now embedding tutoring programming into pre-teachers’ field practices.
Professional Learning A Must
More administrators and teachers are recognizing the need to update their professional knowledge in the science of reading and brain-based learning instruction.
In addition to this webinar, you might want to review Learning Ally’s professional learning services, our Spotlight Series events, and the new, award-winning Effective PreK-6 Brain-Based Literacy Instruction programming.
About the Presenters
Dr. Molly Ness, V.P. of Academic Content, Learning Ally is a former classroom teacher, a reading researcher, and a teacher educator. She holds a doctorate in reading education from the University of Virginia, and spent 16 years as an associate professor at Fordham University. She is the author of four books and numerous peer-reviewed articles about dyslexia, comprehension, and teachers’ instructional decisions. She began the End Book Deserts podcast to bring attention to the issue of book access and equity. She serves on the Board of Directors for the International Literacy Association and on the elementary advisory panel for Penguin Random House.
Natalie Wexler holds a BA from Harvard, an MA in history from the University of Sussex, and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of The Knowledge Gap…The Hidden Cause of American’s Education System and How to Fix It. She has written articles and essays for a number of publications, including the New York Times, The Atlantic, and the Washington Post. She is a senior contributor to Forbes.com focusing on education, and has been interviewed on TV and radio shows and podcasts, including Morning Joe, and NPR’s On Point and 1A.
Katie Pace Miles is an Associate Professor at Brooklyn College City University of New York. Dr. Miles’ research includes orthographic mapping, high frequency word learning, reading interventions and literacy instruction that are both developmentally appropriate and grounded in the science of reading. She is the academic advisory for Reading Rescue, an evidence-based intervention for the first and second grade students. She is the author of Reading Ready, an explicit and systematic word reading curriculum for kindergarten and first graders. She is also the founder and principal investigator of CUNY Reading Core, which improves pre-service re-service teacher training, and provides high dosage free tutoring to historically underserved New York City students.
Categories: Curriculum & Access, Early Literacy, Education & Teaching, Educators, General, Student Centric Learning, The Digital Age, Whole Child Literacy
February 18, 2023 by User
Love was certainly in the air this Valentine's Day, and the Learning Ally community made sure to share it far and wide! In a heartwarming event called Share the Love, the Volunteer Nation Community and the Learning Ally Educator Community joined forces for the second year to spread love and appreciation to educators.
With the help of nearly 50 employees and volunteers, Volunteer Nation community members were paired up with educators and tasked with sending them a special valentine. Led by Learning Ally’s Elizabeth Zwerg and Maria Lelie, the event was born from a desire to bring much-needed TLC to educators at a time when morale is low and attrition is high.
Zwerg, a former educator, knows firsthand that this time of year can be tough for teachers as they slog through testing season and anxiously await the warmer months. That's why the Share the Love event is so important: to show educators that they are valued and appreciated for the transformative work they do every day. And WOW, did the love and connection flow!
Volunteers went all out to create special packages for their matched educators, complete with ribbons, chocolates, bows, original poems, and love letters. “We are so grateful for our community of volunteers and their endless energy to spread joy and support wherever they can,” says Lelie.
Hundreds of emails flooded in from excited volunteers like Kelly Lucero, who couldn't wait to deliver her special goodies to their assigned educator, and educators like Amy Burns, who stated, “I've been teaching for almost 30 years, so please hear me...I appreciate being appreciated! I'm such a fan of Learning Ally and promote it all of the time. The webinars are awesome! I learn and apply things after every single one of them! Learning Ally is what teachers need like we've never needed before.”
Of course, the event wasn't just about material gifts. Volunteers also sent e-cards and heartfelt messages to educators all over the world, including those as far away as Ecuador. The impact of all that love was palpable: as Dr. Terrie Noland, VP of Educator Initiatives at Learning Ally, says, "Love Boomerangs!"
The Share the Love event demonstrated just how much love can come back to us when we put it out into the world.
It's no surprise that the event was a huge success. In just two short years, more than 130 matches have been made between volunteers and educators. Even the Executive Leadership Team at Learning Ally got in on the fun this year, with each member matched to their own Educator Community Ambassador.
Margaret Mead said, "Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world."
That's exactly what the Learning Ally community has done with the Share the Love event. By coming together to show their appreciation for educators, they've made a real difference in the lives of those who dedicate themselves to shaping the minds of the next generation. Love really does have the power to change the world, and the Learning Ally Communities and staff are leading the charge when it comes to building relationships and creating connections.
Written by: Maria Lelie & Elizabeth Zwerg
Categories: Activities, Educator Community, Educators, General, In the news, Volunteerism
February 12, 2023 by User
In our Literacy Leadership podcast series, we’re talking about the qualities, characteristics, and traits of literacy leaders. Dr. Terrie Noland, V.P. of Educator Initiatives at Learning Ally says, “Leadership is not about having a certain title or position, it’s about our underlying values -- our human spirit. You cannot separate the person from the educator. The heart, mind, soul, and spirit all play a role in becoming a literacy leader."
Literacy Leaders Are Builders
Being a leader begins with preparation, and literacy leaders are builders. They share a vision. They fuel the vision. They think about how to develop good readers. They prepare and plan. “Start with a vision of glorious, happy students who become successful readers because of your efforts,” says Noland.
But how do you get to that end goal? You build knowledge. You build a team. You identify the critical infrastructure needed to teach a solid foundation in early reading skills, including phonemic awareness, decoding, word study, and vocabulary. Literacy leaders build the walls of reading skills brick by brick by applying interactive, rich language-based literacy experiences that are culturally relevant and fold in background knowledge to fire the brain's neural pathways.
Literacy Leaders Demonstrate a Growth Mindset
Dr. Louisa Moats states that "Informed teachers change lives." Working toward the goal that all children read successfully, you share professional knowledge to demonstrate a growth mindset. You lead by your actions. With knowledge and a growth mindset, you build credibility with colleagues, you present research about how the brain learns to read, and apply the evidence-based instruction needed to ensure all students become good readers.
Literacy Leaders Build Capacity…and Bridges
Transformation is not easy. Literacy leaders know that. They challenge assumptions. They build capacity. They build bridges to get to the finish line, leading up, down and across the aisle. They believe in the team and lean on others for support. They understand that the credit is not theirs alone, but by building relationships and partnerships with the team, and by demonstrating persistence. Literacy leaders don’t blame or shame or drain other’s mindsets. They listen.
The Job of the Literacy Leader
Literacy leaders stand firm on early literacy best practices based on evidence-based research. In a recent study by Rand Corporation, “Teachers Matter, Understanding Teachers’ Impact on Student Achievement, research shows that high value-added teachers influence not only student’s short term goals, but their long-term outcomes, such as graduation, college attendance, and earnings. The job of a literacy leader is to teach reading as a science, add reinforcements and readjust. Dr. Noland adds, “Reading failure of your kids, my kids, someone else’s kids is our mutual responsibility, especially for literacy leaders. Lack of preparation and knowledge lead to unwanted consequences – a significant risk of inequity in education, and unwelcome social injustices. Let's continue to support and build up literacy leaders who are on the frontline to make sure all children read well to succeed well.”
Categories: Early Literacy, Education & Teaching, Educators, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices
February 7, 2023 by User
For Immediate Release:
February 7, 2023 -- Princeton, NJ – Learning Ally, a national nonprofit working with U.S. schools to improve reading proficiency, has won a Tech and Learning Award of Excellence for its new PreK-6 Professional Courseware on “Effective Brain-Based Literacy Instruction.”
Brent Hartsell, Director of Solutions and Professional Learning for Learning Ally, says, “PreK-6 educators recognize the critical need to elevate their teaching knowledge on evidence-based instruction grounded in the science of reading, with an emphasis on social and emotional learning. Our new courseware is uniquely designed for educators to ensure all children master the fundamentals of reading.”
Learning Ally’s new Pre-K6 Effective Brain-Based Literacy Instruction courseware is focused on delivering a Whole Child Literacy™ approach, recognizing how each child learns, their academic needs, and the cognitive variables, environment, and social and emotional factors that impact their ability to learn.
Educators will work with Master Teachers to learn the latest research on how the brain learns to read, so they can individualize instruction, and enhance their instructional capacity to develop effective early reading skills.
The award-winning brain-based courseware (online and on-demand) is flexible and adaptive, offering educators comprehensive workshops and collaborative communities of practice, with opportunities to refine and apply new knowledge directly into class and school environments.
Educators will acquire in-depth knowledge on these topics:
Conceptual Underpinnings - Simple Science of Reading and Scarborough’s Reading Rope
Phonemic Awareness - phonics, word study, decoding and encoding
Language Comprehension - vocabulary, background knowledge, verbal reasoning, and more
Complexities of Comprehension - connection between comprehension, motivation and strategy instruction
Specific practices tied to data on student achievement with measurable outcomes
Teaching multi-language learners
The Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Best of 2022 celebrates exceptional educational technology supporting teachers and students in primary, secondary, and higher education. “This year’s winning products reflect some of the most important trends we’re seeing in education,” says Christine Weiser, T&L content director. “These trends include a greater focus on wellness, new product features to create flexibility in various learning environments, innovative ways to assess student mastery and to personalize learning, and a focus on professional learning and equitable access for all students.”
Learn more about Learning Ally’s early literacy and audiobook solutions, and professional learning services, including our Spotlight Learning Series where educators can receive continuing education certificates by learning with literacy thought leaders around the country.
About Learning Ally
Learning Ally is a leading education nonprofit dedicated to equipping educators with proven solutions that help new and struggling learners reach their potential. Our range of literacy-focused offerings for students in Pre-K to 12th grade and catalog of professional learning allows us to support more than two million students across the United States.
Categories: Early Literacy, Education & Teaching, Educators, In the news, Press Releases, Professional Development
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