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.
October 31, 2022 by User
Collaboration, networking, knowledge sharing, professional learning, literacy leadership – these are all definitions we use to describe Learning Ally’s Educator Community, now 5,300 educators strong with another 2,500 members on Instagram.
Members of Learning Ally’s Education Community have different titles, roles and responsibilities. They come from different towns and cities, from urban and rural schools, and from big and small districts. They come together as "one" with an unbreakable bond – the love of children, and a desire to hone their craft of teaching and leading.
In our community, there are new teachers, seasoned teachers, teacher leaders, and Teachers of the Year, like Leana Malinowsky, Middlesex, NJ County.
Elizabeth Zwerg, Learning Ally’s Educator Community Manager, says, “We think of our community as an ecosystem with many points of access. Staying true to our non-profit (501c3) roots, our Community is open to all educators - even teachers who do not use our solutions. Why? Because we want to ensure equitable access to all educators, so collectively they can enhance their teaching skills as literacy leaders."
Communicating and Connecting
When educators come together, they form professional and personal relationships. They draw support from each other. They collaborate and identify new ways to apply literacy leadership to transform their classes, their schools, and student outcomes. They become influencers, mentors, dreamers and doers. They model best practices, and inspire others to transform, wonder, and grow.
What Members Say
“I am your number one fan,” says Andrea Spradling, a Reading Specialist in Florida, when it comes to the Educator Community for teachers, and Learning Ally Audiobooks for students!”
Sheree Koppel, a retired educator from Kentucky, says, “We have talked a lot about how we, as educators, were not prepared, nor grounded, in the strategies supported by the Science of Reading when we entered the classroom. As educators, we shoulder the responsibility of teaching our students. As we repeatedly hear, and discuss, it takes everyone: parents, families, teachers, education institutions, nonprofit organizations, healthcare providers, and businesses, to address literacy needs accurately.”
Ms. Koppel goes on to say, “The concept of community and relationships within a community intrigues me. While we can work to influence and inspire others, it goes both ways. We inspire and hopefully influence, but we are also influenced by the actions of others. This is what makes a community so vital. I love the support and safety that exists as we strive to straighten each other’s crowns. Learning Ally’s community is always supportive, interactive, encouraging and engaging. I have learned so much from my fellow colleagues.”
Christine Hirsch, a Reading Specialist from Minnesota, says, “Building relationships is key and when you build relationships, you also build trust with both you, and the student. It is important to take it slow when building relationships. My school uses the slogan, ‘go slow to go fast.’ I think this pillar is important.”
No More Silos
Ms. Zwerg adds, “Establishing a safe space to exchange ideas, talk about challenges, find a friend or a friendly ear, is important for teachers. The ironic part about teaching is that many educators feel lonely in their classroom, or in leadership positions when implementing evidence-based literacy best practices in reading instruction. In our community, members expand their sphere of influence beyond the classroom, share ideas and goals, acquire new teaching strategies and know they are not alone.”
Power in Professional Learning and Networking
There are three types of teacher professional development: periodic workshops, in-class observation, and single-session seminars. Keeping this in mind, we believe participating in a strong educator community can also broaden leadership skills.
Listening to our Literacy Leadership podcasts is another benefit of networking where educators and literacy experts can share knowledge.
Join the Learning Ally Educator Community
Form friendships to improve mental health and social relationships.
Find purpose and meaning, and a safe space to learn and grow.
Influence others about the latest research.
Strengthen instructional practices and apply innovative approaches in class instruction.
Partner with like minded educators to share collective intelligence.
Learn new literacy leadership skills.
Have fun!
Ms. Zwerg says, “Building community is essential for teachers to feel connected. Community boosts morale, heightens engagement, and brings more satisfaction to teaching. When teachers feel supported, valued, and recognized, they are more satisfied with their career, which benefits our children and our society.”
When you join the Learning Ally Educator Community, you are saying “yes” to connecting with other educators, strengthening your pedagogy and instructional practices, and learning and growing with others who share a common passion for making our country and our world a better place through the education of our children.
Research About Teacher Community
What does the research say about vibrant teacher communities? Here are some research studies and citations:
Professional learning communities are an environment that fosters mutual cooperation, emotional support, and personal growth as they work together to achieve what they cannot accomplish alone.” (DuFour. R. (2004).
Challenges in daily instructional practice encourages teachers to learn spontaneously, in an informal manner: by consulting colleagues or experts (Billett 2004).
The process of informal learning consists of social interaction and gaining experience from colleagues and peers, and leads to a strengthening of informal relationships (Eraut 2004).
Professional and social changes, together with ongoing technological developments, require teachers to develop themselves continuously and to keep content knowledge and pedagogical skills up to date (Liebermann 2000).
Access to networks resulting from informal relationships has become an important aspect of continued professional learning (Chapman and Hadfield 2010; Doppenberg, Bakx, and Brok 2012; Lieberman and Pointer Mace 2010).
Teachers Thrive
Learning Ally has made a commitment to give teachers a flexible forum, and protective environment to network with colleagues, share meaningful ideas, and become empowered by joining a literacy community where “all” really does mean all. Join us.
A message from Leana Malinowsky, Teacher of the Year, Middlesex, NJ.
Categories: Education & Teaching, Educators, General, Learning Ally “How-To Use”, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, The Digital Age
October 24, 2022 by User
“For many affected children, dyslexia has extinguished the joys of childhood” explains Sally Shaywitz in her book, “Overcoming Dyslexia”.
While awareness of dyslexia has improved over the last decade, even the best interventions often fail to address the social and emotional challenges that make up the full picture of dyslexia. In addition to the core deficits which account for difficulties in reading, it is common for dyslexic students to experience bouts of anxiety, avoidance, and issues with self-esteem.
Recently, Danielle Frith, an alumna of Monmouth University and Special Education Specialist spoke to an audience of Learning Ally community members about the social/emotional symptoms of dyslexia, and how teachers can respond to them appropriately. Her research reveals strategies that adults can use to help dyslexic students cope with their whole experience.
Life Long Anxiety
The most frequent emotional symptom reported by adults with dyslexia is anxiety. Case studies reveal that children with dyslexia grow up with scars that last into adulthood. While in school, these individuals face constant frustration and heightened feelings of inadequacy. Resultantly, they learn to anticipate failure. As they enter college and journey into adulthood, they are more likely to become fearful and overwhelmed, especially when faced with new tasks that require the decoding of complicated text.
To help combat this effect, Frith recommends employing the DE-STRESS method developed by Neuropsychologist, Jerome Schultz specifically for students with learning disabilities.
The DE-STRESS acronym stands for Define, Educate, Speculate, Teach, Reduce the Threat, Exercise, Success, and Strategize. These steps are organized to help students and teachers identify triggers of where frustrations occur, and how they can be approached mindfully.
Avoidant Behavior Tactics
When dyslexia is un-remediated, students are forced to develop their own coping mechanisms. These coping mechanisms often appear in the form of avoidant tendencies and are commonly misinterpreted as unsavory personality traits. Students who anticipate frustration and failure may take on a passive avoidant attitude to escape an assignment that is expected to cause distress. This sort of behavior is often misinterpreted as laziness, causing many students with learning disabilities to mistakenly identify with a lack of motivation. Other students may avoid frustration more actively by becoming a source of distraction.
Teachers should understand that this sort of ‘class-clown’ behavior isn’t merely an outburst of excessive energy. Recognizing these patterns as attempts to defend against discomfort is a key to effectively responding to students’ needs. Teachers should also provide consistent encouragement for students who are likely to disengage when left to independently manage these challenges. Teachers should also be mindful to put more focus on effort than on product. Students with dyslexia are likely to notice themselves falling behind in activities that require reading, so teachers should prioritize a good effort above finishing a task quickly.
Dyslexia and Wounded Self-Esteem
While children may come to a dyslexia diagnosis at any age, they are almost always aware of their differences from a young age. At home, children with dyslexia may experience guilt or tension from parents, as well as blame or jealousy among siblings. At school, they are likely to be labeled as lazy, disruptive, and even stupid. Troubles with language may leave them feeling anti-social and may suppress their need to express themselves. As they approach high school, the pressure to gain academic independence may leave them feeling helpless, isolated, and angry at those who they once depended on for academic support.
Self-worth and identity are some of the most vulnerable parts of a student, so it is essential for teachers to nurture dyslexic students’ self-concept. Remind your child that dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence, and expose them to successful individuals who have also overcome these challenges. Students should be encouraged to talk about their dyslexia and analyze how it affects their day-to-day experiences. Helping students recognize their own experiences and advocate for themselves will help them to remember that they are more than their dyslexia -- much more. Remind students of their strengths and give them opportunities to use them whenever possible. If an assignment is especially challenging for a student with dyslexia, provide them with alternative options. Most importantly, give students a multitude of opportunities to express themselves and explain how they are feeling.
Showing Support
Anxiety, avoidance, and low self-esteem are only some of the social/emotional conditions that tend to accompany a dyslexia diagnosis. Depending on a student's school, home environment, and support system, these comorbidities can vary in type and intensity, so it’s important to check in often. “A child with dyslexia is in need of a champion,” says Shaywitz. Frith encourages educators to be those champions by supporting both the academic and emotional needs of struggling readers.
You can view the full recording of her presentation on Learning Ally’s Spotlight Series On-Demand.
Join the Learning Ally community to learn more about how you can support struggling readers.
Danielle Frith is a full-time specialist professor in the special education department at Monmouth University and an adjunct instructor at Rider University. Danielle is working towards attaining her PhD in special education from Temple University and recently completed a LEND Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her research interests include dyslexia, assessment, science of reading, teacher preparation and learning disabilities. She presents both locally and nationally on a variety of topics related to special education. She is a Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) Leadership Academy cohort participant and is currently working on a special education technology meta-analysis.
Categories: dyslexia, Education & Teaching, Educators, Learning Disabilities, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices, The Digital Age
October 20, 2022 by User
More than ever, teachers, education leaders, students, and families need the support of businesses, organizations and corporate sponsors to address the literacy crisis in our nation. That's just what Dr. Molly Ness, V.P. of Academic Content at Learning Ally and founder of End Book Deserts, and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation have in common.
The State of American Literacy - Everyone Has Potential
In this podcast, Dr. Molly Ness talks with Denine Torr, Vice President of Dollar General’s Corporate Social Responsibility & Philanthropy Programs and Executive Director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. They discuss the Foundation’s endeavors to develop new pathways to literacy for millions of Americans who have the potential to succeed, but need more reading support to do so. They talked about books, and the upcoming film The Right to Read, and how the Foundation is shining a light on literacy through their “Yellow Glasses” program. They discussed access, innovation, instruction, and partnerships.
Dollar General is a Fortune 100 company founded by J.L. Turner during the Great Depression. In 1993, his son and grandson established the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to honor Mr. Turner, the son of a farmer with only a third-grade education, who built one of the largest neighborhood general store chains in America. With its wide range of grants, funding, and collaboration, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation helps individuals of all ages pursue their educational goals by investing in literacy programs that help students learn to read, prepare for high school equivalency, and learn English. The Foundation recently commissioned a research report, “State of American Literacy,” outlining a deeper understanding of the opportunities that exist in the field of literacy to narrow the gap between what adult and youth literacy learners need and the resources available.
Investment in Literacy
Investing in literacy to fulfill all children’s hopes and dreams is a wonderful way to support our schools, communities, and society. More than forty-three million adults in the U.S. (nearly one in five) read below a third grade level. Even with a general awareness of challenges created by the inability to read proficiently, a larger discussion must ensue to grasp the lasting impact that literacy and education has for our citizens regarding opportunity, income, health, and equality.
Listen to this podcast now, and join the movement.
About End Book Deserts Podcasts and the Coalition for Literacy Equity
The End Book Deserts podcast is a part of the Coalition for Literacy Equity, a nonprofit committed to promoting literacy, and book access as an issue of equity. The Coalition, created by literacy advocates, unifies a nationwide network of interdisciplinary programs that provides books to children and caregivers. Find out more about programming and membership at www.litequity.com.
To find literacy programs in your neighborhood, visit the National Literacy Directory.
About Denine Torr
Denine Torr leads strategic development and execution of national, regional, and local philanthropic-related programs and initiatives for Dollar General’s 18,000+ store communities, distribution centers and corporate headquarters. She also serves as chairperson of the board for Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation and is on the board of directors for the American Indian College Fund and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
About Learning Ally
Learning Ally, a leading education nonprofit, equips educators with proven solutions that help emerging and struggling learners reach their full potential. The organization offers a range of literacy-focused products and services for students in Pre-K to 12th grade and a catalog of professional learning programs for educators. The nonprofit serves more than 2 million students and 450,000 educators through its solutions and community across the United States.
Categories: Education & Teaching, General, Student Centric Learning, The Digital Age, Whole Child Literacy
October 18, 2022 by User
What is the Science of Reading?
“The science of reading is an interdisciplinary body of knowledge about five decades in the making that shows how the brain learns to read. To be proficient readers, children need to be able to lift the words up off the page through decoding, and then have the necessary language skills to understand them,” says Dr. Molly Ness, a reading researcher and Learning Ally’s Vice President of Academic Content.
Composed of scientific research that has been conducted around the world and across several disciplines, such as education, linguistics, neuroscience, and cognitive psychology, the science of reading reveals the skills required to read proficiently and the best practices for teaching those skills effectively.
As illustrated by Hollis Scarborough’s (2001) reading rope, proficient readers are efficient in two categories of reading skills: word recognition and language comprehension. Word recognition skills, such as phonemic awareness and the alphabetic principle, allow readers to instantly recognize words or use decoding for unfamiliar words; language comprehension skills, such as vocabulary and background knowledge, enable readers to make meaning of those words.
Effective Early Literacy Instruction Is Comprehensive
“It’s really important to note that the two processes of decoding or word recognition and language comprehension are not hierarchical; one does not happen after another,” Dr. Ness explains. “In other words, we don’t want to just give young kids in Kindergarten lots and lots of word recognition and ignore or overlook language comprehension because what we know is that these things develop simultaneously. We need to expose kids to all of the comprehension components, as well as laying the foundations in word decoding and word recognition.”
Although it’s not quite clear why early reading instruction often emphasizes word recognition skills over language comprehension skills, research shows that this practice is misguided. “When we look only at word recognition or phonics, we’re really glossing over what the science of reading entails,” Dr. Ness says. “So, while we may have kids who can decode, if we don’t talk about all of the sub-skills in language comprehension, we’re not really going to make a mark when we are trying to improve reading scores, which focus heavily on comprehension.”
The lack of instruction in language comprehension skills can have long-term consequences for students. “Ultimately, as adult proficient readers, we read for the sole purpose of making meaning,” Dr. Ness says. “So, we read for enjoyment; we read for information; we read for entertainment; we read to be a member of a literate society – so, to take a bus schedule or to fill out a voter application; and all of those tasks and foundations lie in the ability to make meaning of what you’re reading. If you are just able to decode the words- but you don’t have the context to understand them - you’re not getting to that effective, efficient, purposeful reading for meaning.”
Educators Need Research-Based Curriculum
To help students become proficient readers, educators need research-based curriculum that helps them provide effective reading instruction. Dr. Ness explains that effective reading instruction is explicit, provides teacher modeling, includes a gradual release of responsibility from teacher to student, and follows a logical progression of skills. “And it needs to be multi-faceted, meaning it focuses on decoding and word recognition while increasing comprehension and vocabulary and oral language and all of these other things. So, it needs to be wide in its reach and not myopically focused on phonics and decoding just as one foundational skill.”
Because so many reading curriculum programs focus on building word recognition skills and lack instruction in language comprehension, Learning Ally offers a solution to bridge that gap. Excite Reading™, an award-winning supplementary literacy program for grades preK-2, is designed to increase students’ vocabulary and background knowledge through a rich e-library of diverse human-narrated authentic texts.
“Excite Reading™ helps kids who are early in their reading processes by giving them exposure to texts that they will likely not be able to decode on their own,” Dr. Ness explains. “So, these are sophisticated texts that have novel ideas, novel concepts, and vocabulary that is beyond their reading level. And what we know is that when kids are able to listen to the teacher read the text or that when kids listen to an audiobook of that text, we are getting to those parts of the Scarborough reading rope and language comprehension that they will not yet be able to do independently. So, we’re exposing them to vocabulary words; we are giving them rich background knowledge that supports their comprehension.”
Categories: Early Literacy, Education & Teaching, Educators, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices, The Digital Age
October 17, 2022 by User
Learning independence…that is what Caroline Radlinger, an Occupational Therapist for the Medford Area School District in Wisconsin, wants for all students. She uses her extensive training in assistive technology to prepare students with learning challenges for post-secondary schooling and success in their lives and careers. This is why Ms. Radlinger is a recipient of Learning Ally’s 2022 Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award; an award that recognizes exemplary educators improving literacy for all learners.
Technology has changed the learning landscape,” said Ms. Radlinger. Early in her career, she understood the benefits that assistive technologies can bring to all kinds of learners. Her district now provides annual staff development and an intensive range of learning support for students with dyslexia at the universal, targeted, and intensive levels. Resources include Wilson Reading and Learning Ally audiobooks to ensure all students are able to close achievement gaps evidenced by their reading scores on statewide and local assessments.
Benefits of Assistive Technology - Audiobooks
Ms. Radlinger initiated the first Core Assistive Technology team to train students, staff, and families how to choose and use AT tools. She manages a variety of the education technology processes in her district that connect students with iPads, Learning Ally, Communication Boards, and Visual Communications.
“Human-read audiobooks unlock learning potential, and encourages reading independence for more students than we can imagine,” said Ms. Radlinger. Her district provides access to Learning Ally’s audiobook library containing well over 80,000 audiobooks giving students the ability to read what their classmates read, including required curriculum, and to read at home or on the go.
Through her knowledge and support, she has helped students of all ages (3-21) glean a clear understanding of their own learning style. “Equitable access to reading materials is another assurance we are doing all we can to level the learning field,” she said. “Students love the natural narration of humans who emphasize intonation, prosody, and comprehension. They make information come to life and reading on grade-level possible.”
As a parent of children with dyslexia, Ms. Radlinger strives to educate students and families to a deeper understanding of how learning disabilities affect the brain’s cognitive processes. She knows all too well the frustration students feel when they cannot decode words fast enough to comprehend what they are reading. Instead of giving them only low level books to read, she empowers them with tools like Boardmaker, Learning Ally, and Sensory Regulation to replace their fears. “I want them to worry less, and learn more,” she says. On the district’s website, she also creates seminars and tutorials with links to social stories and visuals to inform parents, and reinforce students’ skills and learning confidence.
Ongoing Professional Learning is Key
Ms. Radlinger’s passion for learning independence, and her steadfast quest for ongoing professional development at the local and state level has enabled her to unlock the learning potential for far more students through ways which would not have been possible without her efforts. Students under her tutelage are now academically successful in high school English classes. They access Learning Ally audiobooks to help them read with deep comprehension. They maintain reading fluency. They read grade-level books, and meet classroom learning expectations.
She often encourages young people to become teachers, which she says is a rewarding profession. “To be a teacher or specialist in service to children is one of the greatest gifts you can give to our community and our nation.”
On behalf of the Learning Ally organization, we congratulate Caroline Radlinger and all 2022 winners for their exemplary service to improve literacy for all learners.
Categories: Assistive Technology, Awards, Curriculum & Access, Education & Teaching, Educators, Learning Ally “How-To Use”, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices
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