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.
June 25, 2019 by Valerie Chernek
by Cindy Kanuch, Title I Reading Interventionist, Calhan Elementary School, CO
I’m a big believer in a multisensory, structured literacy approach, especially for students who struggle to read due to dyslexia and other learning differences, and I work closely with general and special education teachers to identify students with reading deficits and help them succeed. Here are my five tips for teaching students with dyslexia.
Over the years, I have noticed that struggling students have a very difficult time reading and understanding what they’ve read when they interact with printed text alone. Fortunately, we now have access to adaptive technology that can provide a different kind of learning experience. By giving struggling readers a proven reading accommodation that lets them access grade-level materials in audiobook format, you will improve their reading skills, build their vocabulary and background knowledge, and boost their confidence.
In 2013, our staff learned that our state test scores had dropped to the lowest range. Under the guidance of a new principal, we moved from Turnaround status to Performance status in a single year. This was a rare accomplishment. How did we get more struggling readers on the path to learning success? We began to use research-based reading practices with fidelity and incorporate human-read audiobooks—making subjects, like English, History, Science and Social Studies more accessible to students with reading difficulties.
As an associate level member of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham and a Certified Academic Language Practitioner, I understand the positive impact reading and listening to a book simultaneously can have on students. I have used this multisensory structured language approach with students who have difficulty with reading, spelling and writing.
Building Reading Endurance and Independence
To build reading endurance and reading independence, I use The Learning Ally Audiobook Solution. This proven reading accommodation has made a profound difference in my students’ reading strength and stamina.
Before access to Learning Ally, my students were limited by their skills to reading short, decodable “baby books.” Now they read the same books as their peers and keep up with assignments. I’ll never forget when a severely dyslexic student chose a thick book to read. He was so proud of himself. He had never attempted to read a chapter book on his own, but with this resource, his confidence soared.
Legislating Early Intervention and Training
I also believe in early intervention. My state recently passed the Colorado READ Act (Reading to Ensure Academic Development) to focus on K-3 literacy, assessment and individual planning for students reading below grade level. The Act requires identification of students with significant reading deficiencies and provides funding and training for appropriate resources and interventions.
This is good news, because most general education teachers are at a major disadvantage when it comes to working with students who struggle to read. These teachers have not received adequate training on reading science or the challenges of learning differences such as dyslexia.
Giving Teacher the Tools and Support They Need
While the Colorado READ Act is a step in the right direction, it lacks the accountability necessary to ensure that teachers receive appropriate instruction in reading science and that students are being accurately identified and provided with scientifically researched instruction and interventions, such as The Learning Ally Audiobook Solution.
There is still much to do and learn about dyslexia and other learning differences and making the right choices of how best to serve students. We must also do a better job of exposing teachers to the science of reading and neurological research on how we learn. One of my favorite books for teachers is Reader Come Home: the Reading Brain in a Digital World by Dr. Maryanne Wolf.
Making a Shift to Accessible Books
Children with dyslexia are often out-of-the-box thinkers, but this learning disability can rob them of time and self-confidence. Providing grade-level text in audiobook format allows these learners to participate in class and sparks their creativity. Making a shift to accessible materials unlocked more of my students’ learning potential.
Early in my teaching career, I knew I was onto something powerful when a child demonstrated substantial growth in his reading skills after I combined a multisensory structured literacy approach with instructional materials. We must help more students make meaningful connections to reading and overcome their feelings of inadequacy.
Multisensory Learning Can Be a Game-Changer
Readers must be thoroughly competent at decoding and fluency before they can accomplish deep reading and full comprehension. They need both targeted reading instruction to improve decoding and fluency skills and access to grade-level text. In addition to whole-class, grade-level instruction, my students receive individualized instruction to work on missing or weak foundational skills, and they have access to The Learning Ally Audiobook Solution.
By giving your struggling readers access to grade-level reading materials through audiobooks, you will improve their reading skills, build their vocabulary and background knowledge, and boost their learning confidence. If struggling readers don’t get the help they need, they’ll develop feelings of inadequacy and lose their passion for reading and learning, and sadly, many of them will fail to reach their academic potential.
If students aren’t learning the way we are teaching them, then we need to teach to the way they learn. For students with dyslexia and other learning differences, that means a multisensory learning approach that allows them to absorb grade-level content and develop a love for reading. Learning Ally is a reading accommodation that is proven to do just that. It might be exactly what your struggling readers need to read and succeed.
For more information on Learning Ally, or to request a demo, visit www.learningally.org/educators or call 800-221-1098.
Categories: Assistive Technology, Audiobook Library, Curriculum & Access, dyslexia, Education & Teaching, Learning Disabilities, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning
June 17, 2019 by Valerie Chernek
Tenth graders at Stephen F. Austin High School in Austin, TX read rigorously in their English II course in The Academy of Global Studies. They explore other countries and their histories, socioeconomic systems and cultures through the books they read. Their teacher, Stacey Allen Webster, likes to include a little philosophy, sociology and art theory along with interdisciplinary connections to chemistry, mathematics, social studies, and world language in the topics they explore though writing assignments. Students also engage in project-based units around the themes of “waste management” in the fall and “voice and power” in the spring.
Expanding Students’ Horizons
Every January, Ms. Webster also helps to organize a learning expedition to Costa Rica for 140 sophomores. Students tour a local university, where they meet other students and teachers and discuss global problems. Students with socioeconomic needs receive scholarships in accordance with The Academy’s travel philosophy: “We all travel, or we don’t travel at all.”
Students in Ms. Webster’s general education classes include some who struggle to read due to dyslexia or other learning differences, students who speak English as a second language, and students who come from low-income families and impoverished neighborhoods.
The good news is that no student with a reading deficit is ever denied the opportunity to enroll in this challenging course, because Ms. Webster uses The Learning Ally Audiobook Solution, a proven reading tool that levels the playing field for students who have difficulty keeping up with complex grade-level texts in print form.
Learning Ally: A Proven Reading Accommodation
When she learned that her Texas district had a site license for Learning Ally, Ms. Webster was all in. She understands the frustration of students who have the intellectual ability to learn and excel, but lack the basic reading ability to keep pace with their peers. “You never want students to feel like they’re “hitting the wall with reading,” says Webster. “By presenting grade-level content in an accessible, engaging audiobook format, students with reading deficits turn into confident academic achievers. As students listen to human narrators, they hear content that is authentic and relevant. They absorb knowledge rather than trying to decode every word.
The Power of Choice
In her classes, students are able to choose what they read for most units. Ms. Webster believes having a choice can make a huge difference, since students are more likely to connect with texts that align with their individual interests or pique their curiosity. In one unit, students were asked to read a book by a Latin American author. Those with access to Learning Ally had no difficulty finding titles. Mrs. Webster says these students are more likely to complete their assignments using Chromebooks and smartphones in class, at home and on the go. She encourages them to read for at least twenty minutes a day and to write for at least twenty minutes a day – a best practice that Learning Ally recommends.
Another unit focuses on heroes and their journeys. Ms. Webster uses the work of Joseph Campbell, a literature professor and author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces and other works of comparative mythology to help students understand the journey of the archetypal hero and how that story can be found in the literature of cultures from around the world—from ancient mythology and sacred texts to Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. Many hero cycle novels, both classic and contemporary, are available on Learning Ally.
Sharing the Wealth of Knowledge
Ms. Webster is one of six teachers nationwide who received Learning Ally’s prestigious 2018 Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award for her balanced literacy approach, student-centric learning philosophy, and advocacy of dyslexia awareness and intervention. After receiving the Award, which comes with a cash prize for both the winning teachers and their schools, she was able to purchase copies of several critically acclaimed young adult novels, including The Hate U Give, All American Boys, The Help, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter and How It Went Down. All of these books deal with topics of social justice, allowing Ms. Webster and her class to focus on an important pillar of learning in The Academy for Global Studies: “Recognize and Weigh Multiple Perspectives.”
Dyslexia Awareness
When she’s not busy expanding her student’s knowledge of the world, Ms. Webster strives to help teachers and parents better understand the different ways students learn. It troubles her to know that many students with dyslexia aren’t getting the help and support they need. She talks to colleagues and parents about recognizing learning differences. She encourages students to talk freely about the social and emotional toll they may experience. She introduces students to tools like Learning Ally that can be a beneficial reading accommodation for them.
The Simple Truth: Audiobooks Work
“There are myths we need to put to rest about audiobooks and learning,” says Webster. “In schools today, an estimated twenty percent of students struggle to read due to dyslexia and other learning differences. Yet many schools don’t use audiobooks, and that’s unfortunate. Many educators think these tools are cheating. They think they are distracting to the class. They don’t think audiobooks help students learn to read. They think if students are listening to an audiobook, they can’t take notes. The truth is much simpler. For students with dyslexia and other learning differences, reading is difficult. Audiobooks take away their frustration and embarrassment. They level the playing field to comprehend grade-level content. When students can do that, they develop more self-confidence to learn and to reach their highest academic goals.”
If you know an educator, administrator or U.S. school that is making a difference for students with reading deficits, Learning Ally’s nomination process is now open for the 2020 Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award. For more information on Learning Ally, or to request a demo, visit www.learningally.org/educators or call 800-221-1098.
Categories: Audiobook Library, Curriculum & Access, dyslexia, Education & Teaching, Educators, Learning Disabilities, Reading Strategies for K-12, Teacher Best Practices
June 11, 2019 by Valerie Chernek
If you asked struggling learners at Arroyo Vista Charter School in Chula Vista, CA who has done the most to help them develop their reading skills, their answers might surprise you. Of course, many would mention their English teachers, special education teachers and reading specialists. But another person whose name would come up frequently is Jerry Voelker, a credentialed school psychologist and assistive technology specialist.
Helping Students, Helping Teachers
Jerry is one of four recipients of the 2019 Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award, a national achievement award created by Learning Ally as a way to recognize educators who make an exceptional effort to motivate and support students with reading deficits. His school district serves a large population of general and special education students, ranging from transitional kindergarteners to eighth graders.
Krystle Johnson, the special education teacher who nominated him for the award, said, “Jerry is an invaluable resource. His unique insight into how students think and feel and his knowledge of assistive technology allow him to help teachers select the right tools and strategies to meet each student’s needs. He is a big reason why so many struggling Arroyo Vista students are now celebrating learning success.”
Early Screening and Intervention is Critical to Long-Term Success
Jerry’s involvement with struggling learners begins with a screening for reading deficits in first grade. At that point, he assesses their learning capabilities and determines which students need reading accommodations to ensure that they receive equitable access to the curriculum. For students who require intervention, he will design IEP programming and 504 plans to help them develop the reading skills they need to master grade-level content and keep pace with their peers. He will also utilize his assistive technology acumen to determine the best resources for each student.
The Power of Learning Ally
One important tool in his toolkit is the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution. This proven reading accommodation, with its library of human-read audiobooks, student-centric features and suite of teacher resources, is an indispensable solution that helps bridge the reading gap by engaging and motivating struggling readers. More than 17,000 schools nationwide rely on Learning Ally to help struggling readers reach their academic potential.
Students with learning differences like dyslexia or physical or visual limitations are required by California law to receive a reading accommodation, and the California State Dyslexia Guidelines list Learning Ally as a recommended reading accommodation by the California Department of Education.
“Students who once hated reading can’t get enough with Learning Ally,” Jerry said. “The format is more accessible; the selection of books allows them to choose titles they enjoy, and human narrators make the stories more engaging to ensure students understand what they read.”
Making a Difference Every Day
At Arroyo Vista Charter School, parents are also big fans of Learning Ally, because students can use it to read independently outside the classroom. “Instead of playing video games or watching TV, these students read books,” said Jerry. “Seeing children reading on their devices is a daily occurrence.”
Jerry plays a pivotal role in making that possible. He not only ensures that each student has the Learning Ally reading app downloaded on their devices; he assists them in setting their personal preferences, including text-to-speech, font color and size, background colors and reading rate.
Special education teacher, Krystle Johnson appreciates the way Jerry is able to meet students where they are and help them get to where they need to be. She cited this example. “Jerry has supported one of my seventh graders since she first qualified for an IEP in first grade. At that point, her fine motor skills were almost nonexistent. She needed extensive reading, writing and math support. Jerry set her up with an iPad and all the necessary apps, including Learning Ally. Today, she’s an honor student with a 3.5 GPA.”
A True Team Player
As a 2019 Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award winner, Jerry earned a monetary award for himself and his school. He is quick to give credit to his colleagues, saying, “It’s a team effort. We all work together to ensure that our students succeed academically and get the support they need to be happy, healthy, engaged learners. I feel very fortunate to be in a position to help make that happen.”
Categories: Assistive Technology, Audiobook Library, Education & Teaching, Educators, Funding & Awards, Learning Disabilities, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices
June 4, 2019 by Valerie Chernek
For Immediate Release
Four Educators Receive 2019 Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award for Exemplary Performance in U.S. Schools
June 4, 2019 PRINCETON, NJ —Learning Ally has announced the names of four educators who are the recipients of its 2019 Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award, a national achievement award named for a longtime advocate for educational equity and friend to the organization.
The award honors educators in U.S. schools who display exemplary performance to ensure more students with reading deficits reach their full academic potential. Winners receive a monetary award for themselves and for their school.
Terrie Noland, Learning Ally’s VP of Educator Initiatives congratulates this year’s nominees and winners. “Your passion and demonstration of education excellence makes a tremendous impact on so many students’ lives. Because of you, more learners are equipped to study on grade-level, feel more socially and emotionally connected with peers, and confident in their ability to plan for a promising future.”
A national selection committee chose this year’s award winners from a pool of hundreds of nominees.
The 2019 Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award Winners are:
Ms. Bilello instituted CARES, a school-wide positive behavior recognition system that reinforces the values of cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy and self-control.
Ms. Hover has introduced individualized learning processes to empower middle school students to track and monitor their reading growth and set personal learning goals.
Ms. Ponx’s multisensory teaching approach enables grade-level learning by focusing not only on students’ academic success but also on their social and emotional well-being.
Mr. Voelker’s brings a unique perspective to the design of IEPs and 504 plans for young children that includes reading accommodations and accessible education materials.
If you know an educator, administrator or school that is making a difference for students with reading deficits, Learning Ally’s nomination process is now open for the 2020 Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award.
About Learning Ally
Learning Ally is a leading education solutions organization committed to transforming the lives of struggling learners. The Learning Ally Audiobook Solution is a proven reading accommodation composed of human-read audiobooks, student-centric features and a suite of teacher resources. Used in more than 17,000 schools, this essential solution empowers students with reading deficits to become engaged learners and reach their academic potential.
Categories: Assistive Technology, dyslexia, Education & Teaching, Educators, Learning Disabilities
May 22, 2019 by Valerie Chernek
By: Rebecca Phirman, Intervention Specialist
There is a growing literacy crisis in America. I know because I am an intervention specialist for St. Mary School, a national blue ribbon school of excellence in Alexandria, KY. I see the challenge on my students’ faces who struggle to read. Many of these students have a learning disability, like dyslexia, but many more go years without a formal diagnosis. These students feel the anxiety and humiliation of faking their way through a reading assignment or struggling to complete a test about a book they could barely read.
This article is about how I pilot tested Learning Ally and the impact it has made for my students.
Pilot Testing Audiobook Support
At my school, we have elementary and junior high school students who rarely pass Accelerated Reader exams and are unable to discuss a book with their classmates. Their reading ability is well below grade level according to the NWEA assessments they take three times a year. If students are six months or more below grade level, we target reading instruction with effective research-based strategies to address this reading gap. If students do not receive the support they need, they will fall farther behind and this is why educators are constantly looking for a resource that can help them bridge the reading gap.
The Power of Learning Excitement
When I first discovered human-read audiobooks by Learning Ally, I asked a few students to test them for their next class or independent reading assignment. We talked about the benefits of learning with an audiobook and that it wasn’t cheating. They agreed to try. After all, it gave them a chance to use their device at school, and they didn’t have to do the “work” of reading. They were excited to get through an assigned book at the same pace as their peers, and they helped us (their teachers) make decisions about whether audiobooks were a good resource to help others.
Some of those first audiobook assignments included Jeremy Fink and The Meaning of Life, The Outsiders and Walk Two Moons. The students who read these audiobooks began to participate more in class. Clearly, they understood what they read. They also passed Accelerated Reader exams.
For their independent reading, struggling readers chose audiobook titles that their higher-performing peers had read and recommended, rather than titles that were at their reading level. They liked being able to self-select titles of interest and reading the same books as their friends. After the experiment was completed, these students were excited about audiobooks and wanted to read more. They told me proudly, “Look at me, I’m reading!”
Turning Struggling Readers into Academic Achievers
Struggling readers, especially in junior high, are not motivated. Years of hiding their reading challenges have undermined their learning confidence. This first group of courageous students convinced me to move forward. I discussed the audiobook approach with fellow teachers and my principal. I discussed it with parents and began to coordinate the resource into students’ learning plans and reading practice. Interestingly, I found that the word “accommodation” had a negative connotation for some teachers and parents, so we called it a reading support tool.
This resource helped to restore my students’ confidence in their ability to read and contribute to class discussions. It complemented our schoolwide literacy efforts in a holistic way to enable students to reach their true academic potential and develop their social-emotional skills.
Intrigued by Highlighted Words and Book Report Functions
A seventh grader saw me using Learning Ally. She was intrigued that the words lit up on the screen. She was instantly excited about the mobile app and thrilled that the app could help her read books faster and prepare book reports. She liked the ability to take notes directly in the app and re-listen to a chapter or passage. Her demeanor changed from a reluctant reader to a confident learner. Her vocabulary grew. She felt more inspired. I am proud to say that she was able read a book in print written very close to her grade level with minimal teacher support. Two years ago, she wouldn’t have even tried!
The Power of Human Narration
Our second-graders love audiobooks too. They get their iPads out, put on their headphones and are reading in no time. They maneuver the mobile app masterfully to select the color of the font and rate of speech. It’s magical to see these little learners enthralled by a book and reading with ease and confidence, especially since I know they can enjoy audiobooks for a lifetime.
Teachers and parents ask me, “Do students prefer human narration?” Absolutely! My students particularly like books read by the author.
A few years ago, Delaney Dannenberg’s mother, Shelley Ball-Dannenberg, came to our school to talk about identifying and helping students with dyslexia. She and Delaney wrote the book, “I Have Dyslexia: What Does That Mean?” Many of our students have read the book in Learning Ally. Delaney narrates the book, so she is the voice that the students hear. What a neat experience to have an author share her story with you.
A Valuable Tool for Teachers
The Learning Ally Audiobook Solution not only works for my students; it works for me. I use the teacher dashboard all the time. It lets me monitor data of what students are reading in real time. It gives me insight into their reading preferences and reading habits. It lets me add books directly to their bookshelves and then track their reading progress. It gives me the knowledge I need to show the resource’s effectiveness to our teachers, our administrators and our parents.
National Audiobook Challenge Supports My Efforts
We also participate in Learning Ally's national reading event (The Great Reading Games) designed to support teachers’ efforts to get more struggling readers to try audiobooks. This reading challenge is a natural fit for our school culture, and our school library has significantly expanded with access to digital reading materials to support struggling readers. During the Games, we watch the digital leaderboard on Learning Ally and post these weekly results on our school bulletin boards and in school hallways. My students like the “read for rewards” aspect of the Games and the chance to win Chromebooks and headsets. Our school adds incentives like Ice Cream Day and Out-of-Uniform Day – both fun rewards.
Learning Ally Bridges the Reading Gap
Struggling readers are empowered by audiobooks because they can choose books that interest them, and they aren’t limited by their reading level. They like the human narrators. Used in conjunction with other research-based reading interventions, Learning Ally has enabled us to bridge the reading gap for more struggling readers, bringing them up to, or even above, grade level. When I see my students enjoying reading, I remember why I became a teacher. It makes me feel good knowing that St. Mary School is doing our best to help more students succeed and to address the need for “literacy for all.”
Looking for a Solution?
Schedule a demo to see how the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution delivers an immediate impact for your struggling readers and how the reading data dashboard works. For more information about a school subscription, call 800-221-1098 or email programs@LearningAlly.org.
Categories: Assistive Technology, Audiobook Library, Curriculum & Access, dyslexia, Education & Teaching
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