Learning Ally is thrilled to have Dr. Shawn Robinson a/k/a Dr. Dyslexia Dude, as our celebrity guest host to bring our 2022 Great Reading Games to a finale. This award-winning program helps educators engage students to use human-read audiobooks to read at or above grade level, double their reading time and triple their reading frequency. The seven-week, rewards-based challenge begins in January to coincide with Read Across America national events and ends in early March.
Dr. Shawn Robinson is Senior Research Associate in the Wisconsin's Equity and Inclusion Laboratory, and an Instructional Program Manager in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Whenever he shares his story, classrooms gain more inclusive efforts for helping children with dyslexia learn based on their needs.
Dyslexia makes reading books difficult for students with this learning disability. Many books in print present great challenges or are out of reach, including grade-level curriculum. For these learners, a multimedia approach, like reading and listening to human-read audiobooks, may help to unlock their learning potential and get students hooked on reading. Especially if the books are culturally-relevant and students can identify with the main characters and themes, like the Dr. Dyslexia Dude graphic novels written by Dr. Robinson.
About the Dr. Dyslexia Dude series
Dr. Dyslexia Dude is an exciting, colorful author, often humorous and an inspiration for kids, parents, and teachers. His books, Doctor Dyslexia Dude, Dr. Dyslexia Dude: Battle for Resilience, and Dr. Dyslexia Dude: Cracking the Code are available in the Learning Ally audiobook library. The main character in the 3-volume graphic novel is an African-American boy who is a superhero with dyslexia. The capped character is autobiographically based on the sometimes painful, early life experiences of Dr. Robinson. He and co-author, Mrs. Inshirah Robinson, empower more students to stay encouraged and know they can achieve greatness. Their stories open the minds of young students with reading challenges to the possibilities that life offers – all while living worthwhile, productive, and successful lives.
Increase Reading Fluency and Stamina
Teachers who use the Audiobook Solution can easily implement the Great Reading Games into class instruction to strengthen daily reading practice, build stronger reading habits, and boost learning confidence, while providing equitable access to grade-level curriculum and popular books. Students get excited to see how many pages and books they have read on 12 school leaderboards that track individual progress by grade range. As reading frequency builds, students receive points for reading. Prizes are awarded to students, teachers, and schools. At the finale, students participate in a live chat with a celebrity guest author.
We thank Dr. Robinson for guest hosting our 2022 Games, and invite your school to participate next year to spark reading enjoyment and be inspired by another amazing celebrity author. Other celebrity authors hosting the Great Reading Games include Kwame Alexander, author of the “Crossover” series, Jeff Kinney, author of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”, and Aidan Colvin, author of “Looking for Heroes.”