This post is part of a three part series which discusses tips for helping teachers reach dyslexic students. To read the first post of the series visit the link next to #1:

1.    Understand How Dyslexia Affects the Student

2.    Help Dyslexics with Language Difficulties

Although you might think helping dyslexic students improve their reading skills is a daunting task, it is possible.

As discussed in the first post of this series about understanding dyslexia, the dominance of dyslexics’ right brain is what makes language tasks difficult for them.

To know how to help your dyslexic students improve reading you must use the simple logic found in a line from one of my favorite Disney® movies, Hercules:

Hades: “How do you kill a god?”
Panic: “Um... their immortal…?”
Hades: “Bingo! So, first we got to turn the little sun spot mortal.”

(I apologize if that is not word for word since I derived it completely from memory.)

The connection of this quote to helping dyslexics improve reading is that in their current state reading will remain difficult. However, if you help them use their brain in a different way, the task of helping them improve reading is no longer impossible.

How is this done?

Have you ever done a logic puzzle (such as a Sudoku) and gotten to the point where you feel there is no way you can figure it out or find one more answer. But, you keep trying and out of no where you have a moment of genius! The next thing you know you have solved the once deemed “impossible” puzzle. 

These “moments of genius” are a result of new connections in your brain; the same thing that is needed for dyslexics to improve their reading. 

You need to include two things in your reading instruction in order to help dyslexics make the new brain connections that will allow them to improve their reading:

1. teach phonics with an explicit & systematic approach
2. engage students in multisensory instruction

Explicit and systematic phonics takes a step-by-step approach to teaching students how to decode words starting with a single letter or sound before progressing to the whole word. This helps dyslexics to understand the sounds and rules of language and transfer these concepts to what they are reading.

The lack of foundational knowledge that comes from many strategies for teaching reading is what prevents many dyslexics and struggling readers from excelling with reading.

When teaching explicit phonics to dyslexics, it is important for you to realize that dyslexics have developed many coping strategies that help them get by with language tasks. Because of this, this type of instruction can feel below their level or too basic. However, the reason this instruction helps them with reading skills is not because they are unintelligent, it works because it helps them make new connections in their brain.

The other concept that you need to incorporate in your teaching is multisensory instruction. By engaging multiple senses during instruction, dyslexics are able to make new connections in their brain.

Dyslexics are not always the strongest visual or auditory learners; thus, when hands on activities are connected to visual and auditory instruction, their brain can make new connections and understand concepts in a way that didn’t make sense to them when they were only being taught through auditory channels.

To help incorporate both explicit phonics and multisensory techniques into your reading instruction for dyslexics, use Reading Horizons Online Workshop for Teaching Phonics>

(Although these concepts are crucial for helping dyslexics improve reading, they are beneficial for any student that is learning to read.)

Subscribe to Reading Horizons RSS Feed to get an automatic update when the last post of this series is posted. The final post will discuss the value of dyslexics strengths and how focusing on these abilities can help them succeed.

Every 18 months Reading Horizons invites their distributors and trainers from across the country to join together at their headquarters, in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the conference we bond, receive training and share our vision of helping individuals improve their reading skills. The 2010 conference was enjoyed by all who attended.

The Reading Horizons staff provided training on various subjects including, what's new with Reading Horizons v5 curriculum, research supporting Reading Horizons v5, and the future of marketing, just to name a few.  The highlight of the conference was Dr. Neil J. Anderson, who presented, "Five reason why ELLs benefit from explicit phonics instruction."  Dr. Anderson is a Professor of Linguistics and English Language at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. He also serves as the Coordinator of the English Language Center. He teaches courses in the TESOL Master’s program as well as language classes to second language learners. In his presentation he pointed out that:

1. There are English decoding rules so why no explicitly teach them?
2. Reading fluency increases as learners have strong decoding skills.
3. Oral reading improves when learners can correctly decode the words.
4. Spelling improves when learners have strong decoding skills.
5. Motivation and confidence increase when learners read well.

Not only were the conference sessions informative but we, as a Reading Horizons team, were able to connect and bond.  We come from all over the world but we have a common goal: Imagine all the good we can do as we teach reading strategies to improve reading skills.
Special thanks to the Reading Horizons staff, distributors and trainers. 

Watch a video montage of the conference.

"That was the kind of battle I had. I knew what I had, but my teachers didn't." – Charley Boormam

Recently actor Charley Boorman discussed his struggle with dyslexia on an interview with BBC News. It was interesting to hear him discuss the problems he had faced because of his dyslexia. Rather than having low self-esteem because of the difficulties he had in school, he had a hard time in school because of the negative way his teachers responded to his difficulties. He understood that he struggled because of his dyslexia, but his teachers didn’t.

Because Boorman would have been saved from a lot of emotional and educational issues if his teachers had properly responded to his dyslexia, our next few posts will discuss 3 ways you can better meet the needs of your dyslexic students:

1. Understand How Dyslexia Affects The Student

Often when people think about dysleixa, they associate it with reading problems. Although most dyslexics do struggle with reading, they also have many talents and abilities that are valuable. In fact, dyslexics often demonstrate above average levels of intelligence.

Why is this? The more you understand dyslexia, the more you understand that the dyslexic brain is not inferior or less valuable than the average brain, it is just different. Compared to the typical brain, dyslexics have a very dominant right brain.

Recently, Dr. Papanicolau of the University of Texas, discovered that because of the dominance of dyslexics right brain, it is also the area that is activated when dyslexics are performing language tasks. Typically the left brain where the “language center” of the brain is accessed is used for language tasks. This is the reason dyslexics have a difficulty with many language tasks.

Papanicolau described the difficulty of performing language tasks with the right side of the brain by comparing it to “an artist trying to paint with their toes.”

Understanding how difficult language tasks can be for dyslexic students can help you be patient with these students and to be more realistic about your expectations.

Add Reading Horizons RSS Feed to your news feed to get an automatic update of the next post in this series which will discuss how you can help dyslexic students improve reading & langauge skills.

Neil J. Anderson, professor of Linguistics and English Language at Brigham Young University, recently presented at the Reading Horizons distributor seminar in Salt Lake City, Utah. He shared some interesting information about how English Language Learners (ELLs) benefit from systematic phonics instruction. Two of the reasons he cited include the following:

1) reading fluency increases as students learn to decode words; and

2) oral reading improves when students can decode words correctly.

Reading fluency, as defined by Neil Anderson, is "reading at an appropriate rate with adequate comprehension" (Anderson, 2008, p. 3). This definition of reading fluency is important as teachers consider what an "appropriate reading rate" is for their students. Remember that reading at a quick pace (an "appropriate rate") without comprehending what is being read is not fluent reading. Additionally, reading super slowly and understanding everything being read ("adequate comprehension") likewise is not fluent reading. The balance between the two--reading rate and comprehension--is important to fluency.

So what constitutes an "appropriate rate"? During the presentation, Anderson referenced national averages for optimal silent and oral reading rates by grade level (Hasbrouck & Tindal, 2006). Since several distributors were interested in having access to this information, I thought I would include the information in this blog post below:

Silent Reading Rates

1st grade: 80 wpm

2nd grade: 115 wpm

3rd grade: 138 wpm

4th grade: 158 wpm

5th grade: 173 wpm

6th grade: 185 wpm

7th grade: 195 wpm

8th grade: 204 wpm

9th grade: 214 wpm

10th grade: 224 wpm

11th grade: 237 wpm

12th grade: 250 wpm

College or University: 280 wpm


Oral Reading Rates

1st grade: 53 wpm

2nd grade: 89 wpm

3rd grade: 107 wpm

4th grade: 123 wpm

5th grade: 139 wpm

6th grade: 150 wpm

7th grade: 150 wpm

8th grade: 151 wpm

Notice that oral reading rates beyond the 8th grade level are not listed. This is due to the fact that when we read aloud, we generally do not read faster than what we can read at an 8th grade reading level.

These silent and oral reading rates can be used as a guideline when discerning appropriate reading rates for students. Adjustments to these reading rates could be made to accommodate English Language Learners and students with reading difficulties.

References:

Anderson, N. J. (2008). Practical English language teaching: Reading. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Hasbrouck, J., & Tindal, G. A. (2006). Oral reading fluency norms: A valuable assessment tool for teaching teachers. The Reading Teacher, 59, 636-644.

One ought only to write when one leaves a piece of one's own flesh in the inkpot, each time one dips one's pen. ~Leo Tolstoy

They often say that writing reveals more about the author than the subject. Such is the case with Randy Feldman’s movie script: “The Reading Room.” In our upcoming webinar Feldman will discuss how his own life inspired him to write this movie script, as well as motivating him to open his own nonprofit literacy center, P.O.R.T.A.L.

“The Reading Room” is a story about a wealthy widower who sets out to fulfill his wife’s dying wish for him to open a literacy center in an inner-city neighborhood. The widower, played by James Earl Jones, is confused by the request but finds himself learning from the experience and making new friendships. Because of the nature of the neighborhood he deals with opposition from local gang members and one of the town’s church leaders.

It will be interesting to hear about the personal experiences of Randy Feldman which inspired this script. It is exciting to find a movie that exposes the literacy problems that many face in their daily lives.

In the webinar, Feldman will also discuss how current storytelling trends in popular entertainment have evolved over the years. He will share how he believes these trends effect this generation of learners.

This will be an entertaining webinar that will provide an interesting take on current literacy issues. You won’t want to miss it!

The webinar is free and will be held August 12th, 2010, 2:00 PM MST.

Register for this Free Webinar today!