"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.

2.    Help Dyslexics with Language Difficulties

3.    Focus on Dyslexics Strengths

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!

When you learn a new skill, it often impacts the way you perform other tasks. When you learn to read, the impact the skill has on other abilities is one that is unexpected: the way your brain sees mirror images.

Researchers have found that young children do not recognize the difference between an object and its mirror image. In the past it was believed that only dyslexic children confused “b” and “d” and “p” and “q.” However, they now believe every child that has not learned to read confuses these mirror image letters.

Unlike children that do not have a problem adjusting to mirror images, I have noticed my own personal struggle with mirror images over the years. Every time I am getting ready for the day and I see my clock in the mirror I have to make a cognitive effort to decipher the real time. Sometimes I give up all together and physically turn my head to be sure I get the proper time. Also, when checking the back of my hair in a mirror, I often naturally reach for the wrong side of my head and only know which direction to move my hand to fix my hair by first making the wrong choice.

Evolutionary scientists believe we originally had the skill to automatically see mirror images as identical for protective reasons. If an animal could properly position one of its predators by its reflection in the water, it could better remove itself from a harmful situation.

However, as we learn to read, the brain must learn to differentiate mirror images as separate in order to notice the difference between letters that would otherwise be identical. Technically our brains should still see images as identical and only letters and numbers as different. I somewhat doubt this finding since I have problems with both.

Interestingly, the research also found that adults who have not learned to read see mirror images the way young children who have not learned to read do. However, when these adults learn to read, their perception of mirror images also changes.

Because of all the things you gain from the ability to read, it is well worth the poorer interpretation of mirror images that comes with it. If you disagree, read this post from our blog to learn 30 of the reasons I believe reading is more important than the way you interpret yourself in a mirror: "30 Reasons Reading Should Be a Priority"

Also you can share any discontent with my claim that reading is more important than the way you interpret yourself in a mirror in the comment section of this post.

P.S.

The research on this post comes from the work of cognitive neuroscientist, Stanislas Dehaene, at the French medical-research agency, INSERM.

Read more about his research: “The Da vinci Code: Reading May Involve Unlearning An Older Skill”

If you enjoyed this blog post you may also enjoy: "How 'Luck' Impacts Reading Teachers & Students"

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According to a recent report from the Annie E. Casey foundation, 68% of America’s 4th graders read below grade level last school year. The necessity of literacy skills in today’s society makes this statistic troublesome. Reading skills strongly impact students’ academic success as well as their emotional and social well-being. Poor reading skills impact students in the following ways:

1. Academically

Because reading skills are easily the most necessary skill for academic success, students that do not read at grade level will undoubtedly struggle in school. This is especially true for students after the 3rd grade. In 4th grade, teachers’ spend significantly less time helping students learn to read, and the curriculum shifts in that students must use their reading skills to stay caught up in almost every subject. For this reason reading skills must be at grade level in 4th grade- if not students’ begin to fall behind in almost every subject, not just language arts.

2. Emotionally

Poor reading skills also impact students emotionally by negatively influencing their self esteem. Struggling with a skill that many of their peers pick up naturally makes many students feel incapable and unintelligent. This is unfortunate because reading problems are rarely a result of the student’s personal effort. On average, 70% of students will learn to read regardless of instruction; however, 30% of students require an explicit, step-by-step approach to succeed with reading. This type of instruction is needed for 30% of students is because of the prevalence of language processing disorders (such as dyslexia, specific language impairment, and auditory processing disorder).

Because 70% of students should learn to read regardless of instruction, it is startling that 68% of 4th grade students are not reading at grade level. Only 30% of these students should be struggling. This exposes that there is a weakness in reading instruction. There is a clear need for teachers to improve the way they teach reading. Especially since ineffective instruction can easily hurt a student’s self-esteem by leaving them with a feeling of inadequacy.

3. Socially

Poor reading skills also impact students socially. A common finding in sociology and psychology is that students naturally become friends with peers that are similar to them in academic standing. In correlation, academic success is often tied to involvement in other positive activities and a sharp decline in truancy, drug use, and other types of experimentation.

When students are not provided with the proper instruction needed to obtain effective reading skills, it is difficult for them to make friends with peers that encourage them to make positive life decisions.

The Value of Literacy Skills

It is amazing how large of an impact reading skills play in the academic, social and emotional well-being of every individual. Those who naturally develop reading skills do not often realize the positive impact these skills play in their life. However, when we look at the risks of students who do not successfully develop reading skills, the importance of literacy and what it adds to your life becomes very obvious.

To ensure your students can enjoy a lifetime of learning and success through effective reading skills, learn more about Reading Horizons reading program for building a solid reading foundation for a future of reading success!

As the number of English language learners (ELL) increase in areas across the United States, it is important for these students to receive adequate reading instruction. Helping ELL’s improve literacy skills helps enhance their individual lives, as well as their contributions to society as a whole. 

Earlier this week, It’s Your World Blog discussed this issue in its post: “Support for those Learning English.” The article stressed the importance of teaching both English language learner students and their parents. This is because parents are “the children’s first and life-long teachers.” If adult English language learners do not have adequate reading abilities they cannot help their kids improve their own literacy skills.

Read the full Article--> “Support for Those Learning English”

Another interesting article on English language learners was from Colorin Colorado, which provides resources and information for ELL families and educators. The article discussed how Response to Intervention (RTI) programs can be effectively used to teach ELL students. The article was introduced with the following statement:

A considerable amount of evidence suggests that approaches involving early intervention, ongoing progress monitoring, and effective classroom instruction consistent with Response to Intervention (RTI) are associated with improved outcomes for the majority of students in early reading and math. Considerably less information exists, however, about the effectiveness of these approaches with a growing population of students, English language learners (ELLs) at risk for reading problems. We also have considerably less information about the types of interventions that are effective for students who do not adequately respond to the interventions that typically are effective. Such students are likely to be identified as having learning disabilities.

Read the full article--> “Response to Intervention in Reading for English Language Learners”

Here is a fun interactive resource for teaching ELL classes: “Learn English with Songs”

Learn more about how Reading Horizons can meet the need of quality reading instruction for ELL students--> ELL reading program