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.

Post submitted by Reading Horizons employee Katie Farber.

I had never put too much thought into ordering a pizza.  That is, until I visited Italy.  Unfortunately for me, I do not speak Italian. So, besides being overwhelmed by so many different tempting options—they take their toppings very seriously over there—it was difficult enough trying to decode the menu, let alone attempt to translate the final decision.  Who knew that “carne di cavallo” translated to “horsemeat?”  That is one thing that I definitely don’t want anywhere near my pizza.

The food wasn’t the only experience Italy had to offer.  Everywhere I went I was constantly surrounded by a beautiful, romantic language—which I couldn’t understand.  Of course, the magic wasn’t lost to me; Italy, with all its majestic fountains, breathtaking artwork, and its graceful assimilation of modern and historical, well it’s captivating to say the least.  I definitely did not need any wine to become intoxicated; the culture alone was enough.  Still, missing out on the language and full understanding of the Italians was something I could not get out of my mind.

Sure, I could decode body language and facial expressions and, for the most part, communicate with the locals well enough to get by, but a part of me pined after the language.  I wanted to—and still want to—learn to speak Italian.  That’s when it donned on me; by having the experience of making it through Italy with little-to-no language skills, I can relate to someone trying to make their way through life in the U.S. without English language skills.

Statistics show that “about 1,000,000 people legally immigrate to the U.S. annually” ("Energy of a Nation: Immigration Resources, A Project of The Advocates for Human Rights").  Research done among immigrants revealed that “only 37 % of immigrants say they already had a good command of English when they came to the U.S.  Among Mexican immigrants, the number drops to 7%” (Farkas).  Additional research done by Farkas, Duffett, Johnson, Moye, and Vine shows that nearly nine in ten immigrants feel that it is extremely important for immigrants to learn English.

English language learning is a difficult task, but as the attitude of the general public and immigrants alike reflects, reading skills are invaluable.  “63 % of immigrants believe that ‘all public school classes should be taught in English,’ rather than ‘offering some courses in their native tongue’” (Farkas).  Because of my time spent in Italy, trials and adventures alike, I now understand why there are strong feelings about learning to speak English. “English is now the most widely learned second language in the world…over 700 million [people] speak English as a foreign language” ("English Language Guide").

I had always taken my English language skills for granted—like I said, even when it came to ordering a pizza.  I am so grateful for my English language comprehension.  I just wish I had the same understanding of language in Italy.  Let’s just say, it would have saved me from a lot of “interesting” culinary experiences.  I was always on the look out for a pepperoni pizza, but I don’t even know if pepperoni exists in Italy. Ordering “peperone” as a topping will get you a nice, all bell-pepper pizza. Go figure.  But hey, I’d take bell peppers over horse meat any day of the week.  If anybody else out there has a travel story where they “got lost in translation,” please share in the comment section below.

References
•"How to Immigrate to the U.S.." Energy of a Nation: Immigration Resources, A Project of The Advocates for Human Rights. The Advocates for Human Rights, 2010. Web. 6 Jul 2010. <http://www.energyofanation.org/Who_Can_Immigrate_to_the_U_S_Fact_Sheet.html>.
•Farkas, Steve. "What Immigrants Say About Life in the United States." Public Agenda (2003): n. pag. Web. 6 Jul 2010. <http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?ID=119>.
•Farkas, Steve, Ann Duffett, Jean Johnson, Leslie Moye, and Jackie Vine . "Now That I'm Here." Public Agenda. Public Agenda, 1/13/2003. Web. 6 Jul 2010. <http://www.publicagenda.org/reports/now-im-here>.
•"All About the English Language." English Language Guide. English Language, 2007. Web. 6 Jul 2010. <http://www.englishlanguageguide.com/english/facts/stats/>.

 

Guest post by Howard Margolis, Ed.D.

The term short-term memory is shorthand for a variety of thought processes that capture, for a few seconds or moments, information. Unless a child with reading disabilities quickly makes an active, focused, and concentrated attempt to remember the information, he will quickly lose most, if not all of it.

So, how can you, as a teacher (or parent), help a child with reading disabilities remember the fragile, fleeting information in short-term memory? If it’s important, he’ll need to remember it for quite some time. So, how can you help him do this?

At the start, encourage the child to attend to what he wants to remember. Encourage him to keep concentrating on it. This means he needs to think about it. He needs to think about why it’s important to him. He needs to think about its meaning He needs to relate it to what he already knows. He needs to put it in his own words. He needs to picture it. He needs to frequently repeat it and think about it at the moment he’s exposed to it and periodically, throughout the next few weeks, and perhaps beyond. He needs to apply it, and while doing so, think about its meaning and use. He needs to think about how it’s similar and different from what he already knows and how it changes as he thinks about it and uses it.

Notice how the previous paragraph repeated the phrase, he needs. The paragraph repeated he needs for three reasons. First, to make clear that remembering requires ongoing work, work that the child with reading disabilities needs to do. Second, to show that remembering is a complex process. Like memory, it’s a multidimensional process that the child with reading disabilities needs to frequently activate over time. And third, to encourage you, the teacher, to create lots of opportunities for the child to engage in this kind of thinking.

When working to remember something, the child with reading disabilities can use several strategies. Here’s how Margo Mastropieri and Thomas Scruggs, two outstanding scholars on memory and learning disabilities, described how teachers can use the Keyword Method to help students remember that a barrister is a lawyer:
To help students remember that barrister is another word for lawyer, first create a keyword for the unfamiliar word, barrister. Remember, a keyword is a word that sounds like the new word and is easily pictured. A good keyword for barrister, then, is bear. Then, you create a picture of the keyword and the definition doing something together. It is important that these two things actually interact and are not simply presented in the same picture. Therefore, a picture of a bear and a lawyer in one picture is not a good mnemonic [memory strategy], because the elements are not interacting. A better picture would be a bear who is acting as a lawyer in a courtroom, for example, pleading his client’s innocence.

The good news is that the Keyword Method, like many memory methods, can be effective. But like all memory methods, child with reading disabilities needs to work at remembering what he wants to remember, needs to keep thinking about it, and needs to repeat it many times, over a long time.
When developing IEPs for children with memory problems in special education, teachers need to make sure their IEPs have goals (and in some states, objectives) for memory instruction. Here’s a sample objective:
Memory Objective 1: Ryan will explain and will demonstrate how to successfully apply the Keyword Strategy to remembering 5 new social studies concepts. He will do this with new concepts on three successive occasions by the end of the first marking period.

For more information about how to strengthen children’s memories, here are three practical resources that you may want to study:
•Mastropieri, M. A., & Scruggs, T. E. (1998).  Enhancing school success with mnemonic strategies. Intervention in School & Clinic, 33(4), 201-208. Available for download at http://www.readingrockets.org/article/5912.
•Medina, J. (2008). Brain Rules. Seattle Washington: Pear Press.
•The Access Center (2005). Using Mnemonic Instruction to Facilitate Access to the General Education Curriculum. Available at http://www.readingrockets.org/article/4184.
Howard Margolis, Ed.D. (c) Reading2008 & Beyond

DESCRIPTION
Explains what can be done to help child with reading disabilities improve their short-term memories.

A version of this column was originally published by Howard Margolis, Ed.D. on www.reading2008.com/blog .  Howard is the co-author of Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds, available at www.reading2008.com and at www.Amazon.com.

 

Guest blog post from, Reading & Other Learning Disabilities: A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

Many children with reading disabilities have poor memories. Fortunately, teachers can do a great deal to improve the memory of these children, which, in turn, improves their learning. To do this, teachers must first capture and then keep the children's attention. They must then focus instruction on the acronym REMOS: Repeat It, Elaborate or Explain it, Make it Meaningful, Organize it, and engage in Spaced or Distributed Practice.

In practical terms, the teacher must get the children to:

Attend to What’s Important. Teachers have a good chance of capturing and keeping children’s attention if they're enthusiastic about what they're teaching, make it interesting, use novelty, use words the children can understand, use pictures or multimedia to illustrate what they want remembered, and assign materials the children can read comfortably.

To keep the attention of children with reading disabilities during a lecture, teachers should break the lecture into eight to ten minute blocks. Each block should focus on one concept; the first few minutes should emphasize the main point; the next few minutes should elaborate on it. After each block, the children should take a break. During the break, the teacher might tell a story to illustrate the major concept, or the children might engage in a short group activity, like scripting a podcast, or individually, they might spend five minutes illustrating the major concept. They might even spend a few minutes exercising lightly. To learn more about structuring a lecture to keep a class’s attention, read Brain Rules. In this enlightening book, John Medina describes how and why he divides his lectures into ten-minute blocks.

Repeat It. If you want to remember something, repeat it or lose it. Teachers need to structure their lessons so children with reading disabilities have many opportunities to repeat and practice what they need to remember. Repeat does not mean saying it silently one or two times. If it's important, children should say it six or seven times, maybe twelve to sixteen times, maybe seventeen to umpteen times. However, asking children to repeat what they don't understand often benefits no one. They quickly forget what's not understood, what's not meaningful to them. Elaboration can make things meaningful.

Elaborate on It. To say it another way, teachers should create lots of opportunities for children to talk about it, and talk about it, and talk about it. Children should discuss it. If it’s controversial, they might switch between the “pro” and “con” positions. Talk is important, but it should be meaningful. The more meaningful something is, the more likely it will be remembered.

Make It Meaningful. The more children understand something, the more likely they'll remember it. Teachers can give meaning to an abstract concept by helping children relate it to their lives. To reinforce and extend the meaning of the word practical, the teacher might begin a discussion by asking, “So in your house or near it, what do people do that's practical? What makes it practical? After the discussion, the teacher might ask the children to “take five minutes to draw a picture of someone doing something practical and something impractical.” To make practical even more meaningful, she can have the children share their pictures: “Show your pictures to your neighbor. Tell your neighbor what was practical and impractical in your picture. And tell them why it was practical and impractical.”

Organize the Information. When teachers help children with reading disabilities to organize information—in ways the children find meaningful—they'll remember the information better than if it's random or unorganized. Here's a list of ten words: pineapple, collie, cantaloupe, chihuahua, bulldog, apple, grape, terrier, boxer, peach. If children try to remember all the words as one list, they'll forget most of them in a week. If they organize the words into the categories of dogs and fruit, they'll remember many more of them. Even their mistakes will fall into the two groups: dogs and fruit. Try it.

The teacher must also:

Schedule Spaced or Distributed Practice. When referring to children with reading disabilities, spaced or distributed practice refers to assessing the effects of instruction a day or two after the initial instruction and then re-teaching children what they didn't remember or master. For maximum effect, teachers should repeat the process some three to four weeks later. They should assess what was taught and re-teach what was forgotten. This can have a profound effect on the children’s memory and application of skills.

The good news about gaining and maintaining children's attention and using REMOS is that the principles are straightforward. Teachers can use them—easily. So can parents.

Resources
Medina, J. (2009). Brain rules. Seattle, WA: Pear Press.

Howard Margolis, Ed.D. © Reading2008 & Beyond www.reading2008.com
A version of this column was originally published by Howard Margolis, Ed.D. on www.reading2008.com.  Howard is also co-author of Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds.

Written by guest blogger, Dorit Sasson.

 

There are few things more challenging than motivating a student who doesn’t want to learn. But as all good teachers know, no such student really exists.

After working with remedial learners in the ESL program at my junior high school, I truly experienced the struggle to motivate those borderline students who seemed to be constantly exposed to failure. I also experienced the success that is possible if you put in the extra effort with those students. It was only after experimenting with different learning techniques and personalizing the curriculum to suit my students that I found the key to reaching these reluctant readers.

Roadblocks for Reluctant Readers 

Many of these readers have poor reading strategies; others are discouraged by varying degrees of failure; some are too scared to even look at a text. Many of my students became passive when faced with a reading text. Initially, I tried to simplify their exercises, provided easier language input, gave them a choice in their graded assignments, but to no avail. None of these techniques helped me with motivating them to read even a simple text.

My first roadblock with these reluctant readers was my textbook. Many schoolbooks have far more texts than are needed or texts that may not be suitable in one way or another. Some teachers assign supplemental reading materials to make up shortcomings in the textbook, but those extra assignments can further intimate readers. Because of these shortcomings, I look for ways to motivate my ninth grade students beyond the framework of the text.

It became clear to me that creativity and the choice of text would be the key to success with these students. I have experimented with multiple teaching strategies that have reading and language implications in an attempt to engage students in my ESL classroom.

Here are the 5 foolproof tips I discovered to motivate even the most reluctant student.

Tip 1:  Teach Topics that are Motivating

Interest and topic are key. As Richard Day points out in “Selecting a Passage for the Reading Class,” relating to student interests has serious implications for facilitating second-language acquisition. Most topics in my students standard reading books were culturally and socially removed from their world.

Part of getting students interested in reading is to expand the students’ knowledge on topics they enjoy. After surveying students, music prevailed as a topic that all the students were interested in. After presenting the students with a new, shorter text I had written on Oriental and Middle Eastern Music singers, they were more motivated to read. The students also had sufficient background knowledge on at least one of the themes.

Now that you have wisely chosen a reading assignment, how will you explore the text? What is your reading plan?

Tip 2:  Create Step-by-Step Lessons

Start small by using bits of text such as word clues, titles and subtitles. Important vocabulary used in a pre-reading activity can serve as a lead-in to the topic. Keep the number of unknown vocabulary items for each text to a minimum, allowing you and the students to focus on the goals of the reading course. Those goals are digesting the text and understanding its deeper meanings. Make sure there are enough warm up and pre-reading activities. Encourage predictions whenever possible. Keep reading passages short and visually-appealing.

Richard Day points out that appearance of the reading passage (layout, print and type size) affects readability. Keep the lines short. This will enhance reading speed. Having a short text increases the students’ focus and the text’s readability. Paragraphs in each text should be clearly defined. Make sure the font is clear and attractive. Length is likely a major factor in the frustration in reluctant readers.

Tip 3:  Choose Your Text Carefully

Look at the texts from the perspective of your students. Do your reading objectives match the objectives of the unit? Not all texts are exploitable due to their thematic, lexical, syntactic and structural appropriateness.

Here are some questions to consider:

1.Lexical exploitability:Do the texts offer an opportunity to acquire some new vocabulary? 
2. Structural exploitability: Can students explore text meanings through the structure 
and text conventions? 
3. Thematic exploitability:Does the text have potential to 
aid in the understanding of moral issues through discussion? 
4. Syntactic constructions:Have you seen that structure before? Syntactic constructions in a passage affect its readability. If the texts have structures that have not yet been covered in class, it might be wise to pre-teach the structure or choose a text with fewer new grammatical structures.

If a text is exploited well, it will match up with the objectives of the unit and allow the teacher to accomplish the objectives of the reading lesson.

Tip 4:  Identify and Hone Phonic and Phonemic Skills

In many of my classes, reluctant learners are also remedial learners who have experienced very little success in the reading classroom.

To develop a successful reading program design, you can follow steps to identify and hone phonic and phonemic skills:

1. Take ‘inventory’ and give mini-diagnostic tests at the beginning of the school year. 
2. Design questions based on letter and word levels that give you a clear indication of the student’s decoding abilities. 

3. Target and preteach those sound blends, vowel sounds, and letter sounds that appear throughout my chosen text. Phonemic awareness activities constitute a big part of the lessons for those lower level students who have yet to master basic reading skills. 
4. Word and letter recognition is the foundation for future comprehension. (Purcell-Gates). Once students can decode the words, introduce those words to the students, and then only in short passages. This builds up their confidence and gives them a reason to continue reading. 
5. Finally, present the students with a story that includes as many words from the targeted cluster as possible in a logical context and have them answer questions about the text.

Hopefully, they will be able to decode the appropriate phones and extract the correct meaning in its embedded context. By the end of the unit, the students will have achieved phonemic awareness of this specific phoneme.

Tip 5:  Emphasize Authentic and Meaningful Language Communication

Students remember the targeted words and chunks of language when they are taught in a meaningful way. More often than not, this involves doing something with the language beyond simply digesting it.

Theoretical Underpinnings: 
1. Reading strategies cannot be taught in isolation. 
2. Reading is comprehension. 
3. Comprehension involves the construction of individual meanings. 
4. Learners need to acquire a certain threshold in order to deeper process language. 
5. Meaningful communication is the goal. 

6. Learners need language input from all four modes: listening, speaking, reading and writing recycled and in a variety of methods.

“This teaching first involves students in purposeful (to the student) reading and writing, then pulls out some skills—ranging from decoding to text structure and comprehension—for focused work.” (Pursell-Gates)

Final Note:

Your number one goal should always be creating a meaningful learning experience for students. If you focus on meaningful communication rather than technical, simple reading that only leads to a ‘shallow,’ minimal understanding, you will create that learning experience. Hopefully, you will find that this program is designed to provide students with tools for learning independence and making them less reliant on teachers.

Works Cited:
Day, Richard R. “Selecting a Passage for the EFL Reading Class” ERIC Digests, 1994. 
LaBerge, D & Samuels, S.J. (1974). “Towards a theory of automatic information processing in reading.” Cognitive Psychology, 6, 293-323. 
Purcell-Gates, Victoria. (1997). “There’s Reading…and Then There’s Reading: Process Models and Instruction.” NCSALL, 2, Issue A.

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