Below-level readers often have an underdeveloped capacity for working with text as a pathway for learning. One way that technology can help students create increased capacity for reading is through “overlearning,” which basically means continuing to learn a skill even after you have mastered it. ...
Many teachers observe that their students are good decoders of text, but they just can’t comprehend it. So what’s going on? Reading comprehension is comprised of underlying skills working together in unison. When one of those parts is underdeveloped or inefficient, students struggle to understand...
Progress is personal to every child. Amazing growth for one student is a disappointing slide for another, and it’s the work in-between assessments that offers a more complete picture of skill development. Struggling readers often have a lot of ground to cover, making it even more...
It’s been a challenging few months for all of us, but teachers and students have been working diligently to overcome the uncertainty of this unusual school year. The holidays may be longer than normal this year, so it’s time to get creative! Here are a few...
Most of us are finding it hard to concentrate these days. Add in hybrid learning, online instruction, quadmesters and other changes, and it’s not difficult to figure out why many students are struggling. For below-level readers, there are even more barriers. While younger students have...
Many students struggle with reading – two-thirds of 8th-grade students read below proficiency levels (NAEP 2019). It’s only natural to avoid something we find difficult, but for struggling readers, that means less reading, less learning, and ultimately more frustration as the deficit grows over time. Reading...
Online and hybrid classrooms are here to stay. While it’s been a pretty chaotic back-to-school experience for everyone, teachers are adopting innovative techniques to connect with students wherever they are learning. Digital platforms provide the connection tools, but truly engaging students in a meaningful way takes...
This time of year is always hectic as classrooms get back to the business of learning. Add in a pandemic, and everything we know goes out the window. Hybrid and choice models, synchronous and asynchronous learning, new class grouping protocols – these are just a...
1. Don’t go back to basics: Send out pre-training resources to introduce the instructional tool so that teachers aren’t absorbing it for the first time. Going through extensive product features and demos can be very one-sided and tedious for attendees. 2. Keep it chunky: Break the session down...
This year, summer schools and reading camps have morphed into virtual learning sessions. With just a few short weeks to make an impact, summer programs present a unique set of conditions for teachers. Learning at a distance adds even more factors that need to be...