All Articles tagged high-school.

Three Great Math Videos: Averages, Ratios, and Proportions

January 29, 2015 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

The PBS Math Club in Southern California is a group of talented kids who make great math videos using pop culture references. These math videos below discuss averages, ratios, and proportions. Having more than one method of teaching the same subject is the hallmark of a great tutor. These great math videos are especially effective because they use examples that most young people can easily understand, such as text messages, cell phone screen sizes, and pop culture references.

These great math videos do just the trick by presenting the information in a fresh, easy to understand format that connects to students. Check these out, they’re a lot of fun!

Averages (Using Text Messages as Examples)

Ratios (Using Smartphone Screen Sizes)

Proportions (Using Cookie Recipes…and Beets!)

Written by: Editorial Team, My Learning Springboard, Inc.

Approaching New Words: Decoding With Syllable Types

January 25, 2015 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

In her highly regarded book Speech to Print, Loisa Cook Moats defines decoding as, “The ability to translate a word from print to speech, usually by employing knowledge of sound-symbol correspondence; also, the act of deciphering a new word by sounding it out.” Decoding combined with comprehension results in reading fluency. Unfortunately, comprehension can rarely occur if meaning is not made from the words being read, and inconsistencies in English make decoding from a general set of rules and guidelines rather challenging. Nonetheless, there are patterns worth studying and The Wilson Reading System, which is based in Orton-Gillingham, introduces decoding with syllable types for helping students to decode multisyllabic words.

Decoding with syllable types (6) can be named by the acronym CLOVER:

(C) Closed Syllables

Only one vowel and ends in a consonant, which results in a short vowel sound.

Ex: ask, truck, on

(L) Consonant-L-E Syllables

Consonant is followed by “le”. The vowel sound in these syllables is the schwa sound occurring before the l.

Ex: -ble, -cle, -dle

(O) Open Syllables

Only one vowel that occurs at the end of the syllable, which results in a long vowel sound.

Ex: no, he, I

(V) Vowel Combination Syllables

Contains cluster of two or three vowels or a vowel-consonant unit with sounds particular to that unit. When two vowels occur together, we often apply the rule, “when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.” Of course there are many exceptions, as in “does” and “friend”. A vowel-consonant unit often forms a diphthong, as in “boy”.

Ex: see, noise, toy

(E) Silent-E Syllables

Words that follow the pattern vowel/consonant/“E” which results in a long vowel sound for the first vowel and then the “E” remaining silent. With students, we often call this the “magic-E” syllable type.

Ex: ate, nice, those

(R) Vowel-R Syllables

Includes only one vowel followed by an r, or one vowel followed by an r followed by a silent e, or a vowel combination followed by an r. We often refer to these types as “Bossy ‘R’” syllables.

Ex: car, care, ire

With an understanding of the importance of phonics in reading instruction, Linnea Ehri and Irene Gaskins created the Benchmark Word Identification Program. Through their testing and research, they found four (4) ideal ways for readers to approach new words, and decoding with syllable types is certainly on the list.

Semantic guessing – using context
Letter/sounds decoding – sounding out
Analogy – comparison to other words
By sight – memorization connecting letters to memorized word sounds

These approaches have been successful with all types of learners, but especially successful with struggling readers. All students benefit from explicit instruction and practice with each of these approaches as part of a balanced literacy program. Decoding with syllable types is something that most young readers enjoy, too!

By David Dickerman, Reading Specialist

Helping Kids Who Struggle With Executive Functions

January 14, 2015 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Learning specialists discuss how to get organized.

By Rachel Ehmke
Original Source: Child Mind Institute
Originally posted November 3, 2015

The first time you hear that your 7-year-old son is weak in “executive functions” it sounds like a joke. No kidding—that’s why he’s a first-grader, not a CEO. But executive functions are the essential self-regulating skills that we all use every day to accomplish just about everything. They help us plan, organize, make decisions, shift between situations or thoughts, control our emotions and impulsivity, and learn from past mistakes. Kids rely on their executive functions for everything from taking a shower to packing a backpack and picking priorities.

Children who have poor executive functioning, including many with ADHD, are more disorganized than other kids. They might take an extraordinarily long time to get dressed or become overwhelmed while doing simple chores around the house. Schoolwork can become a nightmare because they regularly loose papers or start weeklong assignments the night before they are due.

Learning specialists have devised ways to bolster the organizational skills that don’t come naturally a child with poor executive functioning. They teach a mix of specific strategies and alternative learning styles that compliment or enhance a child’s particular abilities. Here are some of the tools they teach kids—and parents—to help them tackle school work as well as other responsibilities that take organization and follow-through.

Checklists

The steps necessary for completing a task often aren’t obvious to kids with executive dysfunction, and defining them clearly ahead of time makes a task less daunting and more achievable. Following a checklist of steps also minimizes the mental and emotional strain many kids with executive dysfunction experience while trying to make decisions. Ruth Lee, MEd, an educational therapist at the Child Mind Institute, explains, “Often these kids will get so wrapped up in the decision-making process that they never even start the task. Or, if they do begin, they’re constantly starting and restarting because they’ve thought of a better way to do it. In the end they’re exhausted when the time comes to actually follow though.” With a checklist, kids can focus their mental energy on the task at hand.

You can make a checklist for nearly anything, Lee notes, including how to get out of the house on time each morning—often a daily struggle for kids with executive dysfunction. Some parents say posting a checklist of the morning routine can be a sanity saver: make your bed, brush your teeth, get dressed, have breakfast, grab your lunch, get your backpack. Lee also recommends completing as many of the morning tasks as possible the night before. Lunches can be made ahead of time, clothes can be laid out, and backpacks can be packed and waiting by the door. It takes a little extra planning, she adds, but doing the work ahead of time can prevents a lot of drama the next day.

Set Time Limits

When making a checklist, many educational therapists also recommend assigning a time limit for each step, particularly if it is a bigger, longer-term project. Matt Cruger, PhD, Director of the Child Mind Institute Learning and Development Center, likes to practice breaking down different kinds of homework assignments with kids to get them used to the steps required—and how long they might take. He describes recently working with a fifth grader who could think of only two steps required to complete a book report—writing the report and then turning it in. The time involved in reading the book slipped his mind.

Use That Planner

Educational specialists also highlight the cardinal importance of using a planner. Most schools require students to use a planner these days, but they often don’t teach children how to use them, and it won’t be obvious to a child who is overwhelmed by—or uninterested in—organization and planning. This is unfortunate because kids who struggle with executive functioning have poor working memory, which means it is hard for them to remember things like homework assignments. And working memory issues tend to snowball. Dr. Cruger explains, “Kids don’t remember that they won’t remember their homework if they don’t write it down. It doesn’t matter how many times they forget. Once a frustrated father told me, ‘It’s like he has thisdelusion that he’ll remember it!'” As a backup to planners, many schools are also using software platforms like eChalk to create webpages teachers use to post homework assignments and handouts—giving kids with executive dysfunction one less thing to worry about.

Spell out the Rationale

While a child is learning new skills, it is essential that he understand the rationale behind them, or things like planning might feel like a waste of time or needless energy drain. Kids with poor organizational skills often feel pressured by their time commitments and responsibilities, and can be very averse to delay. “It’s almost like they’re making neuroeconomical decisions,” Dr. Cruger says. “They’re constantly weighing things to see if it’s worth their effort, and planning can feel like a waste of time if you don’t understand the rationale behind it.” Older kids are particularly resistant, because they’re more stuck in their ways. “They’ll say, ‘This is what works for me,’ even if their method really isn’t working,” says Dr. Cruger. Explaining the rationale behind a particular strategy makes a child much more likely to commit to doing it.

Explore Different Ways of Learning

Because everyone learns differently, educational specialists like Mara Ravitz, MA, one of the founders of the learning company Smarten Up, advocate using a variety of strategies to help kids with executive dysfunction understand—and remember—important concepts. Using graphic organizers as a reference for visual learners is one such example. Students learning how to write a paragraph might follow the hamburger paragraph model, a diagramed drawing of a hamburger in which each sandwich component matches a part of a paragraph—the top bun is the thesis, the three supporting sentences are the lettuce, tomato, and patty, and the bottom bun is the conclusion sentence. Some versions of the hamburger paragraph act as a visual aide while others double as forms that a child can fill in.

Other kids remember things better if there is a motion supporting it, like counting on your fingers, which is good for visual and tactile learners. Younger children benefit from self-talking to reduce anxiety and Social Stories, which are narratives about a child successfully performing a certain task or learning a particular skill. Social Stories are told from a child’s first-person perspective and are similar to self-talk, but they can also double as a checklist because they break tasks into clear steps and can be referred to later.

As kids get older and are expected to memorize a lot of dry factual information, Ravitz recommends mnemonic devices as a way to structure information in a more memorable way. But with all of the different learning strategies out there, Dr. Cruger stresses the importance of not overwhelming kids. Ideally the educational specialist should be working with your child on one new skill at a time, and spending at least two weeks practicing before evaluating how effective or ineffective it is and moving on to anything new.

Establish a Routine

This is particularly important for older kids, who typically struggle more to get started with their homework. Educational specialists recommend starting homework at the same time every day. Expect some resistance from older kids, who often prefer to wait until they feel like doing their work. Dr. Cruger strongly advises against waiting to start homework. “Realistically, the desire to start homework probably isn’t going to come. A kid who is waiting for inspiration to strike will still be forced to start his homework eventually, but it will probably be at 11 o’clock. That’s clearly a bad work model.” Ideally, kids should come home, unpack their bag, have a snack, and then get started. Homework is best done in a quiet, well-lit space fully stocked with paper and pencils because a search for supplies can quickly derail homework time. Any space with minimal distractions is good. Some families find doing homework on the kitchen table works best for their child, particularly if a parent is nearby to supervise and answer questions.

Use Rewards

For younger kids, Ravitz recommends putting a reward system in place. “Younger kids need external motivators to highlight the value of these new strategies. Something like a star chart, where kids see the connection between practicing their skills and working towards a reward, works very well.” Besides, Ravitz notes, “It’s also a good way to communicate to kids that their parents and their teacher also value this skill.” If you’re using a reward chart, hanging it in the designated homework area can be a good incentive. For older kids who aren’t as motivated by things like rewards, parents should still be encouraging. Ravitz recommends parents checking in with older kids. “Ask how things are going or offer help. Tell them you appreciate all the hard work they’re doing. School is really hard for a lot of kids—it shouldn’t be a given that learning these things is easy.”

Developing new strategies for learning isn’t easy either. Initially, it can put kids who are already self-conscious even further outside their comfort zone, but it’s worth the effort. We use our organizational skills every day in a million ways, and they are essential to our success in school and later as adults. They even give us more time to play video games.

Typeface Invented to Aid Readers with Dyslexia

January 6, 2015 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

For readers with dyslexia, a common symptom is the rotation and transposition of letters. A lowercase b is sometimes mistaken as a lowercase d. This problem does not happen when using uppercase versions of the same letters, because an uppercase B does not resemble an uppercase D visually. Lowercase p is sometimes seen as a lowercase q. Also, dyslexics can rotate the letters vertically, so a p can become a d or a b.

In 2014, Dutch designer Christian Boer invented a new typeface for readers with dyslexia called Dyslexie that adapts to the problems listed above by making the letters of the dyslexic alphabet unique. The letters are designed to be heavier at the bottom, to prevent readers with dyslexia and writers with dyslexia from flipping the letters vertically. Since the letters are wider at the bottom, it’s more difficult to misinterpret a letter that is wide at the top–a dyslexic knows immediately that the letter is upside down.

Other tweaks include making letters like i and j (often switched for dyslexics) have been altered so that j appears with a slight tilt while i remains perpendicular. There’s more to the science behind Dyslexie’s design, which Christian Boer covers in detail (with examples and images) in the TED talk below:

Typeface for Readers with Dyslexia:

You can purchase this typeface for readers with dyslexia as a font for your personal computer (it’s free!).
Written by: Editorial Team, My Learning Springboard, Inc.

Dyslexia in the General Education Classroom

January 5, 2015 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

By Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Ed.D.
Original Source: Edutopia
Originally posted October 23, 2014

The following passage is about dyslexia. I want you to assume that I will be asking you a comprehension question or two when you are done. You have one minute. Go!

The bottob line it thit it doet exitt, no bitter whit nibe teotle give it (i.e. ttecific leirning ditibility, etc). In fict, iccording to Tilly Thiywitz (2003) itt trevilence it ictuilly one in five children, which it twenty tercent.

How was that? Did you stumble on some words? Did you skip words and or substitute with “whatever” or “something?” Based on experience, I am going to guess this was not easy for you. I guess that if I asked you to read this in front of your peers, who are prone to judgment, you would feel anxious. I am also going to guess that if I asked you to tell me what you learned from the passage, you wouldn’t be able to recall any important information.

You just experienced dyslexia for one minute. During that minute, the passage slowed you down and forced you to pronounce words that didn’t seem to make any sense and weren’t familiar. You knew they were wrong, but you read them anyway. And how about that time factor? Did you feel pressed for time? If you were in a classroom full of your peers and I asked you to read this aloud and then asked comprehension questions, would your heart rate go up? Would you suddenly have to use the restroom? Or perhaps you’d need to go to the nurse with a stomachache? This is dyslexia.

What can a general education teacher do to help?

Understand Dyslexia
Let’s debunk a few of the myths and misconceptions right now. Dyslexia is not:

Seeing letters or words backward (In fact, reversing letters and words is developmentally normal through the first grade.)
Outgrown
A result of laziness or lack of motivation
A visual issue.

It is often said that dyslexia is an “umbrella term” when, in fact, it has a very specific definition. The International Dyslexia Organization says:

It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. Most students with dyslexia will receive the reading and writing help they need outside of the general education classroom, but there are many things a general education teacher can do to help students with dyslexia not only avoid situations, but thrive in your classroom.

Here is a short video from TED-Ed that explains dyslexia in just four minutes:

Understand the Role of Accommodations

Now that you have a better understanding of what dyslexia is and is not, it is important to know how you can help a student with dyslexia in the general education classroom. The best way, aside from the actual intervention, is to provide and understand the accommodations that he or she needs to be successful. Remember, these students are capable of learning, and many are intellectually gifted — their academic struggles are unexpected in relation to their innate ability to learn.

It cannot be overstated that students with dyslexia are capable of learning to read and write when given the appropriate intervention. This intervention should be structured and multisensory. It should be an explicit instruction of the underlying structure of English, and it should be informed by linguistics.

For many of these students, accommodations in the classroom can be the difference between academic success and academic failure and frustration. Below is a list of common and helpful accommodations:

Books on audio: These should be introduced as soon as a reading deficit is suspected, and implemented as early as kindergarten. The idea is to make sure that the intellectually capable student is not missing the chance to read good literature and the grade-level content he or she is capable of understanding in a format other than reading. Learning Ally and Bookshare are reputable resources.
Do not require the student to read aloud, unless he or she volunteers or had the opportunity to practice.
Provide notes ahead of time or allow the student to record the lecture. The Livescribe Pen is a fantastic tool.
Allow the student to verbally respond to short-answer and essay questions as well as dictate longer passages. Dyslexia affects writing as much, if not more, than reading. Their struggle with writing can often mask their actual thoughts.
Do not mark off for spelling — grade written assignments based on content only.
Remove time limits from testing and other timed situations.
Give multiple opportunities for success. If students who struggle in reading and writing are better at science, math, artistic, or physical activities, you can motivate them by showcasing their talents in other areas. It may the one thing a teacher does to save those students’ interest in school.

Dyslexia is real, occurring in up to 20 percent of the population. That means there is a student in every classroom, in every neighborhood, and in every U.S. school. It also means that every classroom teacher has the opportunity to positively change the life of a student with dyslexia by taking the time to understand what it is and provide accommodations for accessing information that student is capable of learning through alternate formats.

Do you know that teacher? Are you that teacher?