August 29, 2022 by User

Advancing her district’s mission for whole child literacy across all grade levels is a quest Flora Encarnacao, the Superintendent of Schools for the Kearny School District in New Jersey, achieves with great purpose. Ms. Encarnacao is a 2022 recipient of Learning Ally’s Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award, an award that recognizes exemplary educators. 

Nominated for her pedagogical knowledge on various literacy programming initiatives, Ms. Encarnacao is a compassionate and respected administrator and teacher known for her effectiveness in addressing students’ academic, social and emotional needs, and for her years of research, experience, and mastery of ‘what works’ to improve literacy for all. 

When evaluating programming, Ms. Encarnacao looks for product qualities that follow the Readers and Writers Workshop model and those that address collaboration and discourse among students. She is a proponent of accessible and culturally-diverse texts that covers a wide range of personal interests. She believes in building up classroom libraries to make a vast selection of books available, including accessible curriculum, all types of literature, and many genres to broaden students’ reading experiences and to make reading enjoyable. 

“As students get older, it can be hard to get them to enjoy reading, especially if it is a struggle for them,” she says. "Which is why access to Learning Ally’s Audiobook Solution across all grade levels for all students, including middle and high school, is a terrific resource.” 

“Students struggle for varied reasons. It is up to the educators to find out why and to find another way, another format, another approach to help them become successful. Listening through technology is very appealing to many students, and for those that struggle, a great way to unlock the door to reading.  The human-read audiobooks are a very enjoyable experience in real story-telling,” says Ms. Encarnacao.

She believes computer robotic voices can be a distraction for struggling readers, and human-read audiobooks are pleasing to the ear. “The reader can immerse themselves in the content and characters of the story without the frustration of trying to decode words. It is a game changer for students trying to learn during the pandemic, and especially for those who are dyslexic, visually-impaired and ESL. We have seen students who hated to read cultivate a love of reading. We’ve observed a rise in their personal libraries and book selections. Parents call us excited about the ease of accessibility of texts/novels for their children. Most importantly, we’ve prevented learning gaps and learning down time. Our students feel good about themselves as learners. This is our district goal of whole child literacy at its best.”  

On behalf of the Learning Ally organization, we congratulate Flora Encarnacao for her exemplary service to improve literacy for all learners. 

 

Read More about Advancing a District’s Mission of Whole Child Literacy

Categories: Audiobook Library, Curriculum & Access, Education & Teaching, Educators, Learning Ally “How-To Use”, Learning Disabilities, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices

August 22, 2022 by User

Students who have lost the desire to learn are a challenge for all teachers, but teaching students who are on the verge of dropping out of school or already in juvenile trouble can be an arduous task. It’s a challenge that Deborah Hanson, relishes and does impeccably well as an English Language Arts & Reading teacher for the Austin ISD’s Alternative Satellite Campus at Travis County Day School in Texas.

In her teaching approach for adjudicated youth, Mrs. Hanson focuses on student-centered learning, characterized as “whole child literacy,” a helpful framework, and one of the main reasons why she was chosen as a 2022 recipient of Learning Ally’s Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award; an award that recognizes exemplary educators. 

For over 30 years, she has touched the lives of hundreds of at-risk students, including those in foster care, high school dropouts, incarcerated juveniles, ex-offenders, and displaced workers.

“Adjudicated youth are not representative of the general student population,” says Mrs. Hanson. She believes every student is a learner, but her students do not believe that. They are in restricted environments. They lack self-esteem. They are typically poor readers and writers. “They have been failed by our education system, and they have failed themselves,” she says. “In fact, they have learned failure. It is not easy to break through the failed experiences, trauma, and turmoil that most of them have endured.”

In Texas's Region 13 reading specialist program, Mrs. Hanson teaches disengaged youth to work independently on their reading skills. She assesses each student individually. Then she provides targeted interventions with fidelity, along with encouragement, understanding and emotional care.

Student-Centered Learning

Mrs. Hanson recalls her own childhood. There were no books in her house. Her parents did not read to her, and English was not the primary language spoken at home. Her early memories were fraught with failure in and out of school. Fortunately, she was brought up in the era of the Head Start program – a much needed program in today’s education system. 

To break through her students’ reading barriers, Mrs. Hanson uses Learning Ally’s extensive library of human-read audiobooks. “I want my students to be active readers. I want them to enjoy a pastime of reading that every child and adult deserves. If I can get them to read just one book to escape their feelings of doubt and failure, I can open their world. I’ve seen the results.”

In every class, students receive 45 minutes of dedicated reading time while listening to audiobooks of rich literature and culturally relevant stories that have familiar protagonists. Mrs. Hanson wants them to read books that reflect their own experiences, mistakes, and misfortunes. She encourages students to get comfortable with a book, discuss ideas, and share viewpoints. 

“The first time I heard a student say, “I just read an entire book,” it was exhilarating! Giving students books where they can do character analysis can potentially change their view on how society sees them. Audiobooks give them opportunities to be “out in the free” world through stories.” The term “out in the free” is a description that incarcerated youth are all too familiar with.

Through active listening of human-read audiobooks, Mrs. Hanson’s students improve fundamental skills in vocabulary and comprehension. They think critically. They read other content like music lyrics and movie subtitles. They read to understand, be informed, and entertained. 

Teachers are a “Sea of Heroes”

Mrs. Hanson knows that evidence-based reading instruction based on the science of reading, combined with providing instruction with social and emotional learning methodologies, motivates students at-risk to read with engagement and proficiency. 

Throughout her teaching career, language development has stood out as the biggest challenge, specifically reading and writing proficiency. “It has become my focus and passion to provide my students with access to tailored reading and writing instruction, positive reinforcement, and sufficient support so that they can see results. This approach enables more students to see their future differently. They are inclined to invest in their learning process, just as I have invested in their education and success.”

Many teachers are feeling unsupported due to unprecedented demands, the pandemic, and discrimination. Mrs. Hanson says, “I want to encourage all educators to stay focused on the student. We are a “sea of heroes,” indispensable and capable of changing the world.” 

On behalf of the Learning Ally organization, we congratulate Deborah Hanson and all 2022 winners for their exemplary service to improve literacy for all learners.

Read More about Helping Adjudicated Youth Who Have Lost Their Desire to Learn

Categories: Awards, Education & Teaching, Educators, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices

August 15, 2022 by User

Making connections between essential early reading skills and mathematical concepts is a wonderful way to engage children while introducing them to the idea that words and numerical expressions have a symbiotic relationship for cross-curricular learning. Each discipline is critical for learning success and information processing. In reading, letters form words that symbolize objects, attributes, or actions. In mathematics, numbers symbolize amounts, patterns, or relationships. 

Creating a Rich Learning Environment

During our Spotlight on Dyslexia 2022, Dr. Antony T. Smith and Dr. Allison Hintz, both associate professors of mathematics education at the University of Washington Bothell, talked with educators about how to create engaging learning experiences through read-alouds and discussions using children’s literature. 

Drs. Smith and Hintz have worked in a wide range of settings from school-based learning experiences to public libraries, to community-based organizations. They co-authored the book, Mathematizing Children’s Literature Sparking Connections, Joy, and Wonder, Through Read-Alouds and Discussion. 

Student-Centered Approach

Drs. Smith and Hintz are proponents of student-centered or whole child learning, in which teachers use evidence-based reading instruction grounded in the science of reading to develop early reading skills, while deepening knowledge of mathematical concepts and nurturing children’s identities as literacy and mathematical sense-makers. 

Early reading skills include word recognition, language comprehension, decoding, background knowledge, and vocabulary. The professors encourage teachers to use dynamic, interactive read alouds from multicultural children’s literature to incorporate conceptual learning, as well as the application of skill. Read-alouds feature real-world contexts through discussion, input, active listening, and automaticity through repeated readings. 

Recommended Categories of Books

Over years of research, the professors identified children’s literature that provide vibrant opportunities for young learners to notice, wonder, and experience joy in reading mathematics stories through different lenses. They found books where mathematics might appear in a work of children's literature in a way that brings mathematics alive in the stories. 

These types of books generally fall into three categories:

1. text-dependent books, where the plot and math are central to the story; 

2. idea-enhancing books, where the story could stand alone without discussing mathematical concepts, but if teachers do, it makes the story more interesting and rewarding; and

3. illustration-exploring books where visuals enhance the story in a playful context, and help make connections with children’s own lives. This is a kind of story where children “think like a mathematician.” 

Are you ready to expand your instructional approach to empower early learners to think in mathematical ways? 

Register for this lively and informative session, now on-demand. Learn specific book titles recommended by Drs. Smith and Hintz, and delve into modeling stories that can help you better understand the children you learn with and the knowledge they bring from their home communities. Build and strengthen their fundamental reading and mathematics skills, while preparing them to become critical thinkers.  

Learning Ally’s Professional Learning Services are designed to strengthen educator’s instructional capacity, so they can deliver a deeper, richer learning experience and promote better academic outcomes. 

Read More about Mathematizing Children’s Literature To Spark Connections, Joy, and Wonder, Through Read-Alouds and Discussion

Categories: Authors for Access, Books, Authors, & Movies, Curriculum & Access, Early Literacy, Education & Teaching, Educators, Reading Strategies for K-12, Teacher Best Practices

August 8, 2022 by User

At Brooklyn Arbor Elementary School in New York City, first grade teacher Maria Arcodia noticed that children in her early education classes who struggled to read could hold broader conversations and comprehend spoken words, but could not grasp the full concepts of stories with printed text. 

As the mother of a child with a visual impairment and dyslexia, she fully understood the emotional toll that children who struggle to read experience without the necessary instruction and support. Her son struggled throughout elementary and middle school, until he was given a reading accommodation in high school where he could listen to curriculum and stories through human-read audiobooks.  

“The combination of seeing the text, hearing it spoken correctly aloud, and the ability to manipulate the page format and rate of speed made it easier for him to understand what he read,” said Ms. Arcodia. When she saw
the difference that human-read audiobooks made in her son's life, she knew it would help many more younger children in her own classroom. 

Multisensory Reading Approach 

In her classes, Ms. Arcodia assists each child to log in to Learning Ally and choose their first book. Sometimes it is a book that they always wanted to read, but felt it was too tricky until they were given accessible text. 

After downloading the book to the digital bookshelf, her students choose their preferred background color, font color, size and spacing of print and speed of audio playback. They learn to use advanced features like how to bookmark a page, find definitions and synchronize their bookshelves. "At this point, they get really excited about the tool and the freedom to read independently at their leisure," says Ms. Arcodia. She also helped parents and caregivers become familiarized with the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution and why it is beneficial in helping to improve children's reading skills. Parents appreciated having the reading resource at their school, and to see their child’s reading enthusiasm and progress. 

Brooklyn Arbor Elementary School saw early education success too. 

• Teachers could more easily collaborate across grade levels to develop, track, and adjust a student’s IEP plans. 

• More students bridged the gap between their ability to decode words and their intellectual capability to understand what they heard, deepening their vocabulary and content knowledge. 

• English language learners could learn content along with reading and speaking skills. 

• More students could access the same content as their peers, and gained confidence to learn grade-level content. 

• Children who spoke Spanish, but may not have known how to read in their native language, could access grade-level content, while seeing and hearing the words spoken aloud with correct intonation and prosody. 

Ms. Arcodia summed up her experience saying, "Giving children an opportunity as early as possible to listen to human-read audiobook stories was a winning strategy for our school, our students and their families, and our teachers." 

New Excite Reading™

For children to truly understand what they read, research shows that skilled reading requires not only word recognition and decoding, but also language comprehension, including background knowledge and vocabulary. Learning Ally’s new Excite Reading™ for children in Pre-K to Grade 2 focuses on building comprehension by encouraging the joy in reading with authentic children’s literature read by human narrators, and by helping children explore ideas and build skills with lessons that prompt rich discussion and model best reading practices. 

Download a free e-book and accompanying teacher guide now. 

 

Read More about First Grade Teacher Shares Personal Gratitude for Human-Read Audiobooks to Grow Children’s Learning Confidence

Categories: Assistive Technology, Curriculum & Access, dyslexia, Early Literacy, Education & Teaching, Educators, Learning Ally “How-To Use”, Learning Disabilities, Reading Strategies for K-12, Teacher Best Practices

August 1, 2022 by User

By Valerie Chernek

What is Social-Emotional Development?

Social emotional development refers to our ability to “experience, manage and express” our feelings; to build positive relationships, and actively explore our environment. It is an understanding of how our minds and hearts think and feel about situations as they relate to the world around us. Considerations of social-emotional development aren't just about discrete skills that a child needs to learn, but all aspects of scenarios that impact their learning and development, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma.

Early childhood is the time to be aware of ACEs and how this can affect a child's long-term emotional stability and learning success. When a child feels safe and calm, we can help them recognize different emotions and how each emotion makes them feel. We can help children learn to self-regulate emotions when they occur. When a child does not feel safe, they will not feel calm, nor be able to grow in the learning process.

In elementary school, social-emotional development often focuses on executive functioning skills, such as memory and self-control. When students engage in play-based skills, they learn to advocate for themselves and practice empathy for others. In middle school, teens are figuring out their own identity and how they fit into the world. They become aware of their bodies and minds. This is a time to understand how we all experience emotions differently and how our reactions affect our social communication. In high school, as our relationships with peer groups grow to be important, we begin to see ourselves in a multitude of roles that add to the formulation of who we will become as an adult.

Embracing Social Emotional Learning in Whole Child Literacy

Embracing the theory of the "whole child" is a critical part of educating youth today. Whole child literacy builds on “whole child” pedagogy. It encompasses factors that impact a child’s ability to learn to read proficiently through evidence-based reading instruction with an understanding of the cognitive variables and socio-emotional influences of a child's home and cultural environment. Parents, caregivers, teachers are all primary sources to help children grow in their social emotional development, but it takes all of us - you - me, neighbors, peers, our communities, our leaders, our nation, to support every child's well-being.

For all children to be safe, calm, literate, and ready to learn, they require a "whole child" literacy approach, including the necessary evidence-based academic reading instruction, grounded in the science of reading, along with social and emotional skills to manage their world. In turn, they will become thriving human beings who grow up capable in their own life journey to lend a hand for others to be socially and emotionally capable of succeeding too.     

This article, written by Valerie Chernek, was originally published by SEL Today at the American Consortium for Equity in Education.

Learning Ally is a leading education nonprofit dedicated to empowering educators with proven solutions that help new and struggling learners reach their potential. Our range of literacy-focused offerings for students in Pre-K to 12th grade and catalog of professional learning allows us to support more than 1.6 million students and 260,000 educators across the United States.  Our programs incorporate a whole child literacy approach driven by brain-based research that is grounded in the science of reading, and an understanding of the cognitive variables and socio-emotional influences of a student’s home and environment that impact learning.

Read More about Social Emotional Learning...What It Means For Children

Categories: Early Literacy, Education & Teaching, Educators, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices