“What can students learn from literature they cannot learn elsewhere? Why should they bother?” — Gary Morson At the same time that Brock and I have been reviewing the research literature for our update for Dyslexic Advantage, I also came across an article by Russian Literature professor Gary Morson on Why College Kids are Avoiding the Study of Literature. As it turns out, some of the problems and solutions he identifies has direct implications for dyslexic readers. THE CHALLENGES The challenges facing dyslexic readers and complex literature are many – there is so much of it, for instance, the sheer quantity may be impossible for younger readers even if they are able to listen-read through audiobooks; great literature may also have complex grammar […]
In Memoriam: Legendary Architect Lord Richard Rogers
Lord Rogers revolutionized architecture as well as the way people thought about city planning. At the peak of his success, he reconfigured his architecture firm as a charity. Rogers recently passed away at 88, but his legacy will live on. ...
Questions and Answers
From our recent virtual lecture for the Hamlin Robinson Speaker Series, here are a few questions from viewers: QUESTION: How do you separate vision processing disorders from dyslexia? How do you think about these? Also same with auditory processing disorders like...
Finding the Positive
Recently, I received an email from parents of a student that we tested almost ten years ago. They were celebrating their recent news of his acceptance into his college “dream” pick. Things had looked very different a decade ago, but since that time, I know he had flourished under homeschooling, tutors, and remote schooling. He won some Dyslexic Advantage student awards and another award at the national level. Almost the same time, a letter came in sharing a similar aged student’s struggle. He was coming to the end of his academic career and yet was frustrated, embittered, and exhausted. What would the future hold for him? EDUCATIONAL MISMATCHES ABOUND FOR DYSLEXIA – FIND THE POSITIVE The reality is that educational mismatches abound for dyslexic students; […]
MATH: Learning Through Examples, Not Repetition and Drill [Premium]
“… children with dyslexia, because of disruption to left hemisphere language area, use a less optimal route for retrieval-base arithmetic, engaging right hemisphere parietal regions typically used by good readers for procedural-based arithmetic.” — Evans et al, 2014 TEACH MATH TO DYSLEXIC STUDENTS THROUGH STRENGTHS It was a research group at Georgetown University that first made the observations that a group of school age dyslexic students used a different brain strategy when doing single digit arithmetic. As it turns out, an area of the brain (left angular gyrus) implicated in some of reading difficulties associated with dyslexia is also the area of the brain that processes math learning through drill in non-dyslexic kids. So math drill may be the exactly wrong way to teach […]
Connecting the Dots with John Chambers of CISCO [Premium]
“A lot of leaders would say they’re curious. I can tell you from personal experience that most leaders are not. They don’t ask a lot of questions, rarely challenge conventional wisdom, stick with what they know, and often turn to sources that reinforce their existing point of view… my curiosity about things I don’t understand has been a critical factor in my success as a leader.” – John Chambers I recently came across a book review of Chambers’ book by Emma Wallace, a fellow dyslexic who works in a very different industry, fashion. Despite these differences, Chambers’ description of strengths resonated. “Not only has dyslexia meant that for John (and myself) it forced him to learn important skills early on: persistence, finding your […]
Better Living Through Technology with Auto-Text and Macros [Premium]
=Here’s how you can simplify writing and other work tasks using technology. AUTO-TEXT If you use Gmail or Outlook for your email, you may have already see examples of automatic text. As an example, if you are typing an email with Smart Compose turned on in Gmail, typing “how” will generate a prompt for “how are you” in lighter text, so that you you hit the tab key and have the rest of the phrase written. The settings are under the Gear settings at top right. This can be very convenient, a time saver, and hack that is likely to reduce the chance of typos or other mistakes, but there is a privacy dilemma that Google may be accessing what you write (see more […]
Helping Kids to Practice Reading Aloud [Premium]
Reading aloud can improve reading fluency, but for many students reading aloud at school causes stress and embarrassment. So what to do? SMALL GROUP or 1:1 READING At school, students may be able to get important practice in small groups or paired group reading or 1:1 with a teacher or teacher’s aide. There are also newly available free resources from Google Reading Tutor or Microsoft Reading Progress that record students reading, analyze speed and mistakes, and chart students’ progress over time. The picture above is an example of a report generated by Microsoft’s Reading Progress program. A formal software program is not needed for every day practice however; some students may be motivated by such a program, while others may not. For […]
The Social-Emotional Side of Dyslexia [Premium]
“A lot of the time I take the parts of learning that are still hard for me as rejection — as someone telling me I can’t. I see points taken off for misspelled words on in-class English essays, and I start to see my future crumbling. I see the colleges that my dyslexia could prohibit me from going to. I see the kids with better scores, who don’t need tutors, or extra time, and I feel jealous. I feel worthless.” – Anna Kopelmann The social emotional journey for dyslexic people can be complex and change over time depending on one’s life contexts, support, and environment. As few as 1 in 4 dyslexic students may be formally identified in public school systems, leaving the majority […]
Creative, Successful, Dyslexic and Dyslexia Is My Superpower Author Margaret Rooke
Margaret Rooke is the British author of Creative Successful Dyslexic and Dyslexia is My Superpower. Her books can be purchased online HERE or HERE. Margaret also wrote us , and shared the following from her personal journey with dyslexia: "All parents are...
Huge Win for Dyslexia in Federal Court
Federal Court Orders Clark County School District to Reimburse Parents $456,000. A federal court has ordered a school district to reimburse a family that had accumulated significant expenses to document their student's educational needs with dyslexia, ADHD, and...
The Pleasures of Reading by Ear
This multi-colored brain image shows what brains do when they're listening to stories. Learn more about this HERE. It's a whole brain workout and its effects seem largely the same whether you listen to a book or read it with your eyes (research HERE). Stories go right...
