He’s not just Denzel’s son. John David Washington is the action hero of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and former NFL running back, and one of Time Magazine’s NEXT 100 leaders who will shape the world’s future. And he’s also dyslexic. John David has talked about his dyslexia, usually mentioning things in passing – like how writing in different colors helps because he’s dyslexic – but he hasn’t discussed in-depth how he overcame the challenges of dyslexia and demands for things like sight-reading or learning scripts. He has said, though, that his mother, Paulette Washington helps him with every aspect of his career, including pre-reading scripts and helping him practice his lines. Interestingly, John David initially avoided acting because he didn’t want to be hired […]
How Not To Give Up On Learning A Second Language [Premium]
Learning second languages are difficult for many dyslexic students; foreign language waivers or substitutions are common, but in spite of this, many can learn other languages and even multiple languages if the goal is conversation. Writing and spelling second and third language can be more difficult, but also possible for many people. Students may be more successful if they able to study over a longer time and if they have learned more about the structure of language in their native tongue. In the video below, listen to 4 Hour Work Week guru Tim Ferriss (yes, he’s dyslexic) talk about how he learned to be able to converse in many foreign languages. The type of learning described, won’t necessarily make you a master of […]
Dyslexia at College: Chat With Xinru at Brown [Premium]
Recently I had the pleasure of talking to Xinru about dyslexia, college, and computer languages. Xinru’s currently studying both music and computer sciences at Brown University, an Ivy League university that is known for its “Open Curriculum” – that allows students to choose their personal course of study. But briefly, I found her when she posted her 10 Ways to Code with ADHD and Dyslexia (see below). She talks so fast, at times I had to listen to her on 1/2 speed; I think that means she’s a fast thinker too! Xinru first came to the US when she was just 8 years old; although she had trouble reading and writing in the early grades, she said she could “get away with” saying that she […]
Dyslexia-Friendly Technology: Customizing Your Web Reading And Listening [Premium]
With increased demands to read on phones and mobile devices, it’s more important than ever to optimize web reading for dyslexic students and adults. There are 2 resources that you may want to check out. The first is an Unofficial Immersive Reader Chrome Extension that is free in the Google Extension store HERE. Here’s EdTech Teacher demonstrating some of it’s helpful features. The extension is unofficial because it doesn’t come directly from Microsoft. I was able to activate it quite quickly – I hope this extension is truly here to stay. The voice is quite good and there are also helpful functions like breaking down words into syllables to easier reading. It’s much better than Google’s tools. It can help with adjusting color, character […]
Diagramming Math [Premium]
When we tested older students in our clinic who were in college on STEM tracks, I often asked students who were proficient in mathematics, what strategies were most helpful to them. Many of them found their own ways of solving problems – often using spatial and mental math strategies or diagrams. How did they learn these approaches? Most said they figured it out themselves. In my search for math curricula that emphasized deeper understanding and diagrammatic thinking, I came across two resources that may be valuable for you – Illustrative Mathematics and Japanese Math. Often, we may be reminded that mathematics has its own language. There are words and symbols that mean different things in every day speaking, reading, and writing vs. math. If […]
Resources For Reading Fluency [Premium]
Reading fluency is usually defined as an ability to read easily with little effort…with good accuracy, speed, expression, and comprehension. Reading fluency practice doesn’t take the place of decoding work, but it can be an important step that makes it likely that a person will become a lifelong reader. Strategies to improve reading fluency are many, including choral reading, echo reading, reading along with audiobooks, readers theater, sentence trees and more. As April Karl describes in the video below, reading books with repetitive text can also give student practice at reading words with a different tone. The second video below is an example from McGraw Hill showing older students implementing practices like choral reading, Reader’s Theater, and paired reading in small groups. Some researchers […]
Free Structured Literacy Resources [Premium]
Even if these are unprecedented frustrating times for instruction due to the pandemic, there are occasional upsides – like the increased availability of free resources about structured literacy now available on the web. In many respects, it’s never been easier to sample different curricula, look at how others introduce lessons, and take advantage of free resources posted online. As an example, for those using the Wilson system, here is a teletherapy site where teachers have uploaded lessons. Here is a board that can be used if you’d like to work with a student remotely or simply give your student digital manipulatives for lessons. https://sites.google.com/view/teletherapyforwilsonproviders/home Work directly online with a board HERE. Get a copy of the board HERE. […]
Dyslexic Strengths: Nonverbal Super Powers [Premium]
“Did you see how their finance person rolled her eyes when the marketing guy was talking?” she’d observe. “They’re just not on the same page.” Or she might explain why the no’s they heard on various proposals could mean different things…” Michael Wheeler, from The Art of Negotiation about Erin Egan At one of our Conferences on Dyslexia and Innovation, Erin Egan, at that time, one of Dyslexic Advantage’s Board members, spoke about her experiences with dyslexia. If you only heard about her struggles, you’d miss that she was a leading negotiator for such powerhouse companies as Microsoft and Airbus. From Michael Wheeler again: “It’s as if Erin has social sonar, a way of seeing the interpersonal cross-currents below the surface and the forces […]
Guiding and Teaching Tortoises and Hares [Premium]
Now the preceding article might suggest that the issue of processing speed is a simple one for individual students, but as George Dorry alluded to in his article, The Tortoise Hypothesis, there may be other factors involved. George’s article is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but he raises the practical complexities of trying to figure out just what is going on with a particular student. George again: “If you were hoping for a single benign explanation for processing speed difficulties, ‘abandon all hope ye who enter here’.” There are many to consider. As you read the following descriptions, remember that these hypotheses are not mutually exclusive. They may be co-occurring, or they only occur in some circumstances and not in others… Under ODD or Oppositional Defiant Disorder, […]
Spatial Intelligence: Developing One of the Dyslexic Super Powers [Premium]
Although spatial intelligence is often a “dyslexic super power” and associated with famous architects, filmmakers, inventors, and engineers, it gets surprising little education in K-12 education. What that might mean in a practical way is that many of the young members of this community might only stumble into their greatest talents by chance, or worse, not at all. MOST CURRICULA ONLY SPECIFY NAMING AND SORTING SHAPES Math educator David Fielker noticed a surprising blind spot when it comes to math instruction with shapes: typically students are led to practice sorting and verbally classifying shapes, rather than working with them, building, adding, and taking away. It’s physically working with them, “composing and decomposing shapes, comparing and mentally manipulating two- and three-dimensional figures, and […]
Sneaky Free Ways To Get Kids Reading [Premium]
We all know the drill – we want kids to read so that reading gets easier so it’s more fun to read, but it’s too hard to read now, so they don’t read, there’s no practice, and reading comes to a standstill. So how can we get them to read? HELP THEM FIND THE RIGHT BOOK AT THE RIGHT LEVEL In order for students to enjoy reading, a book should be at the right level for their interest, but also right level for their current reading level. FINDING THE LEXILE LEVEL THEN SELECT THE ‘JUST RIGHT’ BOOKS IN YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY It’s estimated that almost 1/2 of public school children have been assigned a Lexile Level based on their most recent […]
Emotional Resilience [Premium]
A Short Video on Building Personal Resilience The second video is a good cartoon introduction to the idea of Emotional Intelligence. It has some good examples and insights, but occasionally has some misses. Try it out first yourself and see if it might be helpful sharing with a student. Bookmark Please login to bookmark ClosePlease login to access.
