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Summer Reading Programs, summer tutoring, or summer school?

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When your child is struggling to read….

Teaching a child to read requires deep knowledge in cognitive processing. It requires informed observation of every error a student makes. Thanks to neuroscience, we know a lot more about the brain and learning processes involved in reading and writing than we ever have known before.  Neuroscience has given us a view into the brain during reading and  phonological tasks. This brain research is beginning to provide us information about why some students struggle more than others in learning to read and write.

Yet, education hasn’t yet partnered with neuroscience and cognitive psychology to best inform how we instruct students in learning to read. For now, it is up to the most inquisitive educator to continue to ask questions about every error their students make while they are learning to read.

Part of the problem is that most educators received their training before the new insights were available. Additionally, time and resource constraints prevent schools from applying the insights offered through recent research. Even if schools were able to find opportunity to support teachers in developing the deep knowledge necessary for this level of observation and study, class sizes don’t allow even the most informed teachers to take the time with each individual student necessary for this work.  The system of schooling just isn’t prepared to meet the needs of all students.

School curriculum indeed works for 80% of the student population. Another 3-5% qualify for additional services in special education. So what about the 15% of students who are still struggling?  Those students have difficulty getting their needs met in the traditional school model. Even the best teacher has difficulty in knowing what to do and when to help that 15% of students.

How can these students get what they need to succeed?

We can talk about the school year in the coming months. Right now, most families are looking into summer options. As you look at summer school, a summer tutor or summer reading programs for your child, consider these questions: [checklist]

  • Does your child need to maintain skills they already have?
        – If so, traditional summer programs or tutoring may be appropriate.
  • Does your child need to “catch up“ and achieve grade level expectations?
        – If so, a more intensive and research based approach is what they need.

[/checklist]

Stay tuned. In the next few weeks we will discuss how the brain research helps us give students what they need to be successful in the essential skills in:

  • Reading: decoding, fluency and comprehension with critical thinking

  • Writing: spelling, fluency and organization and expression of ideas.

Expanding our office

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Expanding to meet the needs….

Young people are masters at hiding their struggles in school.  They mask their difficulties in so many ways that sometimes it takes adults time to realize what it really going on.

Many times these are just below the surface of other behaviors such as these:

Attention Difficulties
High Energy
Low Energy
Aggression
Acting out / Getting in Trouble
Depression/Anxiety
Withdraw
Impatience
Spacing out
Being too social in class
Low self esteem
Resistance to homework
Lack of desire to read or write

These are just a few of the initial outside behaviors that we might notice.  Part of what makes it difficult is that each child is individual in the behaviors they use to mask their difficulties.

We are all born with a natural inquisitiveness and desire to learn, perform and achieve.  A lack of desire to learn at school is usually a symptom of a struggle to learn.

When our children are showing struggles in school, a well-known approach to help them is to find a tutor or sometimes use the “wait and see” approach and see if they will “grow out of it.”

But when children with at least average intellectual ability struggle to learn, there is likely something in the way that they are processing information that is underdeveloped, different, or inefficient.  Tutoring isn’t the answer.

The Therapeutic Literacy Center recognizes that if we are going to effectively impact academic learning problems, we must prepare the brain for learning by strengthening or developing the underlying thinking processes that support academic skills.

We might find ourselves saying such things as “He just needs to pay attention,” “She needs to put her head in school” or “When it’s something he’s interested in, he can do it!”  Yet, they really need help now to change the way they experience learning in school.

“These things can be FIXED – permanently. We are seeing lives change every day.”

The work at the Therapeutic Literacy Center is done one-to-one with students and focuses on teaching, strengthening, and developing those skills that lead to independent, academic success.

Meeting the Need

The Therapeutic Literacy Center is expanding to meet the needs of more students in North County. We are seeing changes happening every day.  Kids that have been working harder than their peers are finding confidence and success and independence.

These kids are not resisting homework anymore because they have confidence in their skills as an independent learner. They feel their success and they are interested in learning again.

TLC provides free screening and evaluations to help identify what the issue is behind struggles in school 1st grade through college.  These can be scheduled by calling (858) 481-2200.

-September 20, 2013

Why not tutoring?

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How is your therapy different from tutoring?

That’s a question we get all the time. The truth is, we are very different from tutoring or test prep facilities.  Most schools and tutoring focus on WHAT a student learns. We focus on HOW a student learns. We work on the skills needed to be an efficient and independent learner.

Often parents tell us, “We even went to the big name franchise learning center and it didn’t help.” That’s because, for many students, the underlying learning skills are not in place. Here is an explanation of the details…

5 big differences between tutoring and remediation

“Spencer HATES school! He feels like the dumbest kid in the class. He gets very frustrated and angry doing homework. As a family, we can’t stand this anymore. We need to get Jason a tutor!”

Are you sure? Will getting a tutor really be enough to solve this problem?

Sometimes, tutoring is exactly what is needed. But more often, when a child has a learning problem, tutoring is like putting on a band aid. It covers up some of the symptoms, but doesn’t really solve the problem.

Here are 5 big differences between tutoring and remediation, or educational therapy, and how you know which is right for your situation.

  1. Tutoring typically focuses on academic skills or school subjects and remediation addresses the underlying processing or thinking skills that are needed in order for a someone to learn easily in school.

Here’s a way you can think about this. Think of learning like a tree. When you look at a tree, the most obvious, noticeable part is the top…the branches and leaves. But without a good root system and trunk, those branches and leaves can’t grow and thrive. Learning is like that. The top of the tree is the academic skills – reading, writing, math, history, science…

Growth and learning in these areas is dependent upon a strong root system and trunk. The roots are what we call the underlying processing skills. These are things like memory, attention, processing speed, auditory and visual processing (or how we think about and understand things that we hear or see). If there are problems at the root, or processing skills level, there will be problems at the top.

The trunk is like what we call “executive function.” This is the part of the brain that takes all the information that comes in through the roots and organizes it for learning. Again, if the student has problems with organization, planning, and reasoning (or executive function skills) it will affect school performance.

Traditional tutoring assumes that these underlying processing and executive function skills are in place and it works at the top of the tree, with the academics. In most cases learning problems are the result of weak or incompletely developed skills at the root level.

Working on the academics without a solid foundation of processing skills is just “spinning your wheels.” It may cause students to wonder what is wrong with them that they always have to have tutoring and can never seem to learn to do the job on their own.

To permanently solve a learning problem, the underlying skills must be developed.

The great thing is that we know now, through current brain research, that the brain can be retrained – these skills can be developed – so students don’t have to go through life crippled by their learning challenges.

  1. Tutoring typically looks a lot like school.

If a child is having trouble learning phonics for reading, tutors will provide more phonics practice. But more of the same is often more frustrating than helpful.

Current research tells us that the key factor in success or failure in reading is what’s called phonemic awareness, or the brain’s ability to think about the sounds inside of words. Without this underlying thinking process, you can have the best phonics program and the best phonics teacher, but you’re still going to struggle to learn and use phonics for reading and spelling.

In remediation, or educational therapy, we know that we have to teach the brain HOW to think about the sounds – to actually re-train the brain to process the sounds in a more efficient way. Then, the brain can learn to read.

  1. Tutoring is most effective as a solution to a short term problem. A long term learning problem must be dealt with by getting at the underlying issues.

An example is a 10th grade student who transferred from a very mediocre high school to a very high achieving high school. He got into an Advanced Placement Algebra 2 class that was way over his head. He found a tutor, and after 6 or 8 weeks, he began to get things sorted out.

This was a short term problem with a short term solution.

That is very different from Katy, a student with a history of difficulty with math. Katy had learned to do math by rote memory and lots of painful effort. But she didn’t really understand how numbers work. She could easily mix up math processes or steps and not realize it. Or she might recognize her error but not know how to fix it. When Katy got into algebra, she was lost. And no amount of tutoring was going to clear up the issue. Because Katy did not have the underlying concepts or thinking skills that were absolutely critical to her success.

  1. Tutoring may feel like an easier, more comfortable solution.

Tutoring provides a way to give students support and help them get their homework done. But it can also become a crutch because it doesn’t really solve the problem so that the student can do his homework on his own.

Many parents have said, “My child has had tutoring on and off over the years. He seems to do OK when we’ve got a tutor, but as soon as we quit, things go downhill again.” And that brings us to the fifth big difference between tutoring and remediation – the outcome.

  1. If tutoring is used to treat a learning problem, it is likely to end up being a “never-ending” process.

The goal of remediation, and our goal at the
Therapeutic Literacy Center, is to permanently stop
the pain, frustration, dependence, and embarrassment that
a learning problem can cause.

This is done through specialized programs and techniques that address the weak underlying processing skill areas that are causing the problem. Once students have a solid foundation or strong root system, they can become comfortable and independent learners.

There is an old saying, “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.”

Tutoring may support students to help them get through this night’s homework or this class. Remediation eliminates the learning problem and teaches students to learn so they can learn anywhere, anytime, for a lifetime.

Here are some common symptoms, any of which may indicate that there are underlying processing skills not supporting the learner well enough:

  • Bright child, teen, or adult is underachieving
  • Difficulty paying attention
  • Gets distracted easily
  • Avoids work
  • Yawns all the time when listening
  • Tries really hard for minimal outcome
  • Struggles to sound out words
  • Can’t remember months, days, math facts, spelling words
  • Can’t follow more than one or two directions at a time
  • Is inconsistent with math processes; can’t find or correct math errors; doesn’t understand how numbers work
  • Struggles to read, write, or spell
  • Is uncoordinated, awkward, or has poor posture
  • Has to work excessively hard
  • Gets fatigued quickly / has very low stamina for listening or schoolwork
  • Misunderstands what is heard or read
  • Misses or mishears information when listening

These issues can be changed! With specialized training the brain can learn to think and process information in more effective ways. Children and adults do not have to continue to suffer the effects of learning problems, but it will typically take more than a traditional tutor.

Helping Children Learn To Love Reading

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In a follow-up to our introductory blog which shed some light on who we are, the Therapeutic Literacy Center would now like to tell you a little bit about where we are and what we do: TLC is located in Solana Beach, California and our clients include those who have been diagnosed with autism, dyslexia, ADHD or a learning disability as well as others who may simply struggle within a traditional school system.

In a warm and comfortable setting high above the Pacific Ocean, we offer specialized programming which is short-term and individually based on an evaluation of specific areas of need. Your child may require 2 weeks or up to 12 weeks depending on progress that is monitored regularly.

When learning styles are de-mystified in a supportive setting, students gain the tools to become confident learners. This, combined with goal setting and descriptive feedback, fosters self esteem and independence in our students.

One of the areas we specialize in is dyslexia. Dyslexia can be difficult to diagnose and is frequently mislabeled as an auditory processing disorder. To further complicate the problem, reports on testing may do an excellent job of describing the reading and writing issues but then fall short in their recommendations. Children often have difficulties with decoding, spelling and fluency. Tests can show a clear deficit in phonological awareness, but what are the recommendations? “Student needs to improve reading.” Ok, so now what?

At Therapeutic Literacy Center we use a program called Fast For Word which applies the principles of brain science to help your child become a more efficient learner. Fast For Word is a proven reading and learning intervention that applies neuroscience principles of brain plasticity to help children, adolescents and adults achieve their full potential. Your child will simultaneously develop cognitive and language skills in a safe environment where they can learn to take risks.

This program, in conjunction with everything else we offer at TLC, is an effective tool to develop and improve fundamental cognitive and reading skills. We help our students by improving their memory, attention and ability to follow instructions, plus language and reading skills including phonological awareness, decoding, vocabulary, spelling and comprehension. Our program has been designed from extensive neuroscience research and is specifically designed for various ages and ability levels to maximize your child’s potential for learning.

Your child will not only be more confident in classroom participation but they will learn to enjoy reading.

Stay tuned for our weekly blog which will cover a wide range of topics ranging from autism, dyslexia and ADHD to the latest innovations in educational technology and so much more. Thank you for reading!

“The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.” ~ Mary McLeod Bethune

Compensate or Eliminate

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Learning to read may appear natural and, therefore, easy to teach. Yet it’s one of the most difficult tasks any child will take on; and homeschooling parents must cover some important foundational topics along the way. The National Reading Panel has identified these skills as phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

A great deal of research* suggests students who have mastered two main critical skills—good phonological awareness and letter naming—will have little difficulty learning to read.

When school is not going well, parents look to tutoring as a solution. But tutoring often doesn’t work. Most learning challenges including auditory processing, dyslexia, ADD or ADHD can be dramatically improved or permanently corrected.

At the Therapeutic Literacy Center, we do MORE than tutor. We help children and adults ELIMINATE their learning challenges.

Many students can cover or compensate for a learning difficulty for a long time, but eventually it catches up with them. While the 3rd/4th grade level is common to diagnosing learning difficulties and disabilities, some students may get to middle school or high school before help is sought.

Clinically, we have found people at the graduate degree level before they finally seek remediation. How far a student CAN go before help is required will be different for each person.

But help is available and should be sought at the earliest possible time, because “compensating” is stressful even when not outwardly visible; it requires far too much energy. And it doesn’t fix the problem.

What can be done?

There are two ways of dealing with learning difficulties. The most common method used is to treat the symptoms by giving students extra work on basic skills, as well as more individual attention.

Our approach is to attack the underlying processes that interfere with attention and learning (yes, ADHD children CAN learn to focus their attention). We know that children and adults of at least average intellectual potential can and should become proficient learners. Because the traditional methods have not worked for some, we know that they must be taught in a different ways – not just individualizing the same old methods.

By concentrating on underlying processes, along with developing the needed basic skills, we have been able to help students who, until now, have enjoyed only limited success in school.

The Beauty Of The Mind

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One of the things we continue to celebrate at the Therapeutic Literacy Center is the vast and barely comprehensible complexity of the human mind. In being given the opportunity to work every day with students who have learning differences, we are continually inspired by the many ways in which we are able to harness a child’s ability to learn. Whether dealing with a student who is on the autism spectrum, dyslexic, or who has another type of learning difference, what we know to be true is that through intensive instructional programming we are able to help every child unlock their inner academic.

We’ve all heard the old adage, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” It was Albert Einstein who first said this; Albert Einstein was dyslexic. Imagine being able to succeed in solving some of the most complicated mathematical formulas of the time without any trouble, but not remembering the months in the year. At Therapeutic Literacy Center we come across this sort of dichotomy often and are at once fascinated and awestruck by the minds of these exceptional children.

Throughout our years of tutoring there are many children who’s indelible impressions have been left upon us; kids who came to us feeling intimidated by the thought of reading in front of their peers and generally unable to thrive in a traditional classroom setting. In addition to reading and spelling improvement, these children were able to return to a normal classroom curriculum with renewed self-esteem, and confidence in their ability to learn. Helping these children to unlock their full potential is the most rewarding work a teaching professional can ever do. Discovering the hidden, untapped mind of the gifted child is our greatest goal.

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”
~ Confucius