Thursday Thoughts: Cool Literacy and Learning Links

Brain Teaser

Do we all have “atten­tion deficits”? Or is there some­thing else going on? Let’s try this lit­tle exper­i­ment, con­ceived by Simons and Chabris for their clas­sic study on sus­tained inat­ten­tional blind­ness (1999).

Cool Literacy and Learning Links

The Building Blocks of a Good Pre-K. What do we want our children’s first experiences in school to be? What does a good education look like for 4-year-olds? New York Times, October 21, 2014.

The Missing Piece: Discovering the Joy in Parent-Child Reading. If we hope to produce life-long readers, we need to instill a desire to read, not just because it is important for building a child's school readiness, but because it is fun and it builds parent-child relationships. Huffington Post, October 10, 2014.

Great Minds Don't Think Alike

by Matt Zahn 

This is a follow-up story to another recent post, I Just Wish to Be Like Me. The original post was an essay for a college application written by Stern Center alum, Matt Zahn, four years ago. The following is the story of Matt's success, told by him, as he nears college graduation. 
 
Four years is a very long time, particularly for young people. High school, and later college, feel like a lifetime of personal growth. I was recently given the opportunity to review an essay that I wrote for my college application. Now, as a senior at the George Washington University in Washington DC, reading this essay gave me pause to reflect on the challenges that brought me to where I am today. 

Much of who I am today came from the experience of not being able to read in the third grade, and my journey with the Stern Center and my "coach," Neil Shapiro. Neil was more than just a teacher for me; he was somebody I identified with as a friend and mentor. He not only taught me how to read and write well, and made math easier, but also turned me on to fun music and TV shows. While it was hard to say goodbye to him when I went to high school, it paled in comparison to when I had heard he died in a car accident. To this day, I can still feel the hole in my heart that his tragic death created. I would not be where I am today were it not for Neil and the Stern Center.

Dyslexia: Failure is Not an Option

by Brittany Lovejoy

Brittany Lovejoy and her children with Vermont Governor, Peter Shumlin

I wish I would have known what was going on when my eldest daughter, Madeline, started learning to read. She hated it. She loved all of her other subjects but reading was painful. She used to hide under the table to avoid it. The most frustrating thing about this was that the school kept telling me that Madeline was fine. I was confused and bewildered. I knew that she needed more help than what she was getting. After years of research, we finally realized that Madeline has dyslexia.

Dyslexia runs in our family. I have it. My husband has it. All four of my children have it. Ever since Madeline started having trouble with reading I have been researching, advocating and fighting for my kids to get them all the support needed to allow them to succeed.

For Madeline, we hired tutors and even hired a professional advocate to help support and move us along. I’m happy to say that we are finally seeing results. Over this past summer she worked one-on-one with a tutor every day, twice a week with an instructor from the Stern Center and three times a week with a Wilson-trained tutor from her school. She is now on her way to overcoming her reading difficulties.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have known that our twins, Rita and Julia, were also likely to be challenged with dyslexia. In my research I had learned that people are genetically predisposed to dyslexia so their chances of developing it were higher. And, by two years of age the twins were already showing heavy speech articulation issues and as time went on they had a very difficult time with sound letter confusion. By the time they reached first grade I found myself in a similar spot with them as I had experienced with Madeline. The public school was unable to meet their needs.

Thursday Thoughts: Great Literacy and Learning Links From the Past Week

BRAIN TEASER:

What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment and never in one thousand years?
(See answer below)

INTERESTING NEWS AND COOL LINKS:
 
Books Are Just a Start. Although reading can be a powerful force for early brain development, the nature of parent-baby conversations while reading and during other interactions matter at least as much. Huffington Post Parents, July 9, 2014.

Math and Reading Abilities Driven by Same Genes. July 9, 2014.Children’s reading and math abilities have a large and overlapping genetic component, according to a new study published in Nature Communications this week. 
 
The Secret of Effective Motivation- There are two kinds of motive for engaging in any activity: internal and instrumental. Which is most conducive to success? The New York Times, July 4, 2014.

Thursday Thoughts: Great Literacy and Learning Links From the Past Week

BRAIN TEASER:

Play along: Quiz yourself and see if you would choose the healthiest snack available to you- Which School Snacks Meet New Federal Rules?

INTERESTING NEWS AND COOL LINKS:

The Right Approach to Reading Instruction. The student-led approach to reading and writing known as balanced literacy is making a comeback in New York City schools. But critics say students need closer instruction from teachers and more work on phonics and facts. What is the right approach to improving student literacy? New York Times Opinion Pages, July 3, 2014

Could Text Messages to Parents Help Close the “Word Gap”? The program gives parents a digital tap on the shoulder via text messages reminding them to interact with their kids to boost literacy—and close that ever-widening word gap. And, it’s working… New America Ed Central, July 3, 2014.

Not a huge fan of the title, but the tips inside it are worthy of a read. How to Trick Your Kids Into Reading All Summer Long. Don't bother taking away the iPad or setting minimum page counts. Instead, find sneaky ways to leave your children alone with books—and then see what happens. The Atlantic, July 2, 2014.

10 Reasons to Keep Reading Aloud to Your Toddlers Even When They Prefer to Climb on Your Head

Do you get frustrated while reading aloud with your toddler? You pick out the perfect book. You get your child all comfortable on your lap. After one, maybe two, pages your little one tries to eat the book, hops off your lap and starts playing with a different toy, starts climbing all over you and in general seems completely uninterested in the story you are reading?

Don’t get discouraged.

Don’t stop reading.

This is all completely normal.

Your child is still listening and learning.
 
Reading with your child, young or old, on a daily basis is one of the best ways to ensure your child's future success in school and later in life. Here are 10 reasons why:

1. Eighty percent of a child’s brain is developed by the time s/he is three years old. Reading to young children stimulates brain development, improves listening skills and builds vocabulary.

2. Toddlers learn that there is a front and a back to the book. They also learn how to hold a book and how to turn its pages.

3. Reading nursery rhymes and singing songs spark children’s awareness of language and sounds.

Thursday Thoughts: Cool Links and Interesting News

BRAIN TEASER

In honor of the World Cup taking place this week here is a logic puzzle for you: How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you, even if it doesn't bounce off anything? There is nothing attached to it, and no one else catches or throws it back to you. (Answer at the end of the blog.)

COOL LINKS AND INTERESTING NEWS

Why Free Play is the Best Summer School, The Atlantic, June 20, 2014. The more time children spend in structured, parent-guided activities, the worse their ability to work productively towards self-directed goals. Children who engage in more free play have more highly developed self-directed executive function. 

VPR's five-part series on early education in Vermont, Ready or Not, is airing this week and looking at early education on many levels from childcare to kindergarten all the way up to teaching the teacher.

Unlocking Literacy for My Student

by Jen Darrow

Have you ever had a student who did not know their letters and sounds coming into first grade? Who could not segment or blend sounds?

Over the past six years Crystal, a first grade teacher, and I, a special educator, have had many students who fit this profile. We were unable to find the key for these struggling readers and were becoming frustrated at not having the proper tools to meet these students’ needs. When consulting with outside sources, specialists would often recommend Orton-Gillingham (O-G). Due to lack of training, we were unable to offer this multi-sensory literacy approach to our students.

When given the opportunity to take O-G training through the Cynthia K. Hoehl Institute for Excellence at the Stern Center, we were eager to participate. We took a 30-hour Orton-Gillingham Classroom Educator course over the summer and dove headfirst into a yearlong 50 hour practicum. Thanks to a grant from the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators for 1st through 3rd grade classroom teachers, Crystal and several other classroom teachers were able to participate in the O-G course and practicum. Currently, there are six staff members at my school (three are special educators) doing this work.

Scholar-Shop Success

by Laurie Caswell-Burke

I love browsing secondhand clothing stores. You never know the treasures you will find. And I often wonder about the story behind the items that someone previously owned and no longer wanted. When Stern Center President, Dr. Blanche Podhajski, approached me about organizing a gently used clothing sale to raise funds for the Cynthia K. Hoehl Institute for Excellence (CKHIE), I was thrilled and the first annual Scholar-Shop was brought into being.

Held on Wednesday, February 19 from 2 p.m.- 7 p.m. in a private Charlotte home, Scholar-Shop was a shopping experience extraordinaire. Over $2,500 was raised in this clothing sale of new and gently used apparel for CKHIE, which underwrites instruction for families and offers fellowships to teachers so they can participate in the Stern Center’s Professional Learning programs

Not Knowing

by Jenna Bisset

The source of a parent’s pride in their child can come from surprising places filled with tiny actions that speak to a deeper sense of self-confidence. A deep breath taken to calm themselves down, an outfit that almost matches put on alone and with enthusiasm, a song sung in their soft, melodic voice or a simple look given that tells you there are a million reasons to be proud. You never know when the next moment will occur that gives you pause and allows you to bask in your child’s accomplishments, but you know it will be delightful.

My most recent experience like this was with my three year old at our dinner table. We play a game or do an activity most nights after eating; on this night our activity was a number mosaic in which you attach the appropriate color to the appropriate number to create an underwater world. I pointed to 14 and asked my daughter if she knew this number as we had recently started working on double digits. After a thoughtful pause, she stated simply, “I don’t know.” And herein lies one of my proudest moments to date as a parent.

Gratitude

by Laurie Caswell Burke


As I observe the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I sometimes marvel at how frantic people allow themselves to get. They rush around at warp speed trying to find the perfect gift, make all the cookies, buy the tree, trim the tree and pen holiday cards. For me, the holidays have always offered a chance for reflection. I make an effort to not get caught up in the hubbub, and instead make time for friends and family any time they want to see me. 

I notice more and more that the line after Thanksgiving is often, "We should get together after the holidays." That seems ironic—isn’t getting together with good friends and being grateful for family what the spirit of the holidays is all about? Each year, my husband Tim and I try to take time to look back on the year and remember all the things that we have to be thankful for.

Our daughters Kate and Molly are always quick to come to mind. And we will be eternally grateful for the Stern Center and the role it has played in helping them both achieve their accomplishments. 

iPhones, iPads, iTunes, iPods………….. I STUDY?

by Laurie Caswell Burke

Distractions have crept their way into our lifestyles for better or for worse.  And as great as they are in connecting us with the world at large they can present challenges when it comes to study habits for our teen population.  Would you rather come home from school and tune into myriad of distractions,  tackle the stack of books facing you,  do a few physics problems, or write that English essay?  Because of the widespread use of electronics which can become very addicting, it is important to develop good study habits early on. These will transfer to good work habits as our teens enter the employment arena.