Struggling Writers: How to Improve Their Writing
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Very often, writing is taught to struggling writers in very haphazard and unscientific ways. Such instruction produces very little progress and often promotes student beliefs that for them writing is too difficult and will always be a struggle.
Fortunately, however, writing can be taught in systematic and scientifically-supported ways that promote progress and student beliefs that they can succeed. One such systematic and scientifically-supported method is Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD). SRSD removes the mystery of how to write. It shows students the steps they need to practice to succeed. Read more...
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From Reading and Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan & Dr. Howard Margolis
Parents of struggling writers worry about their children’s struggle. They want to know, “How can I help my child?”
If your child struggles with writing, this post might help you and your child’s school identify the type of writing instruction your child needs. It will do this by first discussing critical but often ignored areas of diagnosis, then discussing a typical but inadequate diagnostic process that can do more harm than good, and finally suggesting actions you can take. A follow-up post will outline one effective, well-researched method for helping struggling writers improve their writing: Self-Regulated Strategy Development. Read more...
diagnosis of writing problems, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, frustration, frustration level, IEP, independent level, instructional level, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, monitoring of reading, parents, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading evaluation, reading intervention, reading levels, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, reading remediation, reading tests, remedial reading, remediation, struggling reader, Struggling Readers, struggling writer, struggling writers, test, testing, tests, Writing, writing assignment, writing assignments, writing diagnosis, writing evaluation, writing problems
Dr. Sandy Crux publishes Crux of the Matter (http://crux-of-the-matter.com), an excellent, often hard-hitting website on disabilities, including learning disabilities. Although her website focuses on Canadian issues, many of her columns are highly relevant to American audiences, especially to parents, teachers, and adults with disabilities. Following is an example of one of her practical instructional essays for college students who struggle with writing.
How to Write a College/University Essay
Dr. Sandy Crux Read more...
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Breevy is an inexpensive software program that can dramatically reduce the number of typing keystrokes needed to type anything. It takes one unique word that you create and turns it into whatever set of words, sentences, or paragraphs you connected with it. For me, xrdbto becomes Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds, xpe becomes Professor Emeritus of Reading Disabilities and Special Education, Queens College of CUNY. Clearly, the ability to expand one unique word into a string of meaningful words can dramatically decrease the typing burden on teachers, parents, and students with learning disabilities. Here are examples: Read more...
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Part 1 of 2
Even if the members of your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team are extraordinarily kind, caring, and courteous, you might find them intimidating. After all, they know the rules, the language, and the system far better than you. This is their umpteenth IEP meeting, only your second. And even if they simplify their language, you may still find it mysterious, complex, and fast-paced. What’s a WISC-IV and a Woodcock-Johnson? What do they look like? How does memory for digits relate to word identification? What’s the difference between a norm-referenced test and an informal reading inventory? Why is this even important? Read more...
Confidence, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, frustration, frustration level, IEP, IEP meeting, IEP meetings, IEPs, Individualized Education Program, Individualized Education Programs, Intimidation, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading levels, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, strengthening resiliency, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
In a valuable new book, Virginia W. Berninger and Beverly Wolf challenge the often heard but simplistic charge made against children with learning disabilities: They’re just not motivated. This, Berninger and Wolf argue, is often false: Read more...
diagnosis of writing problems, dysgraphia, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, IEP, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, parents, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading problem, reading problems, struggling reader, Struggling Readers, struggling writer, struggling writers, Writing, writing assignment, writing assignments, writing diagnosis, writing evaluation, writing poblems
Children who struggle with reading typically struggle with writing. Even if their reading improves, their writing often doesn’t.
A common reason for their continued difficulty is the failure of their schools to adequately diagnose their writing problems. Instead, their schools limit diagnosis to grade equivalents from standardized tests — “Sawyer’s grade equivalent for writing was 2.9; he’s three years behind.” This statement fails to identify the current causes of Sawyer’s problems. It fails to tell his teachers and parents what he isn’t doing or can’t do that’s causing his writing problems. In all likelihood, instruction that’s built on an inadequate understanding of Sawyer’s problems will be inadequate. It will likely ignore or give short shrift to those parts of the writing process that should be stressed for Sawyer. Read more...
diagnosis of writing problems, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, frustration, frustration level, IEP, independent level, instructional level, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, monitoring of reading, parents, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading evaluation, reading intervention, reading levels, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, reading remediation, reading tests, remedial reading, remediation, struggling reader, Struggling Readers, struggling writer, struggling writers, test, testing, tests, Writing, writing assignment, writing assignments, writing diagnosis, writing evaluation
