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 & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
If your child has a reading disability, the school should monitor his progress frequently enough to prevent minor problems from becoming major ones, to prevent him from getting frustrated with work that’s too difficult, to prevent him from becoming bored with work he’s already mastered, to accelerate instruction when the data shows he can handle it comfortably.
In 2006, the federally-funded National Research Center on Learning Disabilities (NRCLD; Johnson et al.) recommended that schools assess the progress of students who need “extensive and intensive interventions” twice weekly (p. 2.4). Children with reading disabilities are part of this group. Read more...
Assessment, curriculum-based assessment, curriculum-based measurement, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, monitor, Monitoring, monitoring of reading, reading assessment, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading evaluation, reading problem, reading problems, reading tests, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
After reading our posts on monitoring the progress of children with reading disabilities, several parents and teachers requested more information. If you want more information, we suggest you read Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds, chapters 7 (Monitoring Progress) and 9 (The IEP). We also suggest that you join our mailing list. By joining, you will get a free pdf article, Monitoring Your Child’s IEP: A Focus on Reading (co-authored by Sheila Alber-Morgan, Associate Professor, Ohio State University). We hope these suggestions help.
Assessment, curriculum-based assessment, curriculum-based measurement, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, monitor, Monitoring, monitoring of reading, reading assessment, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading evaluation, reading problem, reading problems, reading tests, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
The post below was originally published two months ago. I’m republishing it because its topic—monitoring children’s progress—is critically important. The topic is so important that I’ve encouraged university scholars to provide more comprehensive information on one of its recommendations, curriculum-based measurement (CBM). Thus, the Reading & Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Difficulties (RWQ) will publish a thematic issue on advances in CBM. The issue, edited by Erica Lembke of the University of Missouri, will address many CBM topics, including its use in tutoring, newly created CBM measures for students with cognitive disabilities, and the school-wide use of CBM. Read more...
Assessment, curriculum-based assessment, curriculum-based measurement, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, monitor, Monitoring, monitoring of reading, reading assessment, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading evaluation, reading problem, reading problems, reading tests, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
For children with reading disabilities to succeed, they need three constants:
1. Interesting reading materials they can quickly understand.
2. Lessons that challenge rather than frustrate them. Moderate challenge spurs motivation; frequent frustration destroys it. For example, during reading instruction, they should quickly recognize more than 90% of the words in their reading materials; when working alone, they should quickly recognize more than 95% of words.
3. Visible, frequent indicators of important progress. Together with interesting, comfortable materials and moderate challenge, visible indicators—like charts of progress and word walls that post newly mastered words—make struggling readers want to read and, in many cases, work harder. Read more...
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