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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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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From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Parents often ask me, “My child struggles with reading. What’s the best reading program for him?” Unfortunately, for two reasons, this question can’t be answered. First, programs do not teach reading–teachers do. As Richard Allington, past President of the International Reading Association, so rightly asserted: “In the end, enhanced reading proficiency rests largely on the capacity of classroom teachers to provide expert, exemplary reading instruction. . . . Teaching cannot be packaged. Exemplary teaching is not regurgitation of a common script but is responsive to children’s needs. In the end it will become clearer that there are no ‘proven programs,’ just schools in which we find more expert teachers–teachers who need no script to tell them what to do.” Read more...
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