From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
More than a 100 years ago, Frederick Douglas crystallized the importance of quality schools, schools that excel at teaching academics, cultivating curiosity, and building character: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
ASK: Does your child’s program give him a good chance of becoming “a strong child”?
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
In his highly recommended book about reading for parents of babies and older children through age 7, Dr. Richard Gentry makes many practical recommendations for making reading a satisfying, motivating experience. Below are several recommendations that apply to children of all ages.
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
In speaking of personal development, Daniel Goleman said it succinctly and brilliantly:
Self-awareness and empathy are (along with self-mastery and social skills) domains of human ability essential for success in life. Excellence in these capacities helps people flourish in relationships, family life, and marriage, as well as in work and leadership…. Of these four key life skills, self-awareness lays the foundation for the rest. If we lack the capacity to monitor our emotions, for example, we will be poorly suited to learn from them (2010, p. vii).
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Anxiety overwhelms many children. On Monday Wilson has a school test; on Tuesday he needs to watch his young sister, Estella; on Wednesday he sees his mother crying about the cost the food; on Thursday another test; on Friday he hears the school will fire more teachers. And on Saturday, when he wants to go to the library, he’s told he can’t—it closed, forever. Joe has similar problems. So do Kelly, Ryan, and Emma. Tremendous uncertainty, tremendous responsibility, tremendous loss, tremendous anguish, tremendous anxiety.
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Frequently giving feedback to children with reading and other learning disabilities can be a quick, portable, powerful way of motivating them to succeed in school. But not all feedback will achieve this. Feedback that motivates should not tell children they’re smart, they’re intelligent—this is not an error. Don’t tell them they successful because they’re intelligent; over time, this may well backfire. Instead, make sure your feedback teaches them to credit their successes on instructional-level tasks to effort, persistence, modifiable abilities, and correct strategy use.
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
To help you help your child improve his memory, our last three tips discussed meaning, repetition, discussion, elaboration, interest, and focus of attention. Our last tip will deal with history, novelty, importance, and list a few more factors over which you have some control.
Hello Everyone,
A pdf copy of my recent Keynote Session (Learning Disabilities Worldwide), Simple Ways to Help Children with Learning Disabilities, is available for download from my website: www.reading2008.com. It will be available through November. To get a copy, go to Resources, at the top of the page. At Resources, look at the list under Resources: Documents. Under Resources: Documents, download the pdf file, Simple Ways to Help Children with Learning Disabilities.
All the best,
Howard Margolis, Ed.D.
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Many parents and teachers are hearing about Differentiated Instruction. Below is a brief article that helps to explain it. Although the article is written for teachers, it’s important for parents to know what teachers and IEP Teams mean, or should mean, when they use the term.
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
In September, many parents will again realize that their children will struggle with reading. Their concerns may well be aggravated by the knowledge that their children face enormous frustration if they don’t become competent readers by the end of third grade. Children who struggle with reading in fourth grade tend to struggle throughout high school, increasing the likelihood that they’ll drop out.
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
If you want to help your toddler, preschooler, or kindergartner learn to read—in fun and satisfying ways—Raising Confident Readers is the book for you. If you want to increase the odds that your young child will not suffer from reading disabilities, Raising Confident Readers is the book for you.
