Newest Research in Literacy

Being armed with knowledge of the latest research in literacy development goes a long way....These two researchers have information on family history and dyslexia:  Dr. Nadine Gaab and
Dr. Hugh Catts

Individual Instruction ....is More Than Instruction

Fortunately, the nature of my work with students often involves working with them one-on-one.  I know many wonderful teachers who don't get this chance but do great work during individual conferences with their students.  This individual time is so beneficial - and not just due to instruction.  It is a time when you can have powerful educational conversations with a student.  It is not just a loose-ended conversational time, though.  You can base your conversations on assessments:  it is a time when students can ask you questions and get clarification about the assessments they are given, what your mutual goals are, and where you are going next.  For many of my students, it is when they bring up questions about "disability" and I reinforce their strengths and unique abilities. 

Free Technology for Teachers: How to Find, Download, and Borrow Books from the I...

Not specifically about learning disabilities today, but I want to share this - access to thousands of public domain resources.  In my browsing, I found notes for books your high school might have for required reading and tons of primary sources students could use for history projects.  More for fun, I was also interested in the genealogy resources, old (old!) movies and cartoons.





Free Technology for Teachers: How to Find, Download, and Borrow Books from the I...: On Tuesday hundreds of thousands of works entered the public domain . That includes early movies, pictures, early audio recordings, and ma...

Dyslexia and Fonts / Type

Research strongly supports that a major part of dyslexia is a weakness in phonological processing - perceiving and manipulating small sounds - indicating that dyslexia is not primarily a visual disability.  Nevertheless, I like this infographic (click on the title / link) on changing typeface for people with dyslexia - because I think following these suggestions would help any one of us with ease of reading. It's a good thing to remember this as I work with students.
The Effect of Typography on Dyslexics