The Best Christmas Gift

Sometimes the best Christmas gifts don't come in a package wrapped in shiny paper with a big red bow.  Sometimes, like this year, they come in the form of a phone call or an email.  We at Langsford like to think that we give the gift of learning to our clients.  But we get back as much or more than we give when we hear things like the following.  It is stories like this that fill our hearts with joy and give meaning to our lives.

The email I received today:

Rhonda- Hello! Glad to hear from you. It was funny that you emailed because just the other week we were looking at Allie's report card (which is all As and Bs) and my mom commented, "We need to send this to Ms. Rhonda at Langsford!"

She's doing great! It's amazing to see how much better the related areas(science/ social studies/math) are just because the reading comprehension is so much better! I truly feel so blessed that we decided to go with Langsford instead of switching her to a specialized school!  Thanks again for all your help! Merry Christmas!!

(By the way, she asked for a Smartboard and a projector for her classroom at home for Christmas!! By the time she gets a real job she'll already have 15 years teaching experience!! Ha!). 

Can You Read This?

Aoccdring to rscheearch at Cmadrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

How'd you do? Were you surprised at how well you read it? But.....did you really read it? Were you decoding the words based on the order of the letters and what each letter says?

The above paragraph is an example of what is called top-down processing. A widely accepted educational philosophy that utilizes a top-down approach to reading is called whole language.

Proponents of whole language instruction believe that comprehension should be used as the basis for decoding skills and that meaning is brought to print, not derived from it. It is a whole- to-part model, relying on readers being able to use their comprehension skills to anticipate what they think a word will likely say. It allows readers to comprehend text even though they do not recognize or cannot decode each word.

A bottom-up reading model, on the other hand, emphasizes part-to-whole processing of a text. Proponents of this model argue that the process of decoding words by using phonetic strategies leads to comprehension of the text. The reader first processes each individual linguistic unit, or phoneme, combining them to decipher words, and only then does the reader begin to comprehend the text.

Both of these models have merit, but neither, in and of itself, is the most efficient way to accurately decode and comprehend text. A better model is an interactive model which utilizes aspects of both, with a focus on the latter.

If you've been to a Langsford Learning Acceleration Centers presentation, you may recall a model for reading which draws on three areas combined, working together in unison. It is a balanced approach of drawing on word attack skills, sight words, and contextual cues. These areas combined result in accurate and efficient decoding, which allows readers to shift their focus to gleaning meaning from the text.

For more information related to this interactive model, check our website or Facebook page for the next presentation on "What Parents Should Know...about Reading and Comprehension Development." These presentations are FREE and open to the public.

Defining a "Reading Problem"

"Why Can't I get this?"

Oftentimes there is some confusion about the underlying cause of a student's academic problems. They are often associated with reading, but reading is not a single process and, when we talk about reading, we could be meaning different things. The end goal of reading is, of course, comprehension of the material. But poor reading comprehension is not necessarily the result of a weakness in one's language comprehension skills.

Reading comprehension can only occur when other factors related to the reading process are in place. It is dependent on a student's phonemic awareness skills, knowledge of phonics, word attack skills, and the fluency of their reading being efficient and automatic.

When a reader is struggling or unable to decode words in a text, or he or she is just inefficient in doing so, the result is that they are putting most of their energy into the process of decoding and are not as focused on determining what the text is actually saying.

It is also hard to understand what you are reading when you are not a fluent reader. When your reading is slow and choppy, perhaps lacking in expression, it is more difficult to glean meaning from what you have read.

Parents frequently think or are told by their child's teacher or tutor that they have a comprehension problem, when, in fact, it is actually a problem within the mechanics of their reading. This is related to people erroneously believing that if a student cannot answer questions about what he or she has read that it must be due to a weakness in their basic comprehension skills.

Conversely, some students are perceived to be poor readers because they are unable to answer questions about what they read. In this instance, the false assumption is that if a student is a good reader they will be able to answer questions about a text, and precludes the possibility that the incorrect responses were due to under-developed or inefficient language comprehension strategies.

The confusion around these areas is why we, at Langsford Learning Acceleration Centers, do a comprehensive evaluation of all areas of the reading process to determine the precise needs of any given student. We want the family to have clarity on what underpinnings are not in place and what area or areas need to be addressed for their child to perform optimally academically.

So remember: Reading and reading comprehension are two different, but related, entities. Both areas should be evaluated and considered when looking into whether a student has a "reading problem."

Langsford Learning Acceleration Centers

2520 Bardstown Road

Louisville, Kentucky

(502) 473-7000

We teach reading and learning skills for life. Spread the word!

Exactly What is a Reading Problem?

"Why Can't I get this?"

Oftentimes there is some confusion about the underlying cause of a student's academic problems.  They are often associated with reading, but reading is not a single process and, when we talk about reading, we could be meaning different things.  The end goal of reading is, of course, comprehension of the material.  But poor reading comprehension is not necessarily the result of a weakness in one's language comprehension skills.

Reading comprehension can only occur when other factors of reading are in place.  It is dependent on a student's phonemic awareness skills, knowledge of phonics, word attack skills, and the fluency of their reading being efficient and automatic.

Whether a reader is struggling or unable to decode words in a text, or he or she is just inefficient in doing so, the result is that they are putting most of their energy into the process of decoding and are not focused on determining what the text is actually saying.

It is also hard to understand what you are reading when you are not a fluent reader.  When your reading is slow and choppy, perhaps lacking in expression, it is more difficult to glean meaning from what you have read.   

Parents frequently think or are told by their child's teacher or tutor that they have a comprehension problem, when, in fact, it is actually a problem within the mechanics of their reading.  This is related to people erroneously believing that if a student cannot answer questions about what he or she has read that it must be due to a weakness in their basic comprehension skills.

Conversely, some students are perceived to be poor readers because they are unable to answer questions about what they read.  In this instance, the false assumption is that if a student is a good reader they will be able to answer questions about a text, and precludes the possibility that the incorrect responses were due to under-developed or inefficient language comprehension strategies.

The confusion around these areas is why we, at Langsford Learning Acceleration Centers, do a comprehensive evaluation of all areas of the reading process to determine the precise needs of any given student.  We want the family to have clarity on what underpinnings are not in place and what area or areas need to be addressed for their child to perform optimally academically.

So remember:  Reading and reading comprehension are two different, but related, entities.  Both areas should be evaluated and considered when looking into whether a student has a "reading problem."

Huh?

Hmmmmmmm.......

I know you think you understand what you thought I said,

but I'm not sure that what you heard is what I actually meant!

Have you ever been on either end of this scenario? It is frustrating for both parties. Language comprehension is essential for one to communicate effectively with others. A person must be able to not only receptively understand language, but to also be able to use his or her expressive vocabulary to effectively convey that information to others.

Surprisingly, one can be highly intelligent and still have difficulty with language comprehension. At Langsford Learning Acceleration Centers, our experience in teaching reading over the last 19 years has been that many who are struggling to comprehend are simply lacking the foundational skills necessary for good comprehension.

Research indicates that people with good comprehension utilize concept imagery to facilitate understanding. Simply put, they make mental movies in their head when reading or listening.

Have you ever tried to put together a bookcase or a child's bicycle? Did you find the diagrams that accompanied the directions to be of more help than the written directions? That's because the diagrams helped your brain to see the relationships between the pieces and how they would work together as a whole. Concept imagery is very much like this.

Clients who we tutor in comprehension at Langsford do systematic work to develop their imaging skills, starting with a simple sentence and building up to multi-page units of material. Once they have the information pictured in their minds, they practice recalling and verbalizing it in a clear and concise manner. Emphasis is also placed on determining the main idea and important details, as well as on developing higher order thinking skills (such as making inferences, drawing conclusions, or making evaluations of material).

Many people make mental movies in their minds naturally and without prompting. For those that don't or those who do not do it efficiently, structured practice to develop their concept imagery and verbalizing skills can make both school and interaction with others easier and less frustrating.

In conclusion,

I hope that what you read and what you think I said

matches what I actually said and what I meant to say!

Langsford Learning Acceleration Centers

2520 Bardstown Road

Louisville, Kentucky

(502) 473-7000

We teach reading and learning skills for life. Spread the word!

Teddy's Reading Novels

When Teddy first came to work with us, his Learning Coordinator, Mary, created a customized plan of action that developed his reading and spelling up to the simple multi-syllable level. Upon finishing that phase of work, he stopped attending daily sessions and then returned the following summer for 2 weeks to work at the complex multi-syllable level. This is often done with our younger clients so we can give them time to stabilize their new skills and then work on the more complex levels at the same time this type of work is increasing in school, usually after the third grade year.

This past summer, Teddy returned for a one week review. Teddy is now at the level where he is beginning to read novels so we also did some work on Novel Noting. Our Novel Noting sessions help with organizing and planning this type of school reading to gain a deeper understanding of the book. Our work includes ways to organize the setting and characters, develop main ideas of each chapter, and also learn new vocabulary words.

Mary Caroline Can Picture Her Mom Tripping

This is Mary Caroline and her mother during her last day celebration. She was here doing some work in the underlying process important for good comprehension, which is learning to create images and pictures in her mind of information she reads and hears.

Mom recently had a story to share with us about a trip to Florida this summer. Mary Caroline and mom were out enjoying the beach and mom had to climb a 3 foot sand hill created by the waves to get out of the water. But she fell back into the ocean. This was apparently very funny to her daughter and she said to mom "I'm glad I'm going to Langsford because I have a great picture of that in my mind now!" Although mom is not so sure how she feels about being teased, she told me she was so pleased that her daughter is beginning to understand the concept of picturing.

Story from Lexington Kentucky

In the post titled Langsford Little Sisters are Great, we mentioned how Kendra and her mom spent time hanging out in Louisville because they traveled from Indiana to bring Brandon for sessions.

At the end of last summer and into the fall, we had a mom bring her son Thomas from Lexington, Kentucky for sessions. He did work in comprehension at that time and this summer, the family plans on returning for about a week for a customized refresher and review of the work he did last year. When mom called to sign up for this review, Jenny, our scheduler, received an update:

Mom called. Thomas doing great!! She said he no longer qualifies for some of the services he received in the past because he just soared this year, having completed Langsford last summer. Said she is always available to talk to anyone about her experience!

Any readers of this blog who are interested in speaking with another family who has had experience with Langsford can call (502) 473-7000 and ask for our Admissions Coordinator, Debbie.

All's Not Quiet On The Reading Front

We received an interesting email from a mother of a Langsford client the other day. Among other things, she was very excited that her teenage son was starting to read for pleasure. She said he was talking to her about reading All Quiet On The Western Front, one chapter per week. For FUN she added.

He has been studying World War I in school and doing work in comprehension is opening up a whole new world to this young man as he is making connections between the book and schoolwork.

"I'm Sending My Kids to Langsford"

This week one of our clients told her instructor that when she grows up, she wants to send her kids here to do work. She said she's crossing her fingers and hopes they struggle so she can bring them here.

That's one of the many funny comments we hear around Langsford and while we certainly do not want her children to struggle, we are happy to know that she had such a fun experience working with us that she would consider us an option for her own children.

Of course, the other part to this is that Langsford also works often with students who are not really struggling, but who would just like to boost their skills. This seems to be particularly true with the work we do in comprehension for middle and high schoolers because the metacognition involved in our sessions can really help students think about how they think. This makes their learning easier and much more efficient.