Week 2: July 7-13

Core Curriculum Unlocking the Foundations of Reading
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3. Prior to viewing the module video, what were your assumptions about Dyslexia? How did the simulation activity change or contribute to your understanding of Dyslexia?

Years ago when working with a Kindergarten teacher, her son was having major difficulties in school over a period of years. After private testing they realized that he was dyslexic and they opted to send him to a private school specifically focused on working with students with dyslexia as he was a middle school student when diagnosed. While I had of course heard the term before, this was my first encounter with it.

My understanding of dyslexia is that it is brain based causing varied characteristics such as some individuals reading backwards and some reading letter reversals. I believe that Individuals who are not diagnosed have a great potential for truly disliking reading and likely avoiding it whenever possible. In the case of my co-workers son mentioned previously, I remember that she said that auditory skills were a strength for him and when assessed verbally he was successful. Knowing that auditory listening can be a great strength for some individuals is helpful to know as it provides another channel to further enhance or help to build off of when learning to read, allowing us to consider pairing the two together. When working with braille students we often see letter reversals and it makes me wonder if it is just part of the learning process or if students with visual impairments or blindness can also be impacted with dyslexia as I have not yet had this occur in my career, but is clearly something to consider.

After watching the video by Marnee Loftin, the new information that I attained includes that dyslexia has been in existence for over 150 years and referred to as “word blindness” leading to the misconception that it is visually based, while in fact it is brain based. Five to fifteen percent of students have dyslexia, which is likely underreported as many are still undiagnosed, with even less students with visual impairments being diagnosed.

Dyslexia impacts decoding, reading, writing, identifying, and processing of print and as expected can lower student performance. Patterns exist for students with dyslexia for students in grades 1-2 as stated in the video and include: difficulty rhyming, difficulty with understanding sounds, confusing words that sound alike, and a lack of interest in reading independently. As the students move up through the elementary grades patterns can include slow readers, skipping or adding words or sounds when reading, lack of comprehension, and avoidance. Older students and adults show difficulties with reading familiar print, challenges with summarizing and sequencing, and difficulty with word retrieval and often mispronounce words. These key points for each of the age groups is beneficial to know as it will help to clarify the likelihood that dyslexia exists and that testing is necessary.

The simulation activity shows the extreme challenges and frustration that one might feel when attempting to read and process phonemes. The need to go back and forth to decipher the passage could be a difficult and exhausting process for many and one that I feel likely would result in exhaustion, frustration, and the likelihood of giving up on tasks frequently. Ms. Loftin points to the importance of holding high expectations for students with visual impairments (as well as all students of course) and making determinations earlier rather than later when questioning if dyslexia needs to be assessed for. The need to do so as early as possible is critical as we know that it can be detrimental to their self confidence and overall interest in learning.

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Are You Communicating High Expectations? (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2022)
Reflecting on your own experiences as a student, how did teacher expectations influence your academic performance and motivation? How might you apply these insights to your own teaching practice?
Dyslexia
Prior to viewing the module video, what were your assumptions about Dyslexia? How did the simulation activity change or contribute to your understanding of Dyslexia?
What Does Research Tell Us About Teaching Reading to English Language Learners? (Reading Rockets, ND)
Reflect on the seven specific suggestions provided for teachers of reading classes with ELLs. How practical and feasible are these suggestions in real classroom contexts?
How might the cultural background or socioeconomic status of families impact their ability to implement the suggested strategies for promoting emergent literacy in toddlers with visual impairments?

  1. How might the cultural background or socioeconomic status of families impact their ability to implement the suggested strategies for promoting emergent literacy in toddlers with visual impairments?
    I have experience in two very different school systems where families exist at the extremes of socioeconomic status. In my experience, higher socioeconomic families had a level of personal confidence when interacting with the school and other professionals. These families had resources to get children to specialists throughout the country, were much more equipped to support the needs of their child at earlier ages, to offer enrichment and appropriate materials. These children had teams who worked with them from a very early age and funds were typically available to provide quality early education opportunities (high quality childcare programs) . When the district purchased materials and supplies used at school, the parents purchased those same items for use at home. Parents in this district researched and were as knowledgeable as I. If they didn’t have the time to spend with their child to support them, they had the funds to ensure the child had access to support and resources.

Conversely, the school system I currently work in is so economically depressed that students receive breakfast, lunch and school supplies at no cost. I may work with a family all school year to get a student to get glasses- let alone replacements when insurance will not cover them. The parent(s) with low incomes may not have the resources or energy to provide opportunity to engage in meaningful verbal exchanges to support the lack of incidental instruction, to explain and/or help the child connect to background knowledge let alone expand upon what is being read. (Chen and Kwan expressed that reading activities may not promote learning if there is no conversation about what is being read.) Children below the poverty level have access to free childcare and early HeadStart but for families who make too much to qualify for these programs but not enough to pay for quality programs, children may not come in contact with professionals who observe learning differences to begin the identification process. These parents are less likely to explore and follow through to obtain the propers supports for their child. (I will begin working with a 3 year old with no light perception whose parent had her in early start programs but the parent didn’t follow through with recommendations to connect to other resources. She has not been exposed to any braille and is adversely reacting to exposure). Low socioeconomic families are more likely to be single parents which reduces disposable income to purchase appropriate materials, force longer work hours to make ends meet reducing time and resources available to provide quality interactions. Obtaining adequate resources may also be problematic with these families. I used to own many low income rental properties. Often, families left in the middle of the night and when I went inside to prepare for the next renter, nearly everything the family owned was left. The transient nature of low socioeconomic families typically means traveling light and print materials are the least likely to be taken, especially when beds, clothes and brand-new children’s toys were left. With few items to entertain a child, the television is the go to. There is no expanding upon written material here! The school system I currently work in is so economically depressed that students receive breakfast, lunch and school supplies at no cost. I may work with a family all school year to get a student to get glasses- let alone replacement when insurance will not cover them. We don’t know what we don’t know. Specialized materials are expensive and if you don’t know what you are looking for, you may not be able to find the materials and supplies to support visually impaired children.

Are You Communicating High Expectations? (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2022)
2. Reflecting on your own experiences as a student, how did teacher expectations influence your academic performance and motivation? How might you apply these insights to your own teaching practice?
In second grade, my classroom teacher told the whole class that we had to get an assignment done by the end of recess or we would get paddled. I always had my work done, but this time, I forgot and went to recess. My cousin, who was also in my class, typically did not have his work done. He and I were the only 2 students who didn’t have our work done. It was the first, and last time, I was paddled for not completing my work to the fullest of my ability. As an adult, I now know my cousin was paddled often for not getting his work done-due to little to no home support, but the teacher couldn’t very well paddle him and not me when we both had not completed the work. My motivation became internal to never experience the embarrassment of this again. I never forgot this experience and was always motivated to complete work to the highest levels to avoid gaining negative attention ever again. My cousin is a very smart, successful businessman today, but to this day, I remember feeling for him and not for myself because he was always in trouble for not getting his work done and he was made an example often. Before this question, I never really thought about how that experience affected me and became my intrinsic push for myself to succeed. I also didn’t think about the fact that my cousin was no longer in my classes after this year. We saw each other daily outside of school, but I just realized we didn’t have any more interactions in school even though we remained in the same system.

In my 24 years in special education, I have always tried to understand where my students were coming from and what they needed from me to be successful. In co-taught classroom situations, I would ensure that groupings were mixed levels and they were fluid. As a TVI, I work with no more than 3 students at a time but typically only 1. As I looked at the “high-Expectation Checklist”, many things are done simply because I work with 1 student at a time. When I work with multiple students, I encourage the students to support and help one another before I jump in.

  1. Prior to viewing the module video, what were your assumptions about Dyslexia? How did the simulation activity change or contribute to your understanding of Dyslexia?
    I had many of the old ideas about Dyslexia-numbers and letters flip or dance around, different color overlays may help to keep letters from “moving”. I honestly haven’t thought about what it is and isn’t. I hadn’t thought about whether dyslexia is visual or neurobiological. The video, because it is connected to this course, forced me to take action toward gaining a better understanding. Because of the course information, I believe that there are many more people who have dyslexia than are identified and I think many of my past IS students were affected by dyslexia and would have benefitted from that label rather than specific learning disability. Being a fluent reader, I expected to read the passage at an acceptable rate-this did not occur. I couldn’t read the passage without referring back to the key to refresh my understanding of the sound I should be using which of course negatively impacted my comprehension. It took me longer to read the passage than a similar passage that used the phoneme patterns I used all my life. A student/child would feel very self conscious about the fact that they are taking longer than peers who memorized the phoneme and were able to read with automaticity.
  2. Reflect on the seven specific suggestions provided for teachers of reading classes with ELLs. How practical and feasible are these suggestions in real classroom contexts?

It is unfortunate that there is not more research in this area to support more conclusive findings, but the theoretical assumptions that the seven suggestions, if implemented, should heed positive outcomes does seem to have a logical basis. I do, however, see many roadblocks. Initially, I wanted to say “you don’t know what you don’t know” in regards to teacher implementation, but with a quick search, I found enough information that assured me that if anyone wanted information on how to support ELL, they could. Finding the phonemes that are different is a google search away-easily done. I think the breakdown would be in the amount of time needed to plan, produce and implement with consistency. It would require intentional work on the part of the teacher. That being said, if these strategies were implemented classwide, all students would benefit from the enrichment.

If students are literate in their native language, focus on differences between that language and English, with less attention given to elements that will transfer.
Provide extra practice in reading words, sentences, and stories.
Use cognate words in the native language as synonyms when teaching vocabulary.
Identify and clarify difficult words and passages.
Consolidate knowledge of the text through the use of summaries.
Find appropriate ways to use the native language.

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Thank you for the video! I really enjoy learning about dyslexia and it is just an interesting disorder that branches off with even different contents (like dysgraphia, discalcula). As a vision teacher, teachers sometimes mistake that I am supposed to know about dyslexia. Luckily, I have a certification in Wilson’s. One thing that it has taught me is about segmenting and sounding out letters and to color code. However, the way we teach our braille students is different than a dyslexic student. For example, the contractions are their own symbol so it is as if a student that is a braille learner has a very good memory, while a student with dyslexia can only qualify for Wilson’s depending their working memory because they have to memorize rules. However, the word “anthem” is taught to a student with dyslexia as “an/th/e/m” while the student learning braille learns it as “an/the/m”.

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I love the Rose Bud Thorn concept! I used to do something similar for reading lessons: what I understood, what I didn’t understand and what I would like to do better in. It was specifically for reading lessons, so it was broken up in to the lesson parts- I would have a conference with each student and either help guide an answer or help them recognize what they could work on. Sometimes students would be like “oh I did great!” meanwhile they obviously struggled with the lesson. I found this to be helpful to guide my lessons and make the student aware that they may have a weakness but we can work on it and just because they had a hard time in one area- doesn’t mean they didn’t do well in other parts. Also, it was the best to see when students moved across columns. For example, for two weeks a student may have struggled with the phonics portion but this week they actually improved in it and it’s where they did well. Students also liked the 1:1 conference along with moving their names.

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In my “past life” as an intervention specialist, I heard “We don’t test for dyslexia” and as you said, I thought it was more a visual issue than a brain based issue. Before this, I hadn’t considered that braille readers could be dyslexic but now that I think of it, I think I understand why several students are having difficulty remembering some of the reversals in the code. I realize that we may never know all there is to learning and teaching, but just when I think I have gotten closer to understanding a piece of it so I can help students be more successful, new research just reminds me why it is so important to be lifelong learners ourselves.

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I couldn’t agree with you more! I struggled to frame my response to this question as I felt I flitted all over the place, but I feel the same issues based on socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. I do think another factor impacting literacy implementation from cultural backgrounds that neither of us hit on in our initial response is gender. In many cultures, females are not valued as males are and therefore, are less likely to have access to quality literacy opportunities.

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Working as a full time TVI in a low income, inner city school district I have seen several factors that affect a families ability to promote early emergent literacy for children who are visually impaired. There is a ton of language barrier that is present in the district as the amount of bilingual staff compared to the amount of Spanish speaking only families is not equal therefore only adding a hurdle to the additional difficulty a family would already be experiencing. I have often seen families that are Spanish speaking only and live in a low income area often struggle to encourage children due to being in a constant state of survival needing to take care of the basics. Sadly but understandably in these situations parents are often trying to work long hours and have limited time available to spend on literacy and academics with their young children. One of the other things that is often seen in families that are low income is multiple generations living within one home. This is helpful in that more then one adult is able to provide support however this usually gets more tricky as there is usually additional language barriars present. I have also been a part of teams in which there are other siblings present during sessions and therefore providing some minimal translations. These translations often assist parents and families who are Spanish speaking only in providing some emergent literacy even if just to review with the child(ren) who is visually impaired the basics of the alphabet and some basic phonics.

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@Forehandc I couldn’t agree more with your post specifically talking about family’s priorities. This is completely understandable when a family is low income as other priorities must come first. I also agree with your comment regarding cultural background playing a heavy role in emergent literacy. Because families are coming from all over the world, depending on their individual situation they may or may not have been aware of all the resources available as they may have not been available in their country of origin. Families are typically so grateful for any help that is provided in assisting their child in learning literacy.

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As I was reading your post about generational poverty that was another comment that I relate to and see often being in a low income, inner city school district. When this condition is present for families it adds a challenging factor to providing any literacy and support for a child who is visually impaired. As you stated money, transportation, childcare etc are just some of the challenges that families often encounter. It may become very challenging for them especially depending on where the family is from and the individual cultural customs in receiving help from the community or outside resources.

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  1. Reflecting on your own experiences as a student, how did teacher expectations influence your academic performance and motivation? How might you apply these insights to your own teaching practice

Teacher expectations did influence my academic performance and motivation at times because the teachers whose expectations were clear made it easier for me to communicate with the teachers. I was never a student that argues with a teacher, but I remember being frustrated when something wasn’t clear or we were given “busy work”. When I was a student, I struggled with finding my voice and asking for help. There were not many teachers that would notice I needed help until I was really struggling. The teachers that I remember being the most helpful would explain their expectations and do check ins and be encouraging. They were the teachers that would reach out to me after class instead of just expecting me to speak up.
I think as teachers we need to remember that not every student is going to feel comfortable talking about what they are struggling. Our students especially don’t always like to bring more attention to themselves, so we always talk about ways to better advocate for themselves without having to feel that everyone is looking at them.
I think it’s also extremely important to talk and treat my students as the people they are. You’ll get a better response when you acknowledge what they are going through and their frustrations. Also, if expectations are clear and I can give explanations better than it will help them in the future, I find I get more cooperation. When teaching anything that I know might be boring, I always try to add something that the student is interested in.

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I agree that acknowleging the parental duties and helping to find the balance in helping parents find time is extremely important. There are so many times that parents or other caregivers might just be overwhelmed in trying to create new experiences or opportunties for their children. I think that showing a different way of incorporating learning will help the parents/caregivers and will also help take some of the load off their shoulders.

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I really like that you look at how your students learn. I think that is something we should be reminded of. Even though our students have visual impairments, it doesn’t mean that they have only one way to learn. I love to learn how my students learn and what makes topics “stick” while knowing that different subjects may have different learning styles.

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There have been many times that I’ve struggled with my student’s classroom teachers in understanding what the student is capable of compared to what they think the student is capable of. I love when you get a classroom teacher that “gets it” and holds the student to the same expectations as the rest of the class. You see the student progress in the class and they are able to advocate for what they need to be successful.
I had a previous student who would get so frustrated because of the accomodations they recieved and would never use them. The student said that there was nothing their peers could do that they couldn’t do.

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Hi, Ashley!
Thank you for sharing your experiences as a visually impaired and later a blind student! Your journey showcases your determination and resilience and the profound impact a supportive environment can have. Growing up legally blind and then totally blind, you faced challenges but your love of reading and learning clearly shines through!

Your parents’ dedication to reading to you and describing the world around you seems to have laid a strong foundation for your education. It’s heartwarming to hear about your experiences with them, especially those moments with your dad on bike rides and your grandmother reading “Little House on the Prairie” books. I love how these experiences instilled a love for stories and learning in you from a young age!

Getting your first CCTV in kindergarten sounds like a turning point. Despite initial concerns from your teachers, your determination to learn and prove yourself eased their worries. Your story about wanting to do everything your sighted peers did and meeting your parents’ high expectations is truly motivating.

The move in fifth grade and the introduction of a TVI who taught you braille seemed to have been another pivotal moment. Your excitement about learning braille and using it for everyday tasks, like grocery shopping with your mom, speaks volumes about your adaptability and eagerness to learn. Becoming a strong braille reader by incorporating it into your daily life is impressive.

Transitioning into middle school, high school, and college as a dual media learner, using both a CCTV and braille, shows your versatility. Even after losing your vision, your preference for Braille over audiobooks illustrates your deep connection to reading. The way you describe enjoying the words beneath your fingertips and creating mental pictures is a testament to your love for the written word! I was touched by your comment that “I enjoy being able to sit with the words that I’m reading, and try to create a mental picture in my mind.”

As a TVI, your approach to motivating students is fantastic. Recognizing what drives each student, like incorporating their favorite music, and using it to fuel their learning is a wonderful strategy! Your story about the student who loved Taylor Swift is a great example of how personal interests can enhance learning. The I-Am-Able braille curriculum by Diane Wormsley also suggests personalized learning like you described in which
student’s interests are identified and incorporated into lessons.

Thank you for sharing your journey!! Your experiences and insights provide valuable lessons on the importance of the family’s involvement in education, your perseverance, adaptability, and the power of motivation!

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@rose.golomb
Sometimes Early Interventionist go into (homes) with so many toys. I believe that makes some parents feel inadequate. It is best to use what they have and to empower them to be the best parents they can be. After all, parents are the child’s first teacher.
Thanks for your comment,
Pamela Joyner

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Hi Sharon!

I wanted to respond to your question: “Does learning braille contractions help or hinder the reading process for students with visual impairments?”

Braille is a code, much like learning to associate phonemes with their sounds and later with graphemes (written letters). My thought is that a student learning braille needs to have phonological awareness before beginning to learn the code. If the student does not have letter-sound relationships, this foundational skill should be developed first to ensure that braille instruction is meaningful and effective.

For example, two of my first students as a newly minted TVI were learning braille. I started working with these identical twin boys mid-year when their previous TVI moved away, and I picked up where she had left off in teaching the braille alphabet. About a month later, we finished learning the braille alphabet and the alphabetic contractions. I was so excited that the boys had completed learning the braille alphabet and asked them to sit down at their SmartBraillers and write the alphabet from A to Z. Boy, was I surprised! The boys did not know how to sequence the letters of the alphabet and sat staring at their braillers while I waited, shocked by the lack of activity. After I figured out that the boys could not recite the alphabet in order (and consequently write the alphabet in order), I wondered if they knew the difference between a word and a letter. They did not! I dug deeper and realized that the students lacked an understanding of the alphabetic principle – the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language. Learning that there are predictable relationships between sounds and letters allows children to apply these relationships to both familiar and unfamiliar words, and to begin to read with fluency. Thus, the basic building blocks of reading are important for all students to have in place before reading instruction can begin – regardless if a child is learning to read braille or print. If a child lacks phonemic /phonological awareness, it seems that he or she will struggle with braille contractions as well. In other words, we cannot put the cart before the horse! Strong sound/letter associations and the ability to manipulate sounds need to be in place before braille instruction begins to ensure maximum success.

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I agree. A real barrier to students growth at home is the parents ability to help their student. I have recieved little to no homework from my ELL students, because parents have no idea how to help or what to required from them. (Even if the student is able to complete the activity independantly.)

I have had other parents braille the students homework for them…though the student was able to complete the task on their own. Despite explanation this continued. I wish i understood more as to why the parent was doing it for them.

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  1. How might the cultural background or socioeconomic status of families impact their ability to implement the suggested strategies for promoting emergent literacy in toddlers with visual impairments?

I feel the background and socioeconomic status of families will have a large impact on the students ability to promote literacy in toddlers with visual impairments. The families in low economic situations will have a difficult time coming up with the resources for reading. Coming from a low economic family growing up, times were tough. Between the seven of us children, we shared maybe five books growing up. Since my mother couldn’t drive, we stayed home. I was not really exposed to the world until we started school. (I am a twin, so everything is we instead of I). It was not until I was grown and out on my own that I traveled outside my familiar surroundings of home, school, and extended family gatherings. Although the library was only a couple of miles away, we were unable to have access to it. Luckily, my mother enjoyed reading and my older sisters eventually learned to drive giving us more of an advantage.

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I agree. I also think that parents who work more than one job can find it difficult to find time to dedicate to the amount of reading/homework that will help them progress. I try to make fun activities for the to do that will be quick but showing how to practice a skill like reading braille, or matching site words.

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I too did not have extensive knowledge about Dyslexia. I think the more information we have on how to help students that are struggling to read, the better. I will be sharing this video with parents and teachers to help them understand the condition and hopefully impact student’s lives.