Literacy and Learning: Keys to Success for All Students
Mary-Dean Barringer, CEO, All Kinds of Minds
I love reading. I love the feel of a book in my hand and seeing the ink stains from combing a newspaper from front to back. The end of summer makes me a little sad that I won't have the extra moments to squeeze in one more novel, journal article, short story, or blog. I can't imagine my world without the skills of literacy I've acquired over my lifetime, starting with the strong foundation I developed during my school years.
On September 15, I was invited to Washington, D.C., to attend the release of a new report from the Carnegie Corporation’s Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy, and I was struck by some of the grim statistics highlighted during the meeting:
"Approximately 8 million of the 32.5 million students in fourth through twelfth grade read below the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) minimum or basic standards for their grade level (NCES)." The increased literacy demands in the workplace, college and community contribute to the fact that "almost 40% of high school graduates lack the reading and writing skills that employers seek, and almost a third of high school graduates who enroll in college require remediation (National Governors Association)." And this doesn't even address the literacy needs of the one million students who dropped out of school last year.
Six years in the making, the Council’s report, "A Time to Act: An Agenda for Advancing Adolescent Literacy for College and Career Success," makes a compelling argument for continued literacy instruction through high school and provides research, policy guidance and resources for practitioners. The website, www.carnegie.org/literacy, gives you free access to the latest report and related publications, as well as the products from the partners they funded in this effort. David Coleman, president of Student Achievement, said it best: "We owe a debt of gratitude to Carnegie for making such a source of intellectual capital widely available."
The work and recommendations of this panel help advance the overarching mission of All Kinds of Minds to equip educators with the knowledge, tools and strategies to ensure that struggling learners find success and all students have opportunities to achieve their greatest promise. All of us have witnessed first hand the observation by researcher Catherine Snow's that "many excellent third-grade readers will falter or fail in later-grade academic tasks." We share the commitment of the Carnegie panel to a new approach to literacy training: not only to help students to learn to read between kindergarten and third grade, but also to teach them to "read to learn"—and to write and think critically -- in the subsequent grades. I'm confident that when we--the adults who teach our nation's children--combine what we know about how students are wired to learn with the best research-based strategies of instruction on adolescent literacy, we can ensure that all our students can read, write, think and learn at the high level required to chart our course (and theirs) in the 21st century.
Take Part in Jumpstart's Read for the Record Campaign!
On October 8, 2009, Jumpstart and Pearson Foundation will hold their annual Read for the Record campaign, which encourages teens and adults from around the world to read with young children. This year the official book is The Very Hungry Catepillar by Eric Carle. By encouraging a single, common day of reading engagment where all participants read the same book, Jumpstart hopes to set a new world record and raise awareness about the number of children entering kindergarten lacking the literacy experiences that are part of the foundation of becoming a reader. Make a difference in the life of a child by getting involved in one of three ways:
- Pledge to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to a child in your life on October 8! Click here.
- Buy your copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Proceeds from the book bought this way go directly to Jumpstart to fund their work with preschoolers in low income communities. Click here.
- Host your very own Read for the Record event using our Campaign Toolkit. Click here to find out more.
Coming Spring 2010 – A book from the minds at All Kinds of Minds
The new book, titled: Schools For All Kinds of Minds, demonstrates how educators at all levels can develop expertise in “learning variation”--understanding how all kind of minds learn--and apply this knowledge to improve classroom instruction and achievement. The authors reveal how using what we know about learning variation with a focus on discovering learning strengths (not just deficits) can create plans for success in school for those students who often find it elusive. The book will specifically address how school leaders can incorporate this knowledge into instructional practice and school-level policy through various professional development strategies.
Endorsement from Gene Thompson-Grove,
Director, Professional Development and Special Initiatives Public Schools of Brookline:
"Students everywhere deserve principals, district leaders and teacher leaders who have not only read this book, but who have taken the ideas in it to heart - and who have worked in partnership with students and their families to create schools and classrooms that teach to all kinds of minds."
Endorsement from Mary Mannix,
Learning Specialist at Indian Creek School:
"This book shows educators that there is a way to make schools work for the benefit of all students. It inspires teachers to think about learning in a way that successfully supports and accommodates the wide variety of learners in today’s classrooms."
Due to popular demand we are now offering our Management Resource Binder
and our Assessment Card Decks for sale to alumni.
We are also now offering Attuning a Student – the online module for sale. This tool supplements both our 3-day and 5-day courses.
Management Resources: Generalist
A wealth of resources for teachers of elementary and intermediate-aged students, including demystification guidelines and cards for explaining neurodevelopmental constructs and functions to students. Includes hundreds of accommodation and intervention strategies organized according to the eight constructs, as well as strategies for reading, writing and math.
Price: $ 75 (includes shipping and handling.)
To order, click here, then fill out the form and send it back to us.
Management Strategies: Subject Specialist
A resource for educators of all academic content areas with management strategies geared toward secondary students. Specific accommodations and interventions for each of the eight constructs and many related functions, as well as targeted strategies for reading, writing and math.
Price: $ 75 (includes shipping and handling.)
To order, click here, then fill out the form and send it back to us.
Assessment Cards
The All Kinds of Minds Self-Assessment Cards are an excellent way to introduce the neurodevelopmental framework to students, engage in discussions around the science of learning or discover your own strengths and weaknesses. The cards contain fun, colorful graphics that illustrate key concepts and brief easy-to-understand assessment statements like "I can keep my focus and steer clear of distractions." These cards come with multiple activity ideas and the ability to create additional cards of your own.
Price: $35 for 10 sets of 30 cards each set (price includes shipping and handling.)
To order, click here, then fill out the form and send it back to us.
Attuning a Student Online Module
Part 1 – Success for Puzzling Students: Using Data
Part 2 – Success for Puzzling Students: Making Sense of Data
Learn how to generate a student’s neurodevelopmental profile of strengths and weaknesses, create a management plan, plan for a demystification session and measurement of impact, and anticipate outcomes of the process. Throughout this multi-part module, you will use an authentic student to learn about the attuning a Student process—the stages, anticipated outcomes of the process, when to implement the process. When you purchase this module you gain access to the attuning a Student online tool for one year.
Price: $75.
To order, click here.
This month’s story is from Jill Irwin-Hartle, a Middle School Language Arts Teacher at American Renaissance Charter School in Statesville, NC who attended All Kinds of Minds’ first ever course at our national headquarters.
When I returned to my classroom in August, I immediately began empowering my students. The first ten days of school were devoted to enlightening each of them on the All Kinds of Minds concepts and beliefs. All Kinds of Minds has altered my view on learning and what it means to inspire, embrace, and empower. Now when I ask students to complete an assignment, they tell me the neurodevelopmental cognitions required and they help one another create strategies for success. They too view their brains, education, and peers differently…
A new school year is underway. As you look out over the fresh faces of your students, what do you see?
Over in the corner is Robert, who is pretty quiet, but has already shown his incredible memory for experiences as he shared details about his family’s vacation to Washington, D.C. this summer.
Up front is Janella, whose strengths in social cognition made her a great choice for classroom hostess. She greets visitors to the classroom and is a buddy for new students on their first day.
Then there is Nicholas, whose writing will need some work this year, but whose sketches are full of rich detail and tell a story all on their own. We’ll be sure to leverage those sketches to help him with his writing!
Do these sound like your students? What have you noticed about your students’ strengths so far this year?
As we strive to help students improve their skills and acquire new understandings, it can be easy to overlook the assets they bring to the learning experience. A student’s strengths are an essential element of their profile and must be nurtured. Students come to class with varying strengths and weaknesses, and when we celebrate those differences, the whole class is richer for it.
Initiate a discussion among your students about differences – how they can be good at different things and share those strengths with one another. Some ideas for getting started might include:
- Share information about a famous athlete, political figure, or other adult familiar to your students. Ask students to point out this individual’s strengths, how those strengths help the individual do his/her job well, and if this person were in your classroom, how they might share their strengths. (For example, the president knows a lot about geography. If he were a member of the class, he could help everyone learn how to locate countries on a map.)
- Select characters from a book you are already reading in class. Create a Venn diagram showing how the characters are alike and different, including each characters strengths and weaknesses. Ask students to think about how the characters differences impact how they work together toward a common goal.
- Bring several members of the school staff to your class (e.g., the principal, the media specialist, a parent volunteer, and a member of the cafeteria staff). Ask each one to talk briefly about their strengths and weaknesses. Guide students in understanding how each person plays an important role in the school even though they aren’t all good at the same things.
- Do an activity with students to help them identify and talk about their strengths and celebrate differences. The links below will take you to two sample activities you may want to try.
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