What Are Your Brain & Reading Questions?
Next week, neurologist, classroom teacher, and author Judy Willis is stopping by ASCD HQ to talk about her new book, Teaching the Brain to Read: Strategies for Improving Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. We'll be interviewing her as part of our Talks With an Author series but wanted to extend the mic to you.
Submit your questions about reading instruction that's in tune with how the brain learns, how to get students excited about reading, or anything else about how teachers can use brain research to sharpen instruction, and we'll pose your questions to Dr. Willis. Select questions will be included in the final recorded interview. Fire away!
I've been tracking the Blogs of Stephen Krashen, and it appears to me that he is drawing to the conclussion that Reading/Writing abilities are closely linked (if not synonymous with) the acquisition of language. In other words, children (or adults) go thru the same stages of acquisition for all three academic skills: reading, writing and speaking. - Does the research on brain development support this theory?
Posted by: Robert Arias/Element. Educ. | July 19, 2008 at 12:05 PM
Dr. Willis,
I am currently in pursuit for my masters and brain research happens to be this week’s topic of discussion. My question for you is; how can brain research help us improve the reading of our students with special needs, like dyslexia or cronic ear infections from birth?
Thank you for your time!
Posted by: Jenn Sommer | July 19, 2008 at 12:55 PM
Dr Willis,
I was recently reading an article in "The School Administrator". Addressing literacy through Neuroscience, authored by Steve Miller and Paula Tallal, December 2006. The article had some interesting thoughts about how we learn and the neuroscience behind it. In the article it contained a section entitled Language to Literacy that described how language was incorporated into the brain. What are your thoughts about how ESL students learn to speak and read English? Are there any significant findings that would seem to increase classroom comprehension for these students?
Posted by: Kathy Gabriel | July 19, 2008 at 03:47 PM
I have a perspective to share that is touched upon in both the natural biological and anthropological aspect of brain development. The latest research on the conscious use and developmental power of body language with babies that enhances the esteem and verbal skill development.
Humanity has evolved four levels of communication and problem solving. They are body language, oral language, the Arts, dance, drama, music, visual and sculptural, writing and reading,
All writing is socially agreed upon art symbols. The natural consciousness of drawing leads to writing and the natural consciousness of writing leads to reading.
The positive facilitation each naturally evolved and involved sequence naturally requires the concentration for the next developmental stage.
By observing the child's naturally developing writing skill leads to reading.
For children past that developmental stage having TV closed captioning all the time is an aid for reading development.
Posted by: James E. Mac Shane | July 19, 2008 at 04:40 PM
Dr. Willis,
I am currently enrolled in a master's program and the focus for this weeks discussion happens to be on the brain and its connection to the learning process. My question to you is, if at an early age even as a baby a young one is exposed to as much of their own language and given all opportunities to be in a language rich environment, what makes the brain sometimes not able to process or connect phonemes at a latter age when the same child is learning to read and struggling? What can we do to help htose struggling readers?
Posted by: Megan Huard | July 19, 2008 at 07:43 PM
Dr. Willis,
I teach high school students in a correctional facility. Many of these students only read at elementary school grade levels. What techniques do you recommend that I utilize to catch them up to speed? Sometimes the gap between what they can do and what they should be able to do seems so huge.
Posted by: Amy Vittorio | July 19, 2008 at 09:03 PM
Dr. Willis,
How do you get students excited about reading? I have found that it is especially hard to motivate boys who are struggling readers. I'd love to hear any insights about how the brain learns and suggestions that you may have.
Posted by: Monique Girard | July 19, 2008 at 10:30 PM
Several years ago I attended a teacher workshop that focused on dislexia. Until that workshop, I always assumed that dislexia was a visual learning disability. I learned that it is actually a problem with mental processing. Can you elaborate on any research that supports this theory, and do you have any suggestions for teaching dislexic children to read?
Posted by: L. Ward | July 20, 2008 at 08:27 AM
Dr. Willis,
I read the article "Addressing Literacy Through Neuroscience" by Steve Miller and Paula Tallal and was intrigued by their insights. As a fifth grade teacher of ESL and special education students I am interested in strategies that can significantly improve reading comprehension skills of struggling readers. What is one strategy that I could utilize in the classroom which would greatly impact reading instruction for these students?
Posted by: Doreen Hooper | July 20, 2008 at 11:03 AM
DR. Willis,
I am also enrolled in a masters program The main focus this week is on brain research. I down-loaded the article, “Building a Bridge From Neurosience to The classroom”, and I found it very interesting. I would like to know if you could recommend any good web-sites on Neurosience and brain-base instruction for the classroom. I feel this is a very exciting time for educators and we need to stay side by side with Neurosience to keep searching for new ideas and different ways of implementing the curriculum into our classroom. I am a PreK teacher, and if you know of any strategies or techniques that are current that I can incorporate into my classroom I would appreciate the information.
Thank you for your time,
Norma
Posted by: Norma Leguillon | July 20, 2008 at 01:28 PM
I too am interested in any new research regarding dislexia. Being a grade one teacher, I would also love to hear about ways to support children with dislexia. Thanks!
Posted by: Marcia Puls-Graveley | July 20, 2008 at 02:51 PM
Dr. Willis
I would like to add to the comment about motivating boys that are struggling readers. I have found that non-fiction books can have a positive effect, but not in all cases. I would also like to hear your suggestions on how to support these students. Thanks!
Posted by: Marcia Puls-Graveley | July 20, 2008 at 03:04 PM
Many students in our schools read below grade level and yet federal law requires that all students have access to curriculum materials. When students receive remediation only, they are unable to access grade level materials that are accessible to their peers.
Compensation strategies such as providing text-to-speech with highlighting of each word as it is read, or listening to books on CD or MP3 Player bypass the reading challenges.
Can you speak to the point of combining remediation AND compensation for reading struggles? Is it important or necessary, from a neurology perspective?
Posted by: KarenJanowski | July 20, 2008 at 04:54 PM
I too have read "Addressing Literacy Through Neuroscience" by Steve Miller and Paula A. Tallal. I'm wondering how you see neuroscience working in a regular classroom. Do you have examples of this being integrated by a classroom teacher? If so, what does it look like?
Thank you!
Posted by: Kristi Strakowski | July 20, 2008 at 09:56 PM
Dr. Willis,
Next year, I will be teaching first grade. My class will mostly consist of gifted learners. What kinds of strategies do you recommend that I can integrate in the classroom to enhance vocabulary and comprehension?
Thank you for your time.
Posted by: Stephanie Owens | July 20, 2008 at 11:08 PM
Dr. Willis,
My school participated in an "Arts Now" program this past school year. The program required teachers to incorporate art
( illustrations, music, poetry,drama) activities into our lessons. Does art help a student to read better? If so, what type of art would help a struggling reader?
Thank you for your time.
Posted by: Chandra Black | July 21, 2008 at 12:23 AM
Dr. Willis ,
Does a child grow out of dyslexia ,or does he/she learn coping skills to help navigate through ones daily life?
Posted by: Chandra Black | July 21, 2008 at 12:31 AM
Dr. Willis,
My school participated in an "Arts Now" program this past school year. The program required teachers to incorporate art
( illustrations, music, poetry,drama) activities into our lessons. Does art help a student to read better? If so, what type of art would help a struggling reader?
Thank you for your time.
Posted by: Chandra Black | July 21, 2008 at 12:45 AM
Dr.Willis,
I am a 9th grade Biology teacher and I am very interested and how I can incorporate the latest developments in brain research in my classroom. At the beginning of every school year I have my students read about malleable intelligence and how they can "grow" their brain by studying and practicing their school work. Do you know of any laboratory excersises I can perform with my students to show them the benefits of brain based instruction or of any other strategies I can use in my classroom?
Thanks
Posted by: I.Etheridge | July 21, 2008 at 04:16 PM
Dr. Willis,
You are receiving a number of questions from those of us enrolled in a master's level course. This week we're working on "blogging" and using the internet to reach out to colleages. I have two questions, one is the title of another article we read this week: "Brain research and education: fad or foundation?" I pose that question to you. I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle, but I'd like to hear your take on it. Also, I'd love to hear some suggestions for improving fluency for early/beginning readers because I believe, and research supports, that fluency unlocks the door to comprehension. Thank you for your time.
Posted by: Heather Harbin | July 21, 2008 at 04:36 PM
Dear Bloggers from Dr. Willis
I am delighted by your passion and dedication to this topic and by the level of understanding many of you already have and others seek about connecting the brain research with classroom strategies to help all children increase reading fluency, comprehension, and motivation.
Questions such as yours were frequently asked of me after my first two ASCD books were published and were the inspiration for my writing Teaching The Brain To Read. Also, some of the answers to your questions about what neuroscience suggests for the classroom can be found in links to articles I wrote that you can get to from my website www.RADTeach.com
In the next few days when I am finished traveling I'll address as many points as I can and will certainly keep your questions in mind when I record my "Talks with an Author" about Teaching the Brain to Read for ASCD on July 23.
With appreciation for all YOU do!
Dr. Judy Willis
www.RADTeach.com
Posted by: Dr. Judy Willis | July 21, 2008 at 07:24 PM
Hi everyone,
I recently read a few articles about brain research and reading. I have heard a lot about a computer program called Fast ForWord that is really supposed to help with reading. The program claims to speed up sound processing speed and improve reading skills quickly. Has anyone used this program or heard anything about it? Is it a successful and worthwhile program? Would you recommend it for children with learning disabilities? Are there any other strategies that help improve reading (especially fluency)? Thanks for your input!
Posted by: Lila | July 21, 2008 at 10:03 PM
From Dr. Willis,
I'm on route to ASCD headquarters in Virginia but before take off I'll take on some questions. So much of the learning process relates to what sensory input the brain attends to. That is what first got me started in combining my knowledge of neuroimaging with my classroom teaching.
How can we help students admit to their brains the bits of sensory information that will help them read? I call the approach RAD for two brain filters that eliminate about 95% of the sensory data that comes in from our senses and is allowed to pass into the higher "cognitive" reflective brain instead of being ignored or going to the reactive, automatic brain. The first two filters are the RAS (reticular activating system) then the amygdala (affective filter). The most important thing we can do in the classroom, especially with challenged readers is lower stress. That will increase input through these filters to the thinking brain. Check out my article on RAD through my website in the CAIS newsletter to read about strategies to lower stress and increase positive flow of sensory data through these filters. That is also a major focus of my new ASCD book. The D is for Dopamine, one of the brain's neurotransmitters. Dopamine is released in higher quantities during pleasurable experiences. It turns out that one of the greatest dopamine releasing experiences is being read to. Through these RAD strategies students can be in the state of relaxed alertness that will allow their brains to actively select (from the billions of bits of sensory input available to enter every second) the information input that can enhance their active learning, mental manipulation, and construction of reading skills, fluency, comprehension, and motivation. So much more to say, perhaps in the interview - but for now read the articles you can link to from my website www.RADTeach.com, especially the one about RAD strategies, the Bridge from Neuroscience to the Classroom, and Gully in the Brain Glitch.
ASCD is also kind enough to permit anyone to download sections of the books they publish, so in a week or two you'll be able to read sections of my book pertaining specifically to your questions.
Keep caring,
Judy
Judy Willis, MD, M.Ed
www.RADTeach.com
Posted by: Dr. Judy Willis | July 22, 2008 at 10:57 AM
Dr. Willis,
I am looking forward to your interview. I appreciate the complexity of the information you have been willing to share with us already here in this blog.
I am interested in your opinion on the efficacy of Fast ForWord. A typically developing brain establishes neural pathways and innumerable neuronal connections in response to repeated exposure to the phonemes of their native language. If the break-down in reading for our students with dyslexia lies in the failure of the establishment of these neural pathways, do you feel a program like Fast ForWord can serve to build the connections that failed to develop in a normal, language-rich, authentic environment of home and school?
If so, Fast ForWord appears to have unique potential. If not, are we being enticed by another gimmick/panacea/quick-fix?
Posted by: rebecca heinsen | July 22, 2008 at 11:26 AM
Dr. Willis,
I teach ELA at the high school level and was pleased to note dopamine is released when a person is read to because my sophomores prefer I read aloud rather than make them do the reading. I thought their motivation was laziness, but if it eliminates stress and releases dopamine, perhaps I should do it more often.
Do you find that it is more effective if they follow along with the text as they listen to me read or is that insignificant? They often complain of not comprehending what they read if they do it on their own but participate in class to a greater degree when read to whether they follow the text or not. My goal is to get them to the point they can read to themselves and still participate at a high level.
I will certainly visit your website, review the articles you've mentioned, and look forward to your interview
Posted by: Genelle Campeau | July 22, 2008 at 12:11 PM
I am a primary school teacher pursuing a masters degree online. The topic for this week is on neuroscience and its importance to child development and education. What is your view regarding brain based programs? Also what simple strategies can teachers use to assist students with reading difficulties in the classroom?
Posted by: Raymond Dyette | July 22, 2008 at 02:41 PM
Dr. Willis,
I am currently pursuing an online master's in literacy education. I also teach special education and encounter all the time students with reading difficulties. My school uses Wilson Reading program which I think works for younger students. When students get into 4th grade and above, it is harder to use Wilson with them for a variety of reasons. What types of strategies to you have to help older students with reading?
Thanks,
Christine Nitsch
Posted by: Christine Nitsch | July 22, 2008 at 06:25 PM
Dr. Willis,
I am a special education teacher in Ohio and find brain research in education very fascinating. I recently read some articles for a master's class dealing with brain research in education. It made me think of one student in particular that I had in class this year.
This past year, I worked with a 5th grader identified as a child with a cognitive disability(CD, formerly labeled Developmentally Handicapped). He could only identify about 25 or so sight words, and still struggled with some letter sounds. I did everything I could to try and figure this child out-pick his brain so to speak. Psychological reports were somewhat helpful, but I wish we could have done a study on his brain and had him visit a neurologist.
According to Hudson, High, & Al Otaiba (2007)the left parietotemporal system located in the parietal lobe is the part of the brain where word analysis and decoding take place. If it is found that the left parietotemporal system of the brain is damaged, is there a possibility that this child would never learn to decode words? What are some effective programs, other than the Fast ForWard mentioned in another blog that would be beneficial for students with learning disabilities? some of these I am really interested in reading your book.
Thanks for your time,
Jennifer Starr
Hudson, R.F, High, L., & Al Otaiba, S.(2007, March). Dyslexia and the brain: What does current research tell us?. The Reading Teacher, 60,No. 6, 506-515.
Posted by: Jennifer Starr | July 22, 2008 at 11:43 PM
Dr. Willis,
I have a question regarding "brain gym" in preparing kindergartners to learn, specifically to sit down and read or write? Is this a valid exercise? Does it really prepare students to learn more than not?
Thank you for your response.
Posted by: Wendy, Wenatchee, WA | July 23, 2008 at 01:14 PM
Dear Dr. Willis,
I am another student enrolled in a master's program and this week's requirement is to learn about blogging. I must say, I am excited to have been introduced to you and the research you have been involved in. It is great to learn about new resources.
I am an adult education teacher so my students can range in age from 16 to 65 or more. I have found it is important to try to diagnose the problem that causes them to struggle with reading. Do have any suggestions for diagnostic testing or assessments based on neuroscience research that would help me pinpoint the areas of weaknesses in my students?
As I have read the previous comments and questions, I look forward finding the answers to those questions as well.
Catherine Lane
Posted by: Catherine Lane | July 23, 2008 at 04:08 PM
Dr. Willis,
I recently read two articles on the topic of brain research to enhance teaching instruction. Both articles mention a computer program called FastForword. I also have a friend who used it with her son who has an auditory processing disorder. She believed it enhanced her son's reading skills. What is your knowledge of the program? Do you know of any studies that have been done to support its effectiveness?
Catherine Lane
Posted by: Catherine Lane | July 23, 2008 at 05:11 PM
hey everyone, Thanks for your questions--I was able to pose a few directly to Dr. Willis, in our interview, last week. The interview will post to www.ascd.org/authortalks, shortly, in the meanwhile, Judy's book is up on ascd.org here. Check out a sample chapter, keep posting your thoughts here, or contact Dr. Willis directly at www.RADteach.com.
Posted by: Laura Varlas | August 07, 2008 at 12:11 PM