Overcoming Dyslexia: Second Edition (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020)

Image source: Amazon.com (2021.09.07 [highlighted, PB])             

For adult learners, parents, and teachers keen on learning about reading disorders, dyslexia in particular, an updated book appears to be an important addition to the field.

According to the Amazon book blurb, this edition of Overcoming Dyslexia by Shaywitz and Shaywitz (2020) offers "new information on all aspects of dyslexia and reading problems, and ... the tools that parents, teachers, and all dyslexic individuals need" (Read more, para. 1). The audible sample (Listen [1st author reading aloud?]) starts in Part I, Chapter 1, The Power of Knowing (Look inside, pp. 3-5) at Amazon.com. 

An Online Tutor Business Coach, Joanne Kaminski, who recently streamed a video review, argued that a crucial take-away from this book about dyslexia is the importance of early diagnoses (2021.08.30).

References

Kaminski, J. (2021.08.30). Overcoming Dyslexia Review [online video recording]. https://youtu.be/hscEptUgg_A

Shaywitz, S. E., & Shaywitz, J. (2020). Overcoming dyslexia: A major update and revision of the essential program for reading problems at any level, incorporating the latest breakthroughs in science, educational methods, technology, and legal accommodations. Alfred A. Knopf.

 

Developing phonemic awareness: A follow-up on PIGATE's Special Summer Session, Sat. Aug. 14th

During PIGATE's online gathering on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, participants explained (showed, and told of) a number of their favorite resources and practical techniques for exploiting songs and stories with language learners. Participants' accounts related to various activities with preschool children and early school-aged (elementary and junior high school) English-as-an-additional language learners in particular.

To those inspiring accounts, which I hope you can review via Zoom meeting recordings,  chat transcripts, and other short reports about PIGATE's August gathering, I'd like to add a pointer to a separate webinar recording. That webinar, from the iDTi 2015 Summer Intensive for Teachers, is about ways of developing learners' phonemic awareness, "necessary prerequisites for studying and reading in English" (idDTi Videos, 2021.08.12, description, ¶2).

About 18 minutes into that webinar recording, Karen Frazier Tsai asserted:

"[W]e need to start first with making our children phonemically aware of the sounds in English, those sounds that are different from whatever their first language is." 

(auto-generated YouTube video transcript, 17:23–17:35)

She then asked and answered the questions: "[W]hat do we do; how do we start … to make them have that skill of really focusing in on the sounds" (transcript, 18:21–18:28, ff.). In sum, Tsai explained various ways of helping learners become aware of sounds, rhymes, and syllables by playing with words in a new language. Whether you're teaching pre-reading to young learners, or simply reading stories to children, I highly recommend watching the webinar recording from beginning to end!

Children Playing with Words

(iTDi Videos, 2021.08.12)

Reference

iTDi Videos. (2021.08.12). Children Playing with Words (Karen Frazier Tsai) [video recording]. https://youtu.be/Br10cHS-5Qk

A Long Road to Becoming a Language Teacher

This post showcases a presentation from the Pigate gathering on March 13, 2021. In that presentation pab presented a sweeping retrospective on 60 years in education.

Questions and reflections are welcome in comments on this post.

[36 words]