Does your child struggle with reading comprehension? If so, know that your child is not the only one, in fact schools are struggling with literacy rates on a whole-this is why there is a current reading reform happening throughout our schools. 40 years of research, show there are ways of teaching literacy beyond phonics that are more effective in helping your young reader grasp the full meaning of any given text earlier and easier. What is the Science of Reading? In short, after years of research, it is an evidenced way of teaching students to read. The focus is developing both word recognition AND fluency of expression so that the understanding of the text is the main goal. The Main Principals: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension The brain of a child needs to first know the different sounds of spoken language, then connect the sounds to written letters, then blend those sounds for words-this is called decoding. In other words, reading does not come naturally! Students need to have decoding AND strong language comprehension skills to achieve reading comprehension. The structured approach of Reading Science has an overall scope and a sequence that builds on itself so that students are not feeling as though they don’t understand something that hasn’t been introduced to them yet. This structured approach helps ALL students including those with learning differences such as dyslexia. Currently many students are still learning under the balanced literary approach. Though this may work for many, the focus still tends to be on the Phonics and is developed in more macro-learning. The Science of Reading is structured within micro-learning, leaving less readers behind, especially in terms of comprehension. WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE IN THE CLASSROOM? Rather than “at the right level” reading groups, there will be a use of varied, complex text for all the students. Student should be able to hear multiple reads of the same text, first modeled by the teacher. To develop fluency, there should be partnering with students and teachers engaging in conversations centered on the language of the text, the structure of what’s written, the meaning of the text and the possible deeper meanings. In it’s essence, it is a more hands on approach that starts developing critical thinking, and engages all aspects of language. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO ENSURE LITERACY FOR YOUR CHILD? Elite Tutoring can provide tutors who will be able to help you, and your child take a structured approach to literacy.
Welcome back to school! We are back to a new year of school. As we move forward, this year brings us changes and trends that may be confusing or hard to keep up with. Having an overview of some of these exciting new terms and methods will help you and your child make smoother transitions, and understand the goals of the educators using these methods. Microlearning: Long lectures that do not get revisited may overload students with the amount of information they can take in. This also requires students to have the skills to go back over that information on their own-which is not always manageable. Microlearning is a way of teaching bite-sized content (approx 3-5 min) with focused learning outcomes. Done in repetition, this way of learning allows the student to process new concepts, and gives space for the material to sink in. This has generated positive outcomes in terms of retention. Neuroeducation: Neuroeducation looks at what happens in the brain when a student learns, which in turn shows how to best stimulate the brain in education. Neuroeducation facilitates changes in the brain, like creating new neural connections. These connections transfer into new cognitive/learning structures-also known as brain plasticity-which helps with memory recall and the absorption of new data. Neuroeducation links learning with emotions and personal experience, creating hands on and group learning. It uses personal anecdotes to contextualize and motivate. It has shown that creative and game based activities spark curiosity, social interaction and a faster learning process. This creativity also reduces tension and improves focus. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): After COVID-19, and the realization that schools are facing high absentee numbers, it became apparent that student mental health needed to be prioritized. School’s are now looking at an increased emphasis on the need for social-emotional learning. This is to support students’ well-being. SEL programs are centered on developing skills like resilience, self-awareness, interpersonal competence and empathy. Schools are recognizing that Emotional intelligence is an important factor in academic success. This is a trend that is projected to keep growing, and will help see a decrease in bullying, anxiety/stress, and absenteeism. Technology Hybrid/Blended Learning Again, the Pandemic has changed the way we see education. Covid led to integrating technology into the classroom and schools are finding new ways to continue hybrid learning as well as technology blended models. The face-to-face instruction of online elements, allows for more flexibility as well as more individualized lessons, especially for students who may have diverse needs. There is now a focus on AI augmented reality, and virtual reality. This is not students playing video games but rather being used for an immersive educational experience. Simulations can be used for recreations (history), virtual field trips, and to show complex concepts in new ways. This creates an applied learning experience which enhances critical thinking and creativity. Digital literacy, such as coding, is being taught at the earliest levels to develop what will be a greater part of their future lived experiences. Some of these Ideas may seem foreign to your personal school experience, but these changing educational models are being developed to best serve the academic and emotional well being of your child. If you feel you would like more information or help in any of these areas, please reach out to our Elite team.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a part of our everyday lives, for better or for worse. AI in schools can create personalized learning experiences and offer help in grading. However, students are discovering that programs like ChatGpt or GPT-4 can do their homework. These programs, designed to sound human, can answer homework questions and write essays. This leads to plagiarism, reduced critical thinking skills and the necessary research for a proper education. TOP 3 WAYS TO RECOGNIZE AI WORK: You know your child best! The work will not be written in the TONE of your child. AI does not use a personal writing style, so your child’s sense of humor, irony, rhythm of speech, or personal stories, will be missing. The wording may sound a bit advanced or stilted. Trust your gut, if you think it does not sound like your child it probably is not. Is the grammar just a bit TOO perfect? Most students are not working at a perfect level. This could be a giveaway if you find no grammar or spelling mistakes. * However, AI may not follow MLA standards taught in school, and your child may forget to change the format. This will be a pretty good clue. Finally, if your child’s grades have improved, but you have not noticed extra time being put into the work or that they are working with a tutor, you may want to find out why. This may feel invasive, of course you trust your child, but because AI is so common your child may not realize that using it for homework is cheating. Teachers have many students, so they are not always able to tell when a student is using AI to do homework. Certain schools, however, have begun to use tools such as AI text classifiers. They are able to weed out AI work, and if a student is caught using AI to write an essay, it comes with the penalty of plagiarism. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Talk to your child about the importance of Independent thought. AI denies your child the gift of creativity and learning how to think critically. These skills will need to follow them into adult life. Not doing the necessary research also misses out on so much knowledge and problem-solving. Explain that ChatGPT and other such programs are responding with previously embedded information. It is not information that has been fact-checked and, therefore, may be incorrect. This is not a research tool Talk to them about academic integrity. Inform them that not using their own work is plagiarism and cheating. Let them know the repercussions of being caught. Finally, explain that schools and teachers are becoming more savvy about detecting work done by ChatGPT. If they are not using an AI text classifier, the teachers are much more aware of what to look out for.
