All posts by Amy Kessler

Professional Development Reaches More Teachers in Jamaica

For Schools, Professional Development

Over the past six years, more than 256 teachers from across Jamaica have received Lindamood-Bell professional development and coaching to increase literacy for struggling readers and students with learning disabilities. The partnership with Creative Language-Based Learning is endorsed by the Ministry of Education and Youth and Information, and is in collaboration with the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund and Sandals Foundation. 

 

Since the start of the partnership, CLBL Foundation has increased its capacity to provide job-embedded professional development directly in classrooms across the country with support from Lindamood-Bell’s professional development team. In addition to classroom implementation, each summer, including during the pandemic, CLBL and Lindamood-Bell have partnered to provide intensive summer reading camps. These camps provide students up to 6 hours per day, 5 days a week of instruction, and have been provided to over 250 struggling readers from across the country. 

 

This year, (recognizing that literacy is critical to reducing truancy and juvenile crime) Lindamood-Bell and CLBL Foundation have partnered to build an intensive intervention implementation with Denham Township High School. More than 60 students will be provided with 4 hours of daily, small group instruction during the school day for 5 weeks.


 

Find an upcoming event for your teachers or contact us to discuss the learning needs of your community. We can customize an event that meets your unique needs.

 

US: 800-233-1819

International: 805-541-3836

Tips: The Imagery-Language Connection for Writing

Comprehension, For Schools, Helpful Tips, Professional Development

imagery-language-connection-for-writing-blog-image-1-1

Book reports, essays, and even short responses, can cause frustration, panic, and, sometimes, even tears for many school age students. And it’s no wonder. Writing is a complex task that requires a lot: good thinking skills, organization, spelling, grammar and punctuation, as well as ease with a pencil, or keyboard.

 

Writing can be particularly difficult for students who have an identified comprehension weakness. A primary cause of language comprehension problems is difficulty creating an imagined gestalt. This is called weak concept imagery. This weakness causes individuals to get only “parts” of information they read or hear, but not the whole. So without the “big picture” idea for a passage or book she just read,  a student will have a hard time coming up with a strong paragraph. Writing is imaged thought.

 

Students who can write well are putting words to the images in their mind’s eye. The imagery-language connection is key to good thinking and communication. Try using language that stimulates imagery as you coach your child through their next writing assignment.

 

Start at the Beginning

Make sure your child understands the writing assignment. To gauge understanding, read the directions together and pause to see if she can picture the key details. For example, if the assignment is, “Choose your favorite character in your book. Write a paragraph about why they would make a good president.” you can ask your child questions about what she is picturing like, “How long are you picturing the finished assignment will be?” and “What are you picturing for ‘president’?”

 

Make a Plan

Before your child starts the next big writing assignment, work on a list of tasks to be completed. Use imagery-stimulating questions to ensure your child is understanding the purpose and goal of each.  A book report might entail:

– read book

– take notes

– write outline

– write the first draft

– read my draft and edit

– write final

Work together to estimate how much time each task will take; and get them onto a timeline or calendar. Just like adults, kids prefer to check off smaller tasks as they go, rather than returning to one big daunting project.

 

Outline

Outlines are a great way to get ideas organized.Your child’s teacher may have suggestions or tools for organizing paragraphs. Many graphic organizers (e.g. the “hamburger” method) are acceptable as they reflect a classic paragraph structure:

A topic sentence / main idea

Detail #1

Detail #2

Detail #3

Conclusion: A closing sentence that links the details

To get the most out of outlines, engage your child by using language that prompts imagery. Asking questions may help spur new ideas. For example, “What do you picture the pig is doing all day?”  

 

Writing & Editing

Your student can follow her outline for keywords to use for writing the paragraph. Throughout the writing process, encourage your child to be connecting language and imagery. When writing, we are creating an image in the mind of the reader. 

Give feedback about whether you can visualize her writing.  For example, “Wow! I could really picture the red fox you described.”

When editing, encourage your child to find and correct words she may have misspelled. 

 

We hope these tips for writing help your family throughout the school year! Nanci Bell, author of Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking, wrote, “Many students with language comprehension weakness may also have poor writing skills because they lack the imagery for the gestalt (whole). Attempts to teach them to write are hampered by their weakness in the nonverbal code of imagery. While often good in spelling, punctuation, and grammar, they still can’t write.”

If you’d like more information on language comprehension weakness and writing, please contact our Learning Centers.

USA/Canada: 800-300-1818

UK: +44 (0) 207 727 0660

AUS: (02) 9410 1006/ (02) 9328 7119

Teachers can explore our workshops that develop the imagery-language connection: Workshops Schedule.

 

 

Lindamood-Bell Helps Students Learn to Their Maximum Potential

Academy, For Schools, Instruction, Learning Centers

For over 35 years, Lindamood-Bell has believed that all individuals can learn to their potential. We are dedicated to changing the lives of children and adults with our evidence-based, live-online or in-person instruction for reading, comprehension, and math.

Our Guide to the Magic of Learning provides information about each of the services Lindamood-Bell provides, including our Learning Ability Evaluation, our one-to-one instruction, our private school, research, and professional development solutions.

Request Information

Watch our video to see the Lindamood-Bell difference.

Live-Online or In-Person Instruction for Students

Our renowned Learning Center and Lindamood-Bell Academy instruction begins with our diagnostic Learning Ability Evaluation. The evaluation will help you clearly understand your child’s unique learning profile and is the first step in providing individualized, dynamic learning. It identifies strengths and challenges that may be affecting performance in reading, comprehension, and math.

In a results consultation, we will explain the findings and develop an individualized plan to help your child learn to their potential. A principal once described it this way: “It’s like getting a fingerprint of your child’s unique learning profile.”

Lindamood-Bell Academy, Our K-12 Private School

Families seeking a complete school solution can explore the Lindamood-Bell Academy, a K-12 private school, live-online or safe, in-person. 

Now enrolling for the 2022-23 school year.

Professional Development and Partnerships with Educators and School Districts

Evidence-Based programs are key to our solutions for schools. Our professional development and school partnerships are designed to maximize student achievement.

Educators can attend dynamic Lindamood-Bell Teacher Workshops available live-online and in-person.

 

For information about Learning Center instruction and Lindamood-Bell Academy call:
US:  (800) 300-1818
UK: +44 (0) 207 727 0660
AUS: (02) 9328 7119/ (02) 9410 1006

For information about Professional Development for Educators call:
US: (800) 233-1819
UK: +44 (800) 3688542
AUS: +61 (1800) 514849

Now more than ever, Lindamood-Bell can help your student have a successful school year.

Learning Centers, Specials, ,

Worried about learning loss or the “summer slide?” Whether your student has always struggled or is experiencing difficulty with academics for the first time, our Learning Center can help.

With Lindamood-Bell instruction, your student can catch up or get ahead this fall, potentially making years of progress in a matter of weeks. Our one-to-one, dynamic instruction helps individuals of all ages and abilities learn to read and comprehend to their potential.

 

 

Safe In-Person and Live, Online

Lindamood-Bell has been providing individualized, live online instruction for reading, comprehension, and math since 2015. We are experts in creating engaging, interactive, and effective face-to-face online sessions. Our diagnostic Learning Ability Evaluations are available online, too. 

Take the first step toward helping your child. A Learning Ability Evaluation will uncover the strengths and weaknesses affecting school performance. In a thorough results consultation, we will discuss a personalized learning plan to make school easier. Get real results and see confidence bloom.

Contact your local LEARNING CENTER to get started.

Now more than ever, Lindamood-Bell can help your student have a successful school year.

Learning Centers

Is your student ready for the next school year or have they struggled? Our Learning Center is here to help. Our unique instruction develops cognition, the basis for all learning skills. We teach students to think and reason and apply their sensory-cognitive processing to all content, to all curriculum, to all of life.

With Lindamood-Bell instruction, your student can catch up or get ahead this fall, potentially making years of progress in a matter of weeks. Our dynamic, one-to-one instruction can help your child learn to read and comprehend to their potential.  

Safe In-Person and Live, Online

Lindamood-Bell has been providing individualized, live online instruction for reading, comprehension, and math since 2015. We are experts in creating engaging, interactive, and effective face-to-face online sessions. Our diagnostic Learning Ability Evaluations are available online, too. 

Take the first step toward helping your child succeed this year. A Learning Ability Evaluation will uncover the strengths and weaknesses affecting school performance. In a thorough results consultation, we will discuss an individualized learning plan to make school easier for your child. 

Contact us to schedule your child, 800-300-1818. Find a learning center location near you, including many Seasonal Learning Camps: Locations.

Now more than ever, Lindamood-Bell can help your student have a successful school year.

Australia, Learning Centers, Specials

 

Worried about learning loss? Whether your student has always struggled or is experiencing difficulty with academics for the first time, our learning center can help.

With Lindamood-Bell instruction, your student can catch up or get ahead this fall, potentially making years of progress in a matter of weeks. Our one-to-one learning center instruction helps individuals of all ages and abilities learn to read and comprehend to their potential.  

 

Safe In-Person and Live, Online

Lindamood-Bell has been providing individualized, live online instruction for reading, comprehension, and math since 2015. We are experts in creating engaging, interactive, and effective face-to-face online sessions. Our diagnostic Learning Ability Evaluations are available online, too. 

Take the first step toward helping your child. A Learning Ability Evaluation will uncover the strengths and weaknesses affecting school performance. In a thorough results consultation, we will discuss an individualized learning plan to make school easier. 

And, for a limited time, you can apply the cost of the evaluation (a value of $495) to instruction! We’re live online (since 2015!) and in person.

Double Bay (02) 9328 7119  • Chatswood (02) 9410 1006

Say Dyslexia! Partnering with Tennessee school districts to help struggling readers.

For Schools

Since the early 2000s, Lindamood-Bell has worked closely with Tennessee school districts to successfully increase literacy skills.  Initially a literacy professional development provider and then a state-approved school Turnaround partner,  Lindamood-Bell now provides training in programs listed in the Dyslexia Advisory Council’s Guide to Reading Interventions, part of the state’s “Say Dyslexia” law.  These interventions, Seeing Stars and Visualizing and Verbalizing, provide systematic instruction in all areas required for effective dyslexia interventions.  Here’s how our reading interventions are making a difference for Tennessee educators and students: 

Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Orthographic Processing, and Fluency

Seeing Stars develops symbol imagery as a foundational skill for reading. Often a critical missing piece in popular dyslexia interventions, symbol imagery is explicitly and systematically developed for orthographic mapping, fast word retrieval, fluency, and global reading skills. Seeing Stars aligns to all instructional principles and components of a structured literacy approach (SLA). However, unlike many SLA interventions that focus predominantly on or overemphasize phonemic awareness, Seeing Stars systematically integrates phonological AND orthographic processing necessary for automaticity in word reading skills.    

Vocabulary and Comprehension

Many students struggle to remember what they read or get the main idea, despite adequate decoding skills. These students need explicit instruction in foundational, metacognitive skills that support comprehension strategies and vocabulary development. The Visualizing and Verbalizing program is a systematic and explicit program to develop mental imagery as a foundation for recall and comprehension, and as a strategy for vocabulary knowledge.  

Sustained Professional Development

Lindamood-Bell offers levels of professional development, which are key components for quality instruction, with fidelity. Most programs provide only one- to two-day inservices, with minimal or no follow-up support. Evidence-based practices require rigorous, ongoing professional learning. After educators complete a comprehensive workshop, Lindamood-Bell provides job-embedded coaching throughout the year, including extended school year sessions and summer academies. Coaching is conducted online while teachers work directly with students. This enables instructional experts to model the steps and provide feedback to teachers for continuous improvement. Download our Levels of PD.  

Dyslexia Research 

Our interventions have a substantial evidence base in increasing reading skills for students with dyslexia, as highlighted below:  

District-wide dyslexia initiative – Accelerating student learning in Fort Smith Public Schools, Arkansas

Peer-reviewed research – Rewiring the dyslexic brain with Seeing Stars intervention

Profiles of Success in Tennessee Schools

We are proud of the partnerships we’ve been involved with during the past twenty years, with many schools and districts around the state. A few profiles of success are listed below.  

Tullahoma Public Schools 

The programs were implemented to increase reading and comprehension skills for its at-risk student population.  Students improved in Word Attack skill (19th to 47th percentile), reading accuracy (7th to 27th percentile), and reading comprehension (12th to 32nd percentile), all with large Standard Score growth.  

Bristol Tennessee School District

Our Levels of PD helped district teachers implement evidence-based interventions and instructional practices to meet the needs of their struggling students. 

Anderson Elementary School – 

Anderson used Lindamood-Bell’s Response to Intervention (RtI) model to successfully close its achievement gaps.  

In addition to these comprehensive school partnerships, in the last six years, Lindamood-Bell has provided Level 1 Workshops for nearly 450 Tennessee educators from over 50 schools. Most participants are reading interventionists, special education staff (certificated and instructional aides), and dyslexia specialists. We are proud to support Tennessee districts in helping to teach struggling readers and students with dyslexia. 

How Daily, Personal Intensive Instruction Makes the Difference

Instruction, Learning Centers

A bright and articulate eight-year-old, Jacob shifts uncomfortably in his seat when his teacher announces that the class will take turns reading aloud. “Maybe if I ask to go to the bathroom, I’ll miss my turn,” he thinks.

Jacob has an impressive vocabulary and his teachers frequently tell him how smart he is. But he’s beginning to doubt them. When he opens a book, “was” turns into “saw.” And “through” and “though” and “thought” never sound like they’re supposed to. How can a person remember all of that?

For Jacob, reading is the hardest thing in the world and no one seems to know why. But students with a weakness in symbol imagery, which is the ability to visualize letters and sounds within words, may require remediation or additional explicit reading instruction. Weak symbol imagery causes difficulties in establishing sight words, contextual fluency, and spelling.

A few seats over, Emma is able to spell perfectly and decode new words with ease. However, she doesn’t seem to comprehend what she’s read. 

The instructor calls on Emma, who always seems to be a step behind in class, and asks her to read from Chapter 2. “What?” Emma asks, seeming uninterested. It’s not that Emma doesn’t care or isn’t listening in the classroom — for her, directions seem to go in one ear and out the other. Emma reads the words on the page quickly and accurately, but she falls silent when her instructor asks what she thinks will happen next in the story.

For Emma, weak concept imagery—the ability to image a gestalt (whole)—may be the cause of her struggles. Weakness in concept imagery will interfere with reading and listening comprehension, memory, oral vocabulary, critical thinking, and writing.

As the critical third-grade year continues, Jacob and Emma are likely to fall further and further behind. They may be present in the classroom every day, but they’re both missing out on content, and their self-esteem continues to quietly plummet. 

Here at Lindamood-Bell, we believe that all students can be taught to read and comprehend to their potential. We identify the strengths and weaknesses, like Jacob’s and Emma’s, that may be affecting your child’s performance. Your child’s instruction is always personalized to their learning needs. We are known for the focused, daily, sensory cognitive intensive instruction that leads to success. Now is the time for our unique face-to-face online or in-person instruction to ensure success that your child deserves. 

Click here to learn more about how we’re able to make years of gains in only weeks of instruction.

In this video, one family explains why they chose our intensive reading instruction for their struggling child:

We want to be your partner in education and help make your child’s school year a success. To learn more, contact your local Dubai Learning Center at Jumeirah Lake Towers.

Exciting Research on Struggling Readers Published in Nature

Dyslexia, Instruction, Reading, Research, ,

Exciting research, titled “Rapid and widespread white matter plasticity during an intensive reading intervention”, has been published in the journal Nature.

 

The study, from the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington (UW), examined growth in reading skills and white matter in school-aged, struggling readers. Diffusion MRI data collected during 8 weeks of Lindamood-Bell intensive instruction indicates that there were large-scale changes in white matter along with growth in reading skills. In addition, the study identifies white matter tracts that may predict the ease with which a child learns how to read.

 

Dr. Jason Yeatman, one of the study’s researchers, says that although dyslexia is often thought of as permanent, the findings indicate that the targeted, intensive instruction leads to “substantial” improvements in reading skills and changes in the “underlying wiring of the brain’s reading circuitry.”

 

Watch the National Science Foundation video about this study:

 

 

 

Download a summary of the research:

 

 

Links below to the article in Nature and to a summary article in UW News.

 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-04627-5

 

http://www.washington.edu/news/2018/06/14/teachers-are-brain-engineers-uw-study-shows-how-intensive-instruction-changes-brain-circuitry-in-struggling-readers/

Numerous peer-reviewed articles based on studies examining the effectiveness of the Lindamood-Bell programs have been published in scholarly journals. Explore articles here.