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I chose to learn more about dyslexia because I do not know enough about the topic.
The youtube video and the articles were very informative.  I learned how the brain works for people with dyslexia after viewing the video.  I also really enjoyed learning about some particular activities that are beneficial to students with dyslexia.  Read alouds and building vocabulary are very important strategies to assist with better comprehension and understanding.
It is amazing that one in five people have some form of dyslexia.  I wonder why we aren't focusing more on strategies to better educate these people.
After learning about the importance of vocabulary development especially with students that are dyslexic, I will implement some of the strategies to assist my students with difficulties in reading and writing.

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I picked this topic because I have to admit that it is something I am not too familiar with and I do not want to be a disservice to students in my class. Before doing this PD I only had a basic level of knowledge on dyslexia that consisted of little information. I knew that people with dyslexia sometimes had trouble reading and writing and often got confused or wrote things backwards but this was this extent of my knowledge.

Now I know several other signs that I can look for in my students and ways that I can help them with varying levels of need. One sign that I found very interesting was that children in Kindergarten with dyslexia have trouble understanding that words can be taken apart. This is really eye opening to me. Now it makes perfect sense that if a child with dyslexia can't understand how to break a big word down into little words then there is no way they can begin to sound it out and make progress towards reading the word. They also have trouble associating letters with sounds which would also make it super tough to sound out words and make steps towards reading. One thing that I am still wondering though is are there early preventative steps that we as teachers and parents can take to early diagnose this so that students don't struggle with their academics and then have their grades suffer later because we did not notice it? I will use the information I learned in my classroom by conducting well thought out and emotional read alouds and trying to provide pictures with vocabulary words. I feel that these are 2 good steps that are effective and appropriate for the age that I teach. These steps will also allow for me to see growth so I can identify if they are working or not. Or if I need to choose new steps to implement.

Elizabeth Roberts

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Flexible seating is something that I have been trying to incorporate in my classroom, but I don't feel that I have mastered it completely yet.

Something that I found interesting was how the teacher used the example of a coffee shop settings, to not only be an inspiration for flexible seating in his classroom, but also had students notice the behaviors and the etiquette of the people in the coffee shop. It is great modeling, and also gives the students ownership in their seating choices and expectations.
Something that I am still wondering about is how often throughout the day should you allow students to choose their spots in the classroom and are there any particular times that it isn't recommended to allow students to choose their space.
This information is helpful because I feel like one of the most difficult parts of implementing flexible seating is deciding what to use, introducing it to students, and setting expectations. I can't wait to use this information in my classroom to further implement flexible seating!

Stephanie Eggiman

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Being an educator, I consider dyslexia to be a topic of great interest and yet one of great mystery, all at the same time! Interesting, because in the world of education, it's a topic that has been discussed repeatedly throughout the years and I found the conversations fascinating, especially when addressing the role dyslexia plays as it relates to brain function.... in particular, learning to read. I find the topic mysterious because having read these articles, it would appear that scientists have a much better understanding of how dyslexia works with regards to the brain (fMRI information) and the effects that this disability has where learning is concerned. However, if 1 out of 5 people suffer from some form of dyslexia, why are we not hearing more about this? Why do we as regular ed teachers not have the proper training/tools needed to be successful within our own classrooms where dyslexic students are concerned? Those numbers are pretty staggering! That could mean that in a classroom of 15 students, 3 out of 15 could have a learning disability that we do not know about! While working with my emergent/struggling readers, I've often wondered if there was possibly some form of disability (dyslexia always comes to my mind first). Wouldn't it be nice to know so that we could immediately take them in the direction best suited for their individual learning needs! The good news is, it what appear that we are trending in a positive direction where reading instruction is concerned; read aloud's, shared reading, recorded books, vocabulary building word banks, phonics, phonemic awareness, reading fluency strategies....etc. These are all reading strategies that we all ready have in place. It's a win, win! According to one article, How Teachers Can Build A Word Rich Life For Dyslexics, all of these skills and strategies are very beneficial in moving the dyslexic student towards finding future success. As we know, these are all "best practices", which means that all of our students will benefit from this type of instruction! When planning my future instruction, I intend to be very mindful of all strategies being used. I will try to incoperate as many of these strategies daily as I possible can.... just in case there's a sweet face sitting out there that may benefit from more of this type of instruction than I even realize!

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Ellen Guarino
Dyslexia definitely runs in my family.  My brother, my husband, my daughter have all struggled learning to read.  I have listened to various views and opinions on this topic.  It was good to read some of the scientific studies on this topic.  I have always incorporated reading aloud to the students with lots of discussion throughout.  I plan on continuing this modeling expressive reading aloud.  I hope to incorporate more acting out and illustrating of new vocabulary as sometimes I feel I put this on the back burner for lack of time.  I liked the explanation that children with dyslexia have problems with "manipulating" words instead of "seeing" them.  I hope to be able to remember these teaching techniques and phrases as I encounter my students with difficulties in reading and writing.

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How Teachers Can Build a Word Rich Life
I've always been interested in  Dyslexia and the myths that surround it. I had a professor once  tell me that there's no such thing... It's very disheartening at the stress that kids with Dyslexia go through.  I wonder at what point do they overcome this/how long  does it take, if they are immersed with all the right things. Thinking about a student in my class now struggling  with this. He works so hard every day! I agree with the article that read alouds to students are so important. I've always liked teaching with the interactive read-aloud guide we used years ago...The vocabulary in context section was a good reminder for me. Letting the students create stories and draw pictures to show knowledge of meaning of both spelling and vocabulary is something we used to do, but I got away from doing because of time constraints. I'm now thinking of a bulletin board with drawing paper under new weekly words would be fun to have up. Students could draw their interpretations  of them and discuss them with each other. My wheels are turning!

Jennifer Thomas

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Accountable talk!  What a great way for students to become more engaged in their own work.   The word "accountable talk" is new to me, however, I refer to it more as a family meeting for student participation.  I think it is an awesome way for the students to interact with their peers.  I noticed during the videos I watched how engaged the students were about their learning as well as taking their own learning to the next step.  The next step allowed the students to think above and beyond and have deeper conversation with their peers on a daily basis in the classroom.
As a teacher, I think it is important for me to model, use anchor charts, and most importantly be prepared.  I noticed in the video how the teacher had already prepared and planned her talk before teaching the lesson.  I am excited to use accountable talk in my classroom.  I think it is an excellent way for  students to work together, help each other, learn from each  other's mistakes, and most importantly be appreciative even when there are disagreements.  I definitely look forward to using accountable talk after the winter break.   This is so exciting!  I can't wait!  :)

Ashley Smith

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Sissy Rogerson
I had never heard of accountable talk until I read these articles and watched the videos. Wow! Is it possible to direct the talk of these talkative little ones and channel all that energy into productive talk? I think the key will be explicit teaching of the procedures and using/modeling the sentence stems to teach the appropriate/respectful way to speak. The anchor charts (as in Daily 5) to refer to throughout the day will be important to have. I wonder if 6 and 7 year olds will be able to learn this new way of communicating. As I consider how to get my students back on track after the holidays, I think this will be perfect timing to introduce this.

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              Dyslexia     The article on How Teachers Can Build a Word Rich Life for Dyslexics learners confirmed that recorded books remain a great supplemental way to keep dyslexics reader supplied with rich stories. However, the article also listed the learners may have difficulty following along with the text. Having students make pictorial to match vocabulary is a great strategy to help dyslexic readers.I wonder if learners can overcome dyslexia by reading more or by being exposed to multiple reading strategies. Information shared in the article is valuable to use in all classrooms to support learners with challenges. I will make an effort to use pictorial more in my class to help students who are struggling to become readers. The article was interesting and informative for all teachers.-Karen Pyatt

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              Dyslexia     The article on How Teachers Can Build a Word Rich Life for Dyslexics learners confirmed that recorded books remain a great supplemental way to keep dyslexics reader supplied with rich stories. However, the article also listed the learners may have difficulty following along with the text. Having students make pictorial to match vocabulary is a great strategy to help dyslexic readers.I wonder if learners can overcome dyslexia by reading more or by being exposed to multiple reading strategies. Information shared in the article is valuable to use in all classrooms to support learners with challenges. I will make an effort to use pictorial more in my class to help students who are struggling to become readers. The article was interesting and informative for all teachers.-Karen Pyatt

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Beverly Thompson

Even though the practice of accountable talk is not new to me, the videos and reading material made me see it in a different light.  I think of family time, meetings, and relationships in addition to those classroom discussions. It's life!  Like the article stated, it's not too late to get started. What a difference it could make when accountable talk strategies are learned early and progress through to adulthood!
This reminds me of the implementation of Daily 5.  The teacher models and uses anchor charts and MUCH practice is needed.  Consistency and repetition are key!  Over time, it becomes natural.
I think I will need to do more preparation and modeling to help my students stay on track. Some groups tend to discuss off-topic things, and the anchor charts will be good nonverbal reminders.
I wonder if this accountable talk will result in accountable writing.  Students will pay attention to others' thoughts and cite evidence as they agree or disagree and make connections. (Many standards are included.)
Many students like to talk so when we can take that trait and involve those less talkative ones to stick to a particular topic in a respectful way, that would be great to have students take an active role in higher-order thinking and learning!
I'm looking forward to this journey in the new year!

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I'm excited to bing accountable talk to my classroom for the second semester. I have used accountable talk in my classroom not realizing it had a "name". I love the fact that through "accountable talk", students are required to focus on what their peers are saying and not just on what they want to say. I have found that when using accountable talk, all students truly are more engaged & excited about learning. I want my students to go beyond surface learning and learn how to have richer/deeper conversations with one another through their peer conversations.

I loved the video "Bringing Close Reading & Accountable Talk to Interactive Read Aloud" because it shows how much more powerful lessons can be through allowing students to participate in accountable talking during a lesson. The most interesting part was that the teacher planned out her talk moves prior to teaching. This will become my focus as I intentionally use accountable talk more with my students. So excited to use the free posters to help my students have a reference as they become even more comfortable with accountable talk moves.

Kelly McCurry

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Flexible seating is a hot topic in today’s society, streaming through schools of all levels.  After reading the Starbucks article, a new perspective came to light for me.  Why do our classrooms have to look like classrooms, why couldn’t they look like a Starbucks?  I take a lot of pride in my classroom design, but I will be the first to admit that I do not have a lot of “flexible seating” and my room is more comparable to a classroom rather than a Starbucks. The teacher in the article made simple changes, however, those changes transitioned the classroom atmosphere into a more comfortable and welcoming space.  I have said on a few occasions that I want to transition my room into a more flexible atmosphere, but where do I start.  I want to have an array of different kinds of seating, catering to the needs of my students.  I want wiggle chairs, soft chairs, large floor mats, etc.

All of the different types of seats sounds great on paper, but what about when they are in use in the classroom?  Literacy Loves Company describes a few cons seen in her room, which are what we would expect.  She noted student arguing, wandering, and extra disruptions, just to name a few.  After reading the cons, I still feel that with the right structure flexible seating will constitute a more engaging and comfortable learning environment.  Classroom environments need to evolve to meet the needs of today’s children.  Educators, today, know so much more than they did 50 years ago, so why are we still using practicing created so long ago?  Isn’t it time to change?  Flexible seating will allow students the “comfort” of home, while still engaging in learning.  I firmly believe that flexible seating is the future of our classrooms and it is time to try it!

-Linley Tadlock

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I've always been interested in a non-traditional classroom environment. I love how one teacher said she wants her classroom to be a "destination" where students want to go.   I also thought it was cool how it helps children be "self-aware" of their own bodies to determine what type of seating helps them be the best learner they can be.  I would have thought they are too young to realize what's best for their bodies but they aren't!  I found a lot of neat seating options in the videos and the 2 blogs but I'm still wondering about how to avoid lice being spread with too many pillows, carpet pieces, etc.  One blog listed seating options with websites for where you can buy and Classroom Direct has low round tables for only $134 which I think is very doable. I would like to try some low tables where the children sit on the ground as well as high tables for children to stand and write or work on the laptops.  I also know children like to sit under things and so I would like to give them that option.  Finally, I would love to have flexible shelving on wheels so the classroom can be easily transformed whether we need a wide open space or nooks and crannies to work.  I found the videos and blogs to be very interesting.
- Amy Kitowicz

Amy, your comment on lice made me laugh out loud! -Erin

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I loved how these students used math vocabulary.  It was amazing to see them show each other how they fiqured out the same problem.  I like how they said they agreed and supported each other.  This would be very effective in reviewing all the ways My Math shows them how to "Do Math." and review all the different methods. Hudgins

I loved the first video too!  There is another one that I can't find that has older kids doing this same type of thing in 2nd grade.  It's takes a lot of work to teach them how to communicate like thi but the communication part is so important--not only is being able to communicate effectively to others a "soft skill" that will serve them well later in life but it's also part of our standards (and a part of our standards that we often overlook). -Erin

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Hello all!  Click the + sign in the bottom left hand corner to post your responses to the PD.  Be sure to include all the components of the response and YOUR NAME so that you get credit. 

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-Erin Williams

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Erin Williams

Something I thought was interesting was that the teachers planned out the talk moves that they were going to teach students in advance. In the past this has come naturally during instruction but I think to really perfect this planning the talk moves (and explicitly naming them for students) in advance would really add to the quality of the discussions we have. Something I'm wondering is how I could use pictures rather than written sentence stems in kindergarten to help scaffold students in discussions.  I'm thinking about starting the "accountable talk" discussion in math.  Next year, I'll start with intention from the beginning of the year

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I find the topic of Dyslexia as well as other learning disabilities interesting.  I did not realize that 1 in 5 people have Dyslexia.  I found that in the article there was a study done with intense intervention for these students over a school year and that those students made significant gains in reading fluency and accuracy.  I agree with the article, that this intervention needs to be done in the early grades or these students will develp alternate reading systems which enables them to to read but much slower and with greater effort than their classmates.  I hope to focus my small groups to meet the needs of some of the students that could possibly be having issues with reading that could be Dyslexia.
-Sarah Rodenbek

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I thought it was interesting that the video referenced how important it is to allow time for young children to develop a plan before enaging at centers. This planning would allow for writing,drawing,as well as a management tool. Dr. Lueng does point out that it is important to intervene at times that would be most beneficial. It seems to be crucial to elevate the students level of play. However, I do think you could use this as a way to redirect as well. This type of preplanning before centers could lend itself quite easily to the process of scaffolding as well.
I could incorporate this preplanning on a daily basis. I would like to give my students more ownership over their center time. I think this could help all students reach a higher level of play because of the individual component that would be present. This would eventually lead to preplanning in other parts of our day as well. This is simple but significant !
I did enjoy this video and I am excited about trying this activity in my room.
-Ashley Maring

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I thought it was interesting that the video addressed how it is becoming increasingly difficult for young children to engage in “mature play” due to the fact that children seem to be “falling out of the flow of life.” Dr. Leung attributes this to society keeping children “busy” instead of including them in activities like grocery shopping, driving, and cooking. This shows in the classroom when students don’t know how kitchen play props work or how to pretend to go shopping. It’s interesting that we are educators in a time with unprecedented technology and how it can be beneficial in a million ways and yet harmful at the same time.
Dr. Leungs video was from a Vygotskian perspective and included a large portion attributed to how to “help” or “step in” during children’s play which is always interesting as different perspectives vary on this issue (Maria Montessori would disagree).
Overall, a good video with lots of ideas about centers. I like the idea of using yarn in the kitchen center for students to make noodles. They will love that. 😀
Ryan Yonkers

Ryan, I love that you include Montessori's perspective on play! It's so important as educators to remember that there are MANY theories on different topics and each of us needs to build our own philosophy based on both research and theory.  As a parent, I think you bring up a good point about keeping kids busy rather than really engaging them in everyday life experiences.  You went deep with this one! -Erin

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I found it interesting that students with Dyslexia are using mostly their frontal lobe to read and right side of the brain which makes it take longer to get the message. According to the article How Teachers Can Build a Word-Rich Life for Dyslexics, read alouds while the student is visualing tracking benefit students with dyslexia along with building comprehension and discussng questions. Illustrating new words and acting words out are other strategies that can help build their vocabulary. I would  like to learn more about how Dyslexics process words.

_Carolyn Baker

Carolyn, I also thought it was fascinating to learn about how the brain works as far as dyslexia is concerned!

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How Teachers Can Build a Word Rich Life For Dyslexics

I was surprised to hear on the video that 1 in 5 people are dyslexic.  I understand how it is hereditary but did it say if it favors more males or females? I also found it interesting that students with dyslexia don't always or just read letters and words backwards.  I also thought it was profound that reading aloud to children with dyslexia is the single most effective activity for building success in their reading.  I am not surprised that dyslexics struggle with written vocabulary. Having a students draw illustrations next to their words is definitely an activity that can be easily incorporated into my lessons.  An example of how I already incorporate this is during Daily 5 my students write and illustrate their vocabulary words for the week during word work.   Further, it states that students need to relate facts to larger ideas.  I would be interested in learning strategies to help students understand and remember information as it needs to be attached to a larger idea.  I have taught students  who have been diagnosed with as dyslexic and I always felt I was a failure to them. It is so important to know these strategies to further help those who struggle with dyslexia.

Jenn Allard

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Dyslexia is a reading disorder believed to be caused by genetic and environmental factors. I found it startling that 1 out of 5 people have Dyslexia. I also had no idea, like Autism, it is on a continuum or a spectrum, if you will. I am curious, since early intervention is the key to strengthening reading ability, how much early intervention is actually occurring? It was suggested to assist those with Dyslexia, information is much easier to remember when it has a context or a narrative attached. It would be very easy to do more of that with my reading groups because it would not only help those diagnosed with Dyslexia, but help all of my students with language acquisition. 

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Dyslexia is a reading disorder believed to be caused by genetic and environmental factors. I found it startling that 1 out of 5 people have Dyslexia. I also had no idea, like Autism, it is on a continuum or a spectrum, if you will. I am curious, since early intervention is the key to strengthening reading ability, how much early intervention is actually occurring? It was suggested to assist those with Dyslexia, information is much easier to remember when it has a context or a narrative attached. It would be very easy to do more of that with my reading groups because it would not only help those diagnosed with Dyslexia, but help all of my students with language acquisition. 

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-Shannon Lammonds

Shannon,
You asked great questions! I am currently on a 'deep dive' into this topic and it is fascinating! You bring up a great point that it would be so easy to incorporate strategies that benefit dyslexic learners into what we are already doing--and ALL children would benefit. -Erin