'Emotionally Sound' Seems So Satisfying, Doesn't It?

3 Tips to Engage in Emotionally Sound Learning

Emotionally sound seems satisfying to our both educators and students. As educators, we make every effort to teach each child with respect and care as we build skills and confidence! We affirm strengths and encourage growth. How do students who find reading and writing challenging feel in school? They may feel more vulnerable when learning, as they may have some emotional baggage. Or perhaps they have fewer tools/ strategies than their avid reading and writing peers? Learning might feel frustrating or overwhelming, as much of school is rooted in reading and writing. How can we best support these students? The principles of Orton Gillingham unlock some insights.

Engage in emotionally sound ways! EMPOWER readers and writers by building foundational literacy skills! As the great Anita Archer says, “There is no comprehension strategy powerful enough to compensate for the fact that you can’t read the words.”

1. Provide explicit and direct instruction in foundational literacy skills

Don’t leave your students guessing. Provide direct and explicit instruction in the 5 essential components of literacy, so students develop the skills to read and spell. Guessing in the reading process builds vulnerability and diminishes confidence. Empower your students by explicitly teaching them the code and allowing them time to practice to mastery.

2. Meet your students where they are

Let the student feel success. For a student who finds reading hard, this success will be empowering. Learning the code and applying it in a text where the code works (temporarily using decodable text) builds accuracy and automaticity. Accuracy and automaticity lead to comprehension, building knowledge, and a sense of accomplishment! The goal of reading is to make meaning and enjoy reading. Let’s get them there.

3. Go as slowly as necessary, but as quickly as possible

Match our students’ learning and pace. Going as slowly as necessary means avoiding confusion by not progressing onto new reading skills too quickly. Allowing plenty of time for practice, while striving for mastery, is essential. There are SO many fun ways to offer practice. We need to keep our students engaged and moving onto more challenging concepts. Thus, we also teach as quickly as possible, adding a new concept as soon as the student can handle it. Students build confidence and are filled with pride as they conquer new challenges!

Look for an upcoming parent post about starting off the new year on the right foot!