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Showing posts by Norene Wiesen Show all posts >
Seldon’s Story: Testing Out of Special Education
- January 19, 2012 by Norene Wiesen
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This post is the eighth in a series aimed at sharing the success stories, both personal and professional, that Scientific Learning employees witness every day.
“I think one of the reasons that this job has been so different from my other jobs as a classroom teacher or working in print has been my journey as I have grown to understand the Scientific Learning programs and how effective they are.
The one student that I can call to mind very vividly is Danielle. She was a 3rd grader and she had just recently qualified for special services. Her district was having her use the [Fast ForWord] program over the summer.
I had the chance to visit her and her district representative as she was going through the programs. She was having some real attentional problems and was also having difficulties in reading. She was really excited about going through the program and by the end of the summer she had really grown so much that when she went back to school in the fall, she actually tested out of her special education label.
I was invited to attend the [Admission, Review, and Dismissal] Meeting and it was amazing to see her teachers look at the data and say ‘Wow - this happened over the summer!’ They were really in awe and, at first, disbelief. They then realized she was able to focus, pay attention and be successful at the tasks she had to do at school. She was able to be much more independent and be successful on her own.”
Related Reading:
Corey’s Story: My Son No Longer Needs Intervention After Using Fast ForWord
Sara’s Story: From 6 Months Behind in Reading to the Accelerated Reading Class
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Fast ForWord, Reading & Learning, Special Education
Poverty in American Schools: What Educators Can Do
- January 17, 2012 by Norene Wiesen
Many children from poverty arrive in schools with a host disadvantages, including low self-esteem, unstable relationships, and brain differences. But with support, encouragement and the right interventions, every child can maximize their ability to learn and succeed.
Learn more about "teaching with poverty in mind" in our on-demand webinar by Eric Jensen, full of actionable ideas for getting the most from learning time with students, building learning capacity, accelerating the learning process, and getting better buy-in from educators and students.
Related Reading:
Changing the Culture of Poverty by Doing Whatever It Takes
Building a Foundation for School Readiness for Low Income Children
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Brain Fitness, Education Trends, Reading & Learning
Six Reader-Selected Posts in Honor of Our 2nd Blogaversary
- January 5, 2012 by Norene Wiesen
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been two years since Dr. Bill Jenkins, Dr. Martha Burns, Sherrelle Walker, and a host of staff bloggers launched the Science of Learning blog. In those two years we’ve learned a lot and had a ton of fun while creating posts we hoped you would find valuable.
In honor of the occasion, we’d like to share some of our readers’ favorite blog posts to date. Here are just a few of the posts that readers have told us they’ve liked best:
Kathy recommends: How Learning to Read Improves Brain Function
“As an adult literacy tutor, I was fascinated to read Stanislaus Dehaene's research showing that students who don't learn to read may experience severe difficulties with other forms of instruction as a result. This underscores the critical importance of funding such programs as Second Start Adult Literacy in Oakland, a city with a high level of adult illiteracy. And, fact-based research like this gives us a more powerful defense than emotion-based anecdotes, as we fight to protect city and state literacy funding. Thank you, Scientific Learning!”
Jennifer recommends two posts:
The Question Formulation Technique: 6 Steps to Help Students Ask Better Questions
“In a learning environment that tends increasingly towards 'teaching to the test,' our nation’s students are losing the skills crucial to a lifetime of knowledge acquisition. Without good questions we cannot find good answers, good solutions, or grow good thinkers. This article outlines a tested method for teaching children how to go about formulating a complex and well thought out question.”
School Gardens: Sowing the Seeds of Experiential Learning
“School gardens are an invaluable interdisciplinary learning tool that gets students out of the classroom and allows them to use classroom knowledge in a real world scenario. A school garden acts as a place to learn, test out theories, and acquire life skills, as well as providing a space of beauty and an object of school pride. In my time as a garden educator, I found the bounty of opportunity to teach in the garden near limitless, and believe that all children should have the opportunity to see what they can discover in the garden.”
Teresa recommends two posts:
The Magical Combination of Love and Limits: Tips for Teaching Positive Behavior and Kindergarten Math Readiness and the Cardinal Principle
“All of the blogs have good information for parents, educators and caregivers, but the one I like the most is the one about love and limits. I think this post is applicable to all children. The math readiness post is a close second, as I did not know about the "cardinal principle." If more parents knew about the information in the love and limits article, we would have happier and more well-adjusted children.”
Linda recommends: Bringing Learning to Life in the Classroom: Technology for 21st Century Schools
“I've got my backpack ready to take a 3-D field trip in learning! This mode of education sounds incredibly exciting for students. The sky will be the limit for learners who become engaged in this technology. Thank you Scientific Learning from a retired Maine Elementary School Counselor!”
Thanks so much for your readership and feedback. We are already hard at work on more high quality posts for the new year, and are looking forward to sharing them with you.
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Brain Fitness, Brain Research, Family Focus, Reading & Learning
Happy New Year 2012 from Scientific Learning
- December 29, 2011 by Norene Wiesen
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Categories: Reading & Learning
School Gardens: Sowing the Seeds of Experiential Learning
- December 15, 2011 by Norene Wiesen
Many children’s songs and rhymes reference gardens and the vegetable world, but when I was a student we stayed indoors singing rather than experiencing that world firsthand. But in the last two decades, schools have introduced gardening into the curriculum as a way for students to learn lessons only nature can provide. Allowing students to research, design, and build a garden gives a teacher an opportunity to demonstrate the practical application of classroom subjects in a real world scenario.
Activities such as composting, selecting appropriate plants for a climate zone, and profiling soils are directly related to science and ecology. Building trellises, measuring wood for fences, and solving garden equations such as “If a row is 10 feet long and we plant our corn 12 inches apart how many corn stalks can we grow in one row?” all contribute towards mathematical problem solving. Having students keep a handwritten and illustrated journal is a great way for them to develop handwriting and written communication skills, and to scientifically observe and chronicle the seed-to-plant life cycle. The opportunities for learning go on and on, from collecting bugs and insects in a terrarium and observing their habitat and behavior, to researching the nutritional composition of vegetables grown, to learning safe kitchen procedures and following a recipe in preparation for cooking the harvest later in the school year.
When I was a child I detested most vegetables, even ones I had yet to taste! Because students are often willing to taste vegetables they have helped to grow, school gardens can improve a child’s eating habits, giving them nutrient rich foods that may be lacking in their diet. It’s also fun for children to participate in the preparation of meals, adding a sense of accomplishment in seeing their harvest from seed to plate. Students can opt to sell their vegetables and flowers to raise money for their school or a class field trip to a local garden. Introducing a business plan and how to handle money is a great hands-on math assignment that can be rewarding for students.
Just as important as the practical, hands-on skills that the garden teaches, are the aspects of self-regulation required to bring plants to maturity. A student who wishes to eat a carrot must leave the carrot in the ground until it is grown rather than pulling it up as soon as it sprouts. This lesson is quickly learned, as is the lesson that the carrot plant must receive proper care and nurturing in the form of sun and water and protection from frost and pests so it can fully develop. For many students, a garden provides a rare opportunity to experience first hand the importance of patience and nurturance as life skills. There are no short cuts, and pulling a big orange carrot out of the ground is an irrefutable reward for a job well done.
School gardens provide a highly practical and direct form of education, where children can see the results of their decisions and actions. Learning how to grow good food not only gives students a chance to apply classroom learning in a practical setting, but can also improve health, provide a livelihood, and increase self-sufficiency.
So find out how you can get involved in your school’s garden, or start to build one with your students. What a difference it can make.
Related Reading:
Modeling Healthy Choices: Three Habits for Optimal Brain Health
Individualizing Instruction Through Understanding Different Types of Learners
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Education Trends, Reading & Learning
Corey’s Story: My Son No Longer Needs Intervention After Using Fast ForWord
- December 8, 2011 by Norene Wiesen
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This post is the seventh in a series aimed at sharing the success stories, both personal and professional, that Scientific Learning employees witness every day.
“My son personally was identified in kindergarten as a struggling learner. He is a July baby and he started kindergarten at a very young age five. Right away, red flags were going up for the teacher. Emotionally, academically, developmentally, we realized that he might not have been ready to acquire the skills that were being taught in the kindergarten classroom.
We worked really hard over the summer to put Zack through [Fast ForWord] Language Basics and [Fast ForWord] Reading Prep*. These products are really appropriate for a kindergarten-aged learner.
When he returned to school in the fall and he was re-assessed for intervention, the teacher made a comment: ‘I don’t know what you’ve done with Zack over the summer, but his scores are now above where he needs to be and we no longer will need to provide him with any intervention support. We are just going to continue to monitor him and watch and make sure he continues to grow along the right pathway.’
It brought tears to my eyes knowing that we continued to do the right things and the only one variable that changed was using Fast ForWord with him. It built his confidence and built his self-esteem.”
*Note: Fast ForWord® Language Basics and Reading Prep are no longer available. Current Fast ForWord products for kindergarten-aged learners include Fast ForWord Language and Reading Readiness.
Related Reading:
Sara’s Story: From 6 Months Behind In Reading to the Accelerated Reading Class
Joel’s Story: My Nephew’s Reading Skills Improved 1.5 Years in 3 Months with Fast ForWord
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Family Focus, Fast ForWord, Reading & Learning
Sara’s Story: From 6 Months Behind In Reading to the Accelerated Reading Class
- November 17, 2011 by Norene Wiesen
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This post is the sixth in a series aimed at sharing the success stories, both personal and professional, that Scientific Learning employees witness every day.
Sara’s story:
"I was a Fast ForWord coach before I came to work for Scientific Learning and I absolutely loved the program, which is one of the reasons that I came to work here.
I have one story about a young man who was in first grade and was struggling a little bit with reading. He was about sixth months behind by the time he got through first grade and his mom recognized that immediately. She had always read to him, but there was just something he was missing and she couldn’t figure it out.
She came and talked to me one day and asked about the Fast ForWord program. We had just started working with the kids at school and I said, 'Put him in. We’ll see how he does.' He finished Fast ForWord Language and when back to the regular classroom, within two months he tested again with a reading test in his classroom and he was up to grade level, which was excellent. We were so excited and he was excited because school was easier.
The next year when he came back, he was a second grader. His mom said, 'I want him to do Fast ForWord again because I want him to stay with the rest of the class or even go a little bit above it.' He worked really hard, got through another two programs, finished for that year and the next year when he came back in for third grade, he tested into the gifted class.
Now this young man is a fifth grader and he’s been in the accelerated reading class ever since."
Related Reading:
Joel’s Story: My Nephew’s Reading Skills Improved 1½ Years in 3 Months with Fast ForWord
My Son Announced He Was Dropping Out of High School: Mary’s Story
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Brain Fitness, Family Focus, Fast ForWord, Reading & Learning
Joel’s Story: My Nephew’s Reading Skills Improved 1½ Years in 3 Months with Fast ForWord
- October 27, 2011 by Norene Wiesen
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This post is the fifth in a series aimed at sharing the success stories, both personal and professional, that Scientific Learning employees witness every day.
Joel’s Story:
“The story is about my nephew. He has moved around a bit because his father is in the military. He has had a little bit of a break up in his school experience and his first several years of school.
They could never quite pin down what wasn’t working for him, but he just wasn’t maximizing his potential. His mother knew that and my sister knew that but they couldn’t ever get him long enough in one place to ever nail down what was going on.
Finally they got a test done in the 4th grade that showed he was two years below reading level. He could read pretty well but he had a hard time comprehending what he was reading and understanding what it meant. We also uncovered that sometimes he struggled with unfamiliar words so we suspected that there might be some decoding issues as well. I said to put him on [Fast ForWord] Language v2. He ran through Language v2. His initial RPI scores indicated that he was two years below grade level and he was struggling with decoding and reading comprehension.
He finished Language v2 in just over 3 months and his RPI—Reading Progress Indicator—scores went up one and a half years. He finished his way through [Fast ForWord] Language to Reading v2 and he now is reading on grade level.
He is in a small, small school district in the Midwest and may not be there long because of the nature of his father’s job. Both his father and mother were amazed by the results of the Fast ForWord programs.”
Related Reading:
Building Fluent Readers: How Oral Reading Practice Helps Reading Comprehension
The Essential Nature of Developing Oral Reading Fluency
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Family Focus, Fast ForWord, Reading & Learning
Fast ForWord® Language Series Has Greatest Impact of Any Intervention Listed by NCRTI
- September 22, 2011 by Norene Wiesen
Educators and families who are looking for appropriate learning interventions for students often turn to The Instructional Intervention Tools Chart from the National Center on Response to Intervention (NCRTI). Now, the Fast ForWord® Language series has been added to the chart, with the NCRTI evaluations of research on the series supporting the claim that the products have high-quality studies, demonstrating their effectiveness when used for Response to Intervention (RtI).
The effectiveness of the Fast ForWord Language series is evident from the “effect size” found by the NCRTI. Effect size is a statistical way to measure the magnitude of the effect of an intervention. Of the three studies on the Fast ForWord Language series that have been evaluated by the NCRTI, one showed a medium effect size and the other two showed a large effect size. In fact, two of the three Scientific Learning studies were ranked as having the highest scores in effect size, showing that the Fast ForWord Language Series had the greatest impact and the largest positive effect of any intervention listed by the NCRTI. These evaluations of research on the Fast ForWord Language series validate the quality of the studies behind the products, demonstrating their effectiveness when used for RtI.
The impact identified in the NCRTI evaluations holds up in real-world implementations, as well. For example, one district used the Fast ForWord program as its only intervention for kindergarteners during the 2009-2010 school year, to see what kind of difference the program could make when used as the sole intervention for participating students. Westerly Public Schools in southern Rhode Island identified kindergarten students who scored at the deficient or very deficient levels in letter sound fluency and letter naming fluency on the AIMSweb benchmark, and placed these students into the Fast ForWord program, with no other interventions.
After using the Fast ForWord program, test scores for the participating students rose substantially, and many were able to move off of the personal literacy plans they had been placed on as struggling elementary students. Because only the Fast ForWord program was used, the district was able to determine that these effects were due to the students’ participation in the program. And because the students didn’t need as many interventions, the district also saved money.
The NCRTI is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The center partners with researchers from Vanderbilt University and the University of Kansas to build the capacity of states to assist districts in implementing proven models for RTI.
Visit http://rti4success.org/instructionTools to see Scientific Learning’s listings on the NCRTI’s “Instructional Intervention Tools Chart.”
Watch the video on “effect size” and the NCRTI evaluation of the Fast ForWord Language series products.
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Related Reading:
Results from a “Gold Standard Study” Show Significant Student Gains in Language and Literacy Skills
Intensive Intervention Tier 3: What Leads to the Need?
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Categories: Fast ForWord, Reading & Learning, Scientific Learning Research
My Son Announced He Was Dropping Out of High School: Mary’s Story
- September 15, 2011 by Norene Wiesen
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This post is the fourth in a series aimed at sharing the success stories, both personal and professional, that Scientific Learning employees witness every day.
Mary’s Story:
I was hired at Scientific Learning in 2007 to educate people about the products as an Account Manager in the Midwest. At the same time that I got the phone call to find out if I had interest in talking to Scientific Learning, our ninth grade son announced to us that he was not going to high school and he was going to drop out. It took my breath away. Both his father and I have been educators for many years and we both hold advanced degrees.
I said, “Todd, you have to go to high school,” and he said, “But I don’t want to go.” I said, “But you have to,” and he asked, “Well, what would happen if I didn’t go?” I said, “It’s the law, Todd.” Then he said, “I can’t read. I can’t keep up with it. You guys have done everything for me that is possible but I can’t read. I can’t read at grade level.”
I called my son’s teacher (we convinced him to go to school) and I said, “Here’s the carrot. My son doesn’t have to do any homework until he finishes this product. This is his homework at night.” And every night he came home and did Fast ForWord.
And what he did is committed to doing 90 minutes a day and he was done is less than 4 weeks, and he did the post test and when I looked up the score my son had gone from seventh grade, one month reading level to tenth grade, two months reading level. He was a year above grade level and for the very first time in his life he said, “I love to read.”
All I can say is thank you to all the scientists that did all the work to bring this product to not only my son but to the parents and kids out there in America who need it so desperately.
Related Reading:
Language Skills Increase 1.8 Years After 30 Days Using Fast ForWord
Implementation Fidelity: Maximizing Your Fast ForWord® or Reading Assistant™ Investment
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Categories: Brain Fitness, Family Focus, Fast ForWord, Reading & Learning
