The Science of Learning

Aladdin and The Lion King are in theaters again, but don’t be fooled: things have changed a lot since the 90s. The last two decades have seen a significant change in the student population of America’s K-12 schools. Today’s classrooms are increasingly diverse in cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, between 2000 and 2015, the percentage of students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools who were White decreased from 61 to 49 percent while the percentage of students of color increased substantially, making it the first time in American history that minority students became the new majority in the student population. The percentage of English Language Learners (ELLs) and students with learning disabilities in schools have risen significantly as well. Diversity is wonderful! But when one part of a system changes, the other parts have to change too. How can educators reach every student in the class when students have varying learning styles, levels of ability, and background knowledge? A growing body of research points to differentiation—a method of instructing—as one potential solution. A study by Dr. Lynn McQuarrie et. al demonstrated positive results for the full implementation of differentiated instruction in mixed-ability classrooms over a three-year period, with students that had learning disabilities benefitting the most from differentiated support. Furthermore, Carol Tieso’s study found that differentiated instruction significantly improved student performance in mathematics, especially for gifted students. So, what exactly is differentiation then? What differentiation means Differentiation expert Carol Ann Tomlinson describes differentiated instruction as “tailoring instruction to meet individual needs.” By including a variety of teaching techniques, educators instruct a diverse group of students with different abilities in the same classroom. The goal is to make sure that all students master key concepts while striking a balance between comfortability […]

10 Ways Teachers Can Recharge Over the Summer Summer is finally here, and you know what that means! Summer is a great time to relax and get away from the stress of teaching, grading papers, and dealing with rowdy kids. From self-care routines to discovering new locations, here are 10 amazing ways teachers can unwind and de-stress over the summer. 1. Reflect For some, transitioning into summer when you have no set schedule or tasks can be challenging. During the break, it can be difficult to fill the void of teaching or constantly working. Reflecting on the past school year is a great way to slow down your teaching gears and smoothly transition into a relaxing summer. When reflecting, think of 3 issues you encountered in your classroom and ways that you can solve those problems. Identify different methods to improve your class and teaching experience. This is also the perfect time to plan lessons and make any changes to your curriculum. Once you tackle your classroom problems, take your mind off work so that you can relax and enjoy the rest of your summer, guilt-free! 2. Set goals for yourself To combat the inherent, unstructured nature of summer, set a few goals for yourself in order to have a fulfilling experience. For example, you can aim to try something new, like wood carving, eating foreign cuisine, or going paintballing with friends . You can even tap into your creative side and start a new hobby, or try activities that you never got around to doing. Make sure to pick a manageable number of activities to devote your time and energy to. It’s impossible to do everything over the summer, so don’t spread yourself too thin! 3. Develop healthy habits A break from work is a great time to make beneficial choices […]

Inspiring Your Students to Read This Summer Four ways to avoid summer learning loss and why it matters. The end of the school year is approaching, and students are looking forward to summer vacation. Educators are ready for a break, too, but are also thinking about students losing momentum—and even some skills—during the summer months. How can we encourage kids to continue to read and learn, when we know that some setbacks are statistically probable?  Sometimes referred to as summer slide, summer learning loss, or summer setback, researchers have been looking at this phenomenon for decades. The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) attributes these setbacks to long summer vacations that “break the rhythm of continuous instruction and in turn lead to forgetting what was learned in the previous academic school year.” In a 2018 interview with Education Week, Matthew Boulay, NSLA Founder and CEO, talks about these challenges. Research by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) identifies the cumulative effect of summer learning loss as one of the principal factors—along with nutrition, parental involvement, and child motivation—that are deepening the achievement gaps between students by family income. The problem becomes more pronounced for English language learners, who may lose access to English speaking adults during summer months.  Here are some ways you can help your students stay sharp over the summer, and make summer reading a fun choice: 1. ALL READING COUNTS Let students know that all forms of reading count. From short books, chapter books, fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, and magazine articles, to ebooks on mobile devices, they should read what interests them. Books on tape build language skills and encourage a love of storytelling, and struggling readers can use audio support as they follow along with a print version.   Encourage parents to read to their children, or to […]

The past several years have seen many advances in research impacting education, in fields ranging from neuroscience to sociology. Yet the reality in classrooms has not always kept pace. As we enter another year, it is crucial for educators to be aware of what is happening both in research and education policy.   1. The Reading Wars Literacy education in America has long been been divided between proponents of phonics, where children learn to read by sounding out each part of a new word and distinguishing between different phonemes, and those of the ‘whole language’ method, where children are encouraged to focus on the meanings of words and understanding them in context. Unfortunately, as professor Rachael Gabriel points out, the debate has often taken on the tone of an ideological battle, with back-and-forth pendulum swings resulting in contradictory policy and inconsistent classroom practice. Recent research may point to a way out. According to a 2018 meta-analysis of over 300 studies compiled by researchers in Australia and the UK, while explicit phonics instruction is indeed effective for establishing the foundations of literacy, learning to recognize the meaning of words in context is crucial for further development.   2. Every Student Succeeds Act The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), passed in 2015 to replace the No Child Left Behind Act, gave individual states more control in how they meet federal education standards. The law’s provisions were initially slated to take effect during the 2017-18 school year, but were delayed by the repeal of certain regulations and guidelines. With every state’s plan now approved, this will be the first year that ESSA is implemented across the country – though there are still questions about how districts will satisfy its requirement for evidence-based intervention at struggling schools. In addition, the law includes grants for […]

As educators with experience in child development, we understand the essential nature of being responsive to a child. Children who do not receive enough attention do not develop in the same way as those who receive consistent nurturing and feedback. Research has demonstrated how, at a physiological level, their brains simply wire themselves differently as they develop. This deficit in early childhood experiences often manifests itself as developmental delays across a wide spectrum of behaviors. These behavioral delays appear in parallel with delays in brain development. Imagine a child growing up in a home where sensitive, responsive caregiving is rare. Maybe mom and/or dad work more hours and are simply not available. Maybe they come home too tired to read or play or simply snuggle with the child. Or, this is an environment where sensitive, responsive nurturing is not valued very highly. While it is not the case in every situation like this, at its extreme, the parent or parents may be truly neglecting the child’s needs at this early stage. Even moderate differences in these important parent-child interactions have important longer-term consequences for development. Research has shown that in these situations a child’s brain development quickly gets derailed. Children who do not receive enough of what is known as “sensitive-response caregiving” and cognitive stimulation do not develop executive function skills as readily as their counterparts in more caring, stimulating environments. (Lengua et al., 2007; Li-Grining, 2007) In other words, children may not be encouraged to be aware of and interact with the world around them (cognitive stimulation). They also may not be encouraged to engage or develop planning, decision-making or troubleshooting skills (executive function). Executive functions, also known as “domain-general” functions, are those called upon in various types of learning opportunities; these include such functions as working memory, regulation […]

Click the image to read the original letter we received recently from a young man named Caleb.  Thank you, Caleb, for sharing your story! May you be an inspiration to others.  From 2.2 GPA to 3.5 GPA My name is Caleb, and I have passed all the levels for Fast ForWord. I'm a college senior at BYU-Idaho. I want to share my story and express my gratitude. Your diligent efforts with your software program improved my life. In July of 2017, I completed the worst semester of my academic career. I earned a 2.2 GPA and it was, by far, the worst GPA I've ever had in my life. I was discouraged, confused, and frustrated with myself. I'm an accounting major and found that junior year accounting is difficult! Probably the most frustrating thing was that I put in the time to learn the material and earn the grade I desired. I was spending 10-12 hours on campus daily, but I did the worst I've ever done. This was probably the lowest point in my life. My brother's unexpected success story In July of 2016, my mother found an academic counselor for my little brother to see, who was 16 at the time. My brother is a very smart person, but struggled with school ever since Kindergarten, specifically with reading, writing, and spelling. He was diagnosed with visual and auditory processing (lrlen Syndrome) disorders and motor problems. Immediately, the academic counselor worked with him. He started doing the Fast ForWord exercises. In eight months' time, my brother went from a 3rd grade to a 6th grade reading level. Amazing progress! Today, my brother is doing even better. He just earned his first 4.0 for the quarter!  Not only did he improve academically, but he has more confidence in himself and his social skills have improved. My turn […]

Have you ever gotten frustrated or impatient with a child who doesn’t appear to be paying attention? When a child is restless or inattentive at home or in the classroom, it can be hard to maintain your own focus on how best to help them. Understanding Attention Spans First things first: What is a normal attention span for kids?  That depends what it is you’re expecting them to pay attention to. There are a number of tests and diagnostic tools to help us understand attention spans, but they measure different things.  Read the rest of the article here.   READ FULL ARTICLE

The excitement is building around Fast ForWord Foundations I, the flagship of the new Fast ForWord. We have received great feedback from early reviewers, so we just have to share the buzz. Here is a top ten list with some big wins for students, for educators, and for the whole Fast ForWord family. Students are going to love... 1. Streaks: Rushing to earn points can lead to mistakes that set you back. In contrast, earning high streaks requires staying focused and avoiding mistakes – which is how you make progress in the Fast ForWord exercises. How many can you get correct in a row? 2. Autoplay: Now you can zip through a series of three or more trials with one click of the Go button. If you get them all correct, you earn bonus points and bump up your next Autoplay series. Autoplay and the Streak signs work together to reinforce the importance of consecutive correct trials. 3. Replay:   Classrooms can be noisy places. If you didn’t hear a word or sound, you no longer need to guess. Click the Replay button and be sure of your answer.  4. Progress indicators: The Progress Meter has been supercharged! Combined with the new Feeder Meter, Completion Sign, and 10% celebration animations, it gives immediate feedback about each step you make forward, and you can readily see exactly how far you have come.  5. Increased adaptivity:   Okay, they might not call it that… but students will love being able to fast-track through material that is easy for them, and quickly reach material that provides the right level of challenge. Educators are going to love... 6. Enhanced introductory sequences:   We have figured out where many students get stuck and provided more complete and differentiated instruction to help them make a strong […]