by Hannah MacLellan
If I had a dollar for the number of times I’ve heard a parent or guardian ask this question, I’d most definitely be rich by now!
A lot of students need an extra boost to improve their reading and spelling, and it’s not always easy to get that boost and extra bit of help when home schooling. So what’s the answer? What about a structured, phonics-based literacy intervention tool? These are used in schools and can do a great job of helping the child who is behind in their reading and spelling. There are many resources out there, some very effective for the age group they target such as Nessy, Lexia and Units of Sound. However, most of these resources require a degree of specialism – they are geared towards Specialist Teachers or Learning Assistants teaching in school and often can only be used after some amount of training. I have used different programs and resources with my students in the past, but most aren’t suitable for the parent to use at home without prior experience.
A parent can feel helpless and frustrated that their child isn’t getting the crucial support they need. So what’s the solution? Well, some of the literacy tool providers are starting to make versions of their program suitable for using at home, a resource that doesn’t need prior training or experience.
What does a parent need from a literacy intervention program to ensure it is effective for their child who is behind in their literacy?
A parent needs a tool that doesn’t require specialist knowledge and is straight-forward to get going: It can be off-putting if it takes a lot of time and effort to get a program up and running, so a parent needs something that takes them step by step through how to get a student started and working independently as smoothly and swiftly as possible.
The program should be structured and multi-sensory: Following a structured, accumulative program where exercises are using the see/ hear/ say out loud/ listen back approach is much more effective than working on random sounds in isolation.
Learning should be tailored to the individual: Before starting, the student should be placed at exactly the right level via a reading and spelling placement test, so you can very easily identify how that child is currently performing.
Repetition and over-learning are key: We know that most people don’t learn something straight-off. Imagine a story in the news – the first time you hear it on the radio you’ll get some of the details and the overall gist. The next time you may see it on TV and absorb more details and understanding. You then might talk about that story with a friend, cementing some of the facts further. By the third time you hear it, you’ll be consolidating what you know already. This is what we need from a good literacy intervention tool; lots of repetition in different ways to aid the memory.
Opportunity to work independently and at one’s own pace:
Independent learning and feeling comfortable is so important for the student and makes for a positive and effective learning experience.
It needs to have a positive effect on self-esteem: A child’s confidence can rapidly plummet (which has a knock-on effect to other subjects) when they’re experiencing literacy issues.
Last, but not least, it needs to be a flexible program in every sense: What if you have a student who reads well, but has weak spelling? There needs to be the flexibility to focus on the spelling and writing skills. Limited time? Little and often usually works best, so 25 mins a few times a week is all it takes to make a big difference.
Hannah worked as a Dyslexia & Literacy Specialist at Dyslexia Action for many years and now works with the Units of Sound development team. She has considerable experience working with and providing advice, training and support to schools, colleges, community centers and parents. Units of Sound has a home version, Literacy that fits, which is designed to get parents/guardians supporting their child at home without all the training that is involved with most intervention tools used in schools.
If I had a dollar for the number of times I’ve heard a parent or guardian ask this question, I’d most definitely be rich by now!
A lot of students need an extra boost to improve their reading and spelling, and it’s not always easy to get that boost and extra bit of help when home schooling. So what’s the answer? What about a structured, phonics-based literacy intervention tool? These are used in schools and can do a great job of helping the child who is behind in their reading and spelling. There are many resources out there, some very effective for the age group they target such as Nessy, Lexia and Units of Sound. However, most of these resources require a degree of specialism – they are geared towards Specialist Teachers or Learning Assistants teaching in school and often can only be used after some amount of training. I have used different programs and resources with my students in the past, but most aren’t suitable for the parent to use at home without prior experience.
A parent can feel helpless and frustrated that their child isn’t getting the crucial support they need. So what’s the solution? Well, some of the literacy tool providers are starting to make versions of their program suitable for using at home, a resource that doesn’t need prior training or experience.
What does a parent need from a literacy intervention program to ensure it is effective for their child who is behind in their literacy?
A parent needs a tool that doesn’t require specialist knowledge and is straight-forward to get going: It can be off-putting if it takes a lot of time and effort to get a program up and running, so a parent needs something that takes them step by step through how to get a student started and working independently as smoothly and swiftly as possible.
The program should be structured and multi-sensory: Following a structured, accumulative program where exercises are using the see/ hear/ say out loud/ listen back approach is much more effective than working on random sounds in isolation.
Learning should be tailored to the individual: Before starting, the student should be placed at exactly the right level via a reading and spelling placement test, so you can very easily identify how that child is currently performing.
Repetition and over-learning are key: We know that most people don’t learn something straight-off. Imagine a story in the news – the first time you hear it on the radio you’ll get some of the details and the overall gist. The next time you may see it on TV and absorb more details and understanding. You then might talk about that story with a friend, cementing some of the facts further. By the third time you hear it, you’ll be consolidating what you know already. This is what we need from a good literacy intervention tool; lots of repetition in different ways to aid the memory.
Opportunity to work independently and at one’s own pace:
Independent learning and feeling comfortable is so important for the student and makes for a positive and effective learning experience.
It needs to have a positive effect on self-esteem: A child’s confidence can rapidly plummet (which has a knock-on effect to other subjects) when they’re experiencing literacy issues.
Last, but not least, it needs to be a flexible program in every sense: What if you have a student who reads well, but has weak spelling? There needs to be the flexibility to focus on the spelling and writing skills. Limited time? Little and often usually works best, so 25 mins a few times a week is all it takes to make a big difference.
Hannah worked as a Dyslexia & Literacy Specialist at Dyslexia Action for many years and now works with the Units of Sound development team. She has considerable experience working with and providing advice, training and support to schools, colleges, community centers and parents. Units of Sound has a home version, Literacy that fits, which is designed to get parents/guardians supporting their child at home without all the training that is involved with most intervention tools used in schools.
