Return-Path: <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id g273XAu03102; Wed, 6 Mar 2002 22:33:10 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2002 22:33:10 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <Pine.OSF.4.44.0203062222270.319443-100000@hypatia.unh.edu> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Carolyn H Shepard <shepard@cisunix.unh.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-LD:3928] Re: Assessment of LD X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: O Content-Length: 4618 Lines: 105 Ann is right. Multisensory phonics instruction can be very helpful to adult ESL students. I have been using the Wilson Reading System in my ABE, beginning ESL and intermediate ESL classes. One of the questions I get asked most frequently by my ESL students is Why we say words the way we do. This type of instruction helps answer those questions. I embed this instruction within an EFF framework, so we are focusing on projects and activities related to their adult roles. I have been using Wilson for about 10 years and find it increasingly helpful in my ESL instructional work. Carolyn Shepard, Dept. of Ed, UNH, Durham, NH On Wed, 6 Mar 2002, Anne Murr wrote: > My comments follow yours, Susan. > > > >How can we know a person has a learning disability without the > >>expensive diagnosis by a psychologist? The legal/formal definition > >>of LD is a discrepancy of at least one standard definition between IQ > >>and functioning in reading and/or math. The LD label does not inform > >>he educator about the nature or extent of the person's learning > >>difficulties. > > > >Correct. However, it would be very helpful to us if we could know > >whether the reason this student struggles with the sounds is a > >"typical" problem people have when switching languages, or whether > >these difficulties are signs of a problem processing those soudns. > > I do not have much experience using multisensory, structured language > programs (MSLP) with ESL students. But what I have observed is this: > persons without language-based learning difficulties respond to > instruction and begin to assimilate new language information at a > moderate pace. If a person just doesn't seem to "get it", or as you > say "struggles with the sounds", he or she probably has a reading LD > because its main characteristic is not perceiving sounds in words. > (Hope I'm not just talking in circles-it's getting late ;-) > > And MSLP can be helpful to any ESL student because it directly > teaches the English phonology and in the case of the Wilson Reading > System, the structure of our language, i.e., digraphs, blends, > syllable types, suffix and prefix rules, etc. > > > > > >We can easily identify if a person has a reading LD by asking him or > >>her to tell you the sounds that go with letters. If they are not > >>able to do this, they will not be able to read or spell well. > > > > > Well, not in this case. Because reading is not her native language, > she may not know the sounds that go with the letters because she > doesn't know the language, not because of a problem with the process > of making that association. > > My response: What's wrong with teaching her the sounds that go with > the letters? Start there. Without that foundation, does English > make sense? > > >In order to "teach them" best, knowing the nature of the problems is > >important. > >I've had some fairly extensive experience using structured, > >multisensory language programs with students with LDs. It's simply > >not as simple as "teach them." > > > What difficulties do you see students have when using such language > programs? We have been using the Wilson Reading System for about 2 > 1/2 years and our students are making varying rates of progress > depending on prior knowledge, experience, other cognitive resources, > etc. However, progress is slow for most learners and most are still > at the beginning level. > > > It's especially not as simple when she's not enrolled in a class > >that teaches those sound-symbol connections; she's enrolled in a > >college writing class. Her teacher wants to give her the best chance > >of succeeding at this class given the available resources. > > College places so many demands beyond merely decoding and basic word > structure. It's wonderful that the professor is willing to work with > her. Can she use a spell-checker? Can she have someone proof-read > her work? Structuring thoughts in writing can also be very difficult > for persons with language-based learning disabilities. > > I have worked with only one college student with LD, and his language > skills were too far behind to be successful in college. But after > just 3 lessons in working with basic letter-sound correspondences for > reading and for spelling, he exclaimed, "This is productive! > Learning is fun!" Words were making sense to him for the first time > in his life. > > Anne > > > -- > Anne Murr, Coordinator > Adult Literacy Center > School of Education > Drake University > 3206 University Ave. > Des Moines, IA 50311 > anne.murr@drake.edu > Tel 515-271-3982 > Fax 515-271-4544 >
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