Summary:
In this episode of Literacy Now, we talk with Rebecca Tolson. Rebecca is the Director of the Center for Structured Literacy at the University of Akron. Previously, she was the Vice President of Literacy Initiatives at Neuhaus Education Center and an adjunct professor in the master's of dyslexia therapy program at Walsh University. Rebecca started her career as a 5th grade general education teacher, trained in the 'whole language' approach to reading instruction. She saw many students who reached 5th grade unable to read. Much as she loved teaching reading, she quickly found that she didn't have the tools in her toolbox to help her struggling students. It wasn't until a mentor at her school, Lori Josephson, encouraged her to take coursework in the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction, where she learned terminology and instructional approaches that had been absent in her undergraduate degree program, that Rebecca developed the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively teach all children to read.Join us as we hear about working with teachers who have had little to no exposure to reading science, considerations in shifting from a balanced literacy approach to a structured literacy approach, what to look for in a strong MTSS system, and thoughts on what can be done to encourage colleges of education to better prepare our future teachers in reading science and evidence-based instructional practices. Enjoy our conversation- you're in for a treat!
Resources:
The Center for Effective Reading Instruction
International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC)
Colorado DoE: Advisory List of Instructional Programming
International Dyslexia Association: Accredited University Programs
International Dyslexia Association: Fact Sheets
NCTQ: 2020 Teacher Prep Review
Mount St. Joseph University, Reading Science programs
Book:
Annual Growth for All Students, Catch Up Growth for Those Who Are Behind
Facebook Socials:
Rebecca Tolson
@RebeccaTolson
Kareem Weaver
@KareemJabbarWeaver
NCTQ
@National CouncilonTeacherQuality
University of Akron
@TheUniversityofAkron
Mount St. Joseph University
@MountStJosephUniversity
Governor Mike DeWine
@MikeDeWine
X:
@RebeccaTolson1
@KJWinEducation
@NCTQ@GovMikeDeWine
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Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website!
Our Dyslexic Children - Documentary
Parent Group Directory
ParentsForReadingJustice.org
Parents For Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.Host Brett Tingley is the President of OH-KID, a grassroots parent group dedicated to ensuring all children in Ohio learn to read. She is also an advisory board member of the International Dyslexia Association Central Ohio. She is the founder and President of Parents for Reading Justice.Please join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward and DONATE on our website!
