Breaking Barriers: Advancing Literacy Through Equity and Action

WEBVTT
00:00:00.180 --> 00:00:04.536
Welcome to EdView 360.
00:00:05.560 --> 00:00:12.814
We are creating, hopefully, citizens of the world that will be able to apply what they've learned.
00:00:12.814 --> 00:00:23.467
They will be meaningful participants in society, but society has to be welcoming of them, just like we expect the K-12 system to adjust and adapt.
00:00:23.467 --> 00:00:26.814
And so I really believe that this is only the beginning.
00:00:26.814 --> 00:00:31.949
We are going to do great things from here, and I'm excited to see it.
00:00:31.949 --> 00:00:33.313
To envision it, I can.
00:00:33.313 --> 00:00:41.613
If I could paint, I could, I can draw it out, but I am excited to be a part of what is to come next.
00:00:43.720 --> 00:00:51.249
You just heard from literacy expert and advocate DeJunne' Clark Jackson, president of the Center for Literacy and Learning.
00:00:51.249 --> 00:00:57.878
Ms Jackson is our guest today on EdView 360.
00:00:59.024 --> 00:01:00.798
Hello, this is Pam Austin.
00:01:00.798 --> 00:01:03.869
Welcome back to the EdView 360 podcast series.
00:01:03.869 --> 00:01:08.531
We are so excited to have you with us today for our February Literacy Conversation.
00:01:08.531 --> 00:01:12.871
I'm conducting today's podcast from my native New Orleans, louisiana.
00:01:12.871 --> 00:01:20.614
Today we are excited to welcome a respected literacy expert and science of reading advocate, dijanae Clark-Jackson.
00:01:20.614 --> 00:01:25.751
I'm thrilled to know and work with Dijanae, another native Louisianian.
00:01:26.391 --> 00:01:37.290
Dijanae is the president of the Center for Literacy and Learning and she is a certified academic language therapist and nationally credentialed AET educational therapist.
00:01:37.290 --> 00:01:50.254
She is a dedicated, respected leader with more than a decade of experience supporting children and adolescents across various stages of their academic journeys, from early childhood development to college readiness.
00:01:50.254 --> 00:01:56.141
Clark Jackson has worked tirelessly to help students achieve success in their educational pursuits.
00:01:56.141 --> 00:02:10.513
Dijoné is the founder of Learning Fundamentals, educational Therapy and Consulting, serves as president of the Reading League Louisiana and is state leader of Decoding Dyslexia Louisiana.
00:02:10.513 --> 00:02:24.990
She actively contributes to state-level initiatives such as the Louisiana Department of Education's Dyslexia Bulletin Workgroup, louisiana Literacy Advisory Commission and Special Education Advisory Panel.
00:02:24.990 --> 00:02:30.769
She is also the co-author of the Speech-Language Pathologist's Guide to Dyslexia.
00:02:30.769 --> 00:02:32.675
Welcome, dijanae.
00:02:32.675 --> 00:02:37.771
Let's talk about breaking barriers and advancing literacy through equity in action.
00:02:38.073 --> 00:02:39.397
Thanks for having me, Pam.
00:02:39.397 --> 00:02:40.942
I appreciate this conversation.
00:02:41.602 --> 00:02:44.306
It is going to be marvelous having this conversation with you.
00:02:44.306 --> 00:02:50.213
I'm sure our listeners want to pick your brain and just learn so much from your experiences.
00:02:50.213 --> 00:03:01.605
You know, let's start off by having you share just a bit about your journey and what led you to become a literacy advocate and leader at the Center for Literacy and Learning.
00:03:02.427 --> 00:03:06.841
Well, I don't know where to start with answering this Gosh.
00:03:06.841 --> 00:03:09.950
I often describe it like a cat with nine lives.
00:03:09.950 --> 00:03:20.765
I've worn so many hats over the years and lived so many professional lives that really have just prepared me for this moment where I am right now.
00:03:20.765 --> 00:03:40.953
I began, actually began my work in higher education first, so I was the disability coordinator and facilitator for students who were incoming freshmen to help with their disability transition into college, and that was such a rewarding and, as you can imagine, frustrating process.
00:03:40.953 --> 00:03:57.633
But I left higher ed to run a child advocacy center where I was working with our local district attorney's office and police departments to support children of abuse and their families, and so that was a life that was completely different from the one that I'd left.
00:03:58.320 --> 00:04:07.161
And from there, though, I jumped headfirst into K-12 education, teaching pre-K through third grade students, like getting with those littles.
00:04:07.161 --> 00:04:17.350
I was a school counselor, a student service coordinator, literacy interventionist, and that's when I pursued my certification in dyslexia.
00:04:17.350 --> 00:04:23.386
But what I can say is that my journey wasn't just my journey alone.
00:04:23.386 --> 00:04:28.161
It was actually my child's journey, and through his education it's really.
00:04:28.161 --> 00:05:00.702
That was the catalyst to where I am today Just a staunch advocate and believer in like the perceived impossible, and so I'm very grateful for this journey and all of those hats that I've worn, all those lives that I've led, that's led me to lead the center as the president and with an amazing team of other passionate educators and all other adjacent opportunities that it's afforded me, and so this is an amazing community to be a part of.
00:05:01.543 --> 00:05:03.389
Wow, it has been a journey.
00:05:03.389 --> 00:05:21.240
Just listening to you speak about the myriad of roles and experiences that you've had, I say that definitely gives you an understanding of the vast ways that we can support, not only in that K-12 environment where you are, but across the board.
00:05:21.240 --> 00:05:25.048
What does the center focus on as its goals?
00:05:25.048 --> 00:05:28.281
Give us a brief overview of your purpose at the center.
00:05:28.882 --> 00:05:29.202
Yeah.
00:05:29.202 --> 00:05:40.384
So our purpose at the center is to create lifelong learners and to have our educators make a huge impact.
00:05:40.384 --> 00:05:43.069
So the center was founded in 1992.
00:05:43.069 --> 00:05:45.735
So we just celebrated 32 years.
00:05:46.516 --> 00:05:57.086
And we are an education nonprofit whose mission is to advance literacy and learning through evidence-based practices in the classroom, home and community.
00:05:57.086 --> 00:06:04.129
And those three buckets are so important for us because not one silo can do this alone.
00:06:04.129 --> 00:06:16.144
And we often say it's not just the responsibility of the teachers, it's not just the responsibility of families, it's not just right, it takes this village, it's this village mindset.
00:06:16.144 --> 00:06:48.475
And so the center helps to work toward closing this achievement gap by providing educators with professional learning that is specifically designed to empower them to recognize, to assess, to respond to the multiple needs of all of our learners, to build on the science of reading.
00:06:48.475 --> 00:06:50.826
That has resulted in positive forward movement change for schools and communities.
00:06:50.826 --> 00:06:57.649
It's not just about the impact in that school building on that student, on that family, but what does that mean for the community at large?
00:06:58.180 --> 00:07:12.992
And so obviously our pride and joy, the apple of our eye, is our Plain Talk about Literacy and Learning Institute that we host annually in New Orleans, and for us and many people who attend.
00:07:12.992 --> 00:07:25.134
It is the nation's premier literacy conference and it brings together literacy and learning experts and attracting education industry professionals like you, pam, into that space.
00:07:25.134 --> 00:07:36.819
And it really is and when I came on to the center I kept using this term magical, like it really is, this magical experience like none other that brings folks together.
00:07:36.819 --> 00:08:08.151
And so since then we've just finished our inaugural Plane Talk about Dyslexia Summit and so just wanting to bring that additional awareness and magic to what we call our baby plane talk, and so it's been quite a passion project since the moment that I stepped foot into this organization, and we are just really excited and really just proud to be just one part of everyone's journey through the science of reading and teaching reading.
00:08:08.740 --> 00:08:12.170
Yes, you know why this experience is magical.
00:08:12.170 --> 00:08:21.793
There's a lot of work that goes behind the magic and I know that you are working behind the scenes, along with your staff, to make it happen.
00:08:21.793 --> 00:08:25.608
When we think about those three aspects, I love it.
00:08:25.608 --> 00:08:29.110
The classroom is where we normally focus right what is the teacher doing?
00:08:29.110 --> 00:08:35.068
And the idea of empowering those teachers, because once they know and understand and learn, they will extend.
00:08:35.068 --> 00:08:37.461
And then that home in the community.
00:08:37.461 --> 00:08:46.006
It all is so important and I love the way you speak to the three being that experience that's going to make a difference.
00:08:46.006 --> 00:08:48.244
You know what I want to ask you.
00:08:48.244 --> 00:08:52.403
You gave us a lot of information about the myriad of experiences that you've had.
00:08:52.403 --> 00:08:58.900
What experiences have most influenced your approach to education and literacy?
00:08:59.662 --> 00:09:01.364
You know all of my experiences.
00:09:01.364 --> 00:09:14.070
I look at them as building blocks, right, all the things that have sort of been stacked on top of the other to curate and to create what you know, what we have today.
00:09:14.070 --> 00:09:21.073
But as I look back, I think as a teacher of littles as I mentioned pre-K-3, the babies are my heart.
00:09:21.073 --> 00:09:25.291
I don't know how those folks doing with those middle schoolers, but I will stay in my lane.
00:09:25.291 --> 00:09:38.916
But as a teacher of littles, I thought like many and my story is not unique I thought that I was prepared to support my own little in his journey.
00:09:38.916 --> 00:09:49.042
But he struggled through school and I didn't identify and I wasn't aware of the depth of knowledge that I needed to support him.
00:09:49.042 --> 00:09:58.475
And that as an educator, as a parent educator, it was frustrating, it was sad.
00:09:59.041 --> 00:10:06.621
I always say that in education we're, and as teachers we're expected to show up for our students that are before us.
00:10:06.621 --> 00:10:09.051
But oftentimes, not oftentimes.
00:10:09.051 --> 00:10:12.100
Sometimes some of us have better discipline than others.
00:10:12.100 --> 00:10:20.783
Sometimes that's at the sacrifice of those red flags that appear in your own child, right, and so there's some underlying guilt to that.
00:10:20.783 --> 00:10:52.309
And so I was just on this journey to find my why of helping him to work through that, and so I was fortunate enough to dive into those things that I didn't know and to learn all that I could learn, both formally and informally, and this led me to become this, you know, and this led me to become this, you know, connoisseur of all information related to dyslexia, ADHD and the like.
00:10:52.330 --> 00:11:00.591
I really dove in to figure out one how to help my kid but also it served a dual purpose, because I was still in education.
00:11:00.591 --> 00:11:08.000
I was still in the classroom, rather, education.
00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:53.731
I was still in the classroom, rather and so I needed to help the kids that were in front of me, who I knew that the information that I was learning would impact them as well, and so I was determined to not only support, like I said, my child, the children that were in front of me, but to support teachers, administrators, families like, and to really educate them in a way that would have direct positive impact on students, because it was a systemic issue is what I learned, and so I was really determined to sort of unpack and dismantle the system that I found to not be really supportive, in a way that it was transparent and available for us to help all kids.
00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:56.846
Oh, that is definitely a major influence there.
00:11:56.846 --> 00:12:11.030
Just thinking about your personal need to support your child led you to expand your knowledge, your growth, your professional learning and we all can learn more right, just having that opportunity to gain those experiences.
00:12:11.030 --> 00:12:15.971
It's definitely had made an impact on the community itself as a whole.
00:12:15.971 --> 00:12:17.886
Thank you so much for all that you've done.
00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:36.605
It's interesting how that journey you just repeated that journey there, dijoné Thank you so much for sharing repeat of that journey there, dijanae, thank you so much for sharing, if I can really stress because again I want to push the fact that my story is not unique in how we sort of stumble upon this.
00:12:36.605 --> 00:12:39.553
I always say in the dyslexia work that dyslexia is personal.
00:12:39.553 --> 00:12:47.432
If you speak to many parents, many educators who are parents, they came about this journey.
00:12:47.432 --> 00:12:53.825
They didn't most didn't set out to even as educators didn't set out to say I want to learn about dyslexia.
00:12:53.825 --> 00:13:01.171
It is something that impacted them personally and that was their catalyst to learn more.
00:13:01.340 --> 00:13:05.090
And so when we know more, we do more, when we know better, we do more.
00:13:05.090 --> 00:13:05.759
When we know better, we do better.
00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:26.312
And I think that everyone has benefited from our personal struggle and that we can essentially pay it forward to ensure that the next student, the next family, the next mom, dad won't experience the initial hardships perhaps that we sort of stumbled through.
00:13:26.312 --> 00:14:10.912
And so I discovered this to be true by listening to the stories of those who were in my cohort of dyslexia therapist training in my master's degree program and just to hear how everyone sort of ended up in that first day of class, whether they were a speech therapist who decided to expand their knowledge, many were parents, many were educators and many were there because it was this desire, this innate instinct to do and know more, so that they could apply it to their immediate circle and then sort of ripple effect that to everyone else around them.
00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:15.327
Definitely giving back to the community with the support that they have learned.
00:14:15.327 --> 00:14:18.173
Absolutely Excellent that pain at forward.
00:14:18.173 --> 00:14:20.572
You know those stumbling blocks become building blocks.
00:14:20.572 --> 00:14:22.240
Yes, it's amazing.
00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:28.410
So you describe challenges faced by students with dyslexia.
00:14:28.410 --> 00:14:32.479
What are some common misconceptions that are out there?
00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:41.254
Well, even in this year, there are still so many common misconceptions.
00:14:41.254 --> 00:15:02.428
Well, there are many challenges also, but I find that just when we feel like we've addressed them all and surely we, you know, we can get past those, you know sort of 101 style misconceptions or challenges there's always someone who say well, I always thought that I was told that or it was passed down to me.
00:15:02.428 --> 00:15:11.813
And so I think the biggest common misconception is that dyslexia looks the same in everyone and only affects someone's ability to read.
00:15:11.813 --> 00:15:40.072
And that was the biggest revelation, not only in my own life but in the lives of the students that I had before me, was that this array and range of how the students with dyslexia, either diagnosed or undiagnosed, were presented with, and so those challenges varied from person to person with, and so those challenges varied from person to person.
00:15:40.092 --> 00:15:49.121
Dyslexia happens on a spectrum and we know that it can be mild to severe.
00:15:49.121 --> 00:15:56.221
And these common red flags, or yellow warning flags, if you will, there are these early indicators that we can look to to say, okay, let's look a little deeper.
00:15:56.221 --> 00:16:01.426
I think about the early years, things about like rhyming or mispronouncing words.
00:16:01.426 --> 00:16:14.423
So my favorite word for mispronunciation is spaghetti, when those babies say paschetti, and it's just so cute, and then at some point it's not so cute anymore and then we have to go let's look into this.
00:16:14.423 --> 00:16:30.995
But also understanding that it affects spelling and speaking and expressing ideas, and not just reading, but the depth of reading, which is decoding the words at the root level, substituting words when reading.
00:16:30.995 --> 00:16:41.254
Oh, my goodness, those of us who work with students who see those habits that they've formed to just sort of get over it and get through it.
00:16:41.254 --> 00:16:44.659
And obviously writing is another one that affects.
00:16:44.659 --> 00:17:04.045
But dyslexia has also non-academic challenges and those are the places that we find ourselves sort of in some sticky situations, what I like to call it, those non-academic challenges that we look at as secondary consequences.
00:17:04.224 --> 00:17:09.809
That affects a person's social, emotional and behavioral functioning.
00:17:09.809 --> 00:17:15.847
That's things like anxiety and stress, avoidance or isolation.
00:17:15.847 --> 00:17:26.034
You think about the child who says my stomach hurts, I don't want to go to school, or who acts out every day at the same time in Ms So-and-so's class, you know, misbehaving.
00:17:26.034 --> 00:17:40.767
Well, they're avoiding, right, and so remembering things that if we look back at patterns of behavior, that could really get us to the point where we can figure out that there's something happening, even when I think about older kids.
00:17:40.900 --> 00:17:56.932
So, as my kid, from the time he was diagnosed in third grade to the time that he's now a junior in high school like I can't even say that without getting a lump in my throat there's this evolution of how it affected him socially.
00:17:56.932 --> 00:18:06.227
So looking at things like in conversation, saying the wrong words in his relationships with friends, maybe remembering things wrong.
00:18:06.227 --> 00:18:28.752
So those are some things that we know, that there's again this spectrum of challenges and things that we need to look for those indicators, whether early or evolving, but that we just keep look for those indicators, whether early or evolving, but that we just keep in mind that dyslexia is not cut equally and so we need to see and give leverage to those who it displays differently with.
00:18:29.273 --> 00:18:36.729
Right, and I'm sure our listeners appreciate that aspect, because we do hear about the literacy and even the communication.
00:18:36.729 --> 00:18:55.867
But the idea of dyslexia being on a spectrum different for all students and actually the non-academic areas, we know that they exist but we normally don't attend to those patterns of behavior and across the timeline of a student, as they grow from year to year to year, that makes a difference.
00:18:55.867 --> 00:18:57.291
Thank you so much for sharing that.
00:18:57.291 --> 00:19:09.973
You know we talk about empowering male teachers, giving them the information that they need to know, and we know that there's definitely a connection between the science of reading and effective dyslexia support.
00:19:09.973 --> 00:19:11.404
Can you talk a little bit about that?
00:19:12.288 --> 00:19:13.099
Absolutely so.
00:19:13.099 --> 00:19:18.272
The science of reading, as we define it with the Reading League, is a body of research.
00:19:18.272 --> 00:19:30.596
We're talking about how this research is over 40 plus years, and it helps to teach us how the brain learns to read and write and then why some students are experiencing difficulty.
00:19:30.596 --> 00:19:37.913
So they provide us with guidance on how to teach reading so that more students can learn to read proficiently.
00:19:37.913 --> 00:19:48.973
How to teach reading so that more students can learn to read proficiently right, but this is really critical for the foundation of instruction for all students, let alone students with dyslexia.
00:19:48.973 --> 00:20:06.890
But I always say that dyslexia research dates back centuries, even from where it evolved, from word blindness, in terms of what it was perceived to be, and how it's evolved to what we know to be today as dyslexia.
00:20:06.890 --> 00:20:14.015
So that science of reading is the foundation that we need to apply to students with dyslexia.
00:20:14.015 --> 00:20:23.647
Without it, it is going to be difficult to identify students who struggle with dyslexia versus those who struggle just due to lack of appropriate instruction.
00:20:24.650 --> 00:20:35.321
Now, pam, as you might be aware, louisiana has made amazing strides in the last four years toward remedying our reading shortfalls.
00:20:35.321 --> 00:20:55.888
Right At the onset, though, of this movement here in our state, when funding was abundant, I wrote a white paper explaining the need to pour into our Tier 1 instruction plan as a necessary first step to our reading revival.
00:20:55.888 --> 00:21:13.423
It was appropriately titled Falling Through the Cracks is Harder on a Solid Foundation and it spoke to the intersection of the science of reading, research and practice and dyslexia identification and intervention.
00:21:13.423 --> 00:21:31.518
Because if we don't have appropriate science of reading-based research and practice in our instruction for all, then those students with dyslexia will continue to be under-identified and mis-identified.
00:21:31.518 --> 00:21:42.039
We have to.
00:21:42.059 --> 00:22:01.002
Once we shore up that foundation, then those students who are truly struggling with dyslexia, on whatever part of the spectrum, we are then going to be better equipped and better knowledgeable to be able to support those students using interventions that are beyond what we are doing for our foundational reading instruction, and so that is so necessary.
00:22:01.002 --> 00:22:09.893
There is certainly an intersection, but it is the absolute, like we talked about earlier necessary building block to be able to reach those students with dyslexia.
00:22:09.893 --> 00:22:25.255
And it doesn't mean more of the same, because sometimes we'll hear well, if students with dyslexia need explicit instruction and science of reading calls for explicit instruction, then I'm doing what I need to do for students with dyslexia.
00:22:25.255 --> 00:22:47.630
Well, no, that is what we need to do at minimum, and then we build on that and we do above and beyond, deeper and wider, for our students with dyslexia and beyond, deeper and wider for our students with dyslexia Deeper and wider, but starting off on that field where all teachers have that knowledge to deliver those strategies.
00:22:47.690 --> 00:22:52.579
That's connected to the 40 years of research, right from the science of reading, and that is just marvelous.
00:22:52.579 --> 00:23:02.611
So, supporting all these students so that we're able to first, number one, identify those kids I just love how you laid that out so beautifully.
00:23:02.611 --> 00:23:05.528
We need to know who they are so we can give them the support.
00:23:05.528 --> 00:23:07.625
Early is better, right, dj?
00:23:07.625 --> 00:23:09.868
Absolutely the earlier the better.
00:23:09.868 --> 00:23:19.133
Okay, and I like the idea of the more of instruction being deeper to allow students those exposures.
00:23:19.133 --> 00:23:20.434
Thank you so much for that.
00:23:22.580 --> 00:23:29.446
Voyager Sopris Learning is the reading, writing and math intervention specialist With four decades of results.
00:23:29.446 --> 00:23:36.708
We provide evidence-based interventions and assessments that help educators ensure academic success for all students.
00:23:36.708 --> 00:23:39.753
Learn more at voyagersopriscom.
00:23:46.800 --> 00:23:49.365
You know when we talk about what kids will need.
00:23:49.365 --> 00:23:56.109
Can you give us some strategies for delivering this accessible instruction?
00:23:56.109 --> 00:23:57.685
What might that look like?
00:23:57.685 --> 00:24:00.740
Or delivering this accessible instruction what might that look like?
00:24:04.564 --> 00:24:08.673
How can we break down those barriers for students with these diverse learning needs?
00:24:08.673 --> 00:24:10.819
Absolutely, there are many strategies.
00:24:10.819 --> 00:24:16.772
I'm sure we can write a book on the number of strategies that we can do for delivering accessible instruction.
00:24:16.772 --> 00:24:18.160
And, you're right, it all leads to breaking down those barriers.
00:24:18.160 --> 00:24:25.646
The first sort of no-brainer, I would say, strategy is that explicit instruction.
00:24:25.646 --> 00:24:30.628
It's so necessary for our students with dyslexia.
00:24:30.628 --> 00:24:50.892
Breaking those tasks right into manageable steps, to model steps, clearly identifying the expectation and not just assuming that a skill is already gained when moving on to another skill, so really that you know guided practice and immediate feedback through that explicit instruction is necessary.
00:24:50.892 --> 00:25:07.391
Assistive technology so here's an area that is necessary, but really we have to look at the individual student to see what their specific needs are and level of AT is needed.
00:25:07.951 --> 00:25:14.752
Tools like text-to-speech, speech-to-text audiobooks Look, I am an audiobook fanatic and I don't have dyslexia.
00:25:14.752 --> 00:25:21.731
Can I get through a book in the same manner you know as hard copy that a camera audio book?
00:25:21.731 --> 00:25:32.615
Probably not, but it's a thing that we should certainly allow for students to have in schools, and even screen readers to support those students that are necessary.
00:25:32.615 --> 00:25:43.214
Incorporating apps and software for students with learning disabilities, like these are all things that we continue to combat in school systems as crutches.
00:25:43.214 --> 00:25:56.669
Right, we think about a calculator, and schools are still believing in the theory that if I give them this calculator, I give them this text speech, then they'll never learn.
00:25:56.669 --> 00:26:01.500
They'll never learn on their own, it'd just be a crutch.
00:26:01.500 --> 00:26:14.615
I think we just need to dismantle that thought, that mindset, to understand that this is a necessary tool to use to afford those students to access the information at the level of their non-identified peers.
00:26:14.615 --> 00:26:27.669
And so we just need to use our discretion when applying AT, because all students don't need the same thing, and so we just need to use our discretion when applying AT, because all students don't need the same thing, and we just don't want to throw technology at students without explicitly instructing them on how to utilize that tool either.
00:26:28.471 --> 00:26:30.859
Another thing is scaffolding their learning.
00:26:30.859 --> 00:26:50.555
Obviously, this is something that we are doing, likely in whole group instruction anyway, but again, going deeper and wider with our students with dyslexia, all of our instruction, whether students with diverse learning needs or not, should be culturally responsive in their teaching practices.
00:26:50.555 --> 00:27:03.935
So using those things that allow those students to connect their learning with their own background, how are we incorporating that and using those diverse texts and materials to reflect this wide range of perspectives.
00:27:03.935 --> 00:27:15.932
And then the other thing that I think is necessary again not an exhaustive list, but the last thing I'll say is not forgetting our parents and caregivers and the engagement that's necessary.
00:27:15.932 --> 00:27:20.888
That should definitely be incorporated as a strategy for instruction.
00:27:21.401 --> 00:27:31.386
We think about it as two separate things, but if we incorporate that into our accessible instruction, then we've extended.
00:27:31.386 --> 00:27:32.971
We know about extending the learning.
00:27:32.971 --> 00:27:41.385
We're extending that learning into our parents and caregivers and allowing them to be engaged, sharing strategies and tools with families.
00:27:41.385 --> 00:27:43.632
That supports the learning at home.
00:27:43.632 --> 00:28:06.394
You don't have to be in those homes to teach, but allow yourself to engage with families in a way that you're sharing what's happening in the classroom so that they continue that learning at home and then communicate that regularly so that students can progress and you can collaborate on what works best for them and then what works best for you in the classroom.
00:28:06.394 --> 00:28:18.948
So, again, those are just a few strategies, but I will stand on the heel and shout them from the rooftops that we just need to lean into them and we will see them work.
00:28:19.087 --> 00:28:24.914
All of your strategies honestly, just stream support for students, parents, teachers.
00:28:24.914 --> 00:28:31.826
You know it all boils down to teachers keeping a pulse on the finger of where students are and what their needs are.
00:28:31.826 --> 00:28:40.241
When you think about differentiating instruction, differentiate with that guided practice right Before moving into independent, the assistive technology.
00:28:40.241 --> 00:28:48.574
I love what you said about the idea of knowing exactly what tool, what it's used for, and teaching the kids and not just tossing it at them.
00:28:48.574 --> 00:28:54.784
Yes, it's all about accessibility, correct, right, because that's what assistive technology is.
00:28:54.784 --> 00:29:06.022
It is to assist in order to help get students to the resources that they need in order to dive into, maybe, as you said, that grade level text that they have difficulty with.
00:29:06.503 --> 00:29:14.410
You know, when you talk about making things culturally relevant, I love the idea we hear often a mirror in a window.
00:29:14.410 --> 00:29:18.807
So kids having both makes a huge impact on their learning.
00:29:18.807 --> 00:29:23.147
I learned about other cultures, I learned about myself and I see myself as well.
00:29:23.147 --> 00:29:23.949
And you know what?
00:29:23.949 --> 00:29:24.570
I love?
00:29:24.570 --> 00:29:38.971
Your idea, dijanae, of having our parents, the homeschool connection, whether it's the parents or it might be a foster parent, it might be an aunt, an uncle, a grandmother, someone involved.
00:29:38.971 --> 00:29:46.365
You know, there are always ways to help students shine and say, hey, look what I did at school and that connection is awesome.
00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:49.369
Thank you so much for sharing these tips and tools.
00:29:49.369 --> 00:29:53.740
They are so relevant but also so easy to understand and incorporate.
00:29:53.740 --> 00:30:00.884
Now, we might not do them all at one time right, but bit by bit we can make these things happen, one bite at a time.
00:30:00.884 --> 00:30:03.105
Yep, yep, that's how we eat an elephant.
00:30:03.105 --> 00:30:12.873
So, moving on, you know what evidence-based strategies you gave some specific recommendation for instructions to break down those barriers.
00:30:12.873 --> 00:30:20.182
Making some connections, are there any specific strategies that you would suggest for engaging students and their families?
00:30:20.182 --> 00:30:23.176
You know I love the idea of getting those families involved.
00:30:23.176 --> 00:30:25.462
Is there anything in particular that you would recommend?
00:30:26.144 --> 00:30:33.626
Yeah, well, those are all based on Dr Karen Mapp's work of dual capacity framework for family engagement.
00:30:33.626 --> 00:31:08.661
At the center we took that model that's general and broad, and we really apply it with a myriad of doors and windows that will allow us to really build community and a community of shared responsibility.
00:31:08.661 --> 00:31:20.855
So when we do things like build trust, we link our family engagement to learning, to learning building capacity with both the families and the educators.
00:31:20.855 --> 00:31:29.314
So sometimes we think that and we have a misconception in education that teachers should already know how to engage families.
00:31:29.314 --> 00:31:29.883
They'll probably.
00:31:29.883 --> 00:31:37.220
If anyone who's gone through teacher prep program, you can probably remember a half a course maybe about how to engage with families.
00:31:37.220 --> 00:31:48.106
And even now that's evolved in how we communicate, the avenues of communication what's appropriate and what's you know, not what's culturally relevant and culturally appropriate and what's not.
00:31:48.106 --> 00:31:57.661
And so not assuming that the parents automatically know how to support their kids Like it's your kid, right, you should know what to do with it.
00:31:58.142 --> 00:32:01.109
Half of us don't, myself included we don't know what we're doing.
00:32:01.109 --> 00:32:10.701
We need a village and so we continue to be the village for one another and not assume that it's you know, automatic.
00:32:10.701 --> 00:32:22.786
This is where that explicit communication, explicit instruction, even with our families, comes in into play, and then we create this environment where we are co-creating.
00:32:22.786 --> 00:33:02.962
It's not just here's this thing that I'm handing to you to do, it's let's figure out how we can create something together that works for both, or create the thing that works for you and I can translate it in a way that works for me, and we have this sort of open door, welcoming and respectful practice that we've created that honors you and your bank of knowledge and recognizes me and my bank of knowledge, and we can sort of be in this partnership that allows us to align our engagement efforts with our equity goals, like what is it?
00:33:03.384 --> 00:33:04.228
What's the purpose?
00:33:04.228 --> 00:33:07.068
Why do I wanna do this ongoing collaboration?
00:33:07.068 --> 00:33:12.356
And we can't just assume also that our families are readers.
00:33:12.356 --> 00:33:15.500
We have a lot of adults.
00:33:15.500 --> 00:33:37.777
If we look at our national data, we know that it's inevitable that we have some families that will struggle with reading themselves and that we have to look at those families' possible adverse and traumatic experiences with schools in their own journey and how that shows up in their ability to support their child, grandchild, family member.
00:33:37.777 --> 00:33:51.938
And so when we take all that into consideration and we humanize where we are, then we can better, you know, break down that barrier and come to the table in an equitable, you know way.
00:33:52.660 --> 00:33:54.547
Yeah, so it's not a blanket outreach.
00:33:54.547 --> 00:33:57.599
It's based on so many factors to consider.
00:33:57.599 --> 00:34:07.367
I love the idea of the collaboration for that engagement and it could be different and we have to keep these things open and also supporting teachers with this.
00:34:07.367 --> 00:34:10.889
You're right, I don't remember taking A course Season.
00:34:10.989 --> 00:34:19.342
A, I keep saying I remember half a course, but I also have to remember that I went through counseling as one of my degree programs.
00:34:19.342 --> 00:34:21.769
So I was like maybe it was in counseling that I took the hit.
00:34:22.672 --> 00:34:32.740
Most likely so educators will appreciate hearing that level of connection and how hey, you know, it's okay if I don't know, I can learn.
00:34:32.740 --> 00:34:34.342
We can learn together.
00:34:34.342 --> 00:34:37.025
This can be a collaborative effort, absolutely.
00:34:37.025 --> 00:34:38.166
I just love that idea.
00:34:38.166 --> 00:34:46.416
What keeps you motivated in your work and how do you stay passionate about advancing literacy?
00:34:47.900 --> 00:35:08.474
Outcomes, outcomes, keeps me motivated and I know that I don't know how that comes across but to see the fruits of your labor as a whole, as a community, as a movement.
00:35:08.474 --> 00:35:09.739
The fruits of your labor become ripened and not rotten.
00:35:09.739 --> 00:35:10.561
That is when it does your heart good.
00:35:10.561 --> 00:35:29.268
That is when you know you are creating a lasting impact, a legacy on those around you and beyond you they're obviously your immediate circle is where you get to see that the results and listen, the results are not immediate.
00:35:29.268 --> 00:35:33.005
You have to have patience, you have to have time.
00:35:33.005 --> 00:35:37.891
We know that we are going to see it if we believe in what it is that we do.
00:35:37.891 --> 00:35:58.592
And we've seen the success and we've seen the outcomes and we've seen the lives change and you know the believers and the non-believers.
00:35:59.492 --> 00:36:03.474
You cannot come out of this not believing.
00:36:03.474 --> 00:36:12.684
When you've seen it and you've seen the light bulbs go off and look, it's not a miracle, it doesn't happen, like I said, overnight.
00:36:12.684 --> 00:36:17.704
But also it's not always pretty Like, it's not always magical.
00:36:17.704 --> 00:36:33.985
When you see the things come to fruition, it's the continued application of this learning and when it's applied to the children and adults, those who are fortunate enough to work with adults, to see it work.
00:36:33.985 --> 00:36:36.052
That is motivation enough.
00:36:36.052 --> 00:36:40.391
That has been, for me, the fuel for my passion.
00:36:40.391 --> 00:37:00.190
Another thing that has had me passionate through my journey is the lack of knowledge of others, and so when I see that there's a gap in knowledge or a gap in understanding, that just makes me want to continue, just keep going.
00:37:00.190 --> 00:37:09.634
There's more work to be done and I want to ensure that you know each one, reach one, so that we can continue to spread this farther and wider.
00:37:10.320 --> 00:37:12.003
Oh, thank you for bringing back that word.
00:37:12.003 --> 00:37:19.231
Magical and how, when you have that success and it breeds the success and that is magical.
00:37:19.231 --> 00:37:23.096
But then you attach the fact that it can be messy.
00:37:23.096 --> 00:37:25.969
You know that magic that's happening behind the scenes.
00:37:25.969 --> 00:37:31.414
It looks like it's easy when we get that success, but there's a lot of work that goes into that?
00:37:31.599 --> 00:37:36.112
Oh, the road is often bumpy and you're walking barefoot.
00:37:39.521 --> 00:37:40.567
I absolutely love it.
00:37:40.567 --> 00:37:44.291
What trends do you foresee in the field of literacy?
00:37:44.291 --> 00:37:48.130
We talked a lot about where kids are with dyslexia.
00:37:48.130 --> 00:37:50.820
We talked about the needs of our educators.
00:37:50.820 --> 00:37:56.413
We talked about the needs of the community the parents, the students, all of it.
00:37:56.413 --> 00:38:02.190
But what do you foresee in the near future in regards to the field of literacy itself?
00:38:03.460 --> 00:38:06.530
I foresee dyslexia education being elevated.
00:38:06.530 --> 00:38:10.130
I think that is our next wave.
00:38:10.130 --> 00:38:22.443
When I think of the science of reading movement that just took place in the last five to seven years, I think about the question of what's next?
00:38:22.443 --> 00:38:27.813
Right, we've, we are building this house, we've laid this foundation.
00:38:27.813 --> 00:38:29.021
What's next?
00:38:29.021 --> 00:38:38.894
And so I think there's so many that will benefit from this foundation and that we've laid in the early grades.
00:38:39.461 --> 00:39:05.824
We are going to crank out the smartest kindergartners that there ever was in the next 10 years, and I think that is just the lift that we need to better support students with learning and attention issues, and not only in the K-12 setting, but I truly believe this will trickle into higher ed and workforce development.
00:39:05.824 --> 00:39:22.726
Wonderful, I truly see this being again an issue that we all are faced with, and just because a student graduates, it doesn't miraculously absolve them from all the challenges that they've had through this K-12 journey.
00:39:22.726 --> 00:39:31.311
And we are creating, hopefully, citizens of the world that will be able to apply what they've learned.
00:39:31.311 --> 00:39:41.925
They will be meaningful participants in society, but society has to be welcoming of them, just like we expect the K-12 system to adjust and adapt.
00:39:41.925 --> 00:39:45.273
And so I really believe that this is only in the beginning.
00:39:45.273 --> 00:39:51.490
We are going to do great things from here and I'm excited to see it, to envision it.
00:39:51.490 --> 00:40:00.094
If I could paint, I can draw it out, but I am excited to be a part of what is to come next.
00:40:00.701 --> 00:40:02.146
You're taking it to the next level.
00:40:02.146 --> 00:40:09.233
Well, I want to ask you this because I know we've got all sorts of educators who are listening for our listening audience.
00:40:09.233 --> 00:40:18.713
I want to focus on administrators in particular and teachers who are striving to improve literacy and make a difference in their schools.
00:40:18.713 --> 00:40:20.155
What advice would you give them?
00:40:20.155 --> 00:40:21.865
How do we take that first step?
00:40:21.920 --> 00:40:23.887
We talked about a lot we did.
00:40:23.887 --> 00:40:33.226
It's so complex, right, Just like learning is complex.
00:40:33.226 --> 00:40:43.777
Make a difference is to be persistent and to find strength in numbers but be okay to stand alone.
00:40:43.777 --> 00:40:48.326
And this is part of that messiness right of the journey.
00:40:48.326 --> 00:40:56.967
I mentioned earlier that I set out to sort of unpack and dismantle a system that wasn't working.
00:40:56.967 --> 00:41:00.554
Sometimes that is an absolute necessary.
00:41:00.554 --> 00:41:02.005
We've got to tear down and build up.
00:41:02.822 --> 00:41:05.039
That does not mean that all systems are broken.
00:41:05.039 --> 00:41:12.525
We have to find the systems that work and we have to work together to work within those systems that work.
00:41:12.525 --> 00:41:18.431
And administrators are the front lines of that change.
00:41:18.431 --> 00:41:33.260
And so we struggle when we have an expectation of our classroom teachers, but the knowledge of the administrators isn't there to really support those teachers in the way they need to be supported.
00:41:33.260 --> 00:41:43.244
So if teachers feel like they need more education, more knowledge building, then be persistent in pursuing that.
00:41:43.244 --> 00:41:53.230
If administrators feel like they need to know more in order to support their teachers, be persistent.
00:41:53.230 --> 00:41:57.333
Just aren't getting it, in spite of applying all the things that we've learned.
00:41:57.333 --> 00:42:01.394
That's the asterisk there is that we apply things that we know that work.
00:42:01.394 --> 00:42:19.313
Then be persistent, because we're probably on the cusp of that student's light bulb moment, and so that's so important and it is a challenge every day and schools, school systems, school communities just really have to work together through their persistence.
00:42:19.900 --> 00:42:22.260
Yes, I love that word persistence Seeking.
00:42:22.260 --> 00:42:28.213
You will find, and there's so much out there as support for both administrators and teachers.
00:42:28.213 --> 00:42:32.731
I love, I love getting that information for that light bulb moment for students.
00:42:32.731 --> 00:42:40.420
And that can be different depending on the student and what those needs are, and that can be different depending on the student and what those needs are.
00:42:40.420 --> 00:42:45.920
Is there anything?
00:42:45.940 --> 00:42:50.847
else that you'd like to share with our listeners about the importance of literacy and equitable education.
00:42:50.847 --> 00:42:55.853
I would like to share this one thought that I think often goes unsaid, but maybe thought of.
00:42:55.853 --> 00:42:58.936
But often unsaid is thank you.
00:42:58.936 --> 00:43:11.088
Thank you to those teachers, administrators, school communities, families for the knowledge that you're gaining, for the work that you're doing, for the lives that you're elevating.
00:43:11.088 --> 00:43:11.811
Thank you.
00:43:11.811 --> 00:43:14.748
It is not for the faint of heart.
00:43:14.748 --> 00:43:40.452
We are in this journey because we know the outcomes that we are destined to see and we want to shape lives of those around us, and so I think it's important for us to lead with open hearts, open minds, and that's how we get to equity, and that we conclude with gratefulness, and so we are grateful for those who are doing the work.
00:43:41.019 --> 00:43:45.010
We have to have that gratitude for all of those out there working hard with our students.
00:43:45.010 --> 00:43:50.751
Thanks for joining us, Dijanae, and sharing your unique expertise with our audience.
00:43:50.751 --> 00:43:53.027
It has been a pleasure to speak with you.
00:43:53.027 --> 00:43:58.532
Where can our audience learn more about your work in the Center for Literacy and Learning?
00:43:58.900 --> 00:44:00.907
Thank you for having me today, Pam.
00:44:00.907 --> 00:44:02.547
It was an amazing chat.
00:44:02.547 --> 00:44:05.048
I didn't get on too much of a soapbox, thank goodness.
00:44:05.048 --> 00:44:23.489
But you and anyone can find more about our work at the Center for Literacy and Learning on our website at mycllorg and certainly visit us during our Plain Talk about Literacy and Learning Institute or our Plain Talk about Dyslexia Summit.
00:44:23.489 --> 00:44:27.411
We are always welcome to welcome folks to Louisiana.
00:44:27.411 --> 00:44:29.829
We eat really well here, so come on down.
00:44:30.661 --> 00:44:31.465
Yes, we do.
00:44:31.465 --> 00:44:37.333
This is Pam Austin, bringing the best thought leaders in education directly to you.
00:44:37.333 --> 00:44:42.313
Please join us next month for another great EdVue 360 podcast.
00:44:42.313 --> 00:44:47.972
Our podcast guests for March are Dr Louisa Motz and Dr Reed Lyon.
00:44:47.972 --> 00:44:49.827
You won't want to miss it.
00:44:51.641 --> 00:44:54.510
This has been an EdVue 360 podcast.
00:44:54.510 --> 00:45:03.586
For additional thought-provoking discussions, sign up for our blog, webinar and podcast series at voyagersopriscom.
00:45:03.586 --> 00:45:05.731
Slash edview360.
00:45:05.731 --> 00:45:14.324
If you enjoyed the show, we'd love a five-star review wherever you listen to podcasts and to help other people like you find our show.
00:45:14.324 --> 00:45:15.248
Thank you.