It’s not easy getting students to see the value, or fun in sitting down to do some work on reading and spelling when the sun’s out and other kids are playing outside. It’s important to take a break from study for sure, but 10 weeks is a long time off. Short stints of work, in order to keep up the literacy progress during that time, need not be a killjoy if you have the right kind of literacy intervention tool.
This is where an online literacy intervention program can be invaluable, especially if you have one that trains the student to work independently.
A program, where the student can login anywhere to continue the work they have been doing during the year, can make keeping up progress easy and non-intrusive.
So, why is the decision to use the summer break to improve literacy or continue with a literacy intervention a good option, and how is it ‘non-intrusive’ to summer activities?
Keeping the progress momentum going
Fundamentally, if a student has been working hard at their literacy during the year, it seems a shame not to maintain and continue the progress during the break. The ease with which this is done will depend on the type of intervention chosen. Using an online literacy intervention resource, where a student can log in to their tailored program anywhere where there is a computer and wifi, makes this very easy - the student can continue where they left off.
Often, when we have too much of a break from something we have been working on, the memory needs time to ‘recover’ what was learnt. So, not only does this keep the progress momentum up, it also avoids the possibility of losing time going over previous work. It makes the return to studies in the Fall less of a shock to the system.
A chance to catch up
For those who are behind in reading and spelling, the summer vacation is a great catch up period opportunity. Some students, for various reasons, are behind in their reading and spelling. It can be due to dyslexia or other hidden learning difficulties, English being a second language, or missing out on tuition due to illness, for example. So, using a multi-sensory, structured program at home in the summer for improving reading, spelling and writing skills, allows a child the time to catch up to a level that is nearer their age group.
It’s not like work
How do we persuade a student to work during their time off? Well, in many respects it shouldn’t feel like work. There are advantages of working at home. Home can be a more relaxed environment, without a teacher watching every step. An intervention program that gets the student working independently, means the tutor does not necessarily need to be present – just for monitoring purposes. An online program that is interactive, involves self-checking and that allows the student to be in control, makes it arguably a less laborious task, especially for those who like computers.
When work is chunked into small sections, it can feel much more manageable and less of a chore. Working to the system of little and often is much more appealing than long and not very often, which is usually less effective. An online program where the student can just do a page or two in 15 or even 10 minutes at a time, say, three times a week, means it’s such a small part of the day and overall week that the student will hardly remember they even did it! But, this ‘drip’ of learning will be highly beneficial.
Furthermore, during vacation, there is usually no timetable restrictions, so doing little and often should be quite achievable.
Ultimately, it’s down to the student and tutor to decide whether to work on literacy during vacation. With a structured, online program that can be logged into anywhere and worked on independently, the option is there for it to be ‘in’ when ‘school’s out’.
Hannah MacLellan 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.
