Monday, November 2, 2009
Interview with Teaching Crusade
Click here to LISTEN to the founder of the Teaching Crusade, Nikki McDevitt, interview John Corcoran.
Friday, July 24, 2009
The Literacy Tribune
United Literacy, a non-profit organization, provides resources and support to adult literacy learners in the United States. They aim to make literacy education accessible and worthwhile for adult learners.
Their goal is to provide learners with comprehensive information on literacy organizations and programs in their communities. After a learner has taken the first step of admitting they need to learn to read, finding information on a program in their area can be difficult. They work to eliminate this obstacle and put motivated learners on the road to literacy.
See John's interview in The Adult Learner Network's newsletter, The Literacy Tribune!
www.theliteracytribune.org
Warm Regards,
Kayla Mertes
Their goal is to provide learners with comprehensive information on literacy organizations and programs in their communities. After a learner has taken the first step of admitting they need to learn to read, finding information on a program in their area can be difficult. They work to eliminate this obstacle and put motivated learners on the road to literacy.
See John's interview in The Adult Learner Network's newsletter, The Literacy Tribune!
www.theliteracytribune.org
Warm Regards,
Kayla Mertes
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Reading is a Ladder...
"Reading is a ladder out of poverty. It is probably one of the best anti-poverty, anti-deprivation, anti-crime, anti-vandalism policies you can think of."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, on the launch of the National Year of Reading, 2008
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, on the launch of the National Year of Reading, 2008
The National Institute for Literacy's "Learning Disabilities" Discussion List
The purpose of this list is to provide an on-going professional development forum where literacy practitioners, adult educators, administrators, and researchers, as well as others with a stake or interest in serving adults with learning disabilities can have a targeted discussion in the area of literacy and learning disabilities. Feel free to join at www.nifl.gov!
Below is one of my recent posts (6/16/09)...
(Thoughts about Discussion Lists) I joined this Discussion List because I wanted to support the National Institute for Literacy's good works and to learn more about what literacy providers are thinking and doing, discerning what is being said and hoping to become more effective in doing 'my bit' in our efforts to move America's noble literacy agenda forward. I haven't posted for a while but I have been reading daily. Literacy is the cornerstone to education. Literacy is the basic skill that allows us to write our postings in this discussion and read what we have written to each other. Technology is a great partner and facilitator. But the basic skill of being an independent reader and writer is a far greater marvel, to me, than the computer. Stay focused on teaching us to read.
I could not find the person who originally posted the list below, but I recall the positive feedback by other members about this list. I wanted to respond at that time but I was traveling. I was very pleased to see this list because many of these deficiencies made it difficult for me to learn to read, it was not my being learning disabled (see my major problems in red).
We are dealing with students who can have multiple deficits such as those below as well as others not stated:
1) problem solving, critical thinking
2) memory and recall
3) social skills
4) receptive and expressive oral language
5) visual and auditory processing***
6) organizational skills
7) math basic concepts & operations
8) handwriting and written language
9) reading fluency and comprehension
***BIG problem
At the age of 48, I was properly diagnosed and treated for the above mentioned problems. The key was proper instruction following the proper diagnosis. This list, in my opinion, is the professional language that should be used to be specific in identifying deficiencies and prescribing treatment. It is critical that professionals adopt this kind of language to communicate among themselves and to the world if we are going to break the cycle of illiteracy.
Literacy is an education issue, but it is also a civil and human rights issue. Words have power and professionals need to be explicit when using them. I am hesitant to discuss the term 'learning disabled' with you again. I know some of you feel like it is heresy on my part or that I really do lack social skills.
Words have always been a challenge for me (and I did not really understand what a complete sentence was until I learned to read) so I learned to use metaphors and analogies to communicate with others to help me express my feelings and my position… In the late part of the 1950's and early 1960's I was watching and listening to television with a great deal of interest concerning the struggles of African Americans (referred to as Negros or worse). I had heard more than once, an African American adult male expressing how demeaning it was to be called a 'colored boy.' I did not understand what their complaint was because the expression was widely accepted as polite language and people who used this expression did not necessarily see it as demeaning. One evening, as I was listening to this discussion for the tenth time, I just GOT it. I knew that it was demeaning to the people it was labeling and I never used the expression again. I'm hoping by repeating myself that somebody's going to 'get it.'
JC
Below is one of my recent posts (6/16/09)...
(Thoughts about Discussion Lists) I joined this Discussion List because I wanted to support the National Institute for Literacy's good works and to learn more about what literacy providers are thinking and doing, discerning what is being said and hoping to become more effective in doing 'my bit' in our efforts to move America's noble literacy agenda forward. I haven't posted for a while but I have been reading daily. Literacy is the cornerstone to education. Literacy is the basic skill that allows us to write our postings in this discussion and read what we have written to each other. Technology is a great partner and facilitator. But the basic skill of being an independent reader and writer is a far greater marvel, to me, than the computer. Stay focused on teaching us to read.
I could not find the person who originally posted the list below, but I recall the positive feedback by other members about this list. I wanted to respond at that time but I was traveling. I was very pleased to see this list because many of these deficiencies made it difficult for me to learn to read, it was not my being learning disabled (see my major problems in red).
We are dealing with students who can have multiple deficits such as those below as well as others not stated:
1) problem solving, critical thinking
2) memory and recall
3) social skills
4) receptive and expressive oral language
5) visual and auditory processing***
6) organizational skills
7) math basic concepts & operations
8) handwriting and written language
9) reading fluency and comprehension
***BIG problem
At the age of 48, I was properly diagnosed and treated for the above mentioned problems. The key was proper instruction following the proper diagnosis. This list, in my opinion, is the professional language that should be used to be specific in identifying deficiencies and prescribing treatment. It is critical that professionals adopt this kind of language to communicate among themselves and to the world if we are going to break the cycle of illiteracy.
Literacy is an education issue, but it is also a civil and human rights issue. Words have power and professionals need to be explicit when using them. I am hesitant to discuss the term 'learning disabled' with you again. I know some of you feel like it is heresy on my part or that I really do lack social skills.
Words have always been a challenge for me (and I did not really understand what a complete sentence was until I learned to read) so I learned to use metaphors and analogies to communicate with others to help me express my feelings and my position… In the late part of the 1950's and early 1960's I was watching and listening to television with a great deal of interest concerning the struggles of African Americans (referred to as Negros or worse). I had heard more than once, an African American adult male expressing how demeaning it was to be called a 'colored boy.' I did not understand what their complaint was because the expression was widely accepted as polite language and people who used this expression did not necessarily see it as demeaning. One evening, as I was listening to this discussion for the tenth time, I just GOT it. I knew that it was demeaning to the people it was labeling and I never used the expression again. I'm hoping by repeating myself that somebody's going to 'get it.'
JC
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Put to the Test: Stories of Fiery Trials and Minor Tribulations
On March 6th, I received a letter from The Moth, a non-profit storytelling organization in New York City. The letter was an invitation to tell my story for ten minutes along with five others. The stories are the storyteller’s own, true experiences, told without notes, in an intimate theatre setting of 300 people. Some storytellers have included Frank McCourt, Ethan Hawke, an astronaut, a voodoo priestess, a reformed pickpocket, and many more.
Throughout the past 20 years, I have given over 600 speeches, some on television and radio or to large live audiences, as both a literacy advocate and educational reformer. I have taught, preached, and lectured, but never have I told my story in an artistic venue from the first person point of view. This would be an opportunity to speak before a new audience and to be professionally directed before sharing the stage with story-tellers.
I’d never heard of The Moth but after visiting the website I discovered who they are and wanted to be a part of it. My interest was piqued, there was an opening in my calendar and although it was short notice, I agreed to go!
The entire Moth staff and the Executive and Creative Director, Lea Thau, created a wonderful environment for the storytellers to tell our stories as though talking to friends, which demanded discipline. The theme of the night was, “Put to the Test: Stories of Fiery Trials and Minor Tribulations.” Not only did I share, but I had the honor and pleasure of hearing the other five powerful and diversified stories.
Normally I do not share about my experience as a classroom teacher; instead I talk about the problems and solutions of illiteracy and weave bits of my story as examples. The moral dilemma during my time as a teacher is often the white elephant in the room so this opportunity was both challenging and rewarding. A great challenge also came with the prospect of an entirely new audience: literary, artistic New Yorkers. This exceptional experience enhanced the potential to improve my speeches.
As always, being invited to share my story is another step towards growth, development and healing.
I often challenge my audiences by saying, “It is never too late to learn to read, it is never too late to learn.” Now it was my turn to learn and I was certainly put to the test.
I see T-shirts saying I ♥ NY and now I know why. I love New York, I love New Yorkers, I love The Moth. If you are ever in the city, I wouldn’t miss this show.
The Moth is dedicated to promoting the art of storytelling. We celebrate the ability of stories to honor the diversity and commonality of human experience, and to satisfy a vital human need for connection. We do so by helping our storytellers to shape their stories and to share them with the community at large. One goal of The Moth is to present the finest storytellers among established and emerging writers, performers and artists; another is to encourage storytelling among populations whose stories often go unheard. TheMoth.org
Monday, December 8, 2008
Get it Right on Reading, BAM
New York Post
Barack Obama has promised to "guarantee every American an affordable, world-class, life- long, top-notch education, from early childhood to high school - from college to on-the-job training." To make good on that, the president-elect will have to confront a system that failed to teach me and millions of others to read - a system that institutionalizes illiteracy in our schools.
Sixty years ago, I went to school like any child in America. Instead of learning how to read and write, I graduated from high school and college - and even worked for 17 years as a secondary-school teacher - without being able to read or write. I finally learned how to read at age 48 - by at last getting the essential phonics instruction I needed.
I wish I could say I'm unique, but our high-school dropout rate of 30 percent is only the tip of the crisis. If anything in our country needs the hope of change, I would say it is the education system.
The agonizing thing is, research has shown us what works - instructional methods that stress the basics: phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. These were identified and validated by the National Reading Panel 2000 - yet our schools too often use teaching methods that don't work.
Prime among these is the "whole language" approach - which insists, contrary to fact, that children will automatically assimilate the skills they need to read, without being taught phonics, by exposure to books that are rich in language.
This is a grave disservice to countless students: About a third of all learners have some difficulty with the written word. For these learners, deciphering the 26 letters of the alphabet, the 44 sounds they represent and the 70 or more ways to spell them must be taught explicitly and systematically.
The solution won't come only in our schools - colleges and universities must be held accountable, so that they properly educate and train teachers in the right methods of instruction.
Tragically, the issue has become politicized. Ideology leads too many prestigious professors to still deny the facts. And, though the reading-instruction sections of the bipartisan "No Child Left Behind" had the backing of the most respected reading researchers and educators, teachers' unions (among other vested interests) took issue with imposing accountability for results in the classroom.
To repeat: We already have the tools that can give us the means to teach virtually every child to read. All we need is the commitment to put that science into action.
If he's serious about fixing the schools, Obama must embrace a complete overhaul.
Start with reading, the foundation of education, by implementing proven research-based teacher training in universities - holding all levels of educators and schools accountable, and finding fair and equitable methods to reward excellence in teachers. As for students, scientific diagnostic tests should be administered each year to offer prescriptive reading remediation for individuals as needed.
The "dumb row" is a devastating place for any child to languish. As an innocent schoolboy, I didn't know how to ask for help. As an angry, frustrated teen, I didn't ask for help because I'd given up on myself and teachers.
As an adult, I was ashamed and embarrassed to ask for help. I hid my secret with excuses and pretended that I was literate -relying on other "smarts" to survive in the literate world.
It is surprising how people can fake literacy. For example, after teaching, when I was a real-estate entrepreneur, I was the boss and had secretaries to do any reading or writing I requested. If they weren't available at a meeting, I could always use an excuse like, "I forgot my reading glasses."
Millions of children, teens, and adults now lack the equal opportunity to succeed in school and the workplace. They can't reach their full potential because we've failed (and are still failing) to teach them to read. The cost to society is incalculable.
But we can do it. We've spent the money, we've done the research, we have the science.
Obama has demanded that we restore a sense of urgency concerning our education system. Let us hope he has the courage to lead the change we need.
Barack Obama has promised to "guarantee every American an affordable, world-class, life- long, top-notch education, from early childhood to high school - from college to on-the-job training." To make good on that, the president-elect will have to confront a system that failed to teach me and millions of others to read - a system that institutionalizes illiteracy in our schools.
Sixty years ago, I went to school like any child in America. Instead of learning how to read and write, I graduated from high school and college - and even worked for 17 years as a secondary-school teacher - without being able to read or write. I finally learned how to read at age 48 - by at last getting the essential phonics instruction I needed.
I wish I could say I'm unique, but our high-school dropout rate of 30 percent is only the tip of the crisis. If anything in our country needs the hope of change, I would say it is the education system.
The agonizing thing is, research has shown us what works - instructional methods that stress the basics: phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. These were identified and validated by the National Reading Panel 2000 - yet our schools too often use teaching methods that don't work.
Prime among these is the "whole language" approach - which insists, contrary to fact, that children will automatically assimilate the skills they need to read, without being taught phonics, by exposure to books that are rich in language.
This is a grave disservice to countless students: About a third of all learners have some difficulty with the written word. For these learners, deciphering the 26 letters of the alphabet, the 44 sounds they represent and the 70 or more ways to spell them must be taught explicitly and systematically.
The solution won't come only in our schools - colleges and universities must be held accountable, so that they properly educate and train teachers in the right methods of instruction.
Tragically, the issue has become politicized. Ideology leads too many prestigious professors to still deny the facts. And, though the reading-instruction sections of the bipartisan "No Child Left Behind" had the backing of the most respected reading researchers and educators, teachers' unions (among other vested interests) took issue with imposing accountability for results in the classroom.
To repeat: We already have the tools that can give us the means to teach virtually every child to read. All we need is the commitment to put that science into action.
If he's serious about fixing the schools, Obama must embrace a complete overhaul.
Start with reading, the foundation of education, by implementing proven research-based teacher training in universities - holding all levels of educators and schools accountable, and finding fair and equitable methods to reward excellence in teachers. As for students, scientific diagnostic tests should be administered each year to offer prescriptive reading remediation for individuals as needed.
The "dumb row" is a devastating place for any child to languish. As an innocent schoolboy, I didn't know how to ask for help. As an angry, frustrated teen, I didn't ask for help because I'd given up on myself and teachers.
As an adult, I was ashamed and embarrassed to ask for help. I hid my secret with excuses and pretended that I was literate -relying on other "smarts" to survive in the literate world.
It is surprising how people can fake literacy. For example, after teaching, when I was a real-estate entrepreneur, I was the boss and had secretaries to do any reading or writing I requested. If they weren't available at a meeting, I could always use an excuse like, "I forgot my reading glasses."
Millions of children, teens, and adults now lack the equal opportunity to succeed in school and the workplace. They can't reach their full potential because we've failed (and are still failing) to teach them to read. The cost to society is incalculable.
But we can do it. We've spent the money, we've done the research, we have the science.
Obama has demanded that we restore a sense of urgency concerning our education system. Let us hope he has the courage to lead the change we need.
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