Sound Advice

Volume 4, Issue 3 January 2012

Why Do Smart Students Struggle With Reading?

By Gayle L. Moyers
Moyers Learning Systems

Improving Learning Skills

By S. Hanson
Sound Foundations for Learning

In my 40+ years of teaching and watching research over the years I have come to the conclusion that most students are smart enough, care enough, and want to succeed at learning. Learning to read should occur with ease and joy. If a student is loved and nourished, gets appropriate sleep and rest, and exercises daily, the process of learning should take hold. What I know now is GOOD LISTENERS ARE GOOD LEARNERS. Listening is not hearing. Listening is what you do with what you hear. It is important to realize that learning can be looked at as a five-step process: Sensory Input (getting the message) Perception (awareness of the input) Conceptualization (understanding of the input) Then Storage and Retrieval of what was learned can occur The ear is responsible for hearing, listening, and coordination/balance. Hearing is a passive activity, simply perceiving sounds, while listening involves the ability to tune out distractions and to focus at will. Listening is making a
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Why the auditory system is important

Much emphasis on improving learning skills focuses on the ear because of its close connection to the brain. The ear has a direct connection to the brain and the nervous system. It develops very early in the unborn baby. Research has shown that by month 5, the system is developed and the fetus is able to hear the mothers voice. The ear and the auditory system (the ear and other components that allow us to take in sound) play an important role in learning speech and communication.

conscious effort to hear and understand or interpret sounds. Listening involves concentration, attention, and processing of

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Why do Smart Students Struggle With Reading? Improving Learning Three Things You Can Do To Improve Listening

information. It is a skill that can be taught or improved. It is closely related to language development and processing.

The underlying cause of many learning issues is the auditory system. Many students testing low on reading proficiency also have weak underlying cognitive skills, in particular auditory processing skills. One source says this is true of 85% of these students. These students often complete lessons slowly or have poor retention.
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u-n-c-l-e. Then I asked Tina, What do you think The first three steps are too often assumed to be in place and we fail as teachers. Each step toward learning mastery depends upon the preceding step. makes spelling and reading hard for you? She replied without hesitation, I know what it is. My ears trick me. I cant tell if what I say, matches what I see.Tina did not have the basic listening skills required for her to achieve independence and fluency in reading. The
Think of learning as a job to be done and the learner needs a toolbox to take on the job. Listening skills are a key tool for receiving the message accurately and clearly (Sensory Input). Dyslexia is not diagnosed or defined as a visual problem or one that necessarily involves reversals, transpositions, and To understand this, think about a time when you have had a bad cell phone signal. You were only able to receive bits and pieces of the incoming message. Maybe you could fill in the missing parts (auditory closure); not all people can. On average, 77 percent of our days are spent listening and speaking! (Madaule, When Listening Comes Alive) Before we decide a person is not going to be able to focus, pay attention and learn, we need to know if there are problems with the students listening skills. Poor, underdeveloped listening skills are usually the key to why students struggle to learn phonics and read fluently. Reading is talk on paper. Since talk processes through the auditory center of the brain, it is reasonable to assume that reading also processes through the auditory center as well. Tina tells it best: Tina was eight years old when she was referred to me for a reading evaluation to assess her needs for reading instruction. She came to me with stacks of evaluations and was diagnosed to have dyslexia, and visual processing disorders. I was testing her for placement in the school reading remediation program. Typically, she would look at a word such as uncle and say lunch. Her parents and teachers thought it was a visual problem because she scrambled the letters. She was unable to spell and mirror writing. The task of the reader is to break the code, to map symbols to sounds. If the person cant differentiate subtle differences in sound he or she cannot break the code.

national Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) 2004 states:

When I address the issue of listening training for improved auditory input first, and then proceed to reading, spelling and writing instruction, the results are amazing. The Learning Ears Programs was developed for challenged students to improve their ability to learn.

wrote the same way she read words. At the conclusion of my standardized testing, I asked Tina to go back to the Word Identification test and just look at the words she had just attempted to read and tell me the letters from the front of the word. She completed 78 words and she never missed a letter. She never omitted a letter. She never changed the order of the letters: e.g.
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CALENDAR
OPEN ENROLLMENT DECEMBER 2011

OF

EVENTS

Research findings and how they are used

A major pioneer in research into auditory systems and learning was Alfred A. Tomatis (1920 2001). He was a French medical doctor specializing in issues of the ear, nose, and throat. His research was controversial at the time. However, todays science has validated some of his theories of brain and language development

PACE, Learning Ears, Handwriting Mastery CONNECTING FOR WORK RECOGNITION NEW PRODUCT RELEASE COMING SOON JANUARY 2012 LEARNING EARS TRAINING TELECONFERENCE MARCH 2012 Advanced Level 2 Training JOINT TRAINING SOUND FOUNDATIONS, LEARNING EARS PLUS EDU-THERAPEUTICS PLUS THE LISTENING PROGRAM UTAH MARCH 2012 Extended Training

including,

The voice can only make sounds that the ear can hear. Different frequencies of sound effect different parts of the brain. Each person has a dominant ear. That ear is more efficient, can process more quickly than the other.

It is easy to see how these ideas could point out pathways to the brain to improve learning. Altered music is often used to retrain the ear and to reach specific parts of the brain to improve language and communication skills.

How Sound Foundations for Learning Works

A first step in any learning assessment is a record review of documents and test scores from all available sources. This gives information about the students academic, social, visual, and emotional abilities. The center may refer the student to outside experts if more information is needed, but the center has the capability to do educational assessments in-house. The purpose is to look at the whole picture. It is important not to assume that the problem stems from a particular disorder.

Based on the information gathered and the resulting assessment, treatment is individualized for that particular student. Sessions are one-on-one with a learning professional. This allows for adjustment of the program material to keep it interesting and challenging to the student. Parents often see results in attention, listening and understanding, communication, self-confidence and social skills, as well as academic progress. If you would like to know more about improving learning
Sound Advice 3 call Darren McCarthy, the founder of Sound skills,

Foundations for Learning, at 410-690-4557.

THREE THINGS YOU CAN TO ADDRESS LISTENING

DO NOW

LEARNING EARS

LISTENING AND LANGUAGE QUESTIONNAIRE Taking the time to fill out this questionnaire will assist in helping you determine the challenge areas for either yourself or your child. This is a comprehensive screening tool and there is no cost to you. CONSIDER THE SOUND HEALTH SERIES A sophisticated combination of therapeutic benefit and artistic achievement, these masterful classical recordings are founded on the principle that music is an effective tool for enhancing health and well-being. Each is intended to complement specific activities, employing extensive scientific research and clinical study to achieve its intended effect. Creating a world of rich and varied soundscapes, Sound Health nourishes mind, body and soul.

Learning Ears is a proven educational program that develops listening and reading skills fundamental to learning and achievement. Gayle Moyers, reading specialist and educator, created LEARNING EARS as a tool to improve a persons ability to receive, understand and retain incoming information. The 20week program significantly increases a persons ability to listen, speak, communicate and learn.

There is this wonderful difference between hearing and listening, you can hear without listening and listen without hearing Daniel Barenboim

8448 Ocean Gateway, Suite 3 Easton, MD 21601 410 690 4557

BULK RATE US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 00000

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

8448 Ocean Gateway, Suite 3 Easton, MD 21601 410 690 4557

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