If I had a definitive answer for that question, I would be the most revered person in education. There are a plethora of variables that effect the way an individual learns, so it’s impossible to narrow it down to just one. However, as an educator who’ve delved into numerous periodicals for best practices and who has also reflected on his own teaching experiences, I have come to the conclusion of two (2) strategies that I feel are most effective.
Utilizing music and movement during instruction has proven to be a huge commodity in classrooms where readers are challenged academically. Now this is only my opinion; but, research also states that of the multiple intelligences we possess, the musical intelligence is the first to evolve in a child. This methodology of using music and movement is not only fun, but it serves as a mnemonic strategy for struggling readers to comprehend abstract information (main idea, context clues, etc.) and make it visual.
The combination of linguistic with nonlinguistic instruction has also proven to increase reading scores. Again, the research states this, but I found this to be true when I utilized this strategy with my own students. I witnessed a 25% increase on grade level in reading comprehension (FCAT - state assessment) the first year of implementing my Rhythmic Reading program. Refusing to accept positive results only from my students, I sought other schools to test my program. I worked with an elementary school in Savannah, GA and their students made a 29% gain on their reading assessment (CRCT). Convinced that this way of teaching works across all disciplines, I tried similar strategies in the area of mathematics. Well, of my 35 students, 97% made academic gains.
Since the inception of Rhythmic Reading, which was in 2001, I’ve received numerous testimonials from teachers and principals stating similar results. I’ve had an opportunity to gain a wealth of information from teachers across the country while delivering my staff development workshop Reading, Rappin’ & Having Fun. And I’m excited about each visit, because I know that I’m privy to some of the best research-based strategies being implemented today. I know this because, these are strategies that have been tested and proven successful in each of these brilliant educators' classrooms.
So regardless of what the “best” strategy is for reaching our youth, we can not fail if we are relentless in our pursuit to reach every last one of them.
Let me hear your thoughts!
And enjoy the staff development video (Reading, Rappin' & Having Fun)
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