There are many positives about working and teaching at Milwaukee Jewish Day School. One of those positives is that the administration, the board, and our generous donors are focused on continuous professional growth. Not only do we participate in weekly professional learning with our colleagues, all staff also have the opportunity to seek professional learning across the country. 

Gev. Fox and myself are both student coaches at MJDS, working with students who may have additional learning needs. Last week Gev. Fox and I were privileged to attend the International Dyslexia Conference in Portland. Oregon. We were learning together with  2,800 educators, researchers, and administrators who are passionate about literacy. We both left the conference  inspired and armed with new and wonderful ideas to help the students at MJDS.

We spent a lot of time learning about dyslexia, a neurological learning disability that can affect students’ ability to decode words, accurately or fluently recognize words, and affect spelling and writing development. In addition, students with dyslexia may show lower comprehension skills as their ability to define and read vocabulary in context can be a challenge.   Dyslexic students are very bright and this disability is not related to intelligence. The International Dyslexia Foundation states that between 15% and 20% of the population have a language-based learning disability, dyslexia being the most common of these.  Many talented people such as Jennifer Aniston, Steven Spielberg, and Steve Jobs were diagnosed with dyslexia.  

 Across each session of the conference a common theme emerged; the more we expose our students to vocabulary and background knowledge, the better student comprehension will be. At MJDS we already do this in each classroom, constantly talking about new words and concepts and allowing our students to engage with those words. At the conference, we were reminded that discussions about background knowledge and vocabulary must take place at school and at home with students’ families. The more background knowledge and vocabulary students acquire, the easier it is for them to become proficient readers. One solution we learned about is through Microsoft 365, a learning tool that helps personalize how students read and communicate. Click HERE for a few simple reading comprehension strategies you can try at home.

At MJDS we see each student as a unique individual with different talents and qualities. Another common theme at the conference was that as teachers, we need to tailor reading instruction to best meet all children’s needs.