Clinician Spotlight: Julia Baker

An interview with Julia Baker, our talented clinician from Woodstock, Georgia.

Q: What is one question every parent should ask school teachers about his/her child’s learning?

J: Parents should ask the teacher to identify the student’s areas of strength and weakness. Identifying weaknesses is important because the parent could then ask for specific resources to target those areas identified by the teacher.

Q: What do you think are two most important skills students should work towards?

J: Executive Functioning and Study Skills are two skills that go hand in hand are needed for students to become successful academically.

Q: How would you describe your teaching style in three words?

J: Caring, resourceful, and passionate.

Q: You are stranded on a desert island, what four things do you bring?

J: A book, because I love reading, and it allows me to escape my reality.  I would bring a knife (for protection), matches (to keep warm), a satellite cell phone (when I am ready to leave!).

Q: In five words, what advice would you give to a struggling student to boost their confidence?

J: Persevere and never give up!

Julia holds an Ed.D. in Reading and Literacy from Capella University, a M.S. in Literacy Studies and an M.S. in Multicultural Education. For the past 20 years, she has taught Language Arts and Social Studies as a special education teacher in both New York and Georgia. Julia’s professional interest lies in discipline-specific literacy and how it supports struggling readers across the curriculum. 

Areas of Focus: Executive Functioning, Study Skills, Language Arts, Reading Comprehension, Reading Instruction, Discipline-Specific Literacy Strategies, Metacognitive Strategies

Read more articles written by Julia Baker.

5 Questions to Ask Your Child’s Teacher

Regular communication between family and educators is important for the most effective collaboration in supporting a student’s academic growth. Here are 5 questions you might ask your child’s teacher or educator in your next parent-teacher conference.

1. Can you share a highlight from my child’s learning?

Many special moments occur during a student’s learning, including moments where a concept “clicks,” insightful questions your child may have asked, or a funny story that highlights your child’s personality. It can be fun and meaningful to get a snapshot of your child’s learning experiences. This can also strengthen home-school connections and spark a topic of conversation with your child.

2. How can we support academic growth at home?

While much of academic content may be most effective when delivered by a trained and skilled educator, your child’s teacher will likely have ideas on how to support and extend your child’s academic growth at home through overall tips and tricks, routines, games, or activities. You can also share what you and your family are already doing in order to create an open dialogue and invite additional feedback.

3. What members of my child’s educational team might it be helpful to get connected with?

It may be helpful for your child’s teacher to connect with any outside members of your child’s educational team such as outside specialists, educational therapists, or tutors. If your child has an in-school learning specialist, case manager, or other support professional, it may also be helpful to get outside providers connected to this person. Likewise, feel free to share relevant documentation or notes between professionals as they come up. Educators will know how to identify relevant information and ask follow-up questions as needed.

4. Are there any areas of potential concern?

As your child’s teacher tracks progress and gets to know students, areas of concern, observations, or questions may begin to arise. While most teachers communicate any major areas of concern, it can be helpful to check in directly to see if there are any potential flags for concern or need for additional support or evaluation. This can allow for preventative measures before a concern becomes potentially more significant.

5. When would be a good time to discuss or share my child’s progress in depth?

Brief check-ins with your child’s teacher are helpful to stay up to date and aligned on the path of educational support, but there is only so much information that can be conveyed in brief communication, especially for busy educators. Most schools have conference meeting schedules to allow for longer conversations to discuss progress, however, you may also want to check in to see if an additional meeting would be beneficial.

At Strategies for Learning, we create an ongoing support team by working with the family, school, and other members of a child’s educational team. Our collaborative approach and periodic progress updates ensure a full understanding of the work your child is engaging in and appropriate next steps as well as having the opportunity to ask questions or raise any concerns.

Written by Amy Soukup, M.A.

Learn more about our educational services.

5 Ways to Engage Students Over Summer Break

By Julia Baker, Ed.D. in Reading and Literacy, M.S.

Clinician At Strategies for Learning

Over the years, I have noticed that most students’ Lexile levels decrease when they return to school after the summer break. Lexile levels measure a student’s reading ability based on the Scholastic Reading Inventory test or standardized assessment. Researchers refer to the drop in Lexile levels as the “Summer Slide.” Summer reading loss or summer slide impacts academic performance; however, consistently reading during the summer break could lead to academic success (McCooms et al., 2011). Several school districts have implemented reading programs to combat summer reading loss, and as a result, have seen an increase in Lexile levels (Pitcock & Brekhus, 2016). To avoid “Summer Slide,” students need various options to engage in reading that inspires and motivates them to pick up a book. Creating opportunities for consistent practice in reading comprehension, made available over the summer, should increase reading achievements, engagement, and confidence (Roman, Carran & Fiore, 2010). Therefore, the likelihood of improving Lexile levels is achievable when students take part in reading over the summer break. If students do not have access to school reading programs, parents could implement the following suggestions to increase reading engagement and Lexile levels.

Prevent Summer Slide

1.   Lead by Example: If reading is a routine, it is a determining factor of students becoming lifelong learners. Seeing members of their family reading sets an example that reading is essential and enjoyable.

2.   Daily Reading Time: Keeping an abundance of reading material around the house will provide easier access to books. A student who reads for at least 20 minutes a day performs better on assessments.

3.   Trips to the Library: Regular trips to the library are great ways for students to explore books of interest and build quality time for reading. Regular trips to the library could also be an opportunity to create fun reading-centered activities like a scavenger book hunt. Before the scavenger book hunt, discuss books of interest. Then plan several activities in which your child can explore the library looking for those genres. Additionally, there are summer reading programs offered at the library.

4.   Summer Writing Journal: Combining fun summer activities with writing could be a way your child writes about their interest. While enjoying summer activities, your child could jot down information about those experiences then write about it later. Your child’s adventure could describe their favorite place to eat or a trip to an amusement park. To personalize their journal, have your child decorate their summer journal with a collage of pictures from magazines images.

5.   Audio Books: Listening to books is a good way for students to build listening comprehension skills. Depending on the student, audiobooks could teach critical thinking, introduce new genres, and introduce more challenging books above grade level.

These are only a few of many ways to engage students over the summer break. Overall, the objective is for students to become intrinsically motivated to read books.

Sources:

McCombs, J.S., Augustine, C. H., Schwartz, H.L., Bodilly, S.J., Mcinnis, B., Lichter, D.S., & Cross, A. (2011). Making summer count: how summer programs can boost children’s learning. RAND Corporation, 1-86 https://doi.org/10.7249/MG1120

Roman, S., & Fiore, C. D. (2010). Do public library summer reading programs close the achievement gap? The Dominican Study. Children & Libraries, 8(3), 27-31

Pitcock, S. & Brekhus, T. 2016. Cracking the code to a successful summer reading program. Education Week, Retrieved March 15, 2021, from https://www.edweek.org/education/opinion-cracking-the-code-to-a-successful-summer-reading-program/2016/04

Learn about how we can support students over the summer.

Learn about what we are doing to crush COVID and Summer Learning Loss.

College Readiness Guide For Parents During the COVID-19 Crisis

By Deshon C. Smith, M.S.

Clinician at Strategies for Learning

This article is intended for parents, guardians and mentors of teenagers. The current Covid-19 Pandemic has impacted how colleges handle the admissions process for prospective students. Here are a few suggestions to use as a guide to support students during this time. Please always consult teachers, advisors and academic support specialists for more detailed information.

Use of Software for College Planning 

There are several websites which can help monitor a teenager’s college planning. Collegeboard is a reputable site for the major test preparation (SAT or ACT). Fastweb is a database that offers scholarship information for various categories to help students fund their college tuition. By creating an account for these websites both parents and students can track progress for planning, test dates and articles relevant to the college search. 

Test Preparation and Academic Improvement

It is possible to predict how likely your child will get into their desired institutions by using websites such as College Simply. Comparing your child’s current grades and test scores to the school’s entrance data helps your student establish realistic goals. Some teenagers decide to take the ACT and SAT concurrently. Sophomore year is the recommended time for a high school student to begin to gauge their test abilities. Since the coronavirus pandemic has caused massive disturbance with college preparation, some institutions have decided to exempt students from submitting scores such as the University of California system. Refer to the main website of your child’s school for more information during the planning process.

Seeking an Advisor and Student Involvement

Sending an email to a high school guidance counselor, academic coach, or college admissions advisor is a great place to start. Have your student come up with at least 3 questions they want to ask, so they can be actively involved in the process. Practicing the skills of prioritization and planning can also place a high schooler on the right track of choosing the ideal college fit. Some general actions students can do during high school years are joining a virtual community of like-minded students, adding or re-evaluating extracurricular activities (seeking safe options to stay active and involved in the community), and choosing healthy hobbies that promote learning and well-being. A coach or advisor may have ideas on ideal college prep extracurricular activities in the time of COVID-19.  Networking and building professional or academic relationships of all kinds are also important and possible to do virtually.

Virtual and In-Person College Visits

Many colleges are increasing virtual webinars and tours as a way to safely learn about the school and virtually visit without being on-site. Many campuses will have limited to no access, though some may be open with various safety precautions. For out-of-state colleges, your family can plan your travel ahead of time by viewing CDC’s recommendations here. If a college does offer in-person open house opportunities, review their guidelines to ensure a safe stay. Some additional general guidelines are: travel with fewer people, limit lodging reservations if possible, have access to personal drinking water and sanitizer, keep college visits to just a couple of hours, wear masks, and keep 6 feet from people outside the family. Consider visiting just to observe a college’s environment without taking an official tour to better practice social distancing.

Personal Statement 

Most universities will include essay prompts or a personal statement as part of the application process. Having a strong essay complements a student’s qualifications and allows the admissions committee to learn more about the student on a personal level. Students can consider writing about a challenge they withstood or a personal experience that shaped their life. If relevant, reworking an essay from an English course is a great way to develop a personal statement, since it has likely already received feedback from a teacher and gone through edits and revisions.  

Letters of Recommendation 

These are traditionally included and are sometimes required. If requesting a letter of recommendation, students can draft a more formal Letter of Intent for an adult who can speak on their behalf. Ideally, a suitable candidate would include an Athletic Coach, Part-time boss, Volunteer Supervisor or School Official. Encourage the student to make a verbal request in addition to a written request. This practice serves multiple purposes such as building their professionalism and confidence. It’s also always a good idea to thank the letter writers for taking the time to recommend the student. Teachers feel appreciated when this happens!

Financial Concerns

During senior year, students can apply for financial aid through the FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov). If attending a traditional four-year college is a potential barrier, deciding to enroll in online classes or a community college may be a better alternative. 

SOURCES

  1. Sorensen, T. (May 2020). How to Prep for SAT, ACT Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak.   Co. 2020, U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-admissions-playbook/articles/how-to-prep-for-sat-act-amid-the-coronavirus-outbreak
  1. Unknown Author. College Planning Websites. Retrieved from https://rps205.com/Schools/HS/Auburn/PublishingImages/Pages/Counseling/College%20Planning%20Websites.pdf
  1. The International Student.(2019). Colleges and Universities that Don’t Require an Admission Essay to Apply. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/ycupred7