5 ways to support the Covid cohort’s struggling readers across the curriculum

Four years ago when you woke up in the morning, made a coffee, and headed into class, you were pretty sure you taught biology. Or math, or chemistry: it made sense, as much as the teaching profession ever does.

But then pandemic school closures happened, and when we did, something strange happened— we all headed back to the classroom as reading teachers , with a range of new responsibilities and new roles to play when it comes to making sure our learners have that fundamental understanding that they need to make progress and push forward.

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What happened?

Literacy is a foundational skill for learning. When the words don’t make sense, understanding can’t take root and learners can’t make much progress, and the pandemic interrupted reading instruction in a big way. Some learners are more than a year behind, and it’s slow to recover . So we’re dealing with several cohorts who likely don’t have the literacy skills that they need to understand their English lessons… or history, science, or art. And despite already staggering educator workloads , that makes all of us reading teachers to one degree or another: so are there easier ways to build better provision for struggling readers into our teaching this semester?

5 ways to support reading across the curriculum in 2024 ???

1.?Everybody loves a glossary!

Provide a laminated glossary for the semester that can be kept in bags, books, and binders. Repeatedly referring to a side or two of paper containing definitions and meanings of some of the more complicated concepts they’ll tackle makes it easier for that information to be retained, and learners can self-support without having to ask in front of the whole class.

2.?Keep an eye on AI.

It’s easier than ever to generate huge amounts of text at the click of a button, and it’s getting remarkably good at mimicking how learners write. AI-check everything you can within the time you have, as when it’s sneakily used for homework it can hide things like reading needs as it’s great at making it look like they’re reading and comprehending at the appropriate level.

3. If you haven’t already, it’s time to stop asking kids to read out loud.

Many teachers have moved away from the practice in recent years due to concerns about reading anxiety and spotlighting struggling readers in front of their peers. If you haven’t already, it’s time to let it go: there’s going to be more struggling, anxious readers in classrooms than ever before, and stressed brains aren’t happy or productive ones.

4.?Technology that reduces screen time is the order of the day.

We know that text-to-speech makes reading easier for students because it supports them in relating the phoneme to the grapheme and developing reading confidence and understanding. But laptops, tablets, and other screened devices are awash with online distractions that can compromise learning and impact student well-being . The answer? A reading pen : portable, durable, and rechargeable, they’re able to provide learners with high-quality, comprehension-boosting audio of the words on the page without ever needing to connect to Wi-Fi.

?5.?Make it as easy as possible for learners to ask for reading support.

Sometimes learners feel embarrassed about asking for reading support in front of their peers, often far more so than asking for support with the work itself. Adopting a colourful card or baton system can make it more discreet for people in the class to ask for help when they’re working individually: if learners just raise the item, you can go over to provide reading assistance far more discreetly than if they have to voice the need out loud.

Have you found yourself moonlighting as a reading teacher this semester, or have you got any tips for supporting struggling readers in your subject area? Let us know in the comments below… ??

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