Bob update

In order to help 'Bob' more effectively, I have asked for some help/training as I have no experience with learning at this age (reading at 5 years old).

He is on the STEPS programme, which is run by our teacher aides. As part of the RTLB meeting, we decided to check in that our teacher aide knew how to use the programme correctly. I asked to get some training myself as I had no idea how to use it, let alone how to support the teacher aide in her use of it.

One of the RTLBs came into school today to give us this training. It was designed to use the new data we collected about Bob to make STEPS work for him (i.e. using information about how he processed information, his memory skills etc).

Things I didn't know about STEPS.

• The average child needs to see a word 10-12 times to know it.. Students who typically end up using STEPS need to see a word 700+ times.
• Use wordlists (and create your own) to focus on particular sets of words at a time - these feed into the games as well. 
• Activities need to be done in order as they link on from each other ( in sets)

Finding out that children with these kinds of learning needs need to see a word 700+ times to truly know it and remember it shocked me. Really?!?! But at the same time, it makes sense. Bob knows words and one day will instantly recall them, and the next day won't. It's as if he 'forgets'.. but really, did he ever really know it in the first place?

We had another meeting with the teacher aid, the DP, myself, the two RTLBs and Bobs dad. It was a really good meeting where his next set of goals was set and responsibilities for each person involved was agreed upon. I was happy to see that all the tasks I was required to do as his teacher, such as having his own box of books he can free read from (at his level), having him learn red level high frequency words, having flip cards with these words (etc), I was already doing. I felt proud that I was supporting Bob in the ways he needed before being explicitly told 'do this, do that'. 

I definitely think that Bob will make progress this year with so much support behind him.