Technology can save educators time and make literacy intervention more engaging and interactive for struggling students in middle or high school. Incorporating videos, online assessments, digital libraries, self-paced practice, and interactive tools can build a supportive, familiar environment for 21st century learners.

Here are 6 ways technology can simplify and enrich the teaching experience.

 

 

1. Use Peer Videos to Level with Students


One of the most commonly asked and equally avoided questions from students in literacy intervention is: "Why do I have to be here?" Educators may feel uncomfortable answering this potentially sensitive question. Instead, students’ peers can explain in their own words through fun videos that answer how reading relates in school and beyond.

 

2. Empower Students to Move at Their Own Pace


Students learn at different rates and in different ways. This dynamic can be particularly challenging in an intervention classroom where educators must teach students with different needs at the same time. With the proper technology, students can learn and excel at their own pace, allowing teachers to individually differentiate lessons along the way.

Dr. Louisa Moats offers recommendations for motivating struggling readers. Read her BLOG or, alternatively, view her WEBINAR.

 

3. Get Easy Access to Real-Time Student Performance Data


When intervention is needed, progress monitoring and performance data are key to ensuring advancement. With the right technology, students can take online assessments that generate accurate, real-time data, providing teachers with a holistic view of class performance and an in-depth look at individual student progress.

 

4. Use Instructional Videos to Teach and Review Foundational Skills


While phonics and phonemic awareness are key ingredients for reading proficiency, they are not necessarily what educators at middle school and higher grade levels are trained to teach. Engaging, expert-led videos can provide students with interactive instruction and practice in those areas.

 

5. Connect Instruction to the 'Real World'


There are many online resources that connect content, reading, and writing to the real world, increasing the relevance of instruction. Additionally, these resources can enhance background knowledge to aid in comprehension and depth of writing. To maximize instructional time, students can watch relevant videos online before whole-group instruction.

 

6. Never Lose an Instructional Minute—Efficiently Test Fluency


Consider the amount of class time you have spent performing one-on-one fluency checks with your students. With the right tools and technology in place, students can record themselves while reading and submit their recordings for assessment.

 

These interactive tools and video samples are from LANGUAGE! Live®, a comprehensive ELA intervention that uses a blended approach to explicit teacher-led instruction and online student-centered activities to help students in grades 5–12 close the reading and writing gap. The research-based program, created by nationally renowned literacy expert and LETRS® author Dr. Louisa Moats, has been proven to yield almost two years' growth in just one year.