How quickly can adults progress through the PI programme?

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debbie
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How quickly can adults progress through the PI programme?

Post by debbie »

I just received this question and thought it was worthwhile sharing on the forum:

Hi Debbie,

Is there a way to abbreviate the program which would allow adults to progress through it quickly – say 12 weeks? Or is that not possible?

Cheers
Sent by a dyslexia tutor in Australia
Debbie Hepplewhite
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debbie
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Post by debbie »

Here is my response:


What a very good question!

The answer, however, is dependent upon the adults' needs and capabilities and their starting point.

Some adults may not need to start ‘at the beginning’ or may learn the ‘notion’ of the alphabetic code and the skills of blending and segmenting so quickly that progress is rapid.

Also, the tutor may be able to identify focus needs (such as the spelling alternatives for the vowel sounds) and then work across the units of work according to focus sounds. So, for example, the tutor focuses on the /ee/ sound and follows the work of the graphemes which are shown across the rows in the alphabetic code charts.

The PI programme is focused, and yet comprehensive and extensive. The idea is that experienced tutors will be able to use the resources ‘advisedly’ according to need.

A starting point, like any good teaching, is identifying what each adult needs in terms of alphabetic code knowledge and skills. So, a simple letter/s-sound correspondence assessment will give an indication of how much code is known ‘to automaticity’. Then, a test of blending for reading and segmenting for spelling will ascertain the skills’ level. Hearing the adult read a regular book will ascertain what ‘reading habits’ the adult has. For example, are words mainly known automatically, does the reader struggle with unknown words, longer phrases and so on.

There is a non-word assessment in the yellow box on the PI homepage. I do not promote the use of non-words within a teaching programme, but these can be very helpful for ascertaining code not known and a student’s blending skills.

I always recommend the use of the core ‘Sounds Book Activity Sheets’ alternating with the ‘I can read’ texts. These can be used for learning the letter/s-sound correspondences discretely, word, sentence and text level application – for reading, spelling and handwriting. Tutors can use these at whatever pace is possible with use in-between sessions where possible.

Thus, a great deal could be achieved within a twelve week period. Many students identified with dyslexia can make huge progress once they appreciate what it is that we are trying to teach them! Some students can turn into readers and spellers almost overnight once they know the requisite skills!

Other students, however, have deep-rooted processing difficulties as you will know, and they may take much longer to any kind of proficiency.

Please get back to me if you have any further questions.

Kind regards,

Debbie
Last edited by debbie on Sun Sep 04, 2011 4:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Debbie Hepplewhite
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debbie
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Post by debbie »

That’s fine Debbie.

I was thinking as a result of your answer, to order a set, and just use whatever seems appropriate…(sounds so obvious!!)

Cheers
I look forward to receiving any feedback in the future! :wink:

And of course I am always available to answer any specific queries as they arise! :D
Debbie Hepplewhite
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