Decoding Learning Differences with Kimberlynn Lavelle

Are you dyslexic?   Is your child?   Someone you know well?   Chances are that you answered yes to at least one of those! And yet, for most people, dyslexia is still a mystery!  Myths still abound, and kids with dyslexia often feel alone and different.     Feeling alone and different leads to lower self-confidence and can further impact academic success as well as friendships and navigating social situations.   Kids need to know that they’re not alone, and actually far from it!   Adults need to know some essential facts and truths about dyslexia.   @Dyslexia_Diaries on Instagram aims to do just that!  They’re busting myths and sharing stories and doing what they can to educate the public and ensure that kids don’t feel alone with their dyslexia.   Listen to this week’s podcast with Dyslexia Diaries!   Then be sure to share your own stories of dyslexia!

Restorative Justice is about accountability and making repairs. It’s about emotional intelligence and building relationships. It’s about investing in people with time and patience. Listen in to this week’s podcast to learn more about Restorative Justice in Education including what it can look like, and how it can change a school’s disciplinary system to a system with redemption built-in. To help you with some notes you may want to take while listening: In this episode, Nicholas Bradford shares 4 questions that drive a restorative justice conversation: What happened? What was the thinking?/ What were you trying to accomplish? Who was impacted and how? How do we move forward? He also shared 5 overarching principles of Restorative Justice: Conflict Happens; let’s talk about it Engage all stake holders Empower the author and the victim Value Empathy; Connection over shame Develop Agency Additionally, (although this is not the official layout of a Restorative Justice system) an RJ system typically includes: Preventative Work: Relationship- building Self- Reflection Social and Emotional Intelligence Intervention Work: Self-Reflection Accountability Recognizing Impact Making it Right (if needed) Learn more about Nicholas Bradford’s work at: https://www.nationalcenterforrestorativejustice.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/nationalcenterforrestorativejustice/ 

Are Microschools the Answer?   Summer break is here or nearly here.  Are you thinking ahead to next school year?  You may be worrying about if your child will lose progress over the summer and you may be looking for ways to maintain their educational levels.  (Hit reply and let me know if you’d like to discuss tutoring options) OR   You may be wondering if you need to change schools for your kiddo.  Maybe that school they’re at has not been serving them well and you’re just so tired of the fight.     Seeing schools fail to meet the needs of kids breaks my heart every day.  I know those educators went into the field to help kids, but things are complicated and now they’re fighting with parents over what the kids actually need and no one feels like they can trust the others.   Have you heard of microschools?  A microschool may be just what you’re looking for to solve the educational difficulties your kiddo is facing.  Small communities of parents and teachers working together to best meet the needs of the kids?  Sign me up!   Check out Changemaker Education here! https://www.changemakereducation.com/

Video Version available at DecodingLearningDifferences.com   In previous seasons, we have talked EXTENSIVELY about motivation and because it is such a critical part of a child’s academic success and overcoming learning challenges, I’ll always keep bringing it up again and again!   This week we’re diving into a quick and easy way to motivate a child.  It won’t work for every child every time.  And it won’t work if your mindset going into it isn’t clear and motivating.     And yet, overall, it’s such a simple action to take to increase learning!  

Video Version available at DecodingLearningDifferences.com   I recently was confronted (on this podcast episode!) with a myth that I had spread widely believing to be true: that learners retain 90% of what they teach.  I had never believed that the pyramid this fact was based off of was exact or precise but rather a generalization of lots of research.  It also was supported by the real-life experiences I had.   And yet– I had trusted the sources that first told me about this pyramid.  That led me to spread it to others and so on, and if any of us had looked into deeply, we would have seen it’s just a common myth that has spread WIDELY!   So, do educators lie? Sometimes.  And sometimes educators fall for misinformation just like everyone else.  So what do we do about it?  Check the facts!  And set the record straight when you can!

Gretchen Wegner, a former classroom teacher, is the founder of The Anti-Boring Learning Lab. This is a wonderful resource for all educators to check out, including home educators! In this second conversation, Gretchen will share her knowledge of Self-Directed Learning, which we discuss calling “Collaborative Learning”!  You’ll learn what it is, how to implement it in any learning situation, and why it’s worth taking the time to implement well! Video version available at DecodingLearningDifferences.com Be sure to check out Gretchen's FREE resources!  These are shared during the conversation and I found them to be so helpful with my own kids and students!

Video version available at DecodingLearningDifferences.com Gretchen Wegner, a former classroom teacher, is the founder of The Anti-Boring Learning Lab. This is a wonderful resource for all educators to check out, including home educators! In this conversation, Gretchen will share her knowledge of neuromyths, why they are not accurate, and why we need to bust them! Check out Gretchen's blog article about Neuromyths here! This article is what led me to invite Gretchen on the podcast! Also be sure to check out Gretchen's FREE resources!

I do hope that I am not the only neuro-nerd out there, but even if you’re not particularly fascinated by neuroscience, stick with me!   In this week’s episode, I take an old-ish quote and apply it to how your kids learn, leaving you with action you can take to make learning more successful for your kids!   This is extremely helpful in working with kids with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and so many other specific learning disabilities! It also benefits those with ADHD or any learning struggles!

This week’s podcast episode might be a first of its kind (for me).  It started out as wanting to explain that English is actually relatively logical and follows a lot of patterns, but it turned into a book recommendation because Uncovering the Logic of English by Denise Eide goes into better detail than I ever could in a podcast episode! Listen in to hear about why I like this book, why I recommend this book regularly, and some examples of how we were just never taught enough to know that English is a much more predictable and logical language than it is usually given credit for!

I am delighted to announce that our first guest interview for the 2025 season of Decoding Learning Differences is Dr. Hurford.  Dr. Hurford is doing great things in the world, studying dyslexia and teaching kids with dyslexia as part of his non-profit organization! You can hear all about that as well as some books he’s published (that I just had to get my own copies of, so expect to see another episode on those in the future!) in this week’s podcast episode! To learn more about his organization and his books, go to: https://www.jettpublishing.net/authors/about-the-author    

Times are challenging, and I’m dedicated to focusing on getting everyone the info they need to be successful in the area in which I have expertise in. There will be a few changes to the podcast for the 2025 season.  I will now be emailing and publishing the podcast episodes on THURSDAYS instead of Mondays!     So watch for emails from me on Thursdays at 12:34pm.  As much as I’d like to get back to weekly emails and episodes, I think bi-weekly is the most attainable for me at this time.  I am dedicated to continuing to keep this a free resource (for you; it costs me plenty, haha!) and hope that you find it valuable! I’ll be focusing this year on Education law (especially the special education side of it), book reviews, learning/teaching tips, and guest interviews!   If you have any ideas for any of the above OR any other questions you would love for me to answer on the podcast, please email me: Kimberlynn@DecodingLearningDifferences.com

Parents assume that their kids have learned something and will still know it next week.   They won’t, unless they’ve been practicing.     This is probably obvious to you when you stop to think about it, but it’s just so common for parents to also be surprised when our kids have forgotten something they TOTALLY knew!   And this learning-requires-practice truth is exponentially more true for kids with learning disabilities! Listen to this week’s episode and get some ideas for how to go about helping your kiddo to make progress that lasts and doesn’t leave them saying, “I’m stupid!”  No kid deserves to feel that way!

If you have a “great”, “good”, or even “okay” IEP in place for your kiddo, don’t assume all is going well and you don’t need to check in until the next annual IEP.   Check NOW!  We’re approximately ⅓ of the way through the school year (depending on your school’s calendar).     We need to be sure that everything in place still makes sense and is benefiting your kiddo.     We need to be sure the goals are appropriate and progress is being made.   And we need to be sure progress is being made in all the areas that don’t have IEP goals too!

Unfortunately, education has become increasingly political lately and I feel like I’m not doing anyone any favors by keeping quiet about it.   I will not tell you who or what to vote for, but I would love the opportunity to let you know about a few things that can impact your child’s education.   I’m intentionally releasing this episode well ahead of Election Day because I want everyone to have time to research fully, and never to act out of fear.

Today is Christmas in September!  I’ve got a gift for you!   I’ve just created an IEP checklist to help you do what I do for my clients!  When working with clients, I go through every part of an IEP to ensure it is well-written, accurate, and is working toward reasonably ambitious goals.   With this PDF, you can now do the same thing!  The PDF links to videos that go deeper into some of these topics to help you better determine how to support your kiddo and how to best evaluate your kiddo’s IEP.   In this week’s podcast, I’m going over this PDF and how to use it most effectively. Click here to watch and get the PDF for yourself!

Click here to see the video and get the letters!   https://decodinglearningdifferences.com/Letters Or email me at Kimberlynn@DecodingLearningDifferences.com

See the video at: https://decodinglearningdifferences.com/StartingtheSchoolYear  The school year has already begun in schools near me, and won’t start for another month in some other schools around the country.  Whenever you are starting school, I want you to keep in mind a few things toward the start of the year.  These are some ways to help ensure this is a year of success and progress for your child, and not another lost year.   Stay in frequent contact with all general education and special education teachers working with your kiddo, as well as any other service providers (Speech, OT, counseling, etc) Be sure that everyone is very familiar with your child’s needs and accommodations and be sure that they are actually implementing them, not forcing your child to be the one to ask for the accommodation before it is provided! Monitor your child’s progress and ensure IEP goals are being worked on, are still appropriate, and progress is being made. Be friendly, be approachable, be firm.  The goal is for the school’s IEP team members to treat you like they would a close friend or family member, providing the best for your kiddo; not taking advantage of you, and not keeping you in the dark out of fear.

Video version available at: decodinglearningdifferences.com/IEPAccommodations This week’s podcast episode is long overdue!  This is an analysis of a real IEP accommodations page sent to me by a parent concerned about their child’s IEP and wanting some free feedback. I love parents who care and who ask great questions to understand how to help their kiddo. In this episode, I take a look at this IEP for the first time and give feedback on what I’m seeing and noticing and what I would write differently, if anything. Did you know?? If you want free support on an IEP, email me (Kimberlynn@DecodingLearningDifferences.com) and tell me, “free help, please!” Attach any IEP documents you want me to look at.  I’ll take a look, remove any identifying information, and provide some feedback on a future podcast episode, sending you the episode before it’s published! Or- Do you want more intensive help and guidance?  Someone to hold your hand and guide you through more than a year of IEP process and ongoing monitoring and support?  Email me (Kimberlynn@DecodingLearningDifferences.com) and say, “I want ALL the help!” and we’ll set up your 1:1 support.

I was watching a sweet video the other day of a toddler trying to figure out a puzzle and looking frustrated but determined.  Finally, the child figured it out and their face lit up!  So sweet! I love these kinds of stories of kids, adults, and even animals overcoming difficulties.  They can be such an inspiration! And even better: when someone overcomes a difficulty and then turns around and helps others to overcome that same difficulty! That’s this week’s guest on the podcast: Sherrika Myers! You will hear her tell her story of difficulty, overcoming, and then creating ways to help others overcome that same difficulty AND other challenges! Watch the video here:  https://decodinglearningdifferences.com/SherrikaMyers/    Links to Sherrika Myers's resources: https://www.every1voicematters.org/ https://www.lilherbieseries.org/

Hi, *|FNAME|*! Happy Monday! When I first became a special education teacher, I had received NO instruction on how to write an IEP.  I asked another special education teacher how to write it and was told to mostly just copy what the previous year’s IEP said, just making the goals more advanced. I was so clueless going into that first IEP meeting. I cared DEEPLY about my students, and I wanted to do right by them.     I wanted to provide every student with a really great education that would meet their needs and see them excel. I felt that parents were an important part of the team, knowing more than I did about their student and best positioned to address and suggest certain parts of the IEP. I did not feel well-positioned to make suggestions on the rest of it…   A few years later, after talking to more special education teachers, receiving a little training, and writing and holding over a hundred IEP meetings….   I was still inadequate.   I still cared.  I still wanted to do what was best.  And I still felt like there was a ton I didn’t know and needed to know in order to best serve my students.   Eventually, I got A LOT more training and feedback from experts on how to actually write effective IEP goals.   I had someone over my shoulder showing me what was right and what I needed to change to write effective goals.   I will forever be grateful to that person and the training I received which allowed me to finally be better at that aspect of my career. And now that I’m not writing hundreds of IEP goals every year as a special education teacher, I want to help others know HOW to write and recognize good IEP goals When the IEP team sends you a draft IEP goal, I want you to be able to look at it and determine for yourself if it is any good. Check out the video for this week’s episode: “IEP Goals: Let's Fix One!​” by clicking here!