Learning in different ways

José was a shy boy, who was afraid to read. It wasn’t that he *couldn’t* read — but something about taking that big step into a world of limitless possibilities through literacy? Well, that frightened him. 

Maybe it was the reading aloud part. Or maybe it was just nerves or self-doubt. 

Either way, he needed a gentle push. And he found that through GLXi. 

José’s teacher, Wendy Santa Cruz, discovered that music would set off a spark with the boy. When a song played, he was no longer afraid. He was following along, paying close attention to the words. 

Through music, and singing, José learned to tell stories. And those stories offered him the first glimpse of all that could be discovered through literacy. 

When José saw the images from the stories projected on the wall, he was motivated to read, speak and listen. He then learned to write. 

A lot of this improvement came through independent reading while on Google Meet sessions during remote learning. 

“We used the sounds of the letters a lot with much dedication,” his teacher, Wendy, said. “I could see that this was how he learned to read - the phonological method.”

She saw that this method of dramatized reading was not just a success with José, but with many of the other students, too.  

“They learned to describe and tell their stories and to analyze what they read and what I read to them,” she recalled. 

The GLXi curriculum encourages teachers to meet students where they are at, and to explore different methods to see what works best for each child. It is about fostering a love for learning and literacy. 

Because when reading is fun, kids keep at it. Sometimes, it is that simple. 

We were so delighted to hear about José’s experience in Wendy’s class!