LANGUAGE! Live offers more for struggling readers than any other product. Proven foundational and advanced reading intervention. Peer-to-peer instruction. Literacy brain science. A captivating modern, digital platform for grades 5–12. All in one affordable solution. More is possible
Grades K-5 blended literacy intervention
Grades K-5 online reading practice
Grades 4-12 print literacy program
Grades K-12 writing program
Grades 4-12 literacy intervention
Grades Pre-K-5 adaptive blended literacy instruction
Grades 6-12 adaptive blended literacy instruction
TransMath® Third Edition is a comprehensive math intervention curriculum that targets middle and high school students who lack the foundational skills necessary for entry into algebra and/or who are two or more years below grade level in math.
A targeted math intervention program for struggling students in grades 2–8 that provides additional opportunities to master critical math concepts and skills.
Empowers students in grades K–8 to master math content at their own pace in a motivating online environment.
Inside Algebra engages at-risk students in grades 8–12 through explicit, conceptually based instruction to ensure mastery of algebraic skills.
Developed by renowned literacy experts Dr. Louisa Moats and Dr. Carol Tolman, LETRS® is a flexible literacy professional development solution for preK–5 educators. LETRS earned the International Dyslexia Association's Accreditation and provides teachers with the skills they need to master the fundamentals of reading instruction—phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and language.
Online professional development event is designed for preK to college educators interested in improving student success in reading and writing
Literacy solutions guided by LETRS’ science of reading pedagogy, the Structured Literacy approach, and explicit teaching of sound-letter relationships for effective reading instruction.
NUMBERS is an interactive, hands-on mathematics professional development offering for elementary and middle school math teachers.
Best Behavior Features Elements to Create a Happy, Healthy School Environment
Look to ClearSight to measure student mastery of state standards with items previously used on state high-stakes assessments. ClearSight Interim and Checkpoint Assessments include multiple forms of tests for grades K–high school.
Reliable, Research-Based Assessment Solutions to Support Literacy and Math
Enhance early reading success and identify students experiencing difficulty acquiring foundational literacy skills.
A companion tool for use with Acadience Reading K–6 to determine instructional level and progress monitoring.
Assess critical reading skills for students in grades K–6 and older students with very low skills.
Assess essential pre-literacy and oral language skills needed for kindergarten.
Predict early mathematics success and identify students experiencing difficulty acquiring foundational math skills.
Give educators a fast and accurate way to enter results online and receive a variety of reports that facilitate instructional decision making.
A brief assessment that can be used with Acadience Reading K–6 to screen students for reading difficulties such as dyslexia.
A new, online touch-enabled test administration and data system that allows educators to assess students and immediately see results, providing robust reporting at the student, class, school, and district levels.
Research-based, computer-adaptive reading and language assessment for grades K-12.
Unparalleled support for our educator partners
We work with schools and districts to customize an implementation and ongoing support plan.
Get Started
Customer Support
Grades 5-12 blended literacy intervention
Flexible literacy professional development solution for preK–12 educators.
Focused on engaging students with age-appropriate instruction and content that supports and enhances instruction.
Reading intervention for grades K–5.
At Voyager Sopris Learning®, our mission is to work with educators to help them meet and surpass their goals for student achievement.
About Us
Contact Us
News
Conferences and Events
Careers
eLibrary
LANGUAGE!®
LANGUAGE! Live®
LETRS®
Literacy Symposium
RAVE-O®
Reading Rangers
REWARDS®
Step Up to Writing®
TransMath®
Vmath®
VmathLive®
Voyager Passport
We Can
by Michael Milone on May 11, 2016
The essence of learning is change. For learning to take place, there must be a change in behavior, cognition, or emotion. In all cases, learning is change. It's not just a good idea, it's the law. If there is no change, there is no learning.
No, this is not an example of the “appeal to extremes” logical fallacy, also known as reductio ad absurdum. Nor is it evidence that I was raised in a Skinner Box. (The row house in South Philadelphia where I spent my first five years was home to three generations, including a grandmother who was born in Ireland.) Learning equals change.
There are some instinctive behaviors that are not learned, of course. A normally hearing baby will respond predictably to a loud, unusual sound. The startle reflex is an innate response, so it isn't actually learned. Consider it a gift from your parents.
Lots of Ways to Learn
Despite the really annoying myth that everyone learns in the same way and at the same rate (a whole other blog), there are many paths to knowledge. Opportunities to learn are countless (literally), and range from the completely structured to the completely unstructured. They may be purposeful or accidental, pleasant or unpleasant, fulfilling or frustrating.
The change that occurs is the result of reinforcement of some kind. (Note I didn't use the word reward. There's a difference.) When you get things right, you are reinforced in some way, so the behavior, cognition, or emotion increases in frequency. Sometimes, this increase is from zero to often, but usually the change is gradual.
The reinforcement can come from a variety of sources. Three of the most common are physical effects, other people, and yourself. If you start to play tennis, the first time you hit a backhand right is very reinforcing. You want to do it again. Hearing your teacher praise you for solving a difficult math problem is reinforcing. When you finish reading a challenging but interesting book, your sense of achievement is reinforcing.
In the process of learning, you make mistakes and get things wrong. No one in the history of humanity has ever learned without making mistakes. You might get lucky and make a strike the first time you roll a ball down a bowling alley, but give it a few frames. You'll be not so perfect soon.
The Vast Misunderstanding
So, given that making mistakes is both inevitable and necessary, why do so many people create such a scene about making mistakes, particularly when it comes to learning in school? There is no simple answer. They learned this inappropriate response somewhere, and I hope we can get them to unlearn it.
One way to do this is a generational thing. We can start teaching students that making mistakes is a good thing. If we can reduce their fear of making mistakes, they will undoubtedly learn better. The willingness to make mistakes is an important element in the growth mindset. Here's a discussion of the topic that is fun and thoughtful.
Another step we can take as educators is to talk more about the importance of making mistakes to our colleagues, parents, and the public, especially policy makers. I realize this is a hard sell, especially to policy makers, but we need to try. Maybe some examples will help, like this story, which summarizes some of Einstein's most notable mistakes.
Learning to Love Mistakes
For those of us who are bad-to-the-bone science geeks, MythBusters was an awesome television show. In addition to busting myths (duh), they often showed the things they did wrong to get to the right answer. That's how science works. This story from NPR about accidental brilliance will make you want to get out there and make some mistakes.
It is rare when people tackle problems that most likely have no solution, but they do. The Wall Street Journal wrote about a course at Northwestern University in which engineering students had to tackle everyday problems that were enormously challenging, and in some cases, had no solution. What made me love the story (and the course) even more than promoting the value of mistaking is the context: students were working on devices to help individuals with disabilities in their everyday lives.
Add your email here to sign up for EDVIEW 360 blogs, webinars, and podcasts. We'll send you an email when new posts and episodes are published.