{"id":57484,"date":"2019-04-15T15:16:41","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T19:16:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=57484"},"modified":"2021-04-16T08:47:46","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T12:47:46","slug":"brock-honoured-for-commitment-to-helping-local-kids-learn-to-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2019\/04\/brock-honoured-for-commitment-to-helping-local-kids-learn-to-read\/","title":{"rendered":"Brock honoured for commitment to helping local kids learn to read"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than a decade, Brock students and staff have been working to show local kids why reading rocks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through a partnership with the Learning Disabilities Association of Niagara Region (LDANR), volunteers from the University have been helping Niagara youths to improve their literacy skills.<\/p>\n

The two groups began working together when\u00a0Professor John McNamara, Chair of Brock’s Department of Child and Youth Studies (CHYS), introduced LDANR to a literacy support intervention called Reading Rocks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe brought the program and all the research behind it to our agency so we could take that on as one of our projects,\u201d says LDANR Executive Director Samantha Sendzik (BSc ’13, BEd ’13, MA ’15). \u201cThat sparked a really strong partnership that\u2019s grown since then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Samantha Sendzik, LDANR Executive Director; Jayne Morrish, Knowledge Mobilization Officer for the Centre for Lifespan Development and Chair of the Board of Directors for LDANR; Anna Lathrop, Vice-Provost, Teaching, Learning and Student Success; John McNamara, Professor of Child and Youth Studies; and Christopher Lytle, Brock\u2019s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Co-ordinator.<\/p><\/div>\n

LDANR offers programs focused on literacy, coping and math skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

The non-profit celebrates its many volunteers, staff, community partners and funders with an annual Appreciation Night held each spring. At this year\u2019s April 5 event, LDANR presented Brock with the Outstanding Contributor Award to formally recognize the University\u2019s role in the organization\u2019s success.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile our fantastic volunteers and instructors are crucial to the success of our program, we would not be where we are as an agency without our partnership with Brock,\u201d says Sendzik.<\/span><\/p>\n

McNamara describes the relationship as symbiotic. \u201cI don\u2019t know that either of us would be able to work as effectively without the partnership,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Children from across Niagara who are having trouble reading can be referred to the organization. Kids in the Reading Rocks program then get paired up with volunteer tutors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe tutors \u2014 and we\u2019re talking about hundreds every year \u2014 are almost exclusively Brock students,\u201d says McNamara.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sendzik herself started at LDANR as a student volunteer in McNamara\u2019s class. Seeing the impact that Reading Rocks made in the lives of kids with learning disabilities inspired her to change career paths. Originally intending to be a high school math and science teacher, she decided instead to return to Brock to complete her Master of Arts in Child and Youth Studies under McNamara\u2019s supervision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reading Rocks tutors work one-on-one with vulnerable readers developing trust and inspiring confidence while building literacy skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

McNamara\u2019s students appreciate being able to apply their textbook knowledge to a real-life situation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChildren in our programs often face challenges when it comes to learning, and their parents are looking for something that\u2019s critical to the overall health of their family,” McNamara says. “<\/span>It\u2019s our students who are going to help them by using the knowledge and skills they\u2019ve learned at Brock. This really is where the rubber hits the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because learning disabilities are invisible, these children are vulnerable to being left behind, says Sendzik. \u201cAnd, because their needs are not obvious, their accommodations are sometimes not being met.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Brock student and volunteer tutor Zuha Ather (right) plays a sight-word board game in a recent Reading Rocks session with a local participant.<\/p><\/div>\n

Research shows the popular program works but, according to Sendzik, the testimonials from families who\u2019ve experienced Reading Rocks are what really affirms its success.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cParents talk about their child\u2019s attitude before coming into the program and how their child felt stupid, that they couldn\u2019t do it and that they were less than their peers. They lacked motivation and confidence,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the end of the program, parents and teachers often describe \u201ca completely different child,\u201d she says. \u201cNot only are the kids almost up to grade level in their literacy and reading skills but also their motivation and confidence in reading is off the charts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the years, LDANR\u2019s partnership with Brock has expanded to encompass many departments, Faculties and services.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve started to branch out to other areas of the University that are looking for community partners to provide students with an experiential learning component,\u201d Sendzik says. A communications intern from the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film is currently doing a placement with LDANR.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStudents gain the experience they need for their careers. We gain that expertise and support through volunteerism and research,\u201d says Sendzik. \u201cThe University is also moving forward in its strategic plan of supporting students to gain that experiential component while supporting community partnerships and building networks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The partnership between Brock and LDANR also \u201cfits with the strategic priorities of the University, including improving equity, accessibility and diversity both within and outside the University,\u201d says Ingrid Makus, Dean of Social Sciences.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBuilding community partnerships is a large part of Brock\u2019s strategic mandate,\u201d says McNamara. \u201cOne of the ways to do that is through having our students working with community agencies such as the LDANR.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe work also exemplifies the Faculty\u2019s commitment to teaching, research and service that addresses the needs of individuals in the Niagara community,\u201d Makus says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Graduates of Reading Rocks typically work their way back up to grade level, setting them up for future success. Some have spoken at LDANR events. At least one is now enrolled in college.<\/span><\/p>\n

McNamara figures \u201cit\u2019s only a matter of time\u201d before a Reading Rocks participant comes to study in CHYS. \u201cThat will be great to see,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Information on the programs and volunteer opportunities at LDANR is available on the organization\u2019s<\/span> website<\/span><\/a> or through the<\/span> CHYS website<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For more than a decade, Brock students and staff have been working to show local kids why reading rocks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":57485,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[119,7,3319,1,4,38],"tags":[2565,45,7807,703,7812,522,4630,3312,7809,7808,5892,9749,7811,7810],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57484"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57484"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71707,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57484\/revisions\/71707"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}