Barton...necessary to watch the videos? or other options?

[caedmyn]

Is it absolutely necessary to watch the videos if you use Barton? The thought of switching to Barton makes me want to cry but I am not sure Abecedarian B2 that we're currently using is a good fit for my 7 YO. His reading improved tons with the first two levels of Abecedarian but I can see that there is nowhere near enough practice in this level for him to get it on the 2 sounds for c & g. Trying to get theough the Barton videos would be a huge pain. I'd probably have to watch in 20 min segments after the kids are in bed, which would take weeks, and I have memory problems and probably would retain very little of it anyway. Can I just follow the scripting in the lesson plans and skip the videos? Or maybe something like AAR would be an option since he has progressed a good bit with a less-intensive program already?

[MyLittleBears]

The scripted lessons are most helpful when you've watched the videos. It is easier to implement after watching the demonstration and possible confusions that could come up. You could just watch the lesson of the week prior to teaching rather than the whole video right off the bat. I do this and find it much easier to retain it, especial if I sit down in the morning prior to my children getting up. It takes maybe 10-15 minutes at most making it much more manageable. I tried doing it at night but it put me to sleep. It could be marketed as a sedative,lol.

 

 

ETA:

I think I could have written your post about Abecedarian. The program was amazing for my youngest but he is not dyslexic. My middle child only got so much out of it and got nothing at all from AAS. For him, Barton is worth it. It is the only thing that has truly worked. HTHs

Edited October 24, 2016 by MyLittleBears

[PeterPan]

If your dc is very impatient or busy, he's going to find it very frustrating to watch you learn on the fly as you slowly sort it out.  It will go much better if you watch the videos, which walk you through the lessons and the materials, so that you'll be prepared to sit down and go through the scripted lessons efficiently and confidently.  The point of the videos is to make your use of the scripted lessons more efficient, not to eliminate your need for the scripted lessons.  You'll be much more experienced before you start teaching from just the side notes.

 

[caedmyn]

Maybe I need to look again at other options.  I would probably put all three school-age kids through it if I got it, which would mean needing several levels at once at the cost of a small fortune, because the 10 YO would move a whole lot faster than the 7 YO, and the 6 YO who's still learning to read and may or may not have dyslexia has a 10 min max attention span (and there's no way I'm going to do multiple sessions a day with him on top of doing other sessions with his siblings).

[PeterPan]

Your learning curve would go down as you do more levels, so it would actually become easier for you as you go forward.  I would just stick with Barton, unless you have the money to afford tutors.  It's one system for everyone, learn it, bam done.  Personally, I don't need to watch the videos now.  It clicked in my mind how it works, and I'm fine.  You will initially, but eventually you might not need them.  I would not assume you're needing to watch 3 hours a week or something, kwim?  You'll watch an hour or two for level one, fast forward some in level 2, and by level 3 maybe not use them at all.  Don't fret it.  Order the materials that your students need.

[OneStepAtATime]

Not sure what other system you might be interested in but I will address Barton specifically, in case my feedback helps.

 

1.  Yes, watching the videos is very helpful when you first learn the system.  You aren't watching to memorize anything.  You are watching to get a feel for the program and how to approach things.  Once you watch the video the TM is a great guide for helping you through the lesson itself as you implement it.  Not watching the videos, especially Level 1 and 2, will make your job harder.  Stumbling through a lesson while you try to figure out what you are doing can be really hard on you and on your student and can cause tremendous confusion (and some active hate of this program).  Watching the videos doesn't take much time, especially for Level 1 and Level 2 (which I think are very important  because that gives you the hand gestures/terms/approach that is used throughout the rest of the program).  The lessons are pretty short for both levels.  Before starting, just commit to a week or so of prep.  Take :15 min a day to review the videos daily so you understand the hand gestures, concepts, terms, approach, etc.  It really isn't very hard.  

 

That being said, if you were willing to practice ahead of time using just the TM you might be able to use the system without the DVDs.  The TM is brilliantly done.  I would strongly recommend at least watching Level 1 videos and at least the first half of level 2, though.  FWIW, I no longer use the DVDs.  I did use them through some of Level 4.  After that I didn't need the videos at all anymore.  You might not even need them for Level 3.

 

2.  As for using multiple levels with multiple children, Level 1 and Level 2 may go quickly for your older two and possibly your younger, I agree.  Maybe weeks.  Most kids can complete the first three levels in less than a year, sometimes just a few months.  (Level 4, on the other hand, usually takes significant time, sometimes even a year or more, no matter the age of the child.  It is usually the hardest and longest level.)

 

But you cannot be certain how each child will process through the material.  Every child is different.  DD started Barton months ahead of DS.  He did not pass the Barton screening.  Therefor he had to do LiPS first.  She passed the screening with flying colors so she started it right away.  However, it took a longer time for DD to get through Level 1-3 than DS.  DS started Barton months after DD and yet he caught up to her pretty quickly.  DS blew through Level 1 and 2 in FAR less time than DD.  They have never functioned at the same pace, by lesson or by level.  Different kids, different strengths and weaknesses.

 

In other words, nearly everyone has to buy the first three levels in a relatively short period of time (months).  They are the shortest levels.  After those levels Level 4 is almost certainly going to take time, regardless of the student.  If you have the money for 3 levels, you should be covered for the school year for all three kids.  I doubt you would need Level 4 for months and once you actually do need Level 4 plan on taking a LOT of time for that level.  And every level after Level 4 will take longer than Level 1, 2, and 3 (just not as long as Level 4 usually).

 

3.  As for the child that has a short attention span, you could probably get away with 15 minute sessions daily for him.  DD could not stay focused for very long (turned out art of the issue was her vision but I didn't know that at the time).  I had to keep sessions very short.  We would usually work for 20 minutes at a time, daily.  She retained much better with short sessions daily than long sessions 2-3 times a week (one of the many reasons hiring a Barton tutor would not have worked for her).

 

4. There is no miracle program that makes dyslexia go away or makes teaching reading/writing/spelling to a dyslexic a super easy process.  However, some are better laid out for a layman to implement than others.  I find when you use Barton the way it was designed (not rote memorizing rules and rushing through but actually taking the time to help the student internalize and apply those rules organically), it is one of the best programs out there for a layman to implement with a dyslexic.  It does not work for everyone, though, and if you are going into this already feeling like it won't work and is too hard to implement, and you are dreading every minute of it, you won't succeed.  Your kids are going to need you to believe in this program and be willing to put in the prep and maintain some level of enthusiasm externally even if you are having doubts internally.    Otherwise, you are wasting your time and money.  

 

I hope you find a good way to handle things that will work for you and your family.

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

Edited October 24, 2016 by OneStepAtATime

[MerryAtHope]

AAR would include more practice as you want (and has a customizable review system so you can add in as much as you need). You might find this blog article about AAR and dyslexia helpful.

Edited October 29, 2016 by MerryAtHope

[WyomingElizabeth]

We just started Barton about 2 months ago with my 8-year old son.  We went through Level 1 quickly, and are almost finished with Level 2.  I have found playing the videos to be very helpful.  And, surprisingly, my son was paying attention to one of them and it helped him buy-in to the motions and tapping activities.  Before seeing it on the video he was rebelling against it, but watching it helped him get on board.  Sometimes, when I know I understand the topic, I skip forward to the next section, but mostly I watch them while folding laundry.  

[Jenn in CA]

Watching the videos was a big hindrance for me too. My solutions:

 

1. Watch them with the kids. Not that they'll get it all, but a) it won't hurt them and you don't have to use precious non-kid time, b) they may get something out of them. This actually really helped one of my kids. I still went thru the lesson, but they got the idea a lot quicker. (echoing a PP)

 

2. I was able to watch them at 1.5x speed on my dvd player, and got thru them a lot quicker. You can skip a fair amount once you get the idea.

 

After 1.5 years of teaching Barton I don't feel the need to watch the videos any more, but they reeeeally helped at the beginning.