Lindamood-Bell Learning Programs: Empowering Students to Learn
Proficiency in learning requires the ability to process language, which is dependent on the sensory-cognitive functions of phonemic awareness, symbol imagery, and concept imagery. Lindamood-Bell learning programs focus on developing these sensory-cognitive processes critical for all learning, empowering students with the skills to learn how to learn, fostering lifelong learning. Lindamood-Bell's specific instruction may not be suitable for all students. Lindamood-Bell assesses each student individually to determine whether their approach can provide the appropriate instruction they need.
Identifying Learning Strengths and Weaknesses
Lindamood-Bell learning programs begin with identifying strengths and weaknesses that may be affecting school performance. It is common to see years of learning gain after just four to six weeks of intensive instruction in any of their reading, comprehension, and math programs. Traditional reading and tutoring programs often focus on content instruction, while Lindamood-Bell addresses the underlying sensory-cognitive functions necessary for effective learning.
For example, consider Buzz, who has difficulty reading fluently, self-correcting, and spelling. Buzz sees the word “stream” but reads the word as “steam” and struggles to learn sight words. Or Sofie, who has strength in reading, but she doesn’t understand what she reads, remembers only parts of what she reads and hears, and has trouble following directions. Students with these symptoms may be labeled as having low motivation or short attention span. Lindamood-Bell aims to address these challenges directly.
Core Principles of Lindamood-Bell Programs
Lindamood-Bell's unique, evidence-based instruction focuses on developing the sensory-cognitive processes critical for all learning. The goal is to empower students with the skills to learn how to learn, fostering lifelong learning. Lindamood-Bell's programs follow specific steps to help their students develop their sensory-cognitive skills to the point of self-monitoring, self-correction and, ultimately, independence.
Key Components and Programs
Lindamood-Bell offers a range of programs designed to target specific learning challenges:
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- Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing® Program for Reading, Spelling, and Speech (LiPS®): The Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing® (LiPS®) program develops phoneme awareness. Students learn to recognize how their mouths produce the sounds of language.
- Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking® (V/V®): The Visualizing and Verbalizing® (V/V®) program develops concept imagery for both oral and written language.
- Talkies®: Visualizing and Verbalizing for Oral Language Comprehension and Expression (Talkies®): The Talkies® program is the primer to the Visualizing and Verbalizing® (V/V®) program for students who need simpler, smaller steps of instruction to establish the imagery-language connection. The goal of Talkies instruction is to develop mental imagery as a base for language comprehension and expression.
Direct stimulation of symbol imagery improves reading and spelling, while direct stimulation of concept imagery improves language comprehension and thinking. Lindamood-Bell's unique approach focuses on developing the sensory-cognitive processes critical for all learning.
How Lindamood-Bell Works
Lindamood-Bell is one of several teaching programs for struggling readers that’s consistent with the highly structured Orton-Gillingham approach. Like the others, it’s “multisensory.” It uses the different senses to help students make connections between sounds, letters and words. But it has unique aspects, too.
Like Orton-Gillingham, Lindamood-Bell breaks down learning to read into concrete skills. These include connecting letters to sounds and blending sounds into words. Students master one skill before moving on to the next. But along with teaching students to read the words, the program also focuses on understanding content. It does that by using imagery.
For instance, the student might be asked to create mental images of what she’s reading about. “Can you picture the lion?” “Can you describe how she’s playing with her cubs?” This strategy develops a concrete connection between words and images.
Step one is an evaluation by a Lindamood-Bell instructor. The instructor uses standardized tests to assess the student’s strengths and weaknesses in a number of areas. These include reading, comprehension and math. This isn’t the same as an educational evaluation for special education services.
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Next, the instructor creates a learning plan. This plan includes how many instruction hours the student will need to reach learning goals. It also outlines the specific types of instruction the student will need.
Students generally work one-on-one with instructors. They may be expected to come daily for sessions that can last from one to four hours. (When schools use the program, sessions generally range from 30 minutes to two hours. Students most often work in groups.) Instructors monitor each student’s progress and provide parents, and sometimes teachers, with regular updates.
Who Benefits from Lindamood-Bell?
Lindamood-Bell can be a particularly good for students with dyslexia, auditory processing disorders and dyscalculia. While Lindamood-Bell’s specific instruction may not be suitable for all students, those who thrive in their unique, supportive Learning Center environment often demonstrate significant progress.
Lindamood-Bell assesses each student individually to determine whether their approach can provide the appropriate instruction they need. Their students typically have average to above-average cognitive abilities and demonstrate normal social-emotional well-being. Many adults experience weakness in one or more sensory-cognitive areas. These challenges may affect their work performance and limit their opportunities for advancement. Lindamood-Bell programs can help adults as well.
Lindamood-Bell in Schools
Lindamood-Bell is not widely used in schools. It’s mainly offered at private Lindamood-Bell Learning Centers, and it’s very costly. The company does partner with some districts, however. It offers workshops for teachers and for students. The programs may be used with students or as part of response to intervention.
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For years, Lindamood-Bell has partnered with schools to provide quality professional development in their programs. Lindamood-Bell has extensive experience in partnering with schools to increase student achievement. Their partnerships with schools have succeeded in closing the achievement gap by providing explicit, cumulative and systematic instruction in this methodology.
As an example, Fulton County Schools in Georgia serves a large percentage of students who are at-risk of reading failure. During the 2019-20 school year, Fulton County implemented Lindamood-Bell® instruction to address the specific needs of its Special Education students. 263 students received 1 semester of small-group Seeing Stars instruction to develop symbol imagery for reading. Instruction was delivered by Fulton County teachers who received professional development in the programs created by Lindamood-Bell’s founders.
After a genuine Lindamood‑Bell workshop, teachers can receive live, interactive coaching in the classroom. After the class, they work with teachers to develop lesson plans and can help facilitate collaborative professional learning community meetings.
Real-World Impact
The impact of Lindamood-Bell programs can be transformative. One testimonial states, "These programs really work. My daughter's reading comprehension jumped from the 5th to the 50th percentile in just three weeks time! You have given my daughter a most precious gift that she will appreciate for a lifetime."
Applying Symbol and Concept Imagery
Lindamood-Bell programs extend beyond reading and comprehension. They also apply symbol and concept imagery to arithmetic and mathematical reasoning.
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