A Catholic Approach to Literacy for Struggling Students: Connecting Philosophy and Practice

Discover effective literacy methods that align with a Christian anthropological view of the human person, as described by Aquinas and Aristotle and joined to research-based strategies. Through this work you will learn the most important pieces to building the skills needed for literacy acquisition. The aim of this book is to provide parents and educators with the foundational understanding of how a person learns to read in order to equip them with the tools needed to effectively implement a full reading curriculum. Included are intervention methods that can be used in conjunction with reading curriculum to improve reading outcomes for students who struggle.

The principles used in this book are research-based intervention methods that are blended with models of human development set out by Aristotle and St Thomas Aquinas. In the Summa Theologiae, St Thomas Aquinas writes about the faculties of the soul, relying on the foundational work of Aristotle in the De Anima. In Aquinas’ description of the powers of the soul, he outlines the way in which man comes to know, through the systematic use of his senses, imagination, memory, cogitative powers and finally his intellect and will. Effective intervention methods, as outlined in this work, align with the process Aquinas outlines. Understanding effective intervention strategies in light of the bigger picture of who man is and what he is made for, elevates learning and puts the development of literacy in a holistic perspective.

Margaret G. Walsh is an Education Therapist, with a decade of experience working in education intervention for dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and other learning disabilities. She is the founder of Secret Garden Educational Pathways, an organization that partners with Catholic schools to provide early literacy intervention for students. Jeffrey S. Lehman is professor of theology and philosophy at Augustine Institute.