Joanna Rowe, an educational consultant, is leading the charge with the Read and Talk Professional Learning Community within Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, the school board of Nunavik, Quebec. Nestled in the northern part of the province, Nunavik is a remote and expansive region home to approximately 13,000 people, primarily consisting of Inuit.
Rowe draws inspiration from a former classmate at Cambridge University who, despite severe dyslexia, achieved first-class honors in History—a subject demanding extensive reading and writing—with proper support. “It showed me that if someone affected by dyslexia has the right supports and the right people who care, nothing will knock them down. They can achieve everything that their fellow students can achieve,” she affirms.
In Nunavik, students with dyslexia confront hurdles stemming from limited access to specialized resources, multilingual environments, educational disparities, stigma, and a lack of awareness. The region's remoteness exacerbates these challenges, hindering timely support and interventions. Additionally, educators may lack professional development opportunities focused on dyslexia awareness and culturally relevant interventions. Addressing these obstacles necessitates a multifaceted approach prioritizing access to appropriate resources, culturally relevant support, and heightened community awareness and understanding.
Having resided and worked in Nunavik since 2020, Rowe perceives her contribution as a part of the Truth and Reconciliation process. “If you can read, you're much more resilient against trauma, which is something many of our students are affected by—and if you're fluent in reading, the world is yours,” she asserts.
The Read and Talk Professional Learning Community champions the dissemination of Language Patterns, a systematic, science-based program emphasizing phonemic awareness and word-level reading skills, as well as comprehension and verbal reasoning. Language Patterns provides a very clear sequence and a very clear roadmap for teachers, so that those who are new to a Science of Reading approach can learn about the approach in a step-by step, hands-on way. The Read and Talk professional learning community fosters collaboration among teachers, providing a valuable feedback loop for implementing and refining strategies in the classroom. “It's a great feedback loop so we have the opportunity to actually experiment in the classroom and try certain strategies out in a concrete way,” Rowe elaborates, emphasizing the teachers' optimism and enthusiasm. “I'm really excited about being able to try something out and to build on what we discover works,” she concludes, inspired by the community's dedication to enhancing literacy outcomes for all students.
To learn more, listen to Joanna Rowe’s interview about the Read and Talk Professional Learning Community on the Dyslexia Canada podcast. It is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you typically access your podcasts.
In this series, we profile the recipients of the 2024 Dyslexia Canada Educational Excellence Awards. This prestigious award recognizes individuals across the nation who have made exceptional contributions to ensure that all Canadian children have access to essential literacy support.