Many students are putting in the effort, yet still struggling to read and write, making them feel not as smart as others. Ericsson and Poole, authors of “Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise” say these individuals need to develop “Mental Representations”, patterns that expert users apply automatically, but novices struggle to remember or even notice.
Research shows that “structural literacy” is a key point in developing reading skills in students who are struggling. Through this method, students develop mental representations or patterns of information that serve as a staircase to improved literacy skills.
An example of this in sports would be a golfer watching a video of key actions rather than a video of “good strokes”. They explain that this technique is like a staircase where every step helps build you up to that next level and allow you to judge your own performance. Researchers have already come up with the mental representations needed to improve literacy. The article includes a link to find out more information on this topic.
Key takeaways
- Skillful readers and writers possess effective mental representations or “patterns of information,” according to researchers Ericsson and Pool.
- Students struggling with literacy can benefit by working to develop effective mental representations through a program known as structured literacy.
- The researchers suggest that the process of structured literacy involves identifying students’ weaknesses in mental representations and helping them develop these missing areas effectively. This approach allows students to move step by step on a “staircase” to improved reading and writing skills.
Take the dyslexia test
Is your child struggling in school?
Get your free personalized learning roadmap
You describe what you see at home. We turn it into a plan you start this week.
- Answer 5 short questionnaires about what you already notice, 30–45 minutes at your own kitchen table
- Your child sits no test and gets no score: nothing to schedule, nothing for them to dread
- You do the answering, the AI does the writing, and a person reviews it before it reaches you
- Access all 40+ courses instantly: reading, math, focus, processing and more, with new ones added regularly
Why we use AI, plainly: it writes from a knowledge base our team maintains and audits. We work through it line by line and pull anything the evidence stops supporting. The roadmap you get on Tuesday reflects what we corrected on Monday, and a human still reads it before you do.
Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.
A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.
