Can you describe your unique approach to curriculum design?
As a passionate reading intervention teacher, I design research-based materials for my students and share them with others working with struggling readers. I am celebrating my 20th year in education and hold 3 degrees, including a Masters in Learning Disabilities.
Amid emotionally charged public debate on reading practice, I keep my media-informed reading at arms-length. To keep in the loop about public-facing trends, I scan the headlines and blogs and listen to several podcasts. Where I do invest my time is in reading meta-analyses in peer-reviewed academic journals on reading interventions. The quality of my work reflects this.
What inspired you to start creating Boom Cards for students and teachers?
In my ongoing search for interactive digital tools to practice independent skills, I stumbled upon Boom. What a life-changer! I started creating decks for my students to practice skills that we were directly targeting. These decks aligned with their unique interests, engaged their visual strengths, and aligned with research-informed practice. After creating a dozen of my own, I realized that this is the perfect platform to share what works for my students, in hopes that it will help others as well.
Could you share a story about the impact you’ve seen from your resources?
Hearing my students excitedly proclaim, “I know this!” is a confidence game changer. Using printables of my vocabulary cards of affixes and roots, my students can interact with the same graphics and visual cues they see in my decks. This allows them to build their background knowledge, increase their confidence, and transfer their knowledge from one context to another.
My master’s research revolved around developing reading self-efficacy. Tools that facilitate this confidence are gems, particularly those like Boom that have the extra self-efficacy boost of embedded timely feedback and practice.
How do you leverage your expertise in your Boom Cards?
My decks are designed following the foundational methodologies of being explicit, systematic, and including scaffolding. The Boom platform takes care of visual integration, a multi-sensory approach, multiple opportunities for practice, and timely feedback. Teachers can assign these decks to their students with the knowledge that they follow best practice.
What tips or strategies can you share with fellow creators?
Consider creating printable versions of decks to use in practice before students move over to Boom. That way, students gain background knowledge, are familiar with your visuals, and have had kinesthetic practice manipulating your graphemes/morphemes/visuals before moving to an independent format on the computer.
How has becoming a Premier Publisher impacted your approach to designing innovative curriculum?
As a Premier Publisher, there is a renewed sense of accountability to create and review my decks to ensure they complement practices that align with current research.
What are some ways you make your Boom Cards adaptable and inclusive for all types of learners?
My decks revolve around struggling readers. As a result, audio instructions on decks that focus on foundational skills provide students with independence. Student-friendly visual cues help reinforce orthographic patterns and connect morphemes to meanings. If you start with your learners in mind, your designs will naturally fit their needs. You can always ask your students to check your work!
What tips can you share to help publishers create high-quality digital resources for teachers?
Invest in graphics, recruit student testers, do the research, and be ready to spend time revising.
What role can publishers play in supporting teacher self-care and preventing burnout?
If only Boom existed when I started teaching 20 years ago! I have a clear memory of being overwhelmed with curriculum content and constantly remaking the wheel with hand-drawn visuals and clip art. Boom Cards provide teachers with what I have now—more time to focus on direct instruction with reassurance that students are receiving targeted skill practice.
Any final thoughts?
There is something special about the stark contrast between quiet nights spent designing and a busy teaching environment. Boom provides a platform to extend your impact to students beyond those in your classroom.
