Marie is

AN EDUCATOR, MENTOR AND TRAINER

A person with curly gray hair wearing a white button-up shirt, sitting at a table with arms crossed.

My passion as an educator is deeply rooted in my personal history

Like many of my students, I also struggled to learn to read and spell. Knowing first-hand the frustration and anxiety this can cause, I set out on a career path to help struggling students succeed.  Being dyslexic provides me with a unique perspective on the challenges that students face. It enables me to provide students with the tools they need to succeed in a supportive environment where they feel included, understood and free to learn.

My Credentials

I received my formal training as an Orton Gillingham instructor in Toronto and Denver. In recent years, I have also been teaching Structured Word Inquiry.  I have received extensive training from Professor Peter Bowers (WordWorks Literacy Centre), Michel Rameau (Real Spelling), Rebecca Loveless, Jennifer Petrich and Sara Lee (Literacy Doctor) and Douglas Harper (Online Etymology Dictionary). I also co-presented a workshop on Structured Word Inquiry at The Bishop Strachan School in Toronto and presented at the Wordtorque conference on how to use visuals to teach word inquiry.

Tutoring and Training

I have worked as a literacy instructor in private practice for over 15 years. I have also worked with students experiencing learning challenges at a private school, Upper Canada College (Toronto), where I have also provided mentoring and training to teaching staff. I have also continued to provide coaching to staff at Bishop Strachan (Toronto) on developing linguistic strategies to teach reading and spelling.


My Teaching Philosophy

It is important to me, and to my practice, that students feel valued and are comfortable in exploring how language works. I invite my students to become scientists of language, in a safe and supportive learning environment that stimulates their curiosity and builds their self-confidence. While mastery of reading and spelling is the aim of my teaching, it is not the end of what a student will be able to learn: it is just the beginning.  

“Building a deep and consistent understanding of how the English language works through exploration and discovery”

What is

STRUCTURED WORD INQUIRY (SWI)?

What is Structured Word Inquiry?

The primary teaching approach I use to teach students to read and spell is called Structured Word Inquiry (SWI). This scientifically sound approach to language provides students with effective tools to read and spell through the process of discovery and enquiry based learning.

Instead of being told English is irregular, students learn how their language system works.  Imagine a students delight when they discover that words they have been told are irregular are just following a different set of rules. 

When students understand how language works the lessons learned become life long.

As many parents, teachers and students know memorization and sounding out words is not a reliable way to read and spell English words.  The reason for this is English is not a language where single letters represent sounds.  Instead English is a highly structured language where morphology, etymology and phonology work together to influence how we read and spell.


”When students understand how language works the lessons learned become life long.”

How does SWI work?

Take for example the word two which is often thought of as irregular because the < w > is not spelling a speech sound. Why is there a < w > in this word? The < w > marks a historical connection to how the word was spelled in Old English < twa >. Over time the < tw > spelling became used to spell words associated with twoness such as twin, twice and twelve.  The < w > in each of these related words is spelling a speech sound. Teaching students to understand how words function in the writing system helps them to read, spell and comprehend any word they encounter. Learning sticks when what is taught makes sense.

Students, especially those who struggle, need to know what letters are doing in words beyond spelling speech sounds. Without this information students will be forced to fall back on guess work and memorization which can leave them feeling overwhelmed and anxious.

SWI succeeds as an approach because it helps students see the sense and logic behind how we spell and read words. Providing students with tools to understand how language works, enables students to read, spell and comprehend any word they encounter across all disciplines.  

Benefits of

STRUCTURED WORD INQUIRY

Benefits of SWI

Structured Word Inquiry is a highly individualized literacy intervention which is designed to meet a range of learning needs, interests and abilities. It is considered suitable for one to one and classroom instruction.

Research states that Structured Word Inquiry advances language and literacy outcomes in the following ways:


1) Reading

  • Improves understanding of the relationship between graphemes and phonemes within a meaningful context contributing to greater success in reading and comprehension levels.

  • Also increases vocabulary knowledge resulting in improved ability to read unfamiliar words across subject areas.


2) Spelling

  • Increases awareness of how letters function in words resulting in higher spelling accuracy.

  • Enhances understating of spelling conventions improving the ability to spell and understand high frequency words and  “irregular words”.


3) Handwriting

  • Improves understanding of letter formation contributing to increased ability to identify letters and read words in phrases and sentences.  

  • Enhances student self esteem by improvements the speed and legibility of writing. 


4) Retention

  • Improves retention of information in language and literacy by increasing student engagement in the learning process.

What students can achieve

  • Reliable tools for reading, spelling and understanding vocabulary

  • Ability to decode words across all subjects

  • Reading and spelling skills at or above grade level

  • Confidence in themselves and their learning potential

What educators can achieve

  • A deep and consistent understanding of how the English language works

  • A toolkit of resources and skills to help their students learn language through inquiry, discovery and curiosity

  • Confidence when responding to student and parent questions about their educational approach

VIDEOS

 Making Sense of Words

Spelling Is More Than Speech Written Down

Parent and teacher

TESTIMONIALS

Testimonials

As an educator, my pride and satisfaction comes from witnessing the success of my students in overcoming their challenges with reading and spelling.

As a parent, I fully understand the stress and concern that arises when our children struggle to read and spell. By helping students improve their English skills, I aim to provide relief for worried parents.  Witnessing my students overcoming their reading and spelling challenges is a great source of satisfaction and pride for me.

Below are some testimonials from parents of current and past students.

  • “I will never forget the relief I felt during my first phone call with Marie Foley. It was a quick chat to get to know one another and make a meeting to determine if tutoring would be a fit for our daughter. By the end of it I was in tears because I felt hopeful in a way I hadn't in many, many months.

    Our daughter was halfway through grade two and struggling to read even basic texts. Marie's calm, patient energy was a comfort to us all. Our daughter loved to go, and we loved to sit in. I used to joke that the hour with Marie was part lesson, part therapy. But it's actually quite true. She has very easily earned our trust and deep respect.

    Now in grade 6, our daughter is well on her way, but she couldn't bear to graduate from Marie, and to tell the truth, we weren't ready either. At first we scaled back from bi-weekly to bi-monthly sessions, to keep them in touch and investigating words together for fun - Marie calls our daughter a scholar like herself, which is thrilling. But we soon realized twice a month was not nearly enough. Marie and our daughter had too much to discuss, the hour would fly and they'd want to keep going. So they're back to a weekly session and I honestly can't imagine a time when Marie won't be in our daughter's life.

    She has done everything you'd expect a good tutor to do - she got our daughter reading and spelling and enriched her understanding of language and built her confidence up. But she's done more than that. She's instilled in our daughter this intense curiosity, not just about language but about the world. She's become a beloved friend and mentor to our daughter, and a part of our family as well.”

    — Lauren Ballem, parent

  • “For the past two years Marie has freely offered her unique and invaluable insights, and ever-evolving expertise to support me and a group of colleagues in our quests to better understand the English orthography system. I came to know Marie and learn about word inquiry through sheer happenstance, and ever since have been both professionally and personally moved by her passion for inquiry and for supporting learners as they explore the richness within our language system. While she is a truly gifted literacy instructor for people of all ages, she also possesses a superb ability to nurture a learner's deepest desires to question and seek deep understanding.”

    — Aida Fahoum, Parent and Learning Resource Teacher at The Bishop Strachan School

  • “The work that Marie does with students and families is exceptional in its own category of excellence! Marie is able to connect with students to develop their missing skills with customized lesson planning, she walks families through the confusion of learning differences and the necessary accommodations that can change lives. Marie also pulls together teams of experts (as a teacher/parent I have also been invited to consult) to facilitate information sharing in support of student success.”

    — Liz Kingston, parent and teacher

  • “As a teacher and proud mom of an endearing grade 3 girl, with several clinical diagnoses, I was very impressed with the efforts Marie took to connect with my daughter, to see and to hear her. Marie’s genuine interest and understanding of my daughter’s specific needs allowed my daughter to open up and trust her, and the learning Marie wished to cultivate in my daughter. Marie constantly motivates her to see beyond her challenges and use her strengths as a dyslexic thinker when tackling her learning journey. Marie helped my daughter see herself as being smart and creative when dissecting the English spelling system. The tools that have been offered to my daughter will consistently serve her well in her learning journey.”

    — Mariana M., parent and teacher

  • “Marie is a wonderful teacher: knowledgeable, compassionate, and enthusiastic. Both my children love working with her. Marie has provided them with tools that have dramatically improved their reading and spelling. Also, she has inspired their curiosity about language and given them the confidence to ask questions and investigate when they meet with challenges.”

    — R. Barker, parent

Unlock Your Child's Literacy Potential

Are you a parent watching your child struggle with reading, writing, and spelling? Or perhaps you're an educator seeking more effective ways to boost your students' literacy skills?I can help.