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Idea Paper Draft

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Idea Paper Draft Beth Pemberton

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Idea Paper Draft

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Abstract

This project will examine the ease with which secondary content area teachers are

able to utilize an online tool designed to assist them to integrate reading strategies into

their courses. Specific professional development strategies and necessary supports will

also serve as critical components of the final report.

Introduction

Observation of struggling secondary students has highlighted the potential need

for ongoing reading and literacy instruction and strategies so that students are able to

benefit from content area instruction. State scores for reading comprehension based on

the states’ standardized assessments, indicate that approximately 60% of 10th grade

students, statewide, are reading at a competent level. That leaves approximately 40% of

students with reading levels that are not adequate for the level of text they are expected to

utilize in order to the learn the material and concepts taught at the secondary level.

Students who do not read well struggle academically and often develop behavior

problems to mask this issue. Students will rarely ask for help in this area due to

embarrassment or shame over their perceived shortcoming. How then, do we provide

reading instruction and strategies in a manner that does not stigmatize or alienate

students? How can we provide this type of instruction in an environment that has been

designed with the belief that secondary students have already mastered reading and now

are to focus on content areas?

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If every teacher regardless of content area, taught reading as well as other literacy

skills on an ongoing basis, using their content materials, students might gain not only

literacy skills but would have a better understanding of the content materials. If content is

presented without literacy skills, those with the skills will benefit from the instruction,

while those without the literacy skills will have gained very little or nothing. If we

assume the goal of instruction is to provide students with relevant skills transferable to

other situations in their lives, and we pass on the opportunity to provide the strategies to

produce literate students, we are neglecting to give students the opportunity to gain the

skills most valuable in life.

Some barriers exist, inherent in the way many secondary content areas have been

taught. Imparting as much information as possible has been viewed as a hallmark of

success. Integrating strategies with a goal, other than expediting the delivery of this

information, is often viewed as taking time away from this important task. If teachers are

not convinced that integrating reading and literacy strategies into their instruction will

increase comprehension of material by a significant number of students, they will feel

that they have been cheated of time for instruction related to their content area.

Area of Focus Statement

The purpose of this action research project is to evaluate the ease with which

teachers are able to utilize a web-based instructional module to assist with integration

reading strategies into high school content area courses.

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Research Question

Would a web-based instructional module, providing specific instructional and

related lesson material to integrate reading strategies in content areas be utilized by

secondary teachers?

Review of Related Literature

Review of existing literature examined the affect of reading deficits and low

expectations on students, integrating reading strategies within content areas and beliefs

regarding reading instruction and well as professional development. Unaddressed reading

deficits in older students tend to spiral downward and eventually include deficits in other

related areas (Moats, 2001). Moats also states that the most challenging aspect of

teaching reading to older students is that “they cannot read so they do not like to read;

reading is labored and unsatisfying so they have little reading experience; and, because

they have not read much, they are not familiar with the vocabulary, sentence structure,

text organization and concepts of academic ‘book’ language.” In addition, “Over time,

their comprehension skills decline because they do not read, and they also become poor

spellers and poor writers.”

Couple this tendency with low expectations, which can occur in Hawaiian schools

as readily as urban schools on the mainland with predominantly minority populations.

Banks (2005) found that urban African American students felt that the literacy

expectations for them in high school were not as high as for non- African American

students. These students noticed a gap upon entering college and a drop in academic

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status due to new, more rigorous expectations. These students had not been provided the

same opportunities to utilize higher order thinking skills and were left at a disadvantage

upon entering higher education. In Hawaii, our Asian Pacific Islander student population

scores lower on state assessments and may face similar low expectations in our high

schools. If we do not have high literacy expectations for alls students and actively

address deficits, we leave many of our students at a disadvantage or totally unprepared

for higher education or employment.

One school found that when reading strategies were integrated with curriculum-

based standards with an emphasis on higher order thinking, deep knowledge, substantive

conversations and connections beyond the classroom, the students presented as more

engaged readers (Kirshner, 2004). In fact, this school eventually discontinued the direct

instruction program it had been implementing due to rising test results utilizing the

integrated model to reinforce reading skills rather that a focus on discrete skills. A change

of this type requires a change in perspective by the school community regarding who is

responsible for teaching reading. This is a shift for many content areas teachers who have

considered it to be something addressed in elementary school or by specialists at the

secondary level (Dieker, 2005). As per Dieker, schools wishing to integrate reading

strategies need to identify which supports will be necessary and which professional

development activities will help to augment the change. In addition, it is also necessary to

address the current beliefs held in order to determine teacher receptivity to utilizing new

strategies within the classroom. Scammacca, Robberts, Vaughn, Edmonds, Wexler,

Ruetebuch and Torgesen (2007) conducted a meta- analysis of reading interventions for

struggling adolescent readers. The analysis acknowledged that adolescent students benefit

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from reading intervention, it is not too late. A focus on word and text level instruction

including expanded knowledge of work meanings and concepts benefited comprehension

and a positive impact was associated with reading intervention provided by teachers.

Professional development to assist teachers in implementing new classroom

strategies was examined by Biancarosa and Snow (2004), and Colgan and Dalgarno

(2007) with similar findings. Colgan and Dalgarno utilized a semi-structured script

within a focus group format to obtain information on teachers’ professional development

needs. These teachers were surveyed to determine the priority areas for support for

professional development in an area that most of these teachers lacked confidence. Three

themes emerged from the data analysis regarding professional development and support.

The teachers wanted access to alternative as well as traditional forms of professional

development. They also asked for opportunities for professional communication through

professional learning communities as well as access to relevant information and

knowledge utilizing technology and facilitated learning. Bancarosa and Snow also

suggested that communities of practice, or teacher learning communities should be used

support coordinated professional development efforts and to reinforce important

strategies and concepts. In addition, ongoing professional development, as opposed to

one-time workshops or even a short=term series of workshops should be implemented to

promote lasting change in teacher practice. The best-case scenario involves building the

professional development opportunities into the regular schedule utilizing ongoing

teacher learning community sessions as a vehicle for ongoing support.

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Data Collection

Data collection will be conducted before, during and after the project to assess

effectiveness on a number of levels. A survey will be conducted before the project to

assess for teacher readiness and help in selecting a pilot group of teachers as participants.

Usage and implementation will be tracked in a manner that is easy for teachers and can

be translated into data later in the process using a log that is developed with the input of

participating teachers. Interviews will be conducted for qualitative feedback regarding

ease of integration of materials into course content.

Data Sources

• Observing and Documenting Situations - Teachers will be observed as they learn

to us the tool in introductory professional development session and during

subsequent sessions dedicated to allowing time to learn strategies, prepare

materials and articulate with other teachers in the pilot project.

Strategies will also be observed as they are utilized within classroom settings.

• Interviews - Teachers participating in the project will be interviewed during and at

the end of the project timeline. Students may be interviewed regarding strategies

introduced and reinforced during the project.

• Questionnaires - Questionnaires will be used to assess teacher readiness to

participate in the project. They will also be used to assess perceived usefulness of

strategies and ease of operation of the online instructional tool.

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Data Analysis and Interpretation

The analysis and interpretation processes will involve examining teacher logs,

interview data, observation data. Assessing for ease and frequency of use by teachers will

be examined with data used to modify or refine professional development strategies and

supports.

Quantitative data will be presented in a visual format such as a chart to separate it

from the narrative text. Qualitative data will probably be contained within a narrative

format due to the nature of the information.

Conclusions will be drawn to determine the best way to provide teachers with

strategies and support to improve the reading skills of the students in their courses

regardless of subject taught. Based on the data analyzed, modifications or adjustments

will be made to increase teacher accessibility to the material and to provide support for

teachers to integrate material with curriculum materials. The project will focus on the

delivery of information and support to teachers who will then implement within the

classroom setting.

Action Plan

An action plan will be created based on information gathered from participating

teachers and revised as necessary throughout the processes. An online component will be

enriched by some facilitated learning and supported through the use of teachers learning

communities. At Kapa’a High School, as system of teacher learning communities is

already in place utilizing a fluid approach that allows the creation of focused groups

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working toward a common goal. The creation of a teacher learning community focused

group to support participating teacher will be relatively easy to implement.

This project will be implemented as a pilot program to assist content area teachers

to integrate reading strategies to their curriculum. Ease of teacher use and

implementation is the primary goal of this project. Ultimately, improved student success

in the area of reading and related academic tasks is an overarching goal, but will not be

examined as part of this project report.

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References

Biancarosa, G., & Snow, C.E., (2004). Reading next: A vision for action and research in middle and high school literacy, Report from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington DC: Alliance for Excellent Education. Banks, J., (2005). African American college students’ perceptions of their high school literacy preparation. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 35(20), 22-37. Colgan, L., & Dalgarno, N., (2007). Supporting novice elementary mathematics teachers’ induction in professional communities and providing innovative forms of pedagogical content knowledge development through information and communication technology. Teacher and Teacher Education 23, 1051-1065. Dieker, L.A., & Little, M. (2005). Secondary Reading: Not just for reading teachers anymore. Intervention in School and Clinic, 40(5), 276-283. Kirshner, B.M., (2004). Working with curriculum standards to build a community of readers in a culture of non-readers. Education Horizons, 82(3) 194-202. Moats, L.C. (2001). When older students can’t read. Educational Leadership 58(6),36-40.

Integrating Reading Strategies into Secondary Content Areas Literature Review

Beth Pemberton


Reading Strategies Literature Review 2

Observation of struggling secondary students has highlighted the potential need

for ongoing reading and literacy instruction and strategies so that students are able to

benefit from content area instruction. State scores for reading comprehension based on

Hawaii’s standardized assessment indicate that approximately 60% of 10th grade

students, statewide, are reading at a competent level. That leaves approximately 40% of

students with reading levels that are not adequate for the level of text they are expected to

utilize in order to the learn the material and concepts taught at the secondary level.

Students who do not read well struggle academically and often develop behavior

problems to mask this issue. Students will rarely ask for help in this area due to

embarrassment or shame over their perceived shortcoming. How then, do we provide

reading instruction and strategies in a manner that does not stigmatize or alienate

students? How can we provide this type of instruction in an environment that has been

designed with the belief that secondary students have already mastered reading and now

are to focus on content areas?

Review of existing literature examined the affect of reading deficits and low

expectations on students, integrating reading strategies within content areas and beliefs

regarding reading instruction and well as professional development. Unaddressed reading

deficits in older students tend to spiral downward and eventually include deficits in other

related areas (Moats, 2001). Moats also states that the most challenging aspect of

teaching reading to older students is that “they cannot read so they do not like to read;

reading is labored and unsatisfying so they have little reading experience; and, because

they have not read much, they are not familiar with the vocabulary, sentence structure,

text organization and concepts of academic ‘book’ language.” In addition, “Over time,


their comprehension skills decline because they do not read, and they also become poor

spellers and poor writers.”

Couple this tendency with low expectations, which can occur in Hawaiian schools

as readily as urban schools on the mainland with predominantly minority populations.

Banks (2005) found that urban African American students felt that the literacy

expectations for them in high school were not as high as for non African American

students. These students noticed a gap upon entering college and a drop in academic

status due to new, more rigorous expectations. These students had not been provided the

same opportunities to utilize higher order thinking skills and were left at a disadvantage

upon entering higher education. In Hawaii, our Asian Pacific Islander student population

scores lower on state assessments and may face similar low expectations in our high

schools. If we do not have high literacy expectations for all students and actively address

deficits, we leave many of our students at a disadvantage or totally unprepared for higher

education or employment.

One school found that when reading strategies were integrated with curriculum-

based standards with an emphasis on higher order thinking, deep knowledge, substantive

conversations and connections beyond the classroom, the students presented as more

engaged readers (Kirshner, 2004). In fact, this school eventually discontinued the direct

instruction program it had been implementing due to rising test results utilizing the

integrated model to reinforce reading skills rather that a focus on discrete skills. A change

of this type requires a change in perspective by the school community regarding who is

responsible for teaching reading. This is a shift for many content areas teachers who have

considered it to be something addressed in elementary school or by specialists at the


secondary level (Dieker, 2005). As per Dieker, schools wishing to integrate reading

strategies need to identify which supports will be necessary and which professional

development activities will help to augment the change. In addition, it is also necessary to

address the current beliefs held in order to determine teacher receptivity to utilizing new

strategies within the classroom. Scammacca, Robberts, Vaughn, Edmonds, Wexler,

Ruetebuch and Torgesen (2007) conducted a meta- analysis of reading interventions for

struggling adolescent readers. The analysis acknowledged that adolescent students benefit

from reading intervention, it is not too late. A focus on word and text level instruction

including expanded knowledge of work meanings and concepts benefited comprehension

and a positive impact was associated with reading intervention provided by teachers.

Professional development to assist teachers in implementing new classroom

strategies was examined by Biancarosa and Snow (2004), and Colgan and Dalgarno

(2007) with similar findings. Colgan and Dalgarno utilized a semi-structured script within

a focus group format to obtain information on teachers’ professional development needs.

These teachers were surveyed to determine the priority areas for support for professional

development in an area that most of these teachers lacked confidence. Three themes

emerged from the data analysis regarding professional development and support. The

teachers wanted access to alternative as well as traditional forms of professional

development. They also asked for opportunities for professional communication through

professional learning communities as well as access to relevant information and

knowledge utilizing technology and facilitated learning. Bancarosa and Snow also

suggested that communities of practice, or teacher learning communities should be used

support coordinated professional development efforts and to reinforce important


strategies and concepts. In addition, ongoing professional development, as opposed to

one-time workshops or even a short-term series of workshops should be implemented to

promote lasting change in teacher practice. The best-case scenario involves building the

professional development opportunities into the regular schedule utilizing ongoing

teacher learning community sessions as a vehicle for ongoing support.

Support for providing integrated reading strategies paired with high literacy

expectations to address the downward spiral experienced by poor secondary readers is

addressed in related literature. Secondary schools are seeped in tradition that influences

perceptions of who teaches students to read and who provides intervention when students

are poor readers. Changing these perceptions is an initial step in providing meaningful

reading intervention using the contexts and content students access in secondary courses.

If students are expected to gain new knowledge from text provided as resources in these

courses, they must be able to read and comprehend the material before they can make

meaning from information presented.

Since secondary teachers are traditionally not trained in reading strategies,

professional development along with supplemental materials should be provided to create

classrooms where reading is integrated into lessons for greater comprehension of material

and possible increased reading skill. Support for professional development was proposed

as a necessary measure to ensure implementation and professional growth. Professional

learning communities of teachers working with a facilitator and each was advocated for

as a means to create a positive environment for a change in professional practice among

secondary teachers seeking to integrate reading strategies for their students.


Resources

Banks, J., (2005). African American college students’ perceptions of their high school literacy preparation. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 35(20), 22-37.

Biancarosa, G., & Snow, C.E., (2004). Reading next: A vision for action and research in middle and high school literacy, Report from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.

Colgan, L., & Dalgarno, N., (2007). Supporting novice elementary mathematics teachers’ induction in professional communities and providing innovative forms of pedagogical content knowledge development through information and communication technology. Teacher and Teacher Education 23, 1051-1065. Dieker, L.A., & Little, M. (2005). Secondary Reading: Not just for reading teachers anymore. Intervention in School and Clinic, 40(5), 276-283. Kirshner, B.M., (2004). Working with curriculum standards to build a community of readers in a culture of non-readers. Education Horizons, 82(3) 194-202. Moats, L.C. (2001). When older students can’t read. Educational Leadership 58(6),36-40. Scammacca, N., Roberts, G., Vaughn. S., Edmonds, M., Wexler, J., Reutebuch, C. K., & Torgesen, J. K. (2007), Interventions for adolescent struggling readers: A meta-analysis with implications for practice. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.

Sample Reading Journal

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Sample Reading Journal Beth Pemberton



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Reference Biancarosa, G., & Snow, C.E., (2004). Reading next: A vision for action and research in

middle and high school literacy, Report from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.

Summary of the Article A team of researchers met to create a set of recommendations to meet the needs of the nation’s struggling readers. The team proposed fifteen elements they felt critical to an effective adolescent literacy program. The writers recommend that educators experiment with combinations of strategies in a flexible manner. Implementation should include professional development, formative assessment and summative assessment as the most critical components. Ongoing professional development, as opposed to one time workshops or short term series of workshops, to promote lasting change in teacher practice. The best scenario involves building professional development opportunities into the regular school schedule with opportunities for teachers to practice strategies. Teacher Learning Communities should be used to support a coordinated and reinforce important strategies and concepts. The goals are twofold; immediate change for current students and simultaneously building a research base upon which to base future practice. Authors recommend the use of planned variation of program elements to affect as many students as possible combined with instructional and infrastructural support. Evaluation of the same outcomes should be measured, regardless of variation in program elements. Significant Conclusions (2-3)

• Coordinated efforts are needed to reinforce important strategies with support from content area teachers.

• Strive for a balanced plan that addresses needs of current students while building

a knowledge base to help future students. Quotations (1-2)

• “Improve school infrastructure to better support literacy teachers and students in addition to instructional improvement will reap the biggest rewards.”

• “More than three thousand students drop out of high school every school day

(Alliance for Excellent Education, 2003).One of the most commonly cited reasons for this is that students simply do not have the literacy skills to keep up with the high school curriculum, which has become increasingly complex(Kamil, 2003; Snow and Biancarosa, 2003).”


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Personal Summary The manner in which to structure ongoing professional development for teachers given a limited amount of time and the large number of demands on classroom teacher is a critical point to address. Ongoing coaching in the context of the classroom will probably need to be a component of cross-curricular reading strategy integration. The structure of this element will be critical to sustaining the implementation integrated reading instruction. Critical Analysis As with any implementation process, the ability to provide supports is critical. Supports may include: efforts to provided guidance in the implementation of specific strategies, peer support in teacher learning community sessions, training to use new strategies, examination of student work and assessment results to look for results or moral support. Prior planning needs to occur to ensure supports are in place prior to implementation of any plan.

Reference Colgan, L., & Dalgarno, N., (2007). Supporting novice elementary mathematics teachers’

induction in professional communities and providing innovative forms of pedagogical content knowledge development through information and communication technology. Teacher and Teacher Education 23, 1051-1065.

Summary of the Article A cadre of relatively new elementary teachers asked to design and implement a forum to provide a vehicle for ongoing professional development in the area of mathematics instructions. The motivation behind this request was lack of confidence in their individual abilities to provide mathematics instruction for their students. To accomplish this task, two focus groups and a questionnaire were used to identify priority areas for support and development as well as suggestions for implementation format and tools. A semi-structured interview script was utilized to obtain information from the two focus groups along with telephone interviews. Data analysis revealed three themes related to professional development and support; access to alternative as well as traditional forms of professional development, opportunities for professional communication through a professional community of practice, and access to relevant information and knowledge utilizing technology and facilitated learning. Significant Conclusions (2-3)

• Professional development can be found in the synergy of teachers working together with access to quality resources.

• In the hectic pace of education it is easy to forget the need for teachers to be in

communication with others to develop their practice and combat loneliness.


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• A critical component in developing teacher professional development and support is to involve the “clients” the teachers in the assessment of need, planning and implementation.

• Quotations (1-2)

• “It is not surprising, then, that despite the best efforts of teacher-education programs, ‘teachers are much more likely to teach as they have been taught throughout their schooling than as they have been taught in teacher-education programs’ (Watson, 1995, p. 2).”

• Many times we act as if learning happens as a direct result of exposure to new

information; as if at the moment of hearing new information, we ‘learn’ it. Learning is much more complex than that, especially when the goal of learning is to build the capacity of the individual or the system

(Wald & Castleberry, 2000, p. 8). Personal Summary Involving teachers in the development of ongoing supports as part of an implementation plan is critical to helping teachers enhance their practice or incorporate new strategies. Ongoing monitoring and feedback with adjustments over time may help to address unanticipated issues and provide a vehicle to introduce new information. It appears that the presence of an active facilitator is optimal to provide support in the context of the classroom and to assist with the professional learning community time, face-to-face or through an online tool. Providing related information regarding best practices or new and fresh strategies would also require the presence of an active facilitator. Critical Analysis The need for an active facilitator may require adjustments to project plans for ongoing support. The learning modules may need to have a more active component to ensure teacher participation and implementation over time. Involving participating teachers in this plan is a necessary step during the development stage. Asking for ongoing feedback and making adjustments over time as needs change and evolve is another aspect to consider. Reference Kirshner, B.M., (2004). Working with curriculum standards to build a community of

readers in a culture of non-readers. Education Horizons, 82(3) 194-202. Summary of the Article A middle school implementing a mandated direct instruction reading program for struggling readers and at-risk students made a transition to a more integrated approach with better results using standards based curriculum. The reading program progressed from decoding to comprehension. English teachers noted that many of the student remained in the decoding phase of the program. Students’ scores on the state assessment


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were not improving even though a number of students were reported to have made progress. Analysis of state assessment data and items revealed that the test focused on a range of reading comprehension skills rather than discrete decoding skills. The test focused on higher order comprehension skills for which students working on decoding were not prepared. As teachers examined their data and examined the reading tool they had been using, they changed their assumptions about what students needed to become good readers. Reading strategies were integrated with curriculum-based standards placing an emphasis on higher-order thinking, deep knowledge, substantive conversations and connections beyond the classroom. The direct instruction program was discontinued as per a higher authority. The school saw an improvement in test scores and the students presented as more engaged readers. Significant Conclusions (2-3)

• Integrating reading with content rich in relevancy and rigor produced better results in this case than instruction on discrete skills.

• Looking at student data and comparing the tool used to test skills and the

instructional practice revealed a misalignment that lead to more productive instructional practice.

Quotations (1-2)

• “All in all, the English teachers did not believe the current reading program supported the development of lifelong readers.”

• “Because most students had not moved out of decoding or were still in the lower

level of comprehension, they had not been taught such higher-order comprehension skills.”

•

Personal Summary Ongoing program analysis must include an alignment of instructional strategies with assessment tools. This is even more crucial with assessment created outside of the instructional environment. An intervention can be reliably measured if the tool is in alignment with instructional goals.

Critical Analysis Any integrated strategies need to augment and increase attainment of the larger instructional goals. A strategy seamlessly integrated should be part of the delivery vehicle for content, thinking strategies and desirable behaviors. Reference Dieker, L.A., & Little, M. (2005). Secondary Reading: Not just for reading teachers

anymore. Intervention in School and Clinic, 40(5), 276-283.


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Summary of the Article Students with learning difficulties as well as documented disabilities are enrolled in content area courses. Without strategies for reading embedded in instruction, these students often fail to comprehend content information and may fall behind. In a reaction to high stakes testing, these students are often removed from content areas courses to participate in reading instruction losing out on the content information taught in their absence. Collaboration of content area teachers and specialists is one avenue toward a more integrated curriculum that supports struggling readers. A change in perception regarding who is responsible for teaching reading is needed. This is a shift for many content area teachers who have considered it to be something addressed in elementary school or by specialists at the secondary level. Schools wishing to integrate reading strategies into content area courses need to identity the supports and professional development activities that will help to augment the change. Significant Conclusions (2-3)

• There is a need to change the perception regarding who is responsible for teaching reading at the secondary level.

• Without a shift in overall school philosophy toward reading instruction, there will

not be a change in practice at the classroom level. Quotations (1-2)

• “In elementary schools, the emphasis is on teaching the skills of reading; at the secondary level, teachers expect students to use this skill to learn, and if they

cannot, it will impact the student across all classes (Allington, 2002).”

• “Within each of these levels of reform is a critical need or stronger collaboration among teachers with various areas of expertise to maximize the mastery of content and enhance literacy skill development for all secondary students.”

Personal Summary The overall philosophy will impact what happens in the classroom so it is important to address the beliefs behind the prevailing practice in content area classes. Addressing current beliefs is critical to determining receptivity to new strategies within the classroom. Initial professional development that provides for a new way of thinking about reading instruction may need to be an initial step in creating change. Evidence that highlights the positive outcomes for all students in terms of understanding course content may help to “sell” the concept to teachers who are uncertain. Critical Analysis There are a couple of options to address the reading issue at the secondary level. One could start with a cadre of teachers who are already receptive. Data from their implementation could be used as part of professional development with additional teachers. The teachers who implement initially may also be willing to share strategies


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that were successful with other teachers as a part of professional development. The reluctant teachers could have the opportunity to learn from their peers.

Reference Moats, L.C. (2001). When older students can’t read. Educational Leadership 58(6),36-

40. Summary of the Article Very poor readers benefits from systematic instruction that starts with sound skills (phonemic awareness) and progress to word skills (syllabication, word parts and meanings) to sentences (phrases, parts) to passages (text). Structured programs such as Wilson Reading System, Language! and Barton Reading and Spelling System, based on the work of Orton-Gillingham, provide this type of sequential and structured learning. This type of intervention usually occurs in a small group to one-on-one setting rather than a larger classroom setting. Additional skills are also required for these individuals to become competent readers. Vocabulary study is critical to increasing reading comprehension skills. Utilizing words in context as well as examining the parts of words and decoding the meaning of the parts are strategies for increased comprehension. The internal questions that good readers ask themselves as they read can be modeled using open-ended and probing questions that have relevance to the student, helping the student to make connections with the text. Writing is a component in this type of intervention. Once skills improve, students can use writing to enhance comprehension through response to text. Significant Conclusions (2-3)

• Unaddressed reading deficits spiral and eventually included deficits in other related areas.

• For very poor readers the systematic instruction of programs modeled after the

work of Orton-Gillingham have been shown by research to be effective. Quotations (1-2)

• “To complicate matters, the older student has not practiced reading and avoids reading because reading is taxing, slow, and frustrating (Ackerman & Dyckman, 1996; Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997). Therein lies the most challenging aspect of teaching older students: they cannot read so they do not like to read; reading is labored and unsatisfying so they have little reading experience; and, because they have not read much, they are not familiar with the vocabulary, sentence structure, text organization and concepts of academic "book" language.”

• “Over time, their comprehension skills decline because they do not read, and they

also become poor spellers and poor writers. What usually begins as a core phonological and word recognition deficit, often associated with other language


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weaknesses, becomes a diffuse, debilitating problem with language -- spoken and written.”

•

Personal Summary This article addresses more intensive intervention than would be found in a content area class. The systematic reading program components the author advocates here are best delivered one-to-one or small group. They are not part of a content course. Some components can be integrated as good strategies such as vocabulary strategies applicable to any student. In an effort to address the needs of all the students, it is important to address the needs of very poor learners who may need an intensive intervention coupled with integrated strategies within content areas for greater comprehension in academic courses. Since one size does not fit all, a scaffolding of reading interventions and strategies should be in place to meet the needs of as many students as possible. Critical Analysis In addition to integrated reading strategies within content areas, higher intensity intervention options need to be in place for very poor readers. The integrated strategies should help the struggling reader to make meaning from content material as individual reading, spelling and writing skills develop through the intensive intervention.

Reference Banks, J., (2005). African American college students’ perceptions of their high school

literacy preparation. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 35(20), 22-37. Summary of the Article Urban African American student felt that the literacy expectations of them in high school were not as high as for non-African American students, particularly those from more affluent areas. Upon entering college, these students noticed a gap in the expectation of their high school and the new expectations of the college due to lower literacy expectations that produced lower level academic products. These students saw a drop in their academic status during their first year of college that affected the way many of them perceived themselves as students. The students developed strategies based on their own perceived strengths and weaknesses. Even though they developed strategies to allow them to succeed, they till experienced anxiety about their legitimacy as college students. A strong theme mined from the qualitative data is the negative consequences of low expectations regarding literacy and student achievement. Suggestions include the development of instructional strategies to enhance student literacy skills at the high school level, for all students. Significant Conclusions (2-3)


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• Low expectations, especially of a group defined by race or other non-disabling characteristics, leaves individuals at an unfair disadvantage in higher education and other areas of adult life.

• All students need access to high-order thinking opportunities in order to develop advanced literacy skills.

• Quotations (1-2)

• “Teacher expectation greatly contributed to students’ perceptions of literacy preparation. Students reported that teachers in their urban high schools had low expectations of them, did not encourage critical thinking, and used only passive-receptive instructional styles.”

• According to several students, teachers’ low expectations resulted in a teaching

approach which promoted rote memorization, explicit retelling of comprehension details, and over emphasis on product completion instead of the development of style and voice in written assignments.

Personal Summary Teachers in Hawaii need to be careful of low expectations for some ethnic sub-groups. Lower expectations for some groups will leave them in the same situation as the African American students. Critical Analysis Implementation of literacy strategies within any content area course needs to incorporate high expectations for students including opportunities to utilized higher-order thinking skills and produce comparable academic products. This needs to apply to all students so that none will be cheated of the opportunity to practice skills required for higher education and in adult life.

Reference Scammacca, N., Roberts, G., Vaughn. S., Edmonds, M., Wexler, J., Reutebuch, C. K., &

Torgesen, J. K. (2007), Interventions for adolescent struggling readers: A meta-analysis with implications for practice. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.

Summary of the Article This meta- analysis of reading interventions for struggling adolescent readers looked at 31 studies that have been conducted in this area. The research questioned how effective the interventions for adolescent students have been the research studies conducted with this focus. Have these reading interventions produced successful, measurable results? The analysis also examines the impact of the interventions studied on students with learning disabilities. Three variables were acknowledged; they type of intervention, grade level of students and which specific intervention was provided. The analysis acknowledged that adolescent students benefit from reading intervention, it is not too late. As focus on word and text level instruction including


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expanded knowledge of work meanings and concepts benefited comprehension. A positive impact was associated with reading intervention provided by teachers. Students with learning disabilities may require focused intervention to address particular needs. Significant Conclusions (2-3)

• Reading interventions for adolescent students have value and are worth implementing to assist struggling readers.

• There is a positive impact when teachers apply strategies to strengthen

vocabulary, concepts and to impact student comprehension. Quotations (1-2)

• ‘“Enough is already known about adolescent reading—both the nature of the problems of struggling readers and the types of interventions and approaches to address these needs—in order to act immediately on a broad scale’ (Biancarosa & Snow, 2006, p. 10).”

• Personal Summary The issue is not whether vocabulary and reading interventions strategies are valuable. Integrating strategies into the coursework typical of adolescent academics through knowledgeable and willing teachers is the challenge. Critical Analysis Secondary teachers will need to see a connections between utilizing word and vocabulary study as well as comprehension strategies in order to embrace reading strategies as an integral part of instruction. Training and tools that are easy to integrate and use can be included in an implementation plan. Beginning with willing teachers who can later serve as models may help to convince those who are skeptical.

bethp idea paper draft - university of hawaii · idea paper draft 2 abstract this project will...

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