Literacy Now

As part of the team who collected data for MOSAIC OF THOUGHT, I was exposed to prediction as a piece of comprehension. Since then, I have found prediction is a useful formative assessment strategy from different perspectives. First, we ask students to make predictions that connect what they already know with text or visual information. This is a form of activating themselves as learners and taking more ownership of their learning. They also have the opportunity, after completing the reading, to check their predictions and verify those that were correct and those that were off, as well as the whys for each position.

The second perspective about prediction I have been using is via an anticipatory guide (or anticipation guide). I use this at the beginning of some professional learning opportunities as a way to see what participants know or think they know (their perspectives or misunderstandings) regarding the topics we’ll be learning about during the session. Then at the end of the learning we check in to see if ideas and knowledge have changed as a result of the learning. 

This strategy activates prior knowledge and helps build curiosity. Participants predict what might be true or false about the content we are about to learn. When used with students in reading, this strategy allows the teacher to engage all students, challenge or support their preconceived ideas, and help set the purpose for reading. As a formative assessment strategy, I check in on what they know and identify potential misconceptions before we get started, and then again at the end.

Here’s an example:

Think about all the settings in your life where you make predictions—the weather, a book, a movie, traffic. It is more than just figuring out what will come next. It is an activity that engages us, pushes us to think about what we already know and connect to it, ask questions, and infer. When we get activated as learners, we get more focused on our learning goals. More focus on goals leads to more meaningful learning…at least based on the research, that’s my prediction.

Kathy Dyer is a Senior Curriculum Specialist for NWEA, designing and developing learning opportunities for educators, and a regular blogger for the organization’s Teach Learn Grow blog. Formerly a Professional Development Consultant for NWEA, she coached educators and provided professional development focused on assessment, data, and leadership. NWEA partners with educational organizations worldwide to provide computer-based assessment suites, professional development and research services. Learn more at NWEA.org.

The festive season is upon us and we know that primary teachers across the land are flat out trying to keep some academics going, amidst the Christmas concert preparations—pardon me, Winter Celebrations. Then it’s the small gifts for parents, special art activities, and so on. It’s important, all these fun things—didn’t William Glasser list “fun” as one of his basic needs, along with love and belonging, and a sense of power over your life choices?

But do we even have time for fun? Many are unhappy with our schools. Hard to tell—is it just the ease with which people can broadcast their complaints in the Internet age? Are kids really in such bad shape, leaving high school?

Here in British Columbia we have the odd effect that parents in general like their child’s teacher, but the system as a whole, not so much. Not a week goes by without some soul-searching as to how education has lost its way: This morning’s program on the radio chided teachers for teaching math in a way that leaves parents at a loss. Last year it was the Alberta secondary teacher that famously gave his students zeros for missed tests and assignments, against his district’s policy. He was fired, but immediately snapped up by a private school. Parents were baffled by the leniency his board required. Really?

And now in the US we have the increasing controversy about the Common Core State Standards—whether it’s the onerous assessments, or the sheer mishandling or lack of research evidence, teachers and administrators all share anxiety about an initiative that does not prescribe which materials to use, or which approaches, but which would strive to put American kids out on top in global competitiveness. Early scores though are discouraging.

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Plenty of research over the years has shown that the classroom teacher, the sheer excellence of this person and his or her approach, will make all the difference. When people think back to amazing teachers they’ve had, they know this involves classroom management, proactive handling of discipline issues, and yes, “fun.” It requires being an inspiring human being.

This isn’t something a state can mandate—being amazing—but there are a few significant ways teachers can inspire their students and offer activities which truly engage every single child, whether the most clever or the most needy. Permit me to summarize a few of these here.

1. Be a real person. Yes, your children will love it if you bring pictures of your pet and tell silly stories about it. Yes, you have to ham it up quite a bit regardless of the topic, use a lot of different facial expressions, be dramatic, alter your voice (no, I’m not speaking about yelling). Yes, it’s pretty much the “Sesame Street entertainer” shtick that we are doing. But it gives you and your kids lots to laugh about, to be amazed about, even to be sad about. “Variety is the spice...” and all that jazz. Eat a good breakfast —you are giving it your all.
   
   
2. Don’t overdo it with accounting style approaches. This refers especially to discipline issues. In my travels in many classrooms, I have seen people burden themselves and their children with elaborate schemes for keeping track of infractions. Watch out—what you focus on is what you get more of!
   
   Of course you must follow school procedures regarding major items, but if you are “being real,” your kids will quickly learn that sometimes different students do get a different response depending on what is going on. And try to help individuals ‘save face’ by going over issues privately—and never in anger. Kids can read your inner vibe, they smell falsehood with animal-like instinct. If you truly love your children (yes, this is your job), you can dish it out as needed in a caring manner. Sometimes hugs are involved. Share joy, not negativity.
   
   
3. Use stories. Some have formalized this, in that as humans we are uniquely attuned to narrative. Some are using this for social goals—we’ve studied self-regulation for decades, but put some catchy terms with it, and even little kids can practice getting it together. But I’d go further: in addition to these various classroom practices, please use really great and engaging stories with your children every day—stories you love, whether old or new, that are guaranteed crowd-pleasers. Curious George comes to mind or Warton and Morton for older levels; there are many to choose from.
   
   It appears teachers have left many of these behind because they don’t fit this week’s theme, or have certain selected vocabulary involved—too bad! I have repeatedly seen the most disruptive and aggressive children fall quiet under the spell of a good story read with power and emotion. Nothing like that moment when you leave off in the chapter book and the kids gasp, “Don’t stop!!!” Surely we can find time for this. Besides, Richard Allington agrees with me.
   
   
4. Share joy. Somehow we have gotten really bogged down. Specialists want their field put ‘up high’ in the scheme of things—the scientists say we have to create science literacy so our educated citizens can deal with the mass of alarming choices coming up in the next decades —and I agree. The phys-ed people say we need daily P.E., but we know that hopping all over the room and laughing like crazy counts, too.
   
   Your kids will know, “Play it my way and we can have some fun.” They will prove to you early in the year (however you choose to dramatize this, methods are readily at hand)—that they can share a huge laugh and giggle fits and be ready to work instantly. “Wow! Look at you guys!” (See number one.)

We all want “all those goals” that both the Common Core and the specialists say we need. But approaching our work in a piecemeal manner, trying to do the accounting to add it all up, piling one small unit on top of another, is hampering our amazingness.

Academics balanced with “fun stuff”—isn’t it every teacher’s quest? We want all our kids to enjoy school, to really love it, and not only those smart little girls, teacher pleasers who seem to be “made for school” from day one. It’s the holistic approach we must defend, in the face of these demands. As a favorite administrator used to say, “Teach less, better.”

Linda Rightmire offers workshops and mentoring sessions on a structured partner reading approach that emphasizes Allington’s Six Elements of Reading Instruction. She also tutors students in individual and group reading sessions, and works as a teacher on call in the Kamloops-Thompson School District in British Columbia. Her articles have appeared in the regional daily newspaper and elsewhere. 

Teaching children to read and write is a challenging and complex process; however, without considering student motivation it becomes a daunting task. Motivation is often overlooked and is one of the most essential components of helping children grow as readers and writers.

There are many skills, strategies, and components that help children become successful readers and writers. Skills such as quickly recognizing sight words, fluent reading, understanding and growing vocabulary, recognizing spelling patterns or knowing how to use several different strategies (decoding skills) to read unknown words as well as strategies for comprehension. The best planned lessons, themes, and assessments will mean very little if students are not motivated to want to get better at reading and writing.

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One of the best ways to provide intrinsic motivation for students is to provide them with the gift of choice. Choice of what to read, write, and research. I have found that when  my students have some control over their learning, they are more engaged with learning tasks and are more willing to accept greater challenges in learning. They need to know and understand that ultimately they are in charge of their learning. I see this on a daily basis in my first grade classroom. 

Last year I had a reluctant, struggling reader who would pretend-read the good fit books I helped him select. When I say “good fit” books, I mean the books he could read with very few errors and understand what he read. He did not enjoy THE FAT CAT SAT ON THE MAT, but if the books were about reptiles, even if they were above his level, he stayed completely engaged because he loved reptiles and wanted so desperately to learn to read all of the words in the reptile books. In addition to our whole group mini-lessons I also provided this student with focused instruction every day on specific skills based on his needs such as sight words, CVC blending, targeted writing, and word study. 

Every day he would ask, “Mrs. Duncan why do I have to meet with you every day, and why do I have to meet with you in a group and by myself?” I would tell him every day, “You GET to meet with me because I know how much you want to be able to read the reptile books and the only way to get better at reading is to practice. If you work hard and practice with me and then practice by yourself and then practice with me again you will be able to read the reptile books before you leave first grade.” This student also had a lot of support at home.

After working with me all year in a small skill group and then one on one, he would then have the opportunity to choose to read or write about whatever he wanted. And guess what that was? Yes, reptiles! He would read about reptiles, write about reptiles, draw and label different kinds of reptiles, and would share his reptile work with the class. He persevered and worked harder than anyone else in the class and by the end of the year he could independently read all of the reptile books in his book box. He became our reptile expert!

According to Linda Gambrell, “motivation makes the difference between learning that is superficial and shallow and learning that is deep and internalized.” Motivation is critical when considering how to help students achieve high reading and writing levels. It is also critical when helping struggling and reluctant readers and writers. In a classroom that embraces the importance of motivation, students have choices of what they are reading and writing about, are engaged in meaningful literacy tasks such as reading, writing, and word study. Students  know they are responsible for their learning and that their hard work will help them reach their goals.

Every year I am motivated to become more expert in my teaching and understanding of the learning process. Through focused personal professional reading, classroom observations, and classroom action research I now understand and have experienced firsthand the critical role motivation plays in the literacy learning of my students. My reptile expert taught me that motivation is an essential component for accelerating reading and writing growth.

A reading program is not going to help my students become motivated, engaged, successful readers, but  providing a framework that allows students to make choices on what they read and write about , stay engaged in meaningful literacy tasks, have many opportunities to practice reading and writing, and receive expert, differentiated , targeted instruction will help them grow as readers and writers. It will be essential to build a classroom library that will provide students with a variety of rich, high interest texts for them to engage in. And this year, it looks like I may have a dinosaur expert!

JoAnne Duncan received her Master’s degree in Elementary Reading and Literacy from Walden University. She teaches first grade at Mt. Stuart Elementary School in Ellensburg, WA. She is an advocate of best literacy practice for students and teachers which includes using a Workshop Model to help Differentiate Instruction.

© 2013 JoAnne Duncan. Please do not reproduce in any form, electronic or otherwise.

President Obama’s ConnectED Initiative has taken full flight in Huntsville City Schools as our district continues the 1:1 learning journey into year two of digital learning. Moving to a 1:1 digital learning environment has invited educators into the world of today's students and closes the digital divide for those who are less fortunate, the real reason why it was necessary for Huntsville City Schools to embrace the task of becoming pioneers in education when we ventured into the world of digital learning. I'd been an educator for over 25 years when we took on this challenge. I fully understood the necessity of becoming a digital school district, particularly with our commitment to remove the stigma of a desegregation order that had been the district’s reality for decades. Providing students the opportunity to access their world-class curriculum and willingly participate in online learning twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week was the right thing to do to begin closing the digital divide for our more than 24,000 students.

I have an opportunity to view digital curriculum in action, both as the person responsible for the district-wide implementation and as a parent. It is the latter that brings me the greatest rewards. My two children have always been exposed to laptops, iPads, and cellular devices. Since their early tween years, they were always connected and used technology in more informal ways, primarily networking and communicating with their friends and peers via MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. As a parent I was okay with this interaction, but often wondered how much 'real' learning was taking place. I was excited when the opportunity for real learning with technology took root through access to a 1:1 digital curriculum in Huntsville City Schools.

Life in my household has changed as a result of the 1:1 Learning Initiative in Huntsville City Schools. My daughter, who is a student in the district, allows us to see a piece of her world daily when she brings her school issued laptop home bearing her core curriculum, online assignments via Edmodo, and access to an online tutorial when she struggles with a concept. Students in a digital environment learn very differently than what was provided through a traditional education. Parents are also impacted in this environment as we navigate Edmodo to monitor student assignments and stay abreast of the latest classroom assignments.

The true impact of 1:1 digital learning came alive for me when I agreed to watch 3 children ages 8, 13, and 16 on a Saturday afternoon. These students, who are also Huntsville City Schools students, entered my home with their laptops and they remained engaged on the laptop for many hours. When I summoned them to the dinner table, they joined my husband and me grudgingly as they wanted to continue the tasks on the computer. They immediately returned to their computers and remained engaged until they went home. This was a new experience for me as I’m accustomed to being very involved with children when they are at my home. These children required very little interaction and were able to explain what they were learning when the teacher in me just had to ask. The children went on to tell me that they didn’t go anywhere without the computer and they were able to constantly learn, even on the internet connected bus ride home each day.

Digital 1:1 learning is clearly one way to engage students while providing ubiquitous learning experiences for children who have spent most of their lives connected. It requires traditional educators to adapt to becoming facilitators of learning as students become exposed to a world that is constantly changing and providing limitless opportunities for them to take charge of their own learning.

Dr. Barbara Cooper has been a public school educator for over 20 years. She has served in many roles as an educator including teacher, assistant principal, principal, director and chief.  Dr. Cooper has received many awards for her contributions in education, and for her commitment to equality and social justice.  Most recently she received a Civility and Citizenship Award.  She was also the recipient of a Cornerstone Educator Award where she was designated “Educator Leader of the Year.” She currently serves as the Deputy Superintendent for Huntsville City Schools (HCS). 

Classroom practices are constantly changing. From loose-leaf paper and no. 2 pencils, to iPads and gaming apps, it’s important that teachers are evolving with the times and instructing children in ways that are conducive to their individual learning styles. Students who are uninterested and unmotivated have impacted us all. Imagine using those children’s keenest interests to develop literacy skills and motivate reading more frequently—all while engaging with peers and having fun.

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Reading failure is a serious national problem. More than 50 percent of children in affluent homes and 80 percent of children in less affluent homes are not reading proficiently. Reading drops off significantly after age nine. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year to focus on the act of reading, with little impact on improving the issue. The issue is tied directly to the underlying motivation to read, rather than a student’s ability to read.

Motivation is the gas that fuels a child’s educational engine. Although digital learning technology has become more prevalent in the 21st century classroom—enabling kids to be more engaged—there are few platforms today that help children derive knowledge from what they find interesting. If intrigued by the material, children will conquer a major barrier to reading development. Providing reading and learning methods that include students’ keenest interests plays a significant role in empowering them to become confident, life-long readers.

Teachers often ask me, “What do you do to keep them interested?” I respond by telling teachers they need to get to know their students and learn their interests first. I’ll never forget a little boy that was like a statue in my classroom. Once I was able to get him talking about his bicycle, and more specifically, its new fenders, it was like a switch turned on. He was finally engaged.  

Understanding learning styles and tying the lessons to the child’s interests is also important. There isn’t one universal teaching or learning method, of course. But in the modern classroom, digital games are a powerful platform for motivating student learning because they are directly tied to students’ interests. Not only does edu-gaming help children embrace knowledge and improve critical thinking abilities, but it also plays a significant role in developing social skills. In fact, playing the right games can offer these educational benefits. Despite the naysayers’ opinions, playing video games will not rot your students’ brains.

Education is not only about teaching workplace skills; it’s also about teaching kids to understand culture and vital concepts, such as supply and demand. When playing Minecraft or Clash of Clans, for example, kids have to earn available supplies within the game for survival. Kids also learn about teamwork and cause and effect. Today, edu-gaming can provide these lessons and are more than simple forms of entertainment. Kids use their imaginations, employ problem-solving strategies to overcome obstacles and practice social skills through online and offline interactions with other gamers. In essence, gaming teaches important life skills that kids can easily pick up on.

While playing games of all kinds, children get a desire to tackle obstacles that are challenging, but achievable. This feeling of success prompts the children to play the game again. A game-based approach to teaching incorporates reading, writing and mathematics in a fun and meaningful

Using writing materials—or even tactile items such as noodles and pipe cleaners—to make words can be effective for reading comprehension, but these “old school” methods are often being replaced with technology. Still, technology alone is not the answer. When paired with a child’s interests and learning styles to drive reading proficiency, technological solutions are an effective way to engage children. This, in turn, motivates frequency and generates positive outcomes. If we help build children’s knowledge through what they are engaged in and enjoy, we will see results.

Incorporating games into your classroom

Engaging kids using educational games in the classroom encourages them to reason and perform like problem solvers. In addition, critical thinking and strategizing skills are used to expand student-learning opportunities beyond the classroom. With a decrease in school funding, providing devices for all students continues to be very difficult. However, allowing students to BYOD or Bring Your Own Device—a constant in my elementary classrooms—provided students an engaging channel for their independent study. An e-reader had incredible impact on one of my third graders. She struggled with reading from the beginning and rarely picked up a book in class. However, once she received an e-reader during the holidays, she would read every chance she got. Her favorite reading materials were immediately accessible, and what she used to view as a daunting task seemed minimal, as she could read one screen at a time. By allowing today’s kids to use these innovative tools, their deepest interests are piqued and their needs are met.

Building digital literacy using educational games also creates a much needed, differentiated-learning environment. Educational technologies can transform a scholastic environment by making learning personalized to each student’s individual style. Incorporating educational games through all mediums as a daily routine enriches the curriculum already in place and helps the educator teach the way today’s kids want to learn.

Lindsey Hill is a two-time Elementary Teacher of the Year honoree and former teacher of 14 years. She now oversees Reading Engagement Innovation at Evanced Solutions, LLC and explores current trends in reading innovation to aid in the development of solutions that increase reading proficiencies among our youth.