Module 8: Video Analysis

What is Reading Recovery?

                We have the Reading Recovery program at my school, but it was not until after viewing this video that I had a general understanding of what it was, how it was ran, how students were picked etc. I remember getting my tour of the school last year and being told that there were rooms with two way mirrors. I now see what those are used for and just how effective they truly can be. Reading Recovery seems to be the ideal reading program that provides one on one support to struggling readers. Students who are below grade level need more than just small group instruction and to know that they are getting 30 minutes of reading support on a daily basis with a trained teacher is just great news. I found it intriguing how Reading Recovery teachers must go through an entire year of trainings and professional developments to be certified for this program. Last year I had a student (5^th grade), who was able to exit Reading Recovery. She did not attend Reading Recovery like the video stated due to being in the upper grade levels, but she did receive additional support through other reading programs and support teachers. This student still did struggle some with her reading abilities and comprehension, but she had come a long way and met the criteria to be dismissed from the program.  

Module 8: PowerPoint Analysis

Factors Involved in Reading and Writing Difficulties

                I absolutely loved viewing this PowerPoint as it brought to my attention the MANY different reasons and circumstances that might affect a child’s ability to read and/or write. The best part about this presentation was on slide 2. The elements of success are huge in my opinion because many students who have known nothing but failure tend to use that as a crutch (i.e. “well I have never been a good reader/writer”). Through this excuse, I feel that students do not put forth their best. The elements of success are effort, drive, a healthy self-esteem, and parental support. In the example I just gave- effort, drive, and healthy self-esteem are absent; three out of the four necessities to being a successful reader and writer. In order to break this cycle, we as teachers have to help them believe that they can be successful, one by giving them choices. By allowing children to read what they want, fosters opportunities for them to find and discover literature that they love and want to read.  Aside from all the other learning barriers mentioned and described, I truly believe that it comes down to the student’s desire to want to do better and an attitude that says “I can do it”. 

Module 7: Perspectives of the Learning Process

Perspectives of the Learning Process

v  Through my tutoring experience, I always began each session with a conversation, asking Tyler* how he has been keeping up with his reading. We would discuss what he has been doing well at and what he needs to work on. This would give us time to reflect on his behavior and how it is impacting his studies and academics. Tyler would always tell me he thinks he is doing “good,” which is what he would tell him mom as well. The issue with Tyler was/is lack of effort and motivation. Tyler in fact was not doing “good” as he claimed he was.

v  From a parent's aspect, Tyler’s mom is concerned about Tyler’s progress or lack of and is at a loss for what she should do next. Tyler’s mom is very busy with work, as she does not spend as much time with Tyler that is needed to keep up with his progress and deficits. She is very concerned though and knows he needs help. Tyler went to his doctor Friday, 11/16/12 to discuss his grades and attention. Hopefully we will get Tyler the help he needs and get him on the right track to excel from here on out. Tyler’s mom does not go over his homework with him as she gets home late from work. I rarely get back progress reports and papers that require a parent signature.

v  Tyler is reading on an early third grade level. As I teach at a Cobb County school, we are required to assess our student’s reading levels by using a program called DRA2. In fourth grade, Tyler did not perform very well. Tyler did not pass the math CRCT, scoring a 783 (Level 1); however, he barely passed reading with an 807. This is still very alarming and signals to me that this student needs additional support in reading. Through this reading process, I began to notice a speech issue with Tyler. Honestly I am not sure the exact letter sounds/combinations he has difficulty with, but street is one of the words that I know is not pronounced correctly. Tyler’s behavior is not up to par, as he tends to act out, trying to be our class clown. He looks to others for recognition when he acts up, trying to cause a disruption. Another issue I have with Tyler is the lack of effort he puts forward. Tyler does not think through his work when he actually does it. Motivation is a huge factor in whether or not Tyler is a successful student.  

*Tyler-name changed to protect identify of student 

Module 7: Video Analysis

Video: Success For All

Success For All seems to be a wonderful reading program. I work at a Title 1 school, and we use a reading program that sounds very similar. Read 180, is a small group reading program that works one on one with students through computer based tutoring and teacher instruction. This program works on the student’s reading level to where they can understand what is happening in a text. Robert Slavin made several good points through his video, one being that when a program is successful, schools and teachers must be willing to pay for continuous professional development and training. He also made a valid point that schools that are willing to use the program will have success, whereas schools who do not want to change will not be successful with the very same program. Success is up to the teachers and the attitude and desire of an individual school. 

Module 7: PowerPoint Analysis

PowerPoint: Classroom Instruction that Works (9 Best Practices)

In my classroom, we have been doing a lot of comparing and contrasting between texts. Specifically, we have been working on identifying text structures such chronological order, cause and effect, compare and contrast, inferring etc.) When comparing and contrasting two different informational texts, the level of thinking the students exerted was intense and wonderful to see. Students had to think beyond the text, make conclusions about the text, and state what is the same between the two texts and what was different. I really enjoyed the sites that had premade graphic organizers. I love using graphic organizers, as the students are the ones that are ultimately responsible for their learning. I feel that the MIP strategy is very similar to teachers asking students what the main ideas of different passages are.  One strategy that “9 Best Practices” mentions is note taking. I love using this strategy especially with the student’s science and social studies textbooks. Movie watching also works well with note taking. I have found that students have never been taught how to take notes, as some struggle with this a great deal. I have never heard of the 10-2 strategy, but it makes perfect sense. We teach our students so much information in such a small amount of time.

I really like the Effort Rubric. There are so many assignments that students simply work on, but are never graded. What students do not understand is that through these assignments, graded or not, they are learning and applying previously learned knowledge. I find myself constantly saying, “You are getting a grade based on your level of effort and participation.” The Effort Rubric would be a great resource to give the students to refer back to when working on assignments. The Achievement Rubric is also a great resource that scores the students not only on their efforts but on their accuracy as well.  By seeing the graph of a class’s growth when using these two rubrics, really encourages me to try this strategy in my classroom as well.

Effective praise is a huge deal in my classroom. Many of my students have known nothing but negativity through their educational years. Through positive reinforcement, I feel that students are given hope and encouragement to do things that they never dreamed possible. I find this strategy to be extremely effective with behavior challenged students as well.

This PowerPoint lists lots of good strategies like Think Pair Square, similar to Think Pair Share and Ball Share.

PowerPoint: Comprehension Evidence and Strategies

I really liked slide 10 about Best Practices in Comprehension Instruction. I feel that these strategies have such potential to boost comprehension instruction when used correctly. I believe that it is possible to do too much thinking for the child when reading and discussing a passage. By letting the child to think through the reading by them self, allows for deeper understanding. Modeling how to identify key concepts and ideas is important in trying to make sense of text. Students who do not understand a passage due to unfamiliar words and difficult vocabulary tend to shut down, ultimately unable to comprehend a story or passage. Another reading strategy that I believe in and teach about is visualization. Students who are unable to follow a storyline would benefit from this skill, as creating a visual imagine in their head might help create meaning. This will also assist with creating mental imagines, in the end helping students make connections. 

Module 6: Videos

Flipping The Classroom

I have heard of flipping the classroom this year as a few of my classmates in the M.Ed program have discussed using it for their action research. I could only imagine what flipping the classroom truly meant, but I was way off. I really like the idea of flipping the classroom, but I do not know if it would be effective in my school area. Many of my students do not have computers or access to the internet at home. In addition, my students, along with the rest of the grade level, do not complete homework as a means of reviewing and creating questions for future discussion. A good handful of students either do not complete homework consistently or do not put thought into their assignments. I could see the efforts of a teacher flipping the classroom going to the wayside as not all students would watch the videos, thus not being prepared for class. I do love the idea, but not at this point in time in my teaching career. It was very informative as I now can carry on a conversation with a colleague about flipping the classroom.  

Using Assessment to Improve Instruction

“Good assessment is part of the learning process, not just a document to gauge learning.” I often feel that we are constantly testing our students that we are running out of time to actually teach for understanding. This video helped put assessment into perspective, where we can assess through projects and performance tasks, not just tests and quizzes. We should see all teaching as a form of assessment, even though students do not necessarily have a pencil and paper or standardized test on their desk.  Good teaching like the video stated, is assessing through teaching. 

Module 6: PowerPoints

Reading Strategies: Reading in the Upper Grades

I absolutely loved reading and learning about the word walls. This is actually something that I am being required to implement in my classroom as of the last week. I think that word walls have such a wonderful purpose when used correctly and effectively. I plan on creating a word wall in which includes content words and synonyms. Although my classroom colors do not include yellow, I definitely plan on using black writing on yellow paper like the PowerPoint suggest. I cannot wait to use the Guess the Word game. What a fun and engaging way to help students learn their vocabulary, especially when it is related to what they are learning. All the games that are discussed in this PowerPoint, I am definitely using once I get my word wall up and running. This actually is motivating me to get on the ball.  As a teacher in the upper graders (5^th), we are constantly doing think alouds, initially  being modeled by me. I really like the strategy of reading ahead and going backwards to see if the author clears up any confusion for the reader or uses context clues to help the reader better understand unfamiliar words and phrases. I really like the 3-2-1 strategy. I always want to use it as a ticket out the door, but never know exactly what the 3-2-1 are meant to be. This gave me a good way to formally assess my students. I truly enjoyed this PowerPoint as it was informative and useful for the grade level I teach. I learned several strategies that I had heard mentioned but did not know the specifics such as the 4 types of reading questions. I definitely plan on applying much of what I learned in this PowerPoint to and in my classroom.

Assessment of Cognitive, School, and Home Factors

It was interesting to learn what “type” of students do well on and struggle with particular types of test. For instance, I have quite a few students being tested for Target this week. I know that the first test they are taking is a Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). I now can see why these tests are no longer used in wide practice. As intelligence tests do not measure neither problem solving skills nor other critical areas, and are also bias toward poor readers, I find that the best type of assessment is simply teacher observation. Through working with a student in a small group setting or even one-on-one, a teacher can learn so much about a student and their actual abilities.