“A book for two”

2. “A book for two” Blending reading comprehension strategy instruction and peer tutoring

3. Overview of the workshop • Introduction • Background • Innovative peer tutoring program • Research • At work …

4. Introduction

5. Getting acquainted … • Participants of the workshop • Primary school teachers • Project team members • Postgraduate students • Department of educational studies

6. Department of educational studies http://www.onderwijskunde.ugent.be/en/index.htm

7. Department of educational studies • http://www.onderwijskunde.ugent.be/en/cv_vankeer.htm

8. Getting acquainted … some questions • How satisfied are you about the general language teaching and language policy in your school/country? • How satisfied are you about the actual reading comprehension instruction in your class/school/country? 0 10

9. Getting acquainted … points of view • In reading comprehension instruction it is important to give students a lot of reading opportunities. Only in this way they can develop their reading skills. • Reading comprehension is essentially an individual matter. The students have to learn to read with understanding themselves. • The main task of the teacher in reading comprehension classes is to evaluate the students’ understanding of texts.

10. Background

11. Reading • is important in our society • is consequently one of the most important learning processes in primary school • is however not trouble-free for all children • Persistent problems with reading comprehension

12. Misunderstandings regarding reading • If children are able to decode words, they understand the meaning of the written information

13. Comprehension versus decoding?

14. Buzz session • If reading is more than decoding, what other components are essential reading skills?

15. Reading components • Alphabetics • Fluency • Vocabulary • Comprehension

16. Definition comprehension • Discovering the meaning and intention behind written words, sentences, and texts. • (Aarnoutse & Van Leeuwe, 2000)

17. Buzz session • Discovering the meaning and intention behind written words, sentences, and texts. • What exactly does that mean? • Let’s unravel! • Read the article “What is evidence-based reading instruction?”. • Make sure you can react on questions about it.

18. Buzz session • Let’s unravel! • What exactly did you do while reading and trying to understand the text?

19. Reading strategies Monitor & regulate Reading process Before After

20. Reading strategies Monitor & regulate Reading process Before After

21. Reading strategies Monitor & regulate Reading strategies Reading process Before After

22. (Meta)cognitive processes • Reading strategies: Series of planned cognitive activities, purposefully used by the reader to understand a text better (Aarnoutse & Verhoeven, 2003). • Metacognitive processes: Processes that have the reading act and the understanding of the text as object: steering, monitoring, and regulating reading behavior and understanding

23. (Meta)cognitive processes • Reading strategieën: Series of planned cognitive activities, purposefully used by the reader to understand a text better (Aarnoutse & Verhoeven, 2003). • Metacognitive processes: Processes that have the reading act and the understanding of the text as object: steering, monitoring and regulating reading behavior and understanding • Before: Aim: preparing for reading the text • E.g. determining reading aim, tuning reading approach, activating prior knowledge, … • During: Aim: monitoring & regulating understanding • E.g. predicting, distinguishing main and side issues, structuring, schematizing, adapting reading pace, reflection on key words, … • After: Aim: evaluating understanding • E.g. reading aim reached?, integrating new knowledge, summarizing, …

24. Buzz session • Let’s go back to the text and the mentioned reading strategies. • Categorize your applied reading strategies into strategies before, during, or after reading.

25. Misunderstandings regarding reading • If children are able to decode words, they understand the meaning of the written information • All students ‘discover’ (meta)cognitive reading strategies as tools for enhancing reading comprehension

26. Misunderstandings regarding reading • If children are able to decode words, they understand the meaning of the written information • All students ‘discover’ (meta)cognitive reading strategies as tools for enhancing reading comprehension • The teacher’s role in reading comprehension instruction is limited to evaluating text understanding

27. Traditional reading comprehension instruction • Students read a text • Teacher asks questions related to the content • Students answer the questions • Teacher evaluates the answers • Hardly no instruction! • Only 1% of the time related to reading comprehension instruction Product-oriented reading instruction

28. Reading comprehension instruction • Needs more • activity • interaction • engagement • of the students Process-oriented reading instruction

29. Causes of reading comprehension difficulties • Characteristics of the reader • Characteristics of the text • Characteristics of the context • Didactics

30. Characteristics of the reader • Other reading components (alphabetics, fluency, vocabulary) • Prior knowledge • About the content of the text • Linguistic knowledge • Knowledge of strategies • WHAT: declarative knowledge • HOW: procedural knowledge • WHEN/WHY: conditional knowledge • Interest • Motivation • Self-efficacy

31. Characteristics of the text • Difficulty • Type of text • Length • Structure • Predictability • Target group • Close versus far from the students’ interest

32. Characteristics of the context • Task pressure • Time available • Setting • Noisiness • …

33. Didactics • Product-oriented • Correct answer on questions regarding content • Mainly evaluation, seldom instruction • (Aarnoutse & Verhoeven, 2003) • Process-oriented • Reading strategies • Instruction: explaining, modeling, discussing • (Aarnoutse & Verhoeven, 2003)

34. Important elements in process-oriented reading instruction • Explicit instruction in reading strategies • Focus on (peer-led) interaction about texts

35. Explicit reading strategies instruction • Explicit strategy instruction is effective in teaching students to apply reading strategies (e.g., De Corte et al., 2001; Pressley, 2000; National Reading Panel, 2000; Van Keer, 2004) • Via scaffolding to self-regulation • Combining different strategies: transfer effect “True self-regulation is the product of years of literacy experiences” (Brown et al., 1996)

36. Steps of explicit strategies instruction • Teacher explains what the strategy consists of. • Teacher explains why this strategy is important. • Teacher explains when to use the strategy in actual reading. • Teacher models how to perform the strategy in an actual context (e.g. by doing a think-aloud using a real text) while students observe. • Teacher guides learner practice. • Work through increasingly challenging examples using authentic texts • Teacher gradually releases responsibility to the students • Students independently use the strategy as they pursue their own reading and projects. I do we do you do

37. Buzz session • Have a look at the video concerning “explicit instruction”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9leUP-yrW8&feature=related • How do they define explicit instruction? • Why is it important? • What are the preconditions?

38. Buzz session • Have a look at the video concerning a lesson about “making a summary”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h4q-bok644&feature=related • Which approach does the teacher use? • What are the important elements in here instruction? • Link it to explicit instruction • What are the preconditions for this approach?

39. Peer-led interaction • Peer-led interaction on reading activities promotes strategy use and comprehension • (e.g., Fuchs & Fuchs, 2000; Klingner et al., 1998) • Interaction pattern “question teacher – answer student – evaluation by teacher”  passive student • More activity of the students necessary • Collaborative learning, peer tutoring, …

40. Collaborative learning - definition • Collaborative learning refers to a teaching strategy in which pupils work actively and purposefully together in small groups, with the aim to enhance both their own and their team mates’ learning (Ishler, Johnson, & Johnson, 1998).

41. Collaborative learning - definition • Collaborative learning can be defined as a teaching strategy in which two or more learners are expected to depend on and be accountable for the own àndone another’slearning process (Dillenbourg 1999).

42. Peer tutoring - definition • “a procedure in which one student teaches another student a specific skill or set of academic responses” • (Brady, 1997, p. 1)

43. Peer tutoring - definition • “a method of cooperative learning, based on the creation of pairs of students, with an asymmetrical relation and a common, known and shared objective, which is achieved through an externally planned framework” • (Duran & Monereo, 2005, p. 181).

44. Peer tutoring - definition • “people from similar social groupings who are not professional teachers helping each other to learn and learning themselves by teaching” (Topping, 1996, p. 32)

45. Peer tutoring - variants Cross-age Same-age

46. Theoretical background peer interaction • Piaget • interaction helps to “decenter”  other perspectives • socio-cognitive conflict • “when two contrasting world views are brought into contact, this is likely to stimulate some cognitive restructuring, learning, and improved understanding” (Mercer, 1996)

47. Theoretical background peer interaction • Vygotsky • Socio-cultural theory • Co-operation • transition from “interpersonal to intrapersonal functioning” • “learners having to explain ideas to each other is useful because it encourages the development of a more explicit, organized, distanced kind of understanding” (Mercer, 1996)

48. Buzz session • A preview of peer tutoring in primary school • What are the aims the teachers pursue with a Peer Tutoring approach? • What are the broader possibilitiesof this approach? • How could you implement this approach in reading comprehension classes? • What are the difficulties you see? • Which preconditions should be taken into account?

49. Unfortunately … • Teaching of reading strategies for developing comprehension is the exception rather than the rule • (e.g., Aarnoutse & Weterings, 1995; Dole, 2000; Pressley et al., 1998) • Student-centered interaction is anything but common practice • (e.g., Alvermann, 2000)

50. Buzz session • Have a close look at the handbooks, instruction manuals and reading material you brought to the workshop. • To what extent is explicit instruction in reading strategies present? Illustrate with examples and counterexamples? • Which reading strategies are taught (explicitly)? Declarative, procedural, and conditional knowledge? • Which didactical approaches are used to teach the reading strategies (Thinking aloud? Modeling? …) • Are their opportunities for peer interaction? In what way? Collaborative learning? Peer tutoring? Other approaches? Illustrate with examples and counterexamples?