Action Research for Improving At-Risk Students’ Literacy Skills

1. Action Research for Improving At-Risk Students’ Literacy Skills National Louis University Florida Regional Campus March, 2011

2. Symposium for the 4th Equity and Social Justice ConferencePomona, NJ, March 26th, 2011 Presenters: Luz Carime Bersh, Ph. D. Anita Lewis, M. Ed. Pam Benton, M. Ed. Magda MacKenzie-Parrales, M. Ed.

3. NLU’s Mission through M.Ed. Interdisciplinary Studies in Curriculum and Instruction Promoting equity and social justice Empowering teachers in becoming change agents within their classrooms through Action Research

4. Action Research:3 case studies of 3 teachers’ A.R. projects: Effects of mentoring and supportive group dynamics by modeling equity and social justice. Effects of A.R. on teachers’ own students. Address the real problem of low literacy skills and high drop-out rates in Florida.

5. Literacy skills FCAT Reading scores 10th Grade, 2010

6. Dropout Rates 2010? • Official data (FLDOE, National Education Statistics) 1.9% -- 3.9% • Data from other sources (media, NGO’s, local grassroots research, democratic representatives) 25%--35% • Left Behind in America (2007): • Florida 3rd highest dropout rate in U.S.- 20%

7. Magda Native Nicaraguan teacher working with a large population of ELL and Hispanic students, who are below grade-level in English reading and writing. Strategies include parental involvement, integrating multicultural children’s literature and using bilingual methods to improve English vocabulary and comprehension. Fostering her students’ pride and continuous cultivation of their cultural heritage are of paramount importance.

8. Anita African-American teacher working with culturally diverse at-risk students at a charter school. Strategies include developing literacy skills by engaging students with culturally relevant literature, role-playing and interview delivery formats.

9. White veteran teacher of Spanish, working in one of the most vulnerable areas: High percentage of African American, Hispanic and economically impoverished students. Utilizes Podcasts to encourage reading supporting students’ development of literacy skills in technology media, Spanish and English. Pam

10. Increasing students’ intrinsic motivation through goal setting and monitoring students’ progress of goal achievement I centered my research on eight of my own students, all fourth and fifth grade. All but one, are immigrant students or first generation children of immigrant parents. All of the students are of Latino (Mexican) origin, and five students are considered English Language Learners. All students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and their families have limited educational levels, with most parents having completed elementary school or up to eighth grade.

11. I immigrated to the United States from Nicaragua when I was 11 years old. I know first hand the importance that literacy in the first language plays in developing literacy in the second language. I struggled my whole life to develop my own literacy in both languages, especially because I did not have the benefit of attending bilingual classes. I used a process of comparing and contrasting grammar and vocabulary between Spanish and English in the process of Second Language Acquisition. I used my prior knowledge and cognates to develop fluency in English.

12. Bilingual strategies: FLASH Program Graphic organizers Selecting to present material thematically with language skills, patterns, and functions taught in context. Readers’ Theater: Selecting culturally relevant literature.

13. Findings: • Improving intrinsic motivation was evident in my students’ initiative to self-select culturally relevant literature and increased participation in reading activities even during the summer. • Parental involvement and modeling of goal setting and achieving cycle had a direct impact in students’ intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy in literacy development both in English and Spanish.

14. http://www.dianalopez.com/photoalbum

15. Dispel Myths, Excel Dreams • How do motivation, engagement and interpersonal relationships lead to academic success for culturally diverse, at-risk students?

16. Effects of Action Research: Students felt empowered, confident, beautiful and validated. They engaged in poetry analysis, synthesizing the ideas of the poems with their personal experiences. These are high level literacy skills.

17. (Karla, age 19)“I personally think that Maya Angelou did a very wonderful job interpreting the confidence of a woman.Its describing how she is very exceptional for many reasons. It could help the reader find the confidence to get over her insecurities. The phenomenal woman is me, you and all the women in the world. They have to find it inside them”.

18. “I learned to be confident in myself when speaking to others through the media”. Barry is now a Pre-Vet/Spanish major at UF.

19. “I enjoyed the book chat project because it allowed me to work on my Spanish reading skills, and on my Spanish speaking skills.” Isabella is majoring in Nursing at UCF.

20. “I would definitely do the book report podcast again. It's awesome to know that an audio recording of my voice (in Spanish) is available on iTunes!” Min is majoring in Chemistry at the University of Los Angeles.

21. “What i learned is that Spanish is not as easy as everyone thinks it is for a native speaker.” A.J. is spending time with his wife and daughter working construction and taking classes on-line at St. Petersburg College.

22. “With participating in these projects I learned how to gather information and present it in an orderly fashion. The skills that I used to complete these projects could help me in the future to gather information, and to stay organized.” Anthony is majoring in Pharmacy at FAMU.

23. “I think the purpose of going through these processes with a podcast makes me ready to possibly use this with a corporate company, businesses, school presentations, or for any reason.” Jennifer is caring for her daughter and taking classes online at St. Petersburg College.

24. Coming full circle, we can conclude that developing literacy goes beyond the teaching of specific skills. Based on these three action research projects, it is evident that it must encompass a transformative process that empowers students to engage in their own literacy development. Promoting social justice in literacy development for at risk students must include culturally relevant curriculum, supportive interpersonal relationships, and caring, reflective educators.