Improving Adolescent Literacy Research to Practice

1. 1 Improving Adolescent Literacy  Research to Practice Dorothy S. Strickland, Ph.D. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

2. 2 Learning in Middle & High SchoolThe Literacy Demands Demands of instruction vs. student needs School literacy vs. out-of-school literacy Teaching content vs. teaching content literacy Parental Involvement efforts decline during the middle years

3. 3 Teaching in Middle & High School School Structures: Departmentalization Shift from self-contained to departmental classes Shift in role of the teacher Subject-matter specialists Responsible for large numbers of students Unlikely to differentiate instruction

4. 4 Planning: A suggested model for Departmental Structures Marking Period Plan (Focus on R/W Connections.) 4 week � Reading Focus (Selected Strategies) 1 week � Assessment/Test Taking Focus 4 week � Writing Focus (Selected Strategies) 1 week � Assessment/Test Taking Focus Weekly plan � Mon- Intro. Text/strategy T,W,R, Follow-up; Fri. Wrap up share NOTE: SIMILAR STRATEGY INSTR. SHOULD BE TAUGHT CONCURRENTLY IN ALL CONTENT AREAS by CONTENT AREA TEACHERS.

5. 5 Coordinated Strategy Instruction Across the Disciplines Strategies that Apply Across the Curriculum Comprehension monitoring Graphic and semantic organizers Question answering Question generating Text Structure Summarization Cooperative Learning Multiple strategies instruction

6. 6 Asking Better Questions Use a variety of types of questions. Prediction Recall Inference Reflection Use a variety of Questioning Strategies Prove It Strategy Question/Answer Relationship (QAR) Strategy Have students justify their answers.

7. 7 Differentiating with Texts in Theme-based Instruction Themes may be content or literary Whole group � teacher choice teacher reads aloud; guides student response Small group � negotiated choice students read, respond, T. guides/monitors Individual � student choice; T. monitors May be done in literacy or content classes

8. 8 Beating the Odds Schools and TeachersIssue: Approaches to skills instruction Beating the Odds Schools & Teachers Systematic use of separated, simulated, and integrated skills instruction Typical Schools and Teachers Instruction dominated by one approach (which varies among schools and teachers)

9. 9 Beating the Odds Schools and TeachersIssue: Enabling Strategies Beating the Odds Schools and Teachers Overt teaching of strategies for planning, organizing, completing and reflecting on content and activities Typical Schools and Teachers Teaching of content or skills without overt attention to strategies for thinking and doing

10. 10 Beating the Odds Schools and TeachersIssue: Connecting Learning Beating the Odds Schools and Teachers Overt connections made among knowledge, skills, and ideas across lessons, classes and grades, and across in-school and out-of-school applications. Typical Schools and Teachers Knowledge and skills within lessons, units, and curricula typically treated as discrete entities connections left implicit even when they do occur.

11. 11 Beating the Odds Schools and TeachersIssue: Test Preparation Beating the Odds Schools and Teachers Integrated into ongoing goals, curriculum, and regular lessons Typical Schools and Teachers Allocated to test prep: separated from ongoing goals, curriculum, and instruction

12. 12 A word or two about -- Test Preparation Test Preparation Mania - some concerns -- Much may be counter productive Most time spent on MINDLESS practice Very little REAL teaching & learning going on Over reliance on and misuse of test-taking materials Useless and confusing �test lore�

13. 13 Discuss with a partnerTeachers should encourage students to -- a. Read all multiple-choice options before responding. Agree or disagree?? b. Use the process of elimination in responding to difficult multiple-choice items Agree or disagree??

14. 14  Agree or Disagree?? a. Teachers should encourage students to read the questions first and then read the passage b. Teachers should help students understand that many answers cannot be �specifically� located in the passages. c. Teachers need to help students develop strategies for dealing with �hard words.

15. 15 Some Tips -- Review Testing Terms Familiarize students with the language of testing and use that language on a regular basis. Ex. passage; selection Use thinking verbs in everyday lessons. Ex. analyze; explore; respond; support; apply; identify; compare; contrast; connect; elaborate; predict (Teachers make lists at grade level meetings to share.)

16. 16 Model & Scaffold what you want students to do -- Select the target strategy. Start by showing a good example and comparing it with checklist or rubric. Discuss, discuss, discuss.* 1. Model and Demonstrate the process (as students watch) 2. Guide Collaboration with student participation 3. Monitor and Assist as students work independently *Refer back to checklist or rubric throughout.

17. 17 More Tips -- Time Management A good idea - after Kallick and Costa Discuss the importance of managing time. Help students be aware of the need to adjust their pace. Be careful not to emphasize to the point of making children anxious.

18. 18 Time management, cont. 1. Use parallel item, preferably a released item from the State Department of Education 2. Stop students at time suggested. 3. Have students change to a colored pencil and continue as long as they can. Children will stop at different times. Do not tell children in advance that they will have extra time.

19. 19 Time management, cont. 4. Score test. Determine - -- which children do little or no better with extra time; -- which children do much better given extra time; -- which children work too quickly and do better when asked to return to the test to review/fix-up what they did originally.

20. 20 Time Management cont. 5. Counsel those children, who need it, regarding the use of time. *Keep in mind that many children will not do much better with more time. Today�s standardized tests are designed to give most learners enough time to do as well as they can. .

21. 21 A Model for Professional Development - Strand OneNote: strands are done simultaneously Collection & Analysis of Data (work samples) At the school level: 1. In September, collect baseline data 2. Analyze/Discuss data relative to State rubric 3. Record results for: each child; class 4. Continue 1 & 2 near end of marking periods 1,2,3,4

22. 22 A Model for Professional Development - Strand Two Ongoing Instruction in Underlying Tasks (back mapping) At the grade level to: Use information from data analysis to: Collect/share/demonstrate strategies Include strategies in language arts block; writing workshop

23. 23 A Model for Professional Development - Strand Three At the classroom level � Explicit Scaffolding of Targeted Test Elements* 1. Teacher models and shares strong examples 2. Collaboration (1)Teacher/student(s) (2) Peer 3. Independent work with teacher monitoring *Based on examination of data from Strand 1 & sharing of strategies and ideas from Strand 2.

24. 24 In Summary - To really help students do better on tests -- Scaffold and Differentiate instruction applying data driven techniques with student work samples as the (useful) data Focus on underlying tasks required to successfully complete test items Teach to specific needs through existing curriculum Avoid mindless practice There is no substitute for day-by-day effective teaching.