Collaborative Teacher Training in Reading/Language Arts

2. Collaborative Teacher Training in Reading/Language Arts Welcome

3. Introductions • Latricia Bronger • Kimberly Landrum • Nicole Fenty • Sean Fenty • Corrie Orthober • Karla Stauble

4. Teacher Introductions Name School Grade Level

5. Today’s Agenda • Overview of the Project • Building Community • Knowledge Survey • Current Understanding of the New Common Core • Standards Overview • College and Career Readiness Overview • Instructional Strategies • Planning • Knowledge Survey • Evaluation and Feedback

6. “All states and schools will have challenging and clear standards of achievement and accountability for all children, and effective strategies for reaching those standards.” — U.S. Department of Education. 

7. Project • Overview • Topics and strategies • Interview results • Next meeting is March 23rd at Carroll County Co-op office

8. Community Building Activity Human Bingo • Go around the room and meet other teachers. • When you meet, ask them to share one thing in one of the cells that relates to them. • Have them sign that square and move on to another person. • Each person should sign each sheet one time only. • You can sign your own sheet once. • The goal is to get four cells in a row (diagonal, across, or down). • Yell when you have bingo!

9. Knowledge Survey You will have 5-10 minutes to complete

10. Brainstorm Knowledge of the New Common Core Standards in English/language Arts Continuing Thinking Discussion Chart Take a few minutes to complete the first column “What I know now.” Then share the information from your first column with others at your table. As others share, record any “new information” you learn “from others” in the second column. Finally, record any “questions still remaining” in the third column. We will be collecting and using the information you record to plan future sessions.

11. Why are we here? We Are Learning: (WALT) • About the new common core standards for informational text. • About strategies to support the new common core standards for informational text. When ILearn: (WILT) • I can provide strategy instruction to support the new common core standards for informational text.

12. Where Have We Been? Where Are We Going? Reflections of our Goals- Common Core State Standards Walking together to support comprehension Informational Text: Strategies for Differentiation

14. Why new standards? • Charge from states • Senate Bill 1 Common Theme: Prepare students for college and careers in 21st century, globally competitive society

15. How are the Standards organized?

17. Example: R.CCR.7Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively as well as in words

18. How are the Standards organized? 3 Appendices A: supplementary materials and glossary B: text exemplars, text complexity, and sample performance tasks C: annotated writing samples at various grade levels

19. What you won’t see. • Interventions • Supports for students with special needs, ELLs • The “whole” of CCR • Strategy use • Instructional advice • Everything • G/T or advanced work

20. Whatelsedo I need to know? • CCR vs. grade-specific Standards • Grade level Standards for K-8 • Grade band Standards for 9-10 and 11-12 • Emphasis on informational and persuasive text (NAEP) • A focus on results rather than means • An integrated model of literacy • Research and media skills blended into Standards • Shared responsibility for students’ literacy development

21. When do I need to be ready? • Kentucky conditionally adopted standards February, 2010 • Final Standards released June, 2010 • Instruction begins officially in Fall, 2011 • Assessment in Spring, 2012

22. College and Career Readiness • Overview of English 101 and 102 at UL

23. Presentation Overview • Reaffirm how important Middle School Reading and Language Arts teachers are to student and societal well-being • Connect Common Core Standards to College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards • Connect Anchor Standards to Student Success in College • Connect Anchor Standards to Student Success beyond College

24. What and How You Teach Matters to Students Because… • You teach critical thinking and communication skills to young people that form the foundation for all future learning. • Without you, many students will not make it to college, let alone succeed when they get there. • Those who do make it remember and appreciate you and what they learned in your classes (I have Literacy Narratives to prove it!).

25. What and How You Teach Matters to Society Because… • The skills you are teaching help shape young minds so that they are better equipped to contribute to society in a meaningful way (you teach the future “music makers and dreamers of dreams”). • Not all students will have as many future opportunities as we hope to learn and refine these thinking, reading, and writing skills (if they don’t learn from you, they may never learn).

26. Common Core Standards Build Toward College and Career Readiness Progression of Reading Standard for Informational Texts 8: • RI.8.6: Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not. • RI.8.7: Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims. • RI.8.8: Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced. Similarity to Corresponding College and Career Readiness Standard: • Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

27. College and Career Readiness Standards and FYC Learning Outcomes College and Career Readiness Reading Standard 8: • Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. Related Writing Learning Outcomes for English 101 and 102: • Choose evidence and details consistent with purpose and audience. • Summarize argument and exposition of a text accurately. • Provide supporting evidence from research sources. • Identify and evaluate sources. • Use research sources to discover and focus a thesis.

28. How Mastering Standards Can Help Students Beyond College College and Career Readiness Standards: 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. 9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take. These Standards are Echoed by Employers: At UofL, we are currently rewriting our learning outcomes for ENGL 306. To get a better handle on what matters most to the future employers of our students, we interviewed members of the business community. We have found that the skills they identify as keys to their success are the same skills we are trying to teach with standards such as these. For example…

29. Real World Applications for these Standards Students who have mastered these standards can apply these skills in the workplace when they: • Evaluate customer feedback to improve products and services • Compare differing solutions to workplace problems and determine the best course of action based on an analysis of the evidence Students can apply these skills outside of the workplace when they: • Evaluate competing claims to determine what product or service to purchase • Compare different approaches to social, economic, and political issues to determine the best way to vote or act

30. Components of Comprehension Strategy Instruction Key strategies Preparation Organization Metacognitive Elaboration

31. What are the key strategies? • Preparation strategies • Using prior knowledge, setting purpose, previewing, predicting • Organizational strategies • Identifying main idea, summarization • Elaboration Strategies • Questioning, making inferences, visualizing • Metacognitive Strategies • Regulating, checking and repairing

32. Informational Text Take a few minutes at your tables to talk about what each of the standards mean at your specific grade level.

33. Informational Text In your discussion consider • how you would explain the standard(s) to a student or parent • what students in you class need to knowand understand to attain mastery on the standard(s) • what students in your class need to do to demonstrate mastery of the standard(s)

34. Concept Mastery Routine

36. Assessment • Consider how you would assess student understanding of this strategy

37. The Use of Praise

38. Do You Praise Your Students? Think of a recent example of when you used praise. Do you think praise works for your students? Have you ever considered praise to be a controversial academic and behavioral strategy?

39. Two Sides of Praise:Alfie Kohn’s Side • Published in Young Children, 2001 • Criticized the use of praise with young children • He suggested that is can be harmful for five reasons • For a more detailed look a the issues as well as comprehensive list of citations to relevant research—please see his books • Punished by Rewards • Unconditional Parenting • Disclaimer: the following slides include direct quotes from the article for the purpose of this activity.

40. Reason #1: Manipulating ChildrenKohn’s Argument • Rheta DeVries, a professor of education at the University of Northern Iowa, refers to this as “sugar –coated control” • Often times, praise is used to control children’s behavior • It is a way of doing something to children to get them to comply instead of working with students • It does not engage them in a conversation about what makes a classroom function smoothly which will help students become thoughtful people • Young children want our approval, we have a responsibility not to exploit the dependence for our own convenience • Example: Saying “Good Job” to reinforce something that makes our lives easier but can take advantage of children’s dependence • Kids may also feel manipulated by this

41. Reason #2: Creating Praise JunkiesKohn’s Argument • The more we say “ I like the way you….” or Good _____ ing,” the more kids will come to rely on our evaluations and our decisions about what is good and bad, rather than learning to form their own judgments • Mary Budd Rowe, a researcher at the University of Florida, found that students who were praised lavishly by their teachers were • More tentative in their responses • More apt to answer in a questioning tone of voice • Tended to back off an idea if an adult disagreed with them • Less likely to persist with difficult tasks or share ideas with other students • “Good Job” does not reassure students, it makes them feel less secure • Vicious circle • The more we praise, the more the need it!

42. Reason #3: Stealing a Child’s PleasureKohn’s Argument • Children should have the right to choose when to take delight in their accomplishments instead of adults telling them when to • Every time we tell as child “Good Job” we are telling a child how to feel • Constant stream of value judgments is not necessary or useful for children’s development • “Good Job” is just as much as an evaluation as “Bad Job” • People, including kids don’t like to be judged • I resist the knee-jerk reaction of “good job” because I don’t want to dilute her joy • I want her to share her pleasure with me, not look at me for a verdict

43. Reason #4: Losing InterestKohn’s Argument • Lilian Katz, one of the countries leading authority on early childhood education, warns “once attention is withdrawn, many kids won’t touch the activity again.” • An impressive body of scientific research has shown that the more we reward people for doing something, the more they tend to lose interest in whatever they had to do to get the reward • The point is not to draw, to read, to think, to create—the point is to get the goody • In a study done by Joan Grusec at the University of Toronto, young children who were frequently praised for displays of generosity tended to be slightly less generous on a everyday basis than other children were • Generosity became a means to an end

44. Reason #5: Reducing AchievementKohn’s Argument • Researchers keep finding that kids who are praised for doing well at a creative task tend to stumble at the next task and they don’t do as well as children who weren’t praised to begin with. • Why? • Praise creates pressure to keep up the good work • Their interest in what they are doing may have declined • Less likely to take risks once they start thinking about how to keep positive comments coming their way

45. Closing Arguments:Kohn’s Suggestions • Praise involves evaluative eruptions from adults • “We praise more because we need to say it rather than because children need to hear it” • Alternatives: • Say nothing • Say what you say • simple evaluation free statement—”you put your shoes on by yourself” • Talk less, ask more • Even better than descriptions are questions • “What was the hardest part to draw?”

46. Two Sides of Praise:Philip S. Strain & Gail A. Joseph’s Side Published in Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 2004 Argue that Kohn’s article is misleading Kohn’s article misrepresents behavioral interventions, depreciates professionals who use them, and specifically distorts positive reinforcement. Does not accurately depict the available evidence of positive reinforcement

47. Rebuttal #1: Manipulating ChildrenStrain & Joseph’s Argument The conversational alternative is developmentally inappropriate for very young children (as well as others with special needs) Kohn offers an intervention alternative of minimal applicability An impressive body of literature that demonstrates reinforcement can be used to teach such things as creativity in toy play, to make choices, or to solve interpersonal conflicts (Wolery, 2000)

48. Rebuttal #2: Creating Praise JunkiesStrain & Joseph’s Argument • We could only find evidence that pinpointed to its inaccuracy • For example, well-developed set of strategies for systematically reducing reinforcement over time (Timm, Strain, & Eller, 1979) and three decades of research on its efficacy (Kratochwill & Striber, 2000) • On the contrary to what Kohn argues, one might want to consider the longitudinal data on children form abusive and neglectful circumstances as depicting the consequences of too little positive reinforcement (Kolko, 1996; Thompson & Wyatt, 1999) • Observational data on the advanced academic achievement and social competence of children in elementary school who receive the most praise (Strain, Kerr, Stagg, Lambert, & Lenkner, 1984) • Relatedly, if Kohn were correct in his assertion, surely we would all know a troubled adolescent who got that way from too much praise early on in life. We have yet to run across such a person.

49. Rebuttal #3: Stealing a Child’s PleasureStrain & Joseph’s Argument • We agree that children should take pleasure in their accomplishments • From what is know about socialization, we contend that feedback from adults is the primary means by which children learn to take pride in those acts (Delpit, 1995). • Literature suggests that “Good job” is but one example of adult behavior that could operate as positive reinforcement. • Not all phrases that function as positive reinforcement need to have an evaluative element, as Kohn implied • We find a number of other arguments to be illogical • Evidence has suggested that children’s immediate and long-term responses to positive and negative feedback are fundamentally different (Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992).

50. Rebuttal #4: Losing InterestStrain & Joseph’s Argument Hundreds of empirical demonstrations has shown that praise (when it in fact operates as positive reinforcement) increases the likelihood that the prosocial behavior will increase in the future, not decrease, as Kohn suggested (Odom & Strain, 2002).