Authentic Learning through the Use of Technology

          Students report that they are motivated by solving real-world problems and that they prefer learning by doing as opposed to watching.  "Learning by doing is generally considered the most effective way to learn" (Lombardi, 2007).  In Authentic learning for the 21st century: Overview, Lombardi describes authentic learning as focusing "on real-world, complex problems and their solutions, using role-playing exercises, problem-based activities, case studies, and participation in virtual communities of practice."  Authentic learning can be presented through ten elements: real-world relevance, open-ended problems, investigation, multiple sources, collaboration, reflection, interdisciplinary lessons and integrated assessments, production of products and open interpretations.  Through the use of technology, teachers now have access to digital archives, databases and other resources that promote authentic learning.  Technology offers the opportunity to for students to use rare or expensive equipment and interpret data for themselves.  Additionally, software visualizations, images and audio "bring abstractions to life."

          Overall, we live in a changing society in which technology is becoming more prevalent in all that we do and it is important that we use this to our advantage and help children learn through a different mode.  I use many online resources to enhance my students' learning.  PebbleGo is a great source for children to read about and investigate features of animals during our animal science unit.  I introduce the database whole group in the computer lab, which is always a pleasure for them.  Then, they can use the program at the computer literacy center.  They can click on an animal and have the facts read to them, listen to the noise the animal makes and take a quiz about it. Another great resource that I use in my class is Discovery Education.  This online resource allows children to having more authentic learning experiences through videos.  From these sources of information, my students are able to construct their own knowledge and answer their own questions.

          As a huge proponent of authentic learning, it is important to provide meaningful experiences in the classroom with or without the use of technology.  One of the authentic activities in which my students engage are planting and growing seeds as part of our plant unit.  After learning about the parts of the plant and plant needs, the students take care of the plants by watering them and keeping them by the window to get sunlight.  In addition, they maintain observation notebooks in which they write and draw pictures to reflect their observations.  Another authentic learning experience from our curriculum is the raising of mealworms to darkling beetles.  The children learn about its life cycle and needs for survival, and record their observations in a separate observation journal.  These are very enjoyable, engaging learning experiences for kindergarten students.  They engage in inquiry and many of the ten elements of authentic learning mentioned in the article by Lombardi (2007).  While learning a lot about the plant and animal life cycles, these are sure to be lessons that the children remember for years to come.  Science may lend itself more to authentic learning, however, most lessons can be arranged so that there is some interdisciplinary learning which makes them more meaningful.

References

Discovery Education (2010). Discovery Education [computer software]. Available from

          http://www.discoveryeducation.com

Lombardi, M. M. (2007). Authentic learning for the 21st century: Overview. Educause Learning

          Initiative. Retrieved from net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI3009.pdf 

PebbleGo: The emergent reader research solution. Capstone Digital. Available from

          http://www.pebblego.com/

 

Music as a Reading Fluency Intervention

          In many schools around the country, programs in the arts are overlooked by reading and math instruction due to the pressures to raise scores on standardized tests.  As an early childhood teacher, I use many songs to help my students remember concepts and even the daily routines.  Most of the time the songs are paired with dances or body movements, which motivates the children and meets the needs of a variety of learners.  Children, especially those of younger ages extremely enjoy musical experiences and I think it is important to account for this unique reader factor.

          Howard Gardner listed musical intelligence as one of his original seven intelligences.  Musical intelligence is defined as "skill in the performance, composition, and appreciation of musical patterns.  It encompasses the capacity to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms" (Smith, 2008).   Interestingly, under the description of musical intelligence from Howard Gardner and Multiple Intelligences, Smith goes on to say, "according to Howard Gardner musical intelligence runs in an almost structural parallel to linguistic intelligence."

          Winner of The Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award in 2007, TUNEin to Reading is a reading intervention for struggling readers designed to improve fluency.  The program is utilized in grades 3 through 12.  Its goal is to engage students in developing fluency while repeated reading and singing of song lyrics.  This "unconventional approach to fluency development" (Florida Center for Research Reading) also incorporates computer technology.  First, the software assesses students' instructional reading level through the use of cloze tests.  Next, students chose a song and silently read the lyrics on the computer screen three times while listening to the melody.  Then, students record the song at least three times, each time trying to improve their fluency.  A score is assigned after each performance, which makes it somewhat of a game.

          A study  on 7th and 8th grade students in a West Central Florida middle school yielded that treatment groups receiving 30 minutes of TUNEin to Reading intervention over 9 weeks experienced a 1.37 grade level gain in instructional reading level while the control group showed little change in reading level.  Other results of the program are listed in Music Program Improves Reading Fluency including great gains by 3rd and 4th grade students at Churchville Elementary School in Harford County, Maryland.

            Strengths of TUNEin to Reading include a strong research base for repeated reading, the motivation and engagement that is often lacking in conventional reading instruction and easy-to-navigate software.  Additionally, students are engaging in explicit and systematic instruction while practicing to read and sing words in a meaningful context.  Professional development for staff is also offered at a separate cost from the program, nevertheless, there is official training for the program which reviews the research behind it.  One weakness of the program is that word accuracy is not addressed, but can easily be strengthened with teacher modeling and pre-teaching of difficult words.  Shared singing is another recommendation to improve word accuracy.  More information about the program can be found at the TUNEin to Reading product website.

          TUNEin to Reading seems like an effective reading fluency intervention, as it allows struggling readers to utilize their musical intelligence and technology to improve their weaknesses.  This program provides a fun, meaningful and interdisciplinary way for students to overcome their reading challenges and is inherently motivating through the use of headphones, a microphone and recording.  Education is taking a turn to interdisciplinary instruction and this is one way in which our students can greatly benefit from it.

References

Electronic Learning Products (2010). Tunein to reading. Electronic Learning Products. Retrieved from

          http://www.elpcorp.com/content.cfm?page_id=187 

Florida Center for Reading Research.  Tune in to Reading [PDF document]. Retrieved from

           http://www.fcrr.org/FCRRReports/PDF/TuneReading.pdf

Pytel, B. (2010). Music program improves reading fluency. Suite101. Retrieved from

           http://www.suite101.com/content/music-program-improves-reading-fluency-a226690

Smith, M. K. (2008).  Howard Gardner and multiple intelligences.  The Encyclopedia of Informal

          Education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm

Fostering Academic and Social Independence through Digital Readers

          A recent advancement of integrating technology with literacy is the use of electronic-book readers such as the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook and Apple iPad.  In Lotta Larson's article Digital Readers: The Next Chapter in E-Book Reading and Response, she lists several advantages of e-book readers including multimodal animations and sounds, a text-to-speech option, a highlighting tool, a dictionary and a note-taking feature that would be helpful in establishing academic and social independence for young readers.

          The opportunity to use e-book readers is very motivating for children, even struggling readers.  The text-to-speech tool allows younger students to listen to a story if they cannot read the text independently.  However a downside of this feature is that the voice is semi-robotic and does not demonstrate inflection as the author might intend.  Unlike digital readers on laptops or desktop computers, e-books are more portable and allow students to read in a more comfortable setting and read together, which encourages positive social peer interactions.  Possibly the most advantageous features are the note-taking tool and dictionary, as they allow children to initiate their own learning and solve decoding and new vocabulary challenges independently.

          The case study on Amy and Winnie focused on the digital note-taking tool, by which the students transferred their thoughts into written notations.  It was very interesting to see how the spontaneity and impulsiveness of the notes Amy and Winnie had taken reflected their understanding of the story, personal meaning making, questioning, answering and literary evaluation, all of which contribute to enhanced text comprehension and interpretation.  By using the tools built into the Amazon Kindle, the students were able to become more reflective, metacognitive and independent learners.  Ms. Miles was also able to gain further insight into the girls' personalities through their notes (Larson, 2010).

          While I am more familiar with the Amazon Kindle than the other digital readers, as I have used the text-to-speech feature to complete reading assignments, it is my understanding that it does not offer picture books in electronic form.  The Apple iPad and the Barnes & Noble Nookcolor, which will be released later this month, both have colorful touchscreens and appeal to children as well as adult readers.  In The iPad Meets the Children's Book, author Karen Springen states, "In fact, children's stories held six of the top 10 paid iPad book-app sales spots as of press time" and lists a number of popular children's book titles.  Teachers should explore the use of digital readers, as there are many advantages of using them as instructional tools in the classroom.

References

Barnesandnoble.com (2010). Nookcolor. Barnes & noble. http://www.barnesandnoble.com
          /nook/index.asp

 Larson, L. C. (2010). Digital readers: The next chapter in e-book reading and response. The Reading
          Teacher 64(1), 15-22.

Springen, K. (2010). The ipad meets the children's book. Publisher's weekly. Retrieved from
          http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/42762
          the-ipad-meets-the-children-s-book.html

Reading Comprehension Instruction through Think-Alouds

          The ultimate goal of reading is text comprehension.  "Comprehension involves a series of behaviors" (Tompkins, 2010) by the reader that occur before, during and after reading.  Successful comprehension depends on the "interaction of reader factors and text factors" (Tompkins, 2010).  Comprehension strategies to use before reading include activating prior knowledge and examining the text to uncover its organization.  This can be done by making predictions, responding to a question that will lead into the main topics in the book and previewing the text.  During reading, children can use comprehension strategies such as making connections to one's own experiences, questioning and visualizing.  Lastly, strategies that can be used after reading include drawing inferences and summarizing.

          In order to learn what these behaviors look like and how they can be done, children need a good model, which is the important role a teacher plays in reading instruction.  There should be many opportunities for children to experiment with reading and utilize the strategies they are taught.  One method is through think-alouds during a read aloud lesson or guided reading lesson.  Tompkins states "teachers use think-alouds to demonstrate the monitoring strategy during mini-lessons and when they're reading aloud to students."  Through my think-alouds, I set my expectations of what good readers should do.  I generally have students look at the title and the picture on the cover and ask them to form a prediction.  Sometimes we will even do a picture walk before forming predictions depending on the purpose for reading.  Sometimes I will briefly select students to share their predictions with the class, but once I notice that students are able to make reasonable predictions, I just give them time to think and then I tell them to evaluate whether they need to adjust their prediction as we read.  I am also sure to clearly state our purpose for reading so that students can prepare themselves for a specific focus.  As I read, I often stop to allow my students to make connections to the text and so that I can check for understanding which shows students that they should be making sure that they understand what it is they are reading and if not, we can refer back to the text.  At the end of the story, I may ask clarifying questions or general comprehension questions.

          An article by Reading Rockets entitled "Using Think-Alouds to Improve Reading Comprehension" outlines three components, modeling, coached practice and reflection and corresponding activities to engage students in the reading process.  The author suggests assigning 2 or 3 strategies to different colors of the same object and handing students one of the colored objects and asking them to use the strategy assigned to that color.  I think this is a great visual and kinesthetic way to involve students because I have noticed from my professional experience that children respond well to color codes.  In summary, reading comprehension is a complex process that involves both the reader and the text and it is my job as a teacher to facilitate a relationship between the two.

References 

Farr, R. & Conner, J. (2004). Using think-alouds to improve reading comprehension. Reading

          Rockets. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/102

Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA:

          Pearson Education, Inc.

Vocabulary Instruction to Enhance Comprehension and Communication

          Children are exposed to vocabulary from the time they are born.  They develop knowledge about words through repeated oral and written exposure.  According to Tompkins (2010), "students' vocabularies grow at an astonishing rate-- about 3,000 words a year, or roughly 7 to 10 new words every day.  By the time students graduate from high school, their vocabularies can reach 25,000 to 50,000 words or more."  The four levels of word knowledge are unknown words, initial recognition, partial word knowledge and full word knowledge.  Children gradually progress from not knowing a word at all to being able to recognize that word, to having a partial or general sense of the word's meaning to finally understanding multiple meanings of the word.

          I was surprised to find that the vocabulary gap between "students in the top and bottom vocabulary quartiles" is as large as 4,000 words according to Patrick Manyak's article Character trait vocabulary: A schoolwide approach.  It is our job as teachers to further expose children to words that they might not otherwise hear or write through social interactions.  Character trait vocabulary is especially important because across grades, students are expected to identify character traits and use supporting details, which demonstrates deeper understanding of the text.  Mastery of character trait vocabulary words enhances reading comprehension and frees up cognitive processes to make connections, extensions and inferences.  Manyak (2007) suggests teaching 20 designated character trait vocabulary per grade.

         Many teachers use an alphabetized word wall to post the high frequency words to which students are gradually exposed and expected to know by the end of the year.  I also believe it is a best practice to highlight vocabulary from all disciplines.  As part of our social studies curriculum, we discussed the qualities of being trustworthy and respectful, which are character traits.  Following that lesson, the words trustworthy  and respectful were posted on the word wall.  In addition, I tell students to be trustworthy and to respect themselves and others when reminding the class to stay on task and be responsible during independent literacy centers.

          I believe that the first step of vocabulary instruction is introduction of words.  The words should be used and revisited through different disciplines.  This reinforces the way in which the words can be used in oral and written language.  This also sets a model for how students can use vocabulary to express their ideas more precisely (Tompkins, 2010).  After all, the goal of oral and written language is to communicate effectively and broadening one's vocabulary guides children on the correct path.

References

Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA:

          Pearson Education, Inc.

Manyak, P. (2007). Character trait vocabulary: A schoolwide approach. The Reading Teacher 60(6),
          574-577.

Motivation through Interdisciplinary Learning

          Motivation is the driving force behind much of what we, as teachers, do and in what areas we succeed.  That is no different for our students.  The study by Taboada et al. (2008) determined that motivation and cognitive attributes independently contribute to a learner's reading comprehension.  Students who are presented with opportunities to select reading materials of their personal interest and contribute to their learning by generating questions feel more autonomous and are able to internalize what they've read.

          Instructional implications include fostering student motivation for reading through connections to background knowledge and interdisciplinary lessons.  Taboada et al. (2008) states that providing texts that connect to ideas learned in science and social studies is more effective than selecting disconnected readings.  By integrating topics form different disciplines, teachers can increase motivation and activate cognitive processes.

          I am a strong advocate of interdisciplinary teaching, as I feel that it is a best practice in the field of education.  This is the second year that I have implemented the Elementary Integrated Curriculum (EIC) for kindergarten.  It "blends reading, language arts and mathematics instruction with lessons in science, social studies, music, art and physical education in a way that spurs creativity and critical thinking skills."  One example of an integrated lesson that I taught was a read aloud that focused on story elements.  I chose the book Thump, Quack, Moo by Doreen Cronin because it integrated the ideas of the Statue of Liberty and weather, which the students were learning about in social studies and science.  My students were able to activate prior knowledge and I could tell that they were much more motivated than they would have been had I chosen a book completely disconnected from any other units.

          The planning of interdisciplinary lessons exposes students to in-depth lessons as opposed to broad coverage.  In addition, teachers should also provide differentiated student-centered activities, since the study indicates that self-efficacy can develop through curiosity, inquiry and interest.  Teachers should discuss individuals' understanding of motivation and interest to better understand the relationship between motivation, cognitive processes and the use of reading comprehension strategies.  This information can be very useful in developing interventions that can hopefully increase intrinsic motivation and reading comprehension success.

References

Taboada, A., Tonks, S.M., Wigfield, A., and Guthrie, J. (2008). Effects of motivational and cognitive

          variables on reading comprehension. Reading and Writing, 22(1), 85-106.

Montgomery County Public Schools. (2010). Elementary integrated curriculum. Office of

          Curriculum and Instruction Programs.  Retrieved from http://www.montgomery

          schoolsmd.org/curriculum/integrated/

Mastering the Alphabetic Code through Song

          The three components of the alphabetic code are phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling.  Phonemic awareness is the knowledge that spoken language consists of individual sounds.  By developing phonemic awareness, children can apply the sound-symbol associations they've constructed to spell words.  Children can be exposed to opportunities to develop phonemic awareness at home, as well as at school.  "As they sing songs, chant rhymes, read aloud wordplay books, and play games, children have many opportunities to orally match, isolate, blend and substitute sounds and to segment words into sounds" (Tompkins, 2010).

          It is my job as a teacher to create a "language-rich environment" (Tompkins, 2010) in which children are provided with numerous opportunities to experiment with sounds, letters and words.  I am a strong advocate of using music and songs to teach children.  Children truly enjoy singing and dancing, and I believe that those activities enhance their memory of knowledge from the lessons.  Therefore, I especially enjoyed the familiar songs that Tompkins recommends for sound-isolation and sound-segmentation activities.

          One of the songs I use in my classroom to help my students develop phonemic awareness is "Alphardy" by Dr. Jean Feldman.  The children go through each letter of the alphabet, it's corresponding sound and a word that starts with that letter.  In addition, there are body movements that accompany each word, which appeals to learners with strong bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.  After searching for additional Dr. Jean songs, I found the lyrics to the song "Phon-ercise," which is similar in format to "Alphardy."  More information on Dr. Jean's CD Totally Reading can be found at http://www.drjean.org/html/cds_f/cds_totallyRdg.htm.  She also has recordings in Spanish and recordings related to other subject contents that are used by many early childhood educators.

"Alphardy" Lyrics

A for apple /a/-/a/-/a/

B for bounce /b/-/b/-/b/

C for cut /c/ /c/ /c/

D for dig /d/-/d/-/d/

E for elbow /e/-/e/-/e/

F for fan /f/-/f/-/f/

G for gallop /g/-/g/-/g/

H for hop /h/-/h/-/h/

I for itch /i/-/i/-/i/

J for jump /j/-/j/-/j/

K for kick /k/-/k/-/k/

L for love /l/-/l/-/l/

M for munch /m/-/m/-/m/

N for nod /n/-/n/-/n/

O for opera /o/-/o/-/o/

Q for quiet /q/-/q/-/q/

R for run /r/-/r/-/r/

S for sew /s/-/s/-/s/

T for talk /t/-/t/-/t/

U for upside /u/-/u/-/u/

V for volley /v/-/v/-/v/

W for wiggle /w/-/w/-/w/

X for x-ray /x/-/x/-/x/

Y for yawn /y/-/y/-/y/

Z for zigzag /z/-/z/-/z/

Letter sounds are all you need.

Put them together and you can read!

References

Feldman, J. (2009.) Dr. Jean's Songs on CD. Retrieved from http://www.drjean.org/

          html/cds_f/cds_totallyRdg.htm.

Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA:

          Pearson Education, Inc.

Concepts About Print

          Concepts of print include the basic skills of reading such as how to hold a book, recognizing that words on the page have meaning, directionality, return sweep,  and being able to identify individual letters, words and punctuation.  These are all skills that need to be taught by modeling, scaffolding and opportunities for independent practice, such as at literacy centers.  One of the most important beginning reader skills is being able to identify the letters of the alphabet and their phoneme-grapheme associations.  "Children who have been actively involved in reading and writing activities before entering first grade know the names of the letters, and they're more likely to begin reading quickly" (Tompkins, 2010).  In Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach, Tompkins (2010) lists routines to teach the letters of the alphabet, all of which can be incorporated straight into literacy centers.

          The Unifed Transformative Early Education Model (UTEEM) students at George Mason University have compiled information for families of kindergarten through third-grade students about emergent literacy that can be found at http://mason.gmu.edu/~cwallac7/TAP/TEST/literacy/1.html.  This is a great resource, as it explains concepts about print, as well as phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge, in a simple, comprehensible manner.  In addition, the website offers lists of engaging activities to improve literacy.  "Developing concepts about print in children at an early age is invaluable to their literacy development. Without a firm grasp on these concepts, children will have trouble learning to read and write" (Iantosca).  Concepts about print can be developed at a young age by exposing children to print.  Iantosca firmly statess that "the number one thing you can do for your children to help them learn concepts about print is to read to them everyday."

          The best way to teach concepts about print is in an authentic, meaningful manner.  For instance, a restaurant menu, arranged in short phrases, allows children to easily match one spoken word to each written word, and also relate concepts of print to real-life experiences.  When modeling concepts about print, teachers and families should be mindful of the reading materials they are selecting.  Print should include elaborate pictures and minimal text, and be of interest to the child.  Interest is a motivating factor in learning to read and taking the time to learn what topics children are interested in can yield great benefits.

References

Iantaosca, E. Emergent literacy: Concepts about print. In Literacy at home and school. 

          Retrieved from http://mason.gmu.edu/~cwallac7/TAP/TEST/literacy/1.html

Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA:

          Pearson Education, Inc.

Assessment Data to Inform Instruction

          Running records are very effective tools used to gather data on students' reading progress, which is used to form instructional decisions.  This formal assessment can yield useful information on the students' word identification, as well as reading fluency (Tompkins, 2010).  The teacher records which words are read correctly and which are read incorrectly, mispronounced, substituted or omitted.  Self-corrections are also noted.  Following the administration of running records, students are frequently asked to retell the story and answer several comprehension questions.  An analysis of the students' errors or miscues can provide insight into what reading strategies the students primarily use.

          In my professional experience, I have administered a variety of formal assessment systems, those of which include mClass Reading 3D, Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System and the Qualitative Reading Inventory-4 (QRI-4).  I used the mClass Reading 3D program to assess students' reading levels and knowledge at the beginning, middle and end of the school year.  Similar to that is the Fountas and Pinnell system that I used for progress monitoring throughout the year.  I felt the sense that some of my students were ready to move up in reading levels and the running record and answers to the comprehension questions provided concrete data that supported the notion.  Of course, some students fit right in their new guided reading groups while others did not perform as I expected based on the assessment, but that is one of the benefits of having fluid groups.

          After analyzing miscues from my students' running records, I discovered that the large majority of the children were relying very heavily on visual cues, some meaning cues and little to no syntactic cues.  I then realized that I had been focusing much of my teaching on the beginning and ending sounds of words, that I had failed to teach students to cross-check the picture with the words and self-monitor.  This makes a lot of sense knowing how much children rely on visuals to help them understand the world around us.  Using the information I gathered from the assessments, I improved my teaching by modeling cross-checking and asking myself if the words I was reading made sense and sounded right.  My students soon began to utilize those strategies and began to make great gains.

References

Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA:

          Pearson Education, Inc.

Authentic Learning

          Authentic learning is an effective way to promote the growth of children's reading and writing skills.  This method of instruction is engaging and meaningful for the learner, however, they still look to the teacher as the "expert model"  (Tompkins, 2010).  Authentic learning provides opportunities for children to construct their own knowledge and demonstrate their creativity and personal voices in a realistic setting.  Since new knowledge is linked to prior knowledge and assimilated into existing schemas (Tompkins, 2010), the context or situation in which learning takes place plays an important role in learning.

           A nationwide study determined that authentic pedagogy aided students in their ability to apply higher-order thinking, develop a deep understandings of subject matters, engage in meaningful conversations with teachers and peers, and draw connections between information learned in the classroom and the "world beyond the classroom" (Parkay & Stanford, 2007).  In Becoming a Teacher, Parkay and Stanford describe authentic learning tasks as enabling the learner to see how information they learn in the classroom can be extended beyond that realm.  Connecting new knowledge to the world in which one lives can be very stimulating.

           Motivation is a huge factor in one's success.  Authentic learning is inherently motivating, as it is most of the time, very engaging or hands-on, and closely relates to the learner's world.  It is the responsibility of teachers to find a way to make learning meaningful for their students.  This may involve getting to know the children on a personal level and designing interactive lessons that connect to their interests.  This action not only shows the students that the teacher is invested in their academic success, but it also allows the students to feel respected.  Ultimately, this mutual respect contributes toward developing an effective learning environment and healthy classroom community.

References

Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA:
          Pearson Education, Inc.

Parkay, F.W. & Stanford, B.H. (2007). Becoming a teacher (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education,
          Inc.