Saturday, October 8, 2011
Brain Based Curriculum - Help4Teachers.com
I found a very informative web site that has a wealth of knowledge about brain-based learning. The site offers teaching tips and ideas. It has sample curriculum lessons and how - to videos and articles. The site even includes a 15 min. tutorial on layered curriculum. The site is facilitated by Dr. Kathie Nunley and is linked to Brain.org. I hope you take a look at this site; I am very fascinated by the information that is available here.
Rejecting Instructional Level Theory by Tim Shanahan
In this article Dr. Shanahan shares his view on the Common Core Instructional Level Theory. The common core is moving toward teaching reading by using more difficult and complex texts. Dr. Shanahan feels that there is research that provides us with a evidence that contradicts this theory.
Becoming a successful reader is a combination of the learner interacting with the text and the teacher. The instructional level theory claims that text difficulty level is relative to the student reading level and this is the factor that makes everything "click". However, this totally ignores the teachers strategies, scaffolding, and support that is offered to the student on the basis of their individual needs.
Common Core denotes that students learn best when they receive the least teaching. This is contradictory to the studies that suggest that kids can learn from text written at very diverse levels, even when the text difficulty causes the teachers to give the students support of background knowledge among various other techniques.
Although, Shanahan claims that Lexile assessments have improved readability assessment. He still believes that students learning quality will depend on the amount and quality of instructional support from the teacher or parent.
Becoming a successful reader is a combination of the learner interacting with the text and the teacher. The instructional level theory claims that text difficulty level is relative to the student reading level and this is the factor that makes everything "click". However, this totally ignores the teachers strategies, scaffolding, and support that is offered to the student on the basis of their individual needs.
Common Core denotes that students learn best when they receive the least teaching. This is contradictory to the studies that suggest that kids can learn from text written at very diverse levels, even when the text difficulty causes the teachers to give the students support of background knowledge among various other techniques.
Although, Shanahan claims that Lexile assessments have improved readability assessment. He still believes that students learning quality will depend on the amount and quality of instructional support from the teacher or parent.
NBC News Today Interview with Dr. Sally Shaywitz
Dyslexia is one of the most widespread learning disabilities today. It affects one out of five children. Many children go undiagnosed or receive substandard support in overcoming reading difficulties. Dr. Shaywitz is a neuroscientist at Yale University School of Medicine and is one of the nation's leading researchers in the scientific study of dyslexia. Dr. Shaywitz is also the author of "Overcoming Dyslexia".
Dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in learning to read. A person that has the intelligence, the motivation, and the proper schooling needed to be a successful reader, but cannot read, probably has dyslexia. People with dyslexia have trouble reading; it's not just letter reversals or reading things out of order. Dyslexics also tend to have problems sounding things out, they avoid reading things out loud because it takes forever.
Dr. Shaywitz recommends that parents intervene early in childhood. Children who have early intervention have higher rates of success. Brain scans of dyslexics before intervention and after intervention are considerably different. Waiting too long can cause the child to get further behind and risks the student becoming so frustrated that they stop trying and give up. Dr. Shaywitz also recommends scientific proven reading programs, good schools, effective teachers, and advocates educating parents in order to overcome the disability.
Dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in learning to read. A person that has the intelligence, the motivation, and the proper schooling needed to be a successful reader, but cannot read, probably has dyslexia. People with dyslexia have trouble reading; it's not just letter reversals or reading things out of order. Dyslexics also tend to have problems sounding things out, they avoid reading things out loud because it takes forever.
Dr. Shaywitz recommends that parents intervene early in childhood. Children who have early intervention have higher rates of success. Brain scans of dyslexics before intervention and after intervention are considerably different. Waiting too long can cause the child to get further behind and risks the student becoming so frustrated that they stop trying and give up. Dr. Shaywitz also recommends scientific proven reading programs, good schools, effective teachers, and advocates educating parents in order to overcome the disability.
Reading in the Disciplines by Carol D. Lee and Anika Spratley
I chose this article because as a middle grades teacher, I see students who are struggling with the comprehension of the higher-level texts that they are required to read. On top of that, the quantity of material that is assigned makes it twice as difficult for the struggling reader to absorb the in-depth content of the text.
Students in middle school and high school are required to make inferences and predictions from the material that they are reading. Most students do not have adequate critical thinking skills to master comprehension of the text and transfer that knowledge to the activities, discussion, or evaluation in the classroom.
Cross curricular activities build on concepts gained in other disciplines and subjects. This enables students to develop critical thinking skills that assist in comprehension and problem solving. "The ability to comprehend written texts is not a static or fixed ability, but rather one involves a dynamic relationship between the demands of texts and the prior knowledge and goals of readers." A lack of content knowledge does affect comprehension and other approaches become necessary.
Good readers use the following strategies as they read:
1) Asking questions
2) Making predictions - middle school students have a lot of difficulty with this
3) Testing hypothesis
4) Summarizing
5) Monitoring understanding and deploying fix-it strategies as needed
Students in middle school and high school are required to make inferences and predictions from the material that they are reading. Most students do not have adequate critical thinking skills to master comprehension of the text and transfer that knowledge to the activities, discussion, or evaluation in the classroom.
Cross curricular activities build on concepts gained in other disciplines and subjects. This enables students to develop critical thinking skills that assist in comprehension and problem solving. "The ability to comprehend written texts is not a static or fixed ability, but rather one involves a dynamic relationship between the demands of texts and the prior knowledge and goals of readers." A lack of content knowledge does affect comprehension and other approaches become necessary.
Good readers use the following strategies as they read:
1) Asking questions
2) Making predictions - middle school students have a lot of difficulty with this
3) Testing hypothesis
4) Summarizing
5) Monitoring understanding and deploying fix-it strategies as needed
Reading in Science
Tables, diagrams, and maps make it difficult for emerging readers to comprehend scientific texts. Technical vocabulary of science often has Greek or Latin origin. It is necessary for cross curricular activities in order for students to comprehend the material. Support of students in a wide variety of scientific genres, text that emphasizes cause and effect, sequencing, and evaluating theories, and scientific reasoning are the skills for comprehending scientific text.
Reading in History
Primary sources in history include:
1) Political documents
2) legal documents
3) newspaper articles
4) letters
5) diaries.
Challenges:
1) Failure to make logical connections
2) Use of references that are indirect
3) Information that is irrelevant to main ideas
4) Density of ideas inside sentence structure.
Historical texts can be described as "inconsiderate texts" making it necessary for classroom routine to include deciphering text features, syntax, vocabulary, comprehension monitoring, and background knowledge discussion and summarizing. Reading instruction must meet the needs of diverse student abilities and instruct students to reason.
1) Political documents
2) legal documents
3) newspaper articles
4) letters
5) diaries.
Challenges:
1) Failure to make logical connections
2) Use of references that are indirect
3) Information that is irrelevant to main ideas
4) Density of ideas inside sentence structure.
Historical texts can be described as "inconsiderate texts" making it necessary for classroom routine to include deciphering text features, syntax, vocabulary, comprehension monitoring, and background knowledge discussion and summarizing. Reading instruction must meet the needs of diverse student abilities and instruct students to reason.
Reading in Literature
The Socioeconomic status of students has an impact on comprehension of literature. Symbolism in texts should be modeled so that students from diverse backgrounds are able to detect or reconstruct inferences that incorporate various points of view. Understanding and prior knowledge of literary works: 1) text structures - short story, novel, poetry, drama, realism, science fiction, allegory,
fable, myth, mystery, haiku, sonnet, ballad, and epic; human practices and behaviors that internal status trigger; 3) reconstruct a figurative message; and 4) ability to make inter-textual links. Works that capture human experience and dilemmas from the past can cause difficulty for the struggling reader due to syntax, pronouns, and vocabulary that are no longer common in language today. "Reading deeply complex literary texts offers unique opportunities for students to wrestle with some of the core ethical dilemmas that we face as human beings."
fable, myth, mystery, haiku, sonnet, ballad, and epic; human practices and behaviors that internal status trigger; 3) reconstruct a figurative message; and 4) ability to make inter-textual links. Works that capture human experience and dilemmas from the past can cause difficulty for the struggling reader due to syntax, pronouns, and vocabulary that are no longer common in language today. "Reading deeply complex literary texts offers unique opportunities for students to wrestle with some of the core ethical dilemmas that we face as human beings."
Reading in Math
Parents, teachers, and students do not expect reading problems to occur in math. However, most struggling math students lack the vocabulary that would enable success in the subject. It is important for students to be able to understand the language, logic (I"m sure this is where I fall short on the math spectrum - comprehension of logic and the vocabulary dealing with logic) of mathematics, and the mathematical text language.Advanced mathematics is not accessible without this comprehension. Math classrooms with inquiry-based instruction (cross-curricular instruction in science) with goals of assisting students to think mathematically and to value both the aesthetics and applicability of math, generate lifelong interest and support mathematical reasoning and encourage higher level thinking skills.
In conclusion, building for transfer across the curriculum is an effective tool to assist students in comprehension and critical thinking skills that are needed to be successful in reading and in life. Taking the approach from reading across the disciplines to the cross-curricular teaching of reading across the curriculum is a different way of looking at this material. However, I wonder if teachers looked outside of the box more often, if we could see that some of things that we have always done and are still not working, could be re-thought? I also wonder if the kinds of assessments that we offer have anything to do with the way students are reading textbooks....? When I was in school, we discussed the text in the classroom AND on evaluations. I do believe that multiple choice questions are not a true measure of comprehension. Cross curricular activities build on concepts gained in other disciplines and subjects. They enable students to develop critical thinking skills that build comprehension and trigger problem solving.
As a Fine Arts educator, I see the correlation between literacy and the arts. Arts curriculum offer learning opportunities in a wide-range of perspectives. Literacy can be taught through the arts and assist students to develop values and understandings in social and cultural contexts. Learning in each art-form caters to all students, regardless of physical, social, intellectual, developmental, or emotional needs. Focusing on arts content and pedagogy, literary is enhanced through creating, appreciating, and experiential learning. Literacy is about understanding the meaning of human codes. Meaning can be conveyed through words, signs, or symbols.
According to the National Art Education Association, "Literacy is more than being able to read and write. It is the ability to decode and encode in any form through which meaning is conveyed. What cannot be conveyed in words is often possible in the visual, auditory, or choreographic form."
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