Life after Reading ClinicLiteracy Lab: Teachers Reflection on Practice - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Title: Life after Reading ClinicLiteracy Lab: Teachers Reflection on Practice


1
Life after Reading Clinic/Literacy Lab Teachers
Reflection on Practice

• National Reading Conference
• Los Angeles, CA
• November 2006

2
2006 Researchers

• B. Laster- Towson Univ.
• L. McEnery- Univ. of Houston-Clear Lake
• T. Deeney- Univ. of Rhode Island
• C. Dozier Univ. at Albany
• S. Sargent- Northeastern State Univ.
• J. Cobb- Coastal Carolina Univ.
• V. Angell- Southern Utah Univ.

• D. Gurwitz- National Louis University
• A. Morewood- Univ. of Pittsburgh
• S. McAndrews- Southern Illinois - Edwardsville
• D. Gaunty-Porter-Vanguard Univ.
• L. Dubert- Boise State University
• C. Barnes- Andrews University
• M. Hill- Univ. of Houston-Clear Lake

Inspiration B. Walker, Oaklohoma Stae
Unversity Cheerleader P. Freppon, Univ. of
Cincinnati Special Thanks M. Knowles, Technical
Support, Towson University
3
Background

• Ten years of collaboration
• The 2005 Electronic Survey

4
Previous Study

• A focused electronic survey across nine sites.
  Anonymous participants (n150).
• A Few Key Results
• Undergraduate 18 Graduate 82
• 26-50 of time administering individual tests/
  interpreting the assessment data
• Practicing instruction authentically
• Preparation for a coaching role Clinical
  activities involving communicating
  collaborating mentoring professional readings
  read/interpreting research
• Time constraints
• Transfer

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Purpose

• Follow-up on the survey with much more depth
• Examine the current roles of clinic/lab program
  graduates
• Find out whether graduates use various practices
  introduced in the clinical setting, and with what
  level of confidence
• Discover whether clinics/labs prepare teachers
  for various school-based roles (e.g. teaching
  skills vs. leadership)

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MethodologyData Collection

• IRB approval at each site.
• Located and notified 2-3 graduates of Clinic who
  are typical graduates of the program. They should
  represent different populations, length of
  experiences, positions, etc.
• In arranging the interview, send a note that says
  to collect three artifacts that reflect your
  teaching of literacy.
• Interview on site at the teachers school, not at
  the university or elsewhere.
• Took notes on classroom environment Books,
  environmental print, room organization, student
  work on walls, etc.
• Audiotaped interview
• Transcribe the Intervi

7
Methodology-Data Collection

• Prompts focused on five main areas
• Assessment practices
• Instruction
• Leadership
• Coaching
• Technology
• A holistic approach also
• Talk about a child/teacher you are currently
  working with. Talk about strengths/needs. Talk
  about surprises. Talk about your thinking in how
  you assist them in their development

8
Methodology-Data Analysis

• For Theme Analysis Categories were refined,
  collapsed, and redefined during subsequent
  readings and discussions within the teams and
  with the larger group of researchers until the
  categories encompassed all of the data for that
  theme.
• For Site Analysis We compiled a chart of the key
  activities and philosophies of each of the
  participating Reading Clinic/Literacy Lab. This
  snapshot of the sites allowed for linkages to be
  made between what the clinical experience was and
  what the professionals in the field reported
  about their daily job expectations and
  experiences.
• Summaries of findings were reported to a central
  researcher who compiled them.

9
Initial Results of the Study

• more analysis to come next year!

10
Interviews at 11 Institutions, n28

• Boise State University, ID
• Eastern New Mexico University, NM
• National Louis University, Chicago IL
• Northeastern State Univ., OK
• Southern Illinois Univ. Edwardsville, IL
• Southern Utah University, UT
• Towson University, MD
• University of Houston, Clear Lake, TX
• University of Pittsburgh, PA
• University of Rhode Island, RI
• Vanguard University, CA

11
Clinic/Lab vs. Program

• Assessment may have been learned in courses
  leading up to the actual practicum.
• Instructional practices were explored in multiple
  courses.
• Technology may have been used in other courses
  besides Clinic/Lab.

12
Categories of Duties/Types of Sites

• Coaching teachers
• Assessing students
• Teaching students
• Workshops/presentations
• Committee responsibilities
• Supervision

K-2 Middle High Sch Special S
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Sample Site Report
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Sample Site Reportcond
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Sample Site Reportcond
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Assessment
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Assessment Common Themes

• From general interview questions
• Mandates
• Choosing assessments
• Informing instruction
• From question of transfer from clinic to school
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Materials
• Collapsed by role
• Elementary classroom teacher
• Elementary reading teacher, reading specialist,
  coach
• Middle/HS ELA teacher, coach,
• Special education teacher

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Elementary Teachers (n10)

• Mandates
• Takes away time from planning and instruction
• Choosing assessments
• Based on student needs, area to assess (e.g. WTW
  spelling, interest inventory, writing)
• Informing instruction
• Need more time to assess to understand student
  needs (using self-chosen assessments, such as
  QRI) Grouping for instruction (differentiating)
  Basis for instructional planning Continuous
  monitoring (assessment) and adjusting
  (instruction)
• Transfer from clinic to school
• Knowledge (empowerment) skill (assessing, whats
  going on?) materials (assessment and instruction)

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Elementary Reading (n9)

• Mandates
• DIBELS mandates affecting instruction (e.g.
  practice taking tests, teaching skills embedded
  within)
• Choosing assessments
• Supplement mandates based on area to assess
  (DIBELS doesnt show comp) triangulate
• Informing instruction
• Whats going on? Plan instruction (w/teachers)
  based on student need Grouping (who we see, help
  teachers group)
• Transfer from clinic to school
• Knowledge skill (what assessment to give, how to
  interpret) materials (assessments,
  instructional)

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Middle/HS (n5)

• Mandates
• Used to get kids or group kids need to raise
  scores
• Choosing assessments
• student needs, area to assess
• Using assessments
• Triangulate Time (need more time to assess using
  chosen assessments)
• Informing instruction
• instructional planning (use data to inform
  instruction)
• Transfer from clinic to school
• Diagnostic skills (whats going on?) Knowledge
  Materials working w/teachers instructional ideas

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Special Education (N4)

• Mandates
• Simply listed mandated assessments
• Choosing assessments
• Student needs, areas to assess
• Informing instruction
• No common theme here
• Transfer from clinic to school
• Whats going on w/student?

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Selecting AssessmentsAcross all levels

• Much discussion (20/28 participants), across
  grades and roles, about choosing assessments
  (outside of mandated assessments). Basis for
  choice
• Student needs (what assessments will help teacher
  understand whats going on)
• I see a kid struggling and I say, Wait a
  minute. Let me see where you are.
• Area to assess
• The DIBELS shows that they are slow readers, but
  it doesnt test comprehension. I use the QRI for
  that and to analyze strengths and weaknesses.

23
Transfer from Clinic

• Elementary teachers
• Knowledge (empowerment) skill (assessing, whats
  going on?) materials (assessment and
  instruction)
• Elementary reading specialists/coaches
• Knowledge skill (what assessment to give, how to
  interpret) materials (assessments,
  instructional)
• Middle/HS teachers/coaches
• Diagnostic skills (whats going on?) Knowledge
  Materials working w/teachers instructional
  ideas
• Special education teachers
• Whats going on w/student?

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Voices--Assessment

• Clinic experience made me more aware of it
  assessment, the fact that I could do it. You
  look at special education, you look at a
  diagnostician, and now its like, Hey, wait a
  minute! I could be doing this! It was a
  revelation that it was something I could be
  taking care of on my own.
• I go to meetings and I know what Im talking
  about I have to speak w/school psychologists and
  people who dont believe I should be testing a
  child, or who think, Oh, no. This kid is fine
  they dont need to be tested. I can say This
  is what Ive seen. There are tests out there
  that will show this. I am better able to
  approach and say there are other tests out there.
  I feel like I have information to back up what
  Im saying. Its very helpful because it used to
  be intimidating.
• I feel like Im more educated to sit at a team
  meeting and say, Yeah, but why is this
  happening? I dont think they want to hear me a
  lot of times!

25
Instruction
26
Instruction Talk to me about central issues in
your teaching.
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Instruction Student learning

• Everything I do has different levels.
  EVERYTHING. I guess the biggest issue for what I
  believe in is that there is no garden variety
  step-by-step way to teach.
• There are times I help students, but usually I
  am there to facilitate.
• Good reading instruction involves active
  learners who get up out of their seats, read,
  talk about what they are reading, write, and that
  they tie it all together. It cant be isolated.
  Kids wont connect.

• Teaching based on student needs
• Facilitators of student learning
• Active and authentic learning

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Instruction Student learning

• Stated teaching specific strategies
• Modeling

• I truly believe that phonemic awareness and
  phonemic awareness instruction is really the
  bridge to learning how to read and without having
  a strong understanding of the sounds around you,
  strong phonemic awareness, it is going to be
  difficult for a child to learn to read.
• Whatever I do, I try to make sure that I keep in
  mind that kids are going to follow.

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Instruction Teacher learning

• Working with teachers
• Teacher knowledge and confidence

• Well my main thing is to help teachers do a
  better job of what they do.
• Teachers do make a difference in what we do for
  the students. We are the captain of our ship. I
  know this is all very cliché, but it really is
  true.

30
Instruction Time constraints

• Time- trying to reach all of them. With this
  kind of class it really seems impossible
  sometimes but I make it work.
• So its a time thing. What I know would work
  best for these kids, a lot of times I cant do
  because theres just no time.

31
Coaching
32
Literacy Coaches Who?

• 8 or 30, from 5 universities, held the position
  of coaching or mentoring teachers
• some worked exclusively with teachers and others
  in combination with students.
• 6 elementary, 1 middle school, 1 high school
• Following data, was collected via these 8
  however
• 3 more had been coaches and responded to some
  questions as a coach.
• 2 others were evolving or desiring to be a
  coach.
• 2 were named specialists but did not work with
  teachers.

33
Many Names 4 Strands

• Lead Literacy Teacher
• Literacy Coordinator
• Reading Specialist
• Literacy or Reading Coach
• Instructional Specialist
• Professional Developer
• - Last two mentors or facilitates effective
  teaching practices beyond literacy

• 1. Clinic Influence
• 2. Professional
• Development
• 3. Administrative
• 4. Big Picture

34
Clinical Influences Inspiration, Information,
and Interest

• Performing with assessments, materials, and
  methods
• Growing with watching a student progress
• Communicating with colleagues and parents
• Understanding theories issues making these
  real as applied to students
• Applying higher standards and expectations
• Building awareness of observation its
  importance
• Instigating interest in and desire for more

35
Professional DevelopmentModel, Monitor, Mentor
(MMM) Collaborate, Communicate (CC)

• Are responsible for 7 up to 30 teachers
• Collaborate Communicate through workshops
  (ongoing development) and study groups
• Monitor, Model, Mentor

MMM CC A Full House
36
Administrative Roles
The Big Picture

• A Broader View
• Looking at nation-wide, district-wide,
  school-wide issues
• Managing district and school-wide assessment and
  data analysis
• Differentiated Learning for the EACH one!

• Allocate literacy resources (material
  financial)
• Manage assistants
• Place students
• Evaluate, organize, schedule, and plan literacy
  programs, leveled libraries, and assistants
• Go to meetings!!!
• state office
• district specialists vertical alignment teams
• school administrative teams
• grade level teams
• parent groups

37
Leadership
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Leadership Roles

• Conducting workshops- In-service
• Curriculum alignment
• Modeling lessons (strategies, mini lessons) for
  teachers
• Coaching teachers (observing and providing
  specific feedback)
• Administrative duties- reporting test scores,
  ordering books, materials assessment
  instruments
• Planning and facilitating parent workshops
• Working with leadership teams
• Training supervision of paraprofessionals
• Participating in professional development

39
Tensions

• sometimes teachers view my position as an
  administrative role. I have to remind the
  administrators of what I can and cannot do as a
  lead literacy teacher- I dont want to cross the
  line and become and evaluator as I will lose the
  confidence of the teachers.
• Not enough time- in practicum, in school day
• Being a literacy coach with fewer years
  experience than most of teachers in school.
• Carrying out state mandates with questionable
  effectiveness.

40
Role of practicum in preparing leaders

• Practicum Experience Provided
• in depth knowledge of strategies as well as
  assessment tools
• knowledge of how to use assessment to inform
  instruction
• opportunity to practice coaching
• intense experience in working with parents
• The parents wanted answers when they asked
  questions. They would come directly to me. I
  felt that I had to be prepared at all times.
• practice in functioning as part of a team
• Tools for diplomatic stance in working with
  teachers, students, and parents

41
Technology

• Definitionsmedia that support our work (tape
  recorders

42
Teachers/Prospective Teachers as Learners of
Technology at the University

• Blackboard, esp. Discussion Board
• Track Changes for Writing
• Readability formulas
• Technology integrated into Curriculum Unit, Text
  Sets, Instructional Lessons.
• Powerpoint used for presentations to colleagues
  parents
• EXCEL for plotting student data
• Digital recorders send audio files to colleagues
• Video clips of instruction burn to DVD play on
  projector in class
• Learner.org United Streaming (online video clip
  organized by curriculum area)

43
Technology in Clinic in the Field

• Clinic/related courses
• Assessment (Lexia Test, readability formulas,
  Lexile leveling)
• Instructional Planning
• Many Internet sites for lesson ideas
  (MarcoPolo/Read-Write-Think)
• Research/Writing using full text research
  articles

• In the Schools/Sites
• Palm Pilots for DIBELS
• STAR Test
• Accelerated Reader Posttests
• Students monitor their own grades
• Graded word lists of the IRI on Powerpoint
• ------------------------------------------

• Morning Message/Writing Books/LEA on Electronic
  White Boards

44
Technology in Clinic in the Field

• Clinic/related courses
• Instructional facilitation for learners
• Inspiration Kidspiration
• Kidpix
• Internet access in all tutoring rooms
• Writing books/LEA using Write OutLoud

• In the Schools/Sites
• Many Internet sites for lesson ideas (visuals,
  video clips, etc.)
• Digital projector to link w/computer
• Blackboard
• Blogs for book discussion
• Research using Internet in Computer Lab
• Critically evaluate sites
• Layout newspaper
• Starfall.com
• Read Naturally software for fluency

45
Technology for different uses

• Literacy centerthey go on the computer.
  Theres a good a program for my ESL students.
  Sometimes they type their stories.so it is for
  writing.By the end of the year, well have a big
  poetry book.
• We use stopwatches for fluency and word sorts.
• I use technology all the time. I think the
  biggest advantage of using the Internet is to
  find ways to differentiate instruction.

46
How is Technology Used?
47
Digital Divides

• Great variation from technology magnet schools to
  no technology in the schools.
• Similarly some Clinic/Labs were on site at
  schools that had limited technology and some had
  state-of-the-art technology at a school or
  on-campus. Great variation among emphasis on
  technology integration in Clinic/Labs.

48
Other Conclusions-Technology

• Technology-savvy teachers are able to use
  technologies both as professional resources
  instructional/curriculum resources. Web-sites
  software are becoming increasingly important in
  literacy assessment instruction
• New Literacies reading strategies are different
  from those used in book (print) reading.
• Research needed to determine if low progress
  readers have similar difficulties in new
  literacies
• Reading clinics could include more information
  about software/web-sites to support low progress
  readers
• May be especially valuable in the home/clinic
  relationship
• More professional development in appropriate uses
  of technology to supprt all readers/writers.

49
Mandates

• ..from Federal, State or District Authorities

50
National Mandates

• Four of the eleven who were interviewed (NM, ID,
  MD, and IL) mentioned No Child Left Behind
  (NCLB).
• Multiple participants also mentioned Adequate
  Yearly Progress (AYP).

51
State Mandates

• State-mandated achievement tests were identified
  frequently. Seven of the eleven sites referred to
  such measures (e.g. TEKS, ISAT, CRT, MSA, HSA,
  Illinois Snapshot of Early Literacy, and BEAR by
  Riverside ).
• State-mandated curriculum competencies and/or
  benchmarks were mentioned several times (e.g. NM,
  OK, TX).

52
Local, District, and School Mandates

• Discussions centered around categories
• Mandated commercial assessment instruments were
  described by nine of the eleven sites. DIBELS was
  the most frequently mentioned
• Note DIBELS may fall under multiple categories
  for purposes of this presentation.
• Locally-mandated curriculums were described by
  nine of the eleven sites (e.g. curriculum
  alignment).
• Mandated professional development programs were
  mentioned in several interviews.
• Mandated commercial reading programs were
  described by eight of the eleven sites (e.g.
  Accelerated Reader, Harcourt Anthology, Auto
  Skills, 6 Traits)

53
Summary

• Stress and anxiety (related to mandates and
  students performance) were apparent for both
  teachers students.
• Participants noted a lack of resources to
  implement all the components of NCLB.
• Participants desired to supplement the mandated
  assessments with their own assessments.

54
Summary

• Those interviewed possessed a keen awareness of
  individual needs and attempted to focus on
  individual assessment when possible.
• Many participants shared a concern about a lack
  of time to incorporate the naturalistic,
  authentic assessment strategies learned in clinic
  because of the testing mandates.
• Participants appeared to be aware that clinic
  courses provided knowledge of naturalistic
  assessments and instilled confidence in ability
  to provide for childrens needs.

55
Artifacts

• Please collect three artifacts that reflect your
  teaching of literacy.

56
Supporting Teachers Instructional Practices

• Implementing program ? Teacher Generated
• Harcourt Reading Program
• I brought the Harcourt piece because we use
  it Covers all the different genres,
  comprehension skills, and strategies, those are
  taught clearly through the program.
•  
• Teachers Reflective Journal
• Im keeping my own personal journal as well
  as a reflective journal where Im writing down
  student comments.

57
Supporting Teachers Instructional Practices

• Word level ? Text level
• Red word studies
• Started as an intervention, now I use it with
  the whole class.
• Strategy Charts
•   I use this process, What do you do when you
  come to a word you dont know? Every child has
  this
• Read alouds/book collection
• The more you read, the better you become at
  it. I try to read something everyday. I
  wouldnt stop using my read aloud ever.

58
Student Work

• Assignment Focus ? Student Focus
• Prather News, Monthly Newsletter featuring 4th
  to 6th grade student writing
• Look at this!Students do the graphics,
  lay-outs, typing, editing, and changes It makes
  me cry to think about how hard these children
  work.
• Student Score Report from the BEAR Test
• I found one thing he could do well a
  musical instrument and picked up on thatI met
  with him every day to give him music lessons. I
  also worked with him in reading as a pull-out. He
  has changed so much over the year.
• Alyssas letter asking the mayor to put the high
  school logo on the water tower
• He agreed to do so based on the reasons she
  provided in her letter. She thought it was so
  amazing that her writing could bring about
  change.

59
Assessment

• Summative ? Formative
• Imposed ? Implemented by Choice  
• Palm Pilot
• The DIBELS assessment is something that I
  administer throughout the year in K.
•  QRI
• Important tool to walk away with and be able
  to use. I think Ive used it more than
  anything.
• Words Their Way Text
• Differentiating my spelling instruction and
  scaffolding my teaching more effectively in this
  area. I live by it.
• McKenna Kear Writing Attitude Surveys/Interest
  Inventories
• I do these every year.

60
Professional Development

• Scripted ? Co-constructed
•  Literacy First Guidebook
• I used this like a Bible! Included
  assessments, flowcharts, interventions that were
  used to assess and plan my reading instruction.
  Everyone should have this!
•  Reading Clinic Handbook
• What are you trained to do? This book helps
  me explain it to teachers. I think this gives
  them a pretty good synopsis in terms of what I
  can do for home and school connections and what I
  can do to give them data based on some sort of
  testing and what types of strategies I can
  implement.Its always accessible and out and
  about in the room.
•  Visualize and Verbalize (part of Lindmood-Bell)
• Ultimate favorite. I tried to turn everyone
  on to it. My school purchased them because I
  asked them to

61
Limitations of the Study

• We selected the graduates who we knew and who
  were accessible to us.  Furthermore, these were
  all professionals who were employable, successful
  to some degree, and in good standing with the
  university.  Thus, our pool of interviewees had
  limitations.

62
CONCLUSIONS What Transferred from Clinic to
Classroom?

• Assessment Practices
• Strategies/Instructional Practices
• Planning/Preparation for Instruction
• Student-centered Learning/Differentiated
  Instruction
• Hope/Active Teaching despite mandates
• Some Technology Integration
• Use of a variety of Texts in varied Ways
• Continual Attention to Professional Learning
• Other (Engagement with Families/Communities)

63
Locations of Transfer

• Literacy lab/Reading clinic to classroom
• Lab/clinic to families
• Lab/clinic to community
• Lab/clinic to instructional practices within
  lab/clinic
• Previous courses to lab/clinic
• Communities to lab/clinic

64
What We Learned aboutWhat we Teach in Clinic/Lab

• Our professor required us to use the assessment
  techniques discussed in class with those we were
  tutoring. The transfer of learning was very
  beneficial because after we learned about
  assessment and strategies from our professor and
  through reading the textbooks we had the
  opportunity to immediately implement the
  learning. Having the literacy lab/reading clinic
  experience helped bridge the theory with the
  real- life application.
• They told us all the time that we would be using
  what we learned in Clinic in our schools. We
  do. 

65
Questions Raised During Analysis

• What is/are the goal(s) of the lab/clinic?
• Are we explicit in preparing graduates for
  leadership responsibilities?
• Is our choice of language/discourse helpful?
• Are we appropriately modeling technology
  integration/new literacies?
• How can we help teachers bridge what they know
  about assessment/instruction with the mandates
  that they face in the field?
• Your questions?