They (schools) can become cultures where youngsters are discovering the joy, the difficulty, and the excitement of learning. - R. Barth, 2001
Compelling Question Response
Adolescent readers' abilities, skills, backgrounds, and interests vary significantly. Therefore, a variety of learning opportunities must be offered to address the diversity within the classroom. Learning opportunities must be both differentiated to meet students' needs, interests, cultures, and backgrounds and student-centered to promote collaboration, confidence, independence, and efficacy.
Teachers as Leaders
Background:
My leadership project proposed a plan to create a reading course at my high school for struggling readers. By doing so, my goal was to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of students struggling to read on grade level; in turn, this program would increase students' preparedness to compete and succeed in the global community. Many readers are uninterested in reading because reading is challenging and frustrating for them. Therefore, they avoid reading. If their reading needs are being addressed and met, through this type of course, then reading interest, motivation, and engagement may increase. |
Supporting Research
|
Results:
The following document is a handout I created to highlight the rationale, structure, and goals of the reading proposal I created for my leadership project. I distributed this document to the administrators at my school to serve as an outline of the program.
|
Teachers as Researchers
Background:
For my action research project, I researched the benefits and means of using independent reading in the secondary classroom as a way to increase interest in reading. I posed this question: How can independent reading be utilized in the classroom to change students' feelings and attitudes about reading? By allowing students to select books independently, students were able to explore the topic that was most interesting to them. This level of independence facilitates differentiation, diversity, cultural awareness, and motivation. Because this type of freedom can be overwhelming for some students, I provided a guide to consult while trying to select a book; the guide is attached.
|
Supporting Research:
"Just as each student is unique, so is each reader...we recognize that a student's engagement may waver according to the content, topic, and task." - Kelley & Clausen-Grace, 2009, p. 313 "My students range from dyslexics to speed readers to sophisticated literary critics. The common denominator is that they know what the reading zone feels like, and they want to be there." - Atwell, 2009, n.p. |
Results:
The following document contains the results, conclusion, and instructional implication sections of my action research paper.
The following recording contains my recorded response of my students' responses to the following question: What was your favorite part about reading a book of your choice? The responses reveal that by incorporating independent reading in the classroom, interest, efficacy, confidence, and motivation to read increased.
|
Teachers as Global Learners
Background:
Students are immersed in an evolving global community. The students in our schools come to us with variety of different backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures. Instruction must embrace these ideas, promote global awareness, and provide opportunities for exploration. By doing so, students will be better prepared to succeed and flourish in a global world. Additionally, students will feel more vested in an education that connects to them. |
Texts to Raising Global and Cultural Awareness
|
Application:
Increasing global awareness is an effective instructional tool to increase students' reading interests, which can be achieved by exposing students to a variety of cultures and global issues through literacy initiatives. Teachers as Global Learners reconfirmed the notion of including diverse texts in my classroom. When students read about cultures and backgrounds connected to them, interest, motivation, and engagement increases. Additionally, this encourages students to discuss, collaborate, and learn about each other, which creates a positive, student-centered learning environment. |
Theory and Research of Literacy
Background: During this class, I focused my attention on creating a greater understanding of how to effectively teach vocabulary. In doing so, my partner and I created a presentation focused on vocabulary theory and also implemented our own action research studying which focused on word learning strategies.
Vocabulary became the focal point of my studies in this course because many struggling, unmotivated readers possess underdeveloped vocabularies. Additionally, there is a direct connection between vocabulary and comprehension. It makes sense that if one cannot comprehend what they are reading, then they become disengaged and lack motivation read. Because of these connections, I hoped to discover new ways to teach vocabulary, which I could use to support reading interest, motivation, and engagement.
Vocabulary became the focal point of my studies in this course because many struggling, unmotivated readers possess underdeveloped vocabularies. Additionally, there is a direct connection between vocabulary and comprehension. It makes sense that if one cannot comprehend what they are reading, then they become disengaged and lack motivation read. Because of these connections, I hoped to discover new ways to teach vocabulary, which I could use to support reading interest, motivation, and engagement.
vocabulary_processes_handout.pdf | |
File Size: | 170 kb |
File Type: |
Presentation on Vocabulary Theory
Action Research Project:
The goal of our action research project was to determine what word learning strategies were most effective in acquiring vocabulary. Jen and I collaborated on the project to provide an opportunity to compare our methods, results, and instructional implications across two different grade levels, fourth and ninth. Our research question was: “How can students effectively utilize strategies to improve vocabulary acquisition?” |
Independent Monitoring:
The following document is the monitoring sheet we provided for students to track their attempts at acquiring new words. By encouraging students to monitor their own word learning, we raised metacognitive awareness and put students at the center of their learning, which is a pillar of good instruction and facilitates a student-centered learning environment.
|
Results:
The following document contains the results of my section of our action research project on word learning strategies. The results indicate the effectiveness of using word learning strategies especially in combination to acquire unknown vocabulary.
|
Reading Clinic
Background:
The series of reading courses in the NLGL program, Diagnosis of Reading Disabilities, Remediation of Reading Disabilities, and Reading Practicum, taught me how to effectively identify, diagnosis, and provide appropriate interventions and instruction for struggling readers. This pedagogical and content knowledge is essential for helping motivate, engage, and interest struggling readers because it gives me a wealth of tools and resources to help students, plan instruction, and select important materials. Additionally, the course requirements of crafting a written report of reading disabilities and holding a parent conference increased my confidence to collaborate with parents. It is important to build a connection and relationship with parents because they can be a great resource for developing reading motivation, engagement, and interest.
The series of reading courses in the NLGL program, Diagnosis of Reading Disabilities, Remediation of Reading Disabilities, and Reading Practicum, taught me how to effectively identify, diagnosis, and provide appropriate interventions and instruction for struggling readers. This pedagogical and content knowledge is essential for helping motivate, engage, and interest struggling readers because it gives me a wealth of tools and resources to help students, plan instruction, and select important materials. Additionally, the course requirements of crafting a written report of reading disabilities and holding a parent conference increased my confidence to collaborate with parents. It is important to build a connection and relationship with parents because they can be a great resource for developing reading motivation, engagement, and interest.
A capacity and taste for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others. - Abraham Lincoln