The Science of Reading

The Science of Reading is an educational finding, based on research, which attempts to unravel how humans become literate. Many school districts in the nation are currently embracing the findings and implementing them into elementary school classrooms. The basic premise is that educational institutions have gotten reading instruction all wrong and an update in the operating system is necessary and overdue. 

All of this is beautifully presented in a podcast entitled Sold a Story by Emily Hanford. I listened to all 6 episodes yesterday on my drive from Rochester, NY to Trenton, NJ. It is an engaging investigation into reading theory, history, and implementation. It should be required listening for educators, especially those who have not gotten this information in their training programs.

As a reading specialist, I already knew most of the information. Yet, there were some surprises (I'll get to that in a minute). I've lived through a range of the educational approaches about reading presented in this podcast. I remember phonics-based instruction as a child with worksheets asking me to circle the long vowel in a series of words. I also remember my confusion because I was never told what that meant. What made a vowel long or short? A bit of explicit instruction would have been helpful and my early experience influences my teaching today because I know what it is to be the child who benefits from explicit instruction. 

Over the years, the pendulum has swung between phonics-based instruction to wholistic methods and back again. Things shift as we learn more and, it seems to me, they shift because people simply want something different. We also cannot ignore the influence of financial greed and political gain in how schools are run. All of this is covered in Sold a Story.

The bottom line is many schools are now throwing out the work of Marie Clay, Lucy Calkins and Fountas & Pinnell to focus on phonics. In my training and work with hearing students, I've always incorporated phonics instruction and was surprised to learn -  in the podcast - that Marie Clay's Reading Recovery and Fountas & Pinnell's Leveled Literacy Intervention considered it optional.  That was never how I implemented their work. For this, I give thanks to my mentor, Dr. Joanna Uhry, who taught me the value of matching my instruction to meet the needs of the children rather than providing a one-size-fits-all approach. 

This "new" direction, propelled by the science of reading, comes with questions. Questions regarding assessment and instruction that administrators and coaches, who know much less than I do, are undoubtedly going to struggle to answer. I just hope we do better for our struggling readers and can one day celebrate an America with higher literacy rates because to paraphrase Whoopi in Ghost, we in danger girl.

Driving Bilingual Education

I am a good driver - but you would never know it given the theatrics of "backseat drivers" whose sudden gasps and quick grasps for the dashboard denote a lack of confidence in my skills.

This drama is alternately amusing, annoying and unnecessary.  I'm proud to say that, for the most part, my motto of "when in doubt, step on the gas" has never let me down.

The same adage can also be used to describe the path of bilingual education in America.

English language learners (ELLs) have been thrown into English speaking classrooms with a goal of acquiring this dominant language as fast as possible.  If accommodation is made by providing supportive programs in bilingual education it often ignores the research which states it takes 2-3 years before children develop Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and 5-7 years before Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) allows the language of learning to become fully realized.

Negative views surrounding the bilingual education debate have influenced policy and practice.  In California, Proposition 227 essentially outlawed bilingual education. This history is full of struggles with conflicting input from "experts" holding various perspectives.

It reminds me of the influences and history of deaf education in America. The push towards assimilation has been forceful and unyielding.

So it is with a great deal of pride that I find myself teaching at the only public dual language (American Sign Language and English) school in America with students who are deaf, hard of hearing and hearing.  Here the struggles in bilingual and deaf education come together allowing us to lift up on the gas to give our students an education based on the scientific research espoused by No Child Left Behind (but NCLB is another can of worms isn't it).

We may not have all the answers but we are constantly questioning and learning.  Our little school is adding to the history of both bilingual and deaf education.  I look forward to seeing where it leads us.

Homework

The issue of homework for kindergarten students has become quite the hot topic lately.

More specifically, 'should they' or 'shouldn't they' be assigned homework?

Lauren and I subscribe to the latter viewpoint. The only thing we ask these four-and-five-year-old children (and their parents) to do each evening is to enjoy books. To achieve that end we send home a Ziploc baggie containing either,

• An emergent reader text that the student can read to their parents or family members. These are books with usually one sentence to a page, strong picture support and repeated phrases like "I can see the ______". The only thing that changes is the _____ which can be figured out by looking at the picture.

• A children's trade book by such authors as Todd Parr, H.A. Rey or Jack Gantos. These are usually books that we have read aloud in class. Parents can read these books to and with their children. This practice helps establish a love of books for the child, you know, good memories surrounding reading rather than the dread of the published word that many folks seem to share.

• A mixture of both.

However, it seems that given the current climate of testing, testing, testing (Thank you, W.) some concerned parents are worried that their children will be ill-prepared for first grade and life (!?) without completing worksheets and various nonsensical assignments.

In New York City it is recommended that first grade students receive about 10-15 minutes of homework each evening. There is no stipulation, as far as I know, as to the nature of this homework. There is no requirement for kindergarten.

In Boston I am told (by my scholarly friend Laurie) that homework in kindergarten consists of reading and sharing books.

In Australia (according to my brilliant friend Lisa) homework is not recommended until third grade.

And according to this article in The New York Times, the push to create children who are academically competent by assigning homework in kindergarten and before fourth grade can be actually emotionally harmful, especially for at-risk children and it does not improve their chances of getting a better job or making them smarter.

Play is of vital importance to these young folks. That is well documented.

How about let's allow children to be children without standing in their way? Just a thought.

Persephone

Learning to read is a complex business. It requires the ability to orchestrate the semantic (meaning), syntactic (grammar) and grapho-phonic (letter/sound connection) elements of language into a melodic symphony. Without all of the pieces operating smoothly the reader can become disoriented and jumbled, like the preshow warm-ups of the New York Pops string section. We cannot focus on the whole because the parts are demanding far too much attention.

As we read our short term memory works in tandem with our long term memory, making connections to past experiences and knowledge, while holding and processing new information. Experienced readers take this process for granted. We no longer have to expend so much energy in figuring out an individual word or sentence, which in turn frees up brain space, and we can therefore comprehend what we are reading.

It has been said over and over again that reading is not a natural phenomenon. Some folks find the task easier than others but the fact remains...reading is something we learn to do. And much of the magic of reading is taught in first grade. It is here that all of these elements are brought together, worked out, stretched and practiced. As educators it becomes our responsibility to act as the 'trainer'. We help our students build their reading muscles with the hope that they will become life long readers who enjoy interacting with printed materials; books, newspapers, blogs, magazines, comic books, etc.

Research ranging from the Reading First initiative to the No Child Left Behind Act stresses the importance of integrated reading instruction. This encompasses phonics training as well as comprehension strategies. One such strategy that good readers use, and developing readers need practice using, is visualizing. This is 'creating mind pictures' while reading or seeing the story in your head. When a reader is able to do this it helps ground the story, making it more meaningful and clear.

This past Monday Sara, our school librarian, exercised our children's visualizing muscles by reading the Greek myth Persephone from D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. Persephone was the reluctant queen of the dead who was kidnapped by Hades and brought into the underworld against her will. One day she was frolicking in the midday sun with her mother Demeter, the Greek goddess of the green earth, and the next she was whisked into darkness on a chariot of death.

In Persephone's absence Demeter grieved, leaving the earth to turn cold and barren. Eventually, momma found out what happened and went to Zeus to demand the return of her daughter. Hades had to give in but before he did he tricked Persephone into eating a few seeds from the Pomegranate, the fruit of the dead, the fruit of blood. OOPS!

A deal was struck...Persephone would return to the underworld one month a year for every seed that she tasted. Forever more the earth would remain barren in her absence (winter) and flourish anew upon her return (spring).

During the story our students were encouraged to visualize this story. Afterwards we asked them to choose one part that was especially vivid and draw it. Each child choose a portion of the myth that was unique and different from everyone else's. Some chose to draw Persephone walking in the meadow with flowers springing to life as her feet touched the earth, others decided to illustrate her heart turning to ice or the black chariot coming up through the earth. Each a treasure.

I would love to post some of them here but since my Dell computer crashed two weeks ago I am without my scanner (never fear I just ordered a new iMac last night).

This little excursion into Greek Mythology leaves me hopeful that I have another class of six-and seven-year-olds waiting to soak up these amazing tales. Next up...Daedalus and Icarus.

Art:
Persephone, by Kris Waldherr (top)
Persephone's Return, by Frederick Lord Leighton.

Injustices

On Friday night I met my blogging friend Steve for the first time at a bar called The Mad Hatter in New York City. This is the third blogger I have shared a drink with after getting knowing them first through the written word. In person Steve, Reya and Ched were pretty much as they portrayed themselves to be on their blogs - but even more charming, fascinating and interesting. Steve and I spoke briefly about the possibility that the persona someone chooses to put forth through a series of blog posts could be altogether misleading but the essence or 'stink of them' (to paraphrase Boy George) generally shines through.

And I think this can be said for the many roles we 'play' in our daily lives. In a sociolinguistics class I took recently we discussed the fact that each of us takes on a different societal role depending on the circumstances of our surroundings. We have rules of behavior or codes of conduct that determine how we interact in a business meeting as opposed to hanging out with mom and dad. But this is only a surface level manifestation of required etiquette. The character of the person underneath all of this determines how a conversation will play out or an interaction will unfold.

We have choices. We make choices all the time.

In education the choices we make can determine if we are part of the problem or part of the solution. And what 'they' say is true. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

The sad truth of the situation is that everyone loves to blame everyone else for failures in education (and in life it seems) while crediting themselves with any successes. In my experience, it is those who point fingers who tend to be the most insecure, unmotivated and dangerous individuals around. The real person underneath is not so charming, fascinating or interesting.

Today we have a situation wherein our president blames teachers for the failure of schools even when it is his doctrines that have brought about the mad testing that keeps learning from happening. The No Child Left Behind legislation seems to be based on money. The testing companies are run by Bush cronies who are raking in the dough. And I naively believed at one point that the heart of NCLB was pure. What an idiot I was.

In Boston the average sixth grade student has only 53 days (out of 180 school days) where they are not being tested in one way or another.

In NYC upper elementary grade students have 24 full days of testing. This means that a whole unit of study is out the window. Teachers may have to put aside a study of poetry because the students are required to fill in little bubbles. Not to mention the time that is necessary to prepare the students for taking the tests. Teaching to the test instead of teaching to the child has become sadly commonplace. And the worst part is that these assessments are not given to plan instruction. They are given to label children and schools.

The blame game is not only reserved for the president. It is also evident on a smaller scale. In schools the third grade teacher blames the second grade teacher, who blames the first grade teacher, who blames the kindergarten teacher, who blames the parents, who blame the doctor, who blames the fetus, who kicks the dog. Oh, wait I got my wires crossed but you know what I mean. In this climate it is no surprise that the weakest teachers would feel threatened and point fingers before someone notices that they are not doing all they could.

Is it human nature to point fingers and shun responsibility?

I think perhaps it is. But I also think that it is the easy way out. And there are many folks who choose to work a little harder, give a little more and take a minute to ask "what can I do to make this better?"

So I remain hopeful even when I am a little disgusted.

That's all for now.

ED-OPOLY

There is just too much to write and I am a bit stumped but here goes...

While cleaning out my mailbox on the last day of school I came across a July 19th New York Times article by Jennifer Medina entitled Schools Plan to Pay Cash for Marks that someone had copied and placed in the employee mailboxes. The article details a 'broad incentive program for families' good habits'.

It seems that billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided to play a game with education and his Community Chest cards read something like this:

Receive for Services - $25 for attending parent-teacher conferences.

You are rewarded for test taking:

$5 per fourth grader
$10 per seventh grader

Perfect score on standardized tests, you get $25

Advance to eighth grade with perfect test scores (Collect $500)

Of course we are not talking Monopoly money, this is the real thing raised privately and earmarked to 'improve the performance of black and Hispanic students' because it is only money that is keeping them from achieving in school. It could not possibly be the egocentric, elitist system that continually ignores diversity and promotes a deficit model of education which blames the child (or family) and not itself. Yes, throwing money around indiscriminately will fix everything.

Although I applaud the acknowledgement that something needs to be done, this is perhaps not the best solution. Education is not a game. It is a right. Waving a five dollar bill in front of a ten-year-old is not going to correct the underlying problem. Wouldn't it be wonderful if those folks with political power and the clout to raise $53 million to fund this effort took a moment to look inwardly. To honestly ask themselves if they are part of the problem. If they'd decide to go out and get to know the schools, the students, the families and then formulate a plan to dismantle the injustices of No Child Left Behind and the relentless pressure of high stakes testing. All of this testing is taking away from the learning. Promoting knowledge that is here today and gone tomorrow. Currently, we have schools and teachers who feel pressured to teach to the tests.

Perhaps not the best way to Advance To Go!

Quality Conversations: Listening to the Ideas of Young Children

I have been extremely lucky in my teaching life to be surrounded by passionate, caring and motivated professionals. One such person is Lisa Burman. Lisa is our A.U.S.S.I.E literacy coach but that title conveys only a small part of her contribution. She facilitates learning for the teachers at our school through modeling lessons, conferences, professional development workshops and conversations. She has been instrumental in helping to foster an understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach to teaching and how this philosophy can meet the challenges of students in an urban setting. Her encouragement and support allow each of us to proceed with confidence, and when we are unclear in our planning she is on hand to guide us back to lucid thought. In addition to her work with us and in giving presentations at conferences such as the International Reading Association, she has found time to pen a book. The working title is Quality Conversations: Listening to the Ideas of Young Learners. It will be published by Redleaf Press (A division of Resources for Child Caring) later this year. As I write this she is hard at work weaving her magic but I could not suppress my excitement for her and feel the need to mention it here. Below is a brief description of this important work.

At the core of Quality Conversations, is the belief that each child is filled with potential for learning and thinking, is capable and competent. Their ideas show intelligence and logic as they make new connections and build emerging theories about how the world works. Conversations offer a window into this thinking, but one which, traditionally, schools and early childhood settings often fail to capture and value. In these days of "back to basics" activism and growing high stakes testing (which most often leads to narrow teaching to the test), it is essential to advocate for the kind of early childhood environments where children's ideas are valued, where they are listened to, not only heard, and where teachers are skilled and empowered to facilitate and guide learning, not just teach a predetermined curriculum of facts.

Relationships are at the heart of quality learning and teaching and the role of the teacher is critical in facilitating learning. Teachers first and foremost must have skills in careful listening. Quality Conversations will explore the role of teacher as listener, facilitator, documenter and interpreter of children's ideas and conversations. Examples of systems and strategies for documenting conversations, interpreting them in collaborative settings in order to learn from differing perspectives and to guide planning will be detailed. The documentation process offers powerful ways to make learning visible to families and wider community members, and Quality Conversations will include ways to use documentation to communicate with families.

As our government insists on more legislation in support of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) teachers and administrators are feeling tremendous pressure to produce. However, what is being cherished is rote memorization and surface understanding of concepts. Many schools are preparing students to pass the test, but once that obligation is completed where does that leave the students? Lisa's book supports the notion that children are more than a test score. Of course, this level of inquiry demands ongoing, qualitative research. It is exactly this kind of thoughtful pedagogy that falls by the side of the road when educators are only thought qualified in light of quantitative results. In the work that Lisa is doing she is striking a balance that allows the children to remain at the heart of education - where they should be!

Good luck Lisa and congratulations!