Assessing and Improving Instruction and the Classroom Environment
CURRICULUM MATERIALS
1. Curriculum materials (lesson-based programs and textbooks) should teach knowledge systems, such as math, beginning reading, biology, history.
You should NOT use materials that teach faddish, unvalidated, or fashionable “methods,” such as multiple intelligence, learning styles, and brain-based instruction.
Here are resources on telling the difference between serious instruction and fads.
http://www.danielwillingham.com/
Learning styles: No such thing
Telling the difference between baloney and serious claims doc
Telling the difference between baloney and serious claims ppt
Following are examples of nonresearch and poorly substantiated claims.
How MI informs teaching at New City School html
Whole language lives html
Reading Recovery html
Here’s an example of high-quality, level 3 research.
The effects of synthetic phonics teaching on reading and spelling attainment html
Strengths, Weaknesses, Improve How?
Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons is a knowledge system. It is a tightly coupled knowledge system.
2. Materials (especially programs) (1) are consistent with scientific research on instruction (this is called “research based”); and (2) have been field tested and shown to be effective with scientific research (this is called “evaluation research.” Level 3 is preferred).
List features of scientific research from resources below.
Are claims of effectiveness based on empirical research or on a sales pitch?
Is there any research on the materials?
What level(s)?
Is the research (“research base”) generally adequately designed so that credible conclusions can be drawn?
a. Some resources on scientific research.
Kozloff. Research vocabulary.
Three Levels of Research
Telling the difference between baloney and serious claims doc
Telling the difference between baloney and serious claims ppt
Assessing the Quality of Research Plans and Publications ppt
Checklist of guidelines for evaluating research and research claims doc
Checklist of guidelines for evaluating research and research claims html
Comprehensive Guidelines for Evaluating Research and Publications
b. Some resources on “research based instruction.”
Are features of the materials (e.g., what is taught, scaffolding) consistent with scientific research?
a. Cotton, K. (1995). Effective school practices: A research synthesis 1995 Update.
http://people.uncw.edu/kozloffm/Effective Schooling Practices.doc
Paste in findings relevant to a program like 100 Easy Lessons.
b. Kozloff, M.A. (2002). Sufficient Scaffolding, Organizing and Activating Knowledge, and Sustaining High Engaged Time.
http://www.uncwil.edu/people/kozloffm/scaffolding.pdf
c. Rosenshine, B. (1997). Advances in Research on Instruction.
http://epaa.asu.edu/barak/barak.html
Use this one…
http://people.uncw.edu/kozloffm/Rosenshine.doc
Paste in findings relevant to a program like 100 Easy Lessons.
d. Rosenshine, B. (1997). The Case for Explicit, Teacher-led, Cognitive Strategy Instruction.
http://epaa.asu.edu/barak/barak1.html
e. Ellis, E.S., & Worthington, L.A. (1994). Research Synthesis on Effective Teaching Principles and the Design of Quality Tools for Educators.
Use this one…
http://people.uncw.edu/kozloffm/ellisreview.doc
Paste in findings relevant to a program like 100 Easy Lessons.
f. Anderson, J.R., Reder, L.M., & Simon, H.A. Applications and Misapplications of Cognitive Psychology to Mathematics Education. Department of Psychology. Carnegie Mellon University. Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
Online at http://act.psy.cmu.edu/personal/ja/misapplied.html
g. Dixon, R. "Review of High Quality Experimental Mathematics Research." University of Oregon. National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators.
On-line at
http://idea.uoregon.edu/~ncite/documents/math/math.html
h. Follow Through. The Largest Education Evaluation
Effective School Practices, on Project Follow Through.
Follow Through figure 1.
Follow Through figure 2.
Follow Through figure 3.
i. Reading
Reading First. [Main features of effective reading instruction] ppt !!!
Reading First.html
Big Ideas in Beginning Reading. Identification of the big five reading skills; research reviews; methods of instruction.
Copy and paste in important points on reading instruction: kinds of reading skills (“big ideas”) and how to teach them.
"Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read, Kindergarten Through Grade 3
Materials from National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development
Materials from National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development
National Institute for Literacy Partnership for Reading. Large literature reviews and position papers.
"Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science" (Must read!!! What teachers need to know.)
c. Some resources on evaluation research---field tested.
Go to publishers’ websites and look for research on products. Also, use Google and JSTOR.
See if there is any research on the materials you are evaluating. Summarize it. Is it level 2 (scientific experiment) or level 3 (large-scale experimental)?
What are the main findings?
Sopriswest materials.
Curriculum Associates materials.
Field Test/Evaluation Research
(1) 100 Easy Lessons is a shortened version of Reading Mastery. Reading Mastery has been extensively tested and shown to be effective.
https://www.sraonline.com/products.html?tid=9&sid=76
(2) Reading Mastery (originally called DISTAR Reading) was tested with thousands of children in project Follow-Through.
Effective School Practices, on Project Follow Through.
(3) 100 Easy Lessons was also field tested in a project conducted by Kerry Hempenstall. Research on 100 Easy Lessons.
Paste in findings. What does the research say?
Strengths, Weaknesses, Improve How?
Now examine the materials you are evaluating. See if its design features are consistent with the research you reviewed.
3. Well-designed materials provide a comprehensive and varied sample of knowledge (e.g., equations to solve, poems to analyze, words to decode, stories to read fluently and with comprehension).
For example, a beginning reading program should 1) work on fluency at all levels from saying sounds to reading stories; 2) work on one syllable word, two syllable word, and three syllable words, regular and irregular words, words with prefixes and suffixes, nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and articles; 3) three kinds of comprehension questions: literal (the answer is verbatim), inferential (knowledge is spread out, you have to integrate it- for example: a list), evaluative (make inferences from the meaning of words- for example: how did the cat feel?)
You have three sources that will help you decide if the sample is comprehensive and varied. (1) state standard course of study, or curriculum; (2) scientific research; (3) expert opinion.
You are supposed to “align” instruction with (that is, cover) your state’s standard course of study. But who says that IT is adequate? You have to rely on research and expert opinion.
a. See state standard course of study.
Regarding 100 Easy Lessons.
What does the NC course of study say you should teach in k-2?
Paste in portions of standard course of study: k-2.
How can you make standards more clear and concrete?
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/languagearts/scos/2004/
Kindergarten
1.02 Develop phonemic awareness and knowledge of alphabetic principle:
•demonstrate understanding that spoken language is a sequence of identifiable speech sounds.
Need to teach segmenting and blending.
•demonstrate understanding that the sequence of letters in the written word represents the sequence of sounds in the spoken word (means sound out words).
The kids should also read fast.
•demonstrate understanding of the sounds of letters and understanding that words begin and end alike (onsets and rimes).
1.03 Demonstrate decoding and word recognition strategies and skills:
•recognize and name upper and lower case letters of the alphabet.
•recognize some words by sight including a few common words, own name, and environmental print such as signs, labels, and trademarks.
•recognize most beginning consonant letter-sound associations in one syllable words.
They left out sounding out and saying fast.
First Grade
1.01 Develop phonemic awareness and demonstrate knowledge of alphabetic principle:
· count syllables in a word.
· blend the phonemes of one-syllable words.
· segment the phonemes of one-syllable words.
· change the beginning, middle, and ending sounds to produce new words.
· create and state a series of rhyming words that may include consonant blends (e.g., flag, brag).
They are working on too many phonemic awareness skills.
“If you focus on just a few types of phonemic awareness, you get better results. There are a lot of skills in phonemic awareness, but research has found that blending and segmentation are the 2 critical skills that must be taught. Instruction must focus on blending and segmenting words at the phoneme, or sound level. This is an auditory task.” Only need segmenting and blending.
http://reading.uoregon.edu/
1.02 Demonstrate decoding and word recognition strategies and skills:
· generate the sounds from all the letters and appropriate letter patterns which should include consonant blends and long and short vowel patterns.
· use phonics knowledge of sound-letter relationships to decode regular one-syllable words when reading words and text.
· recognize many high frequency and/or common irregularly spelled words in text (e.g., have said, where, two).
· read compound words and contractions.
· read inflectional forms (e.g., -s, -ed, -ing) and root words (e.g., looks, looked, looking).
· read appropriate word families.
Curriculum Standards This doc will help you to make state standards clear and concrete.
b. See expert opinions and research on different subjects or knowledge systems.
The State of State Standards--and the Common Core--in 2010
bySheila Byrd Carmichael,Gabrielle Martino,Kathleen Porter-Magee,W. Stephen WilsonThe State of State U.S. History Standards 2011
bySheldon M. Stern,Jeremy A. Stern
http://www.mathematicallycorrect.com/
http://idea.uoregon.edu/~ncite/documents/
math/math.html
Reading. http://people.uncw.edu/kozloffm/reading.html
Reading First ppt and html
Big Ideas in Beginning Reading
REGARDING 100 EASY LESSONS.
Given the NC standard course of study and scientific research,
a. What strands, or main kinds of knowledge SHOULD be covered?
Five reading skills
Proficient reading consists of five major skills. When these skills are taught in a logically progressive sequence, early skills help students to learn and use the later-taught skills—leading to accurate, rapid reading with comprehension and enjoyment. Below are brief definitions of each of the five main skills. Statements in italics are from the IDEA website, at http://reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/trial_bi_index.php
1. Phonemic Awareness: The ability to hear and manipulate sounds in words. The most important examples are:
a. Blend sounds into words. rrrruuuunnn à run
b. Segment words into sounds. Run à rrruuunnn
sat = /s/a/t/ = 3 sounds
c. rhyming
A student who can hear and manipulate the sounds (phonemes) in words, can more easily: (1) remember which sound goes with which letter; (2) sound out words [cat. k/aaaa/t.]; (3) spell [How do you spell cat. kaaaat . /k/ is c. /a/ is a. /t/ is t.” ]; and (4) detect and correct errors in reading and spelling. See http://reading.uoregon.edu/pa/index.php for more information on phonemic awareness.
2. Alphabetic Principle: The ability to associate sounds with letters and use these sounds to form words. Notice that the alphabetic principle (sometimes called phonics) has two skill-parts.
a. The students knows letter-sound or sound-symbol relationships: that m says /m/, i says /i/, and r says /r/.
b. When the student sees an unfamiliar word (rim) in a story book, the student uses letter-sound knowledge to sound out or decode the word—-perhaps letter by letter and then quickly.
“The bike has a bent rrrriiiimmm….rim.”
Using the alphabetic principle (shown above), the student knows exactly what the word says. Read more at http://reading.uoregon.edu/au/index.php
3. Fluency with Text: The effortless, automatic ability to read words in connected text. Fluency is reading with accuracy and speed. Fluency is important both for enjoyment and comprehension. If a person struggles with words (gu…qu…guil…quil…) , the person will also struggle to figure out the meaning of sentences. In fact, dysfluent readers spend so much time and effort trying to figure out what the separate words say, they can barely pay attention to the meaning of the sentence. “The ju..jur….jury found her gu..qu…guil…quil…”) In other words, they learn very little from reading.
To help students read connected text (e.g., story passages) accurately and quickly, it is important to:
a. Teach students to decode separate words (regular and irregular) accurately and quickly—which means (1) using knowledge of letter-sound correspondence (not guessing); and (2) blending the sounds into words.
b. Teach students to self-correct.
c. Provide practice reading words enough times that it is almost automatic; that is, the words become “sight words.”
d. Provide practice reading text with which students are already accurate, encouraging them to read faster and faster without making errors (i.e., more words correct per minute, or wcpm).
Read more about fluency here. http://reading.uoregon.edu/flu/
Work on fluency at all levels: from saying sounds to reading stories the fast way.
4. Vocabulary: The ability to understand (receptive) and use (expressive) words to acquire and convey meaning. http://reading.uoregon.edu/voc/
5. Comprehension: The complex cognitive process involving the intentional interaction between reader and text to convey meaning. In other words, sentences don’t tell you what they mean. You have to interact with the text—for example, asking questions, checking to see if the text gives answers, rereading, connecting one sentence with a later sentence to get the flow of the argument or the flow of events in time. These comprehension strategies are learned best when they are taught explicitly.
b. Do the materials cover all of the strands?
No. No work on vocabulary.
c. Do the materials cover all of the important skills, tasks, or knowledge IN each strand?
It is a varied and comprehensive sample; for example,
Phonemic awareness. segmenting, blending, rhyming
Alphabetic Principle: Copver letter-sound correspondence and decoding (sounding out and saying fast) The lessons includes varied examples, such as regular and irregular words, verbs, adverbs, nouns, adjectives, and articles. Also one, two, and three syllable words.
Fluency: repeated reading; all levels including saying sounds, reading sounds, saying words, reading words, reading sentences, reading stories, and word lists.
Comprehension. Ensure accurate reading before they ask comprehension questions.
Literal and inferential. Text and pictures.Examine Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Go here to see content.
Lesson
Task / Skill taught / Phase of learning or instructional function:
1. Review and firm or reteach examples worked on in the last few lessons to: (1) warm kids up for MORE work on that skill (e.g., more examples, new work on fluency or generalization), or (2) firm up elements that will be integrated into a larger whole (a, r, n -> ran).
2. Acquisition.
3. Generalization.
4. Fluency. All levels.
5. Retention: review and firm or reteach.
6. Expand; e.g., increase length of words or text.
7. Integration of elements into a larger whole. / Comments and suggestions on:
1. Wording: simple, consistent, focused on
objective.
2. Examples: clarity, varied range,