Theory

What is this thing called “balance”? (1999)

By Jill Fitzgerald

I also believe that “balanced” reading programs do not have one particular method.  The balanced reading program depends on teacher, student’s developmental age, and what knowledge is important for children’s learning about reading.  Again this author talks about how the teacher is instrumental in effective balanced reading instruction.  So many times policy makers take our professional judgment and training out of the educational equation.

Most recent definition of balance:

“A decision making approach through which the teacher makes thoughtful choice each day about the best way to help each child become a better reader and writer” (Spiegal, 1998).

“Important questions for a teacher to consider when deciding which forms of instruction will best help her students to read.

1. What knowledge about reading do I believe is important for children in my class?
2. Who are the experts? 
3. How are children going to attain the important knowledge?”

Baumann’s reading approach is curriculum balance creating meanings and responding literature. This approach also included reading and exploring good literature and skills/strategy lessons including word identification and comprehension.  He also saw writing as important to reading.  He spoke of balance between teacher direction versus responsive instruction. Baumann used both heterogeneous and achievement level grouping.

I feel more connected to the four blocks approach because it follows more of how I prefer to conduct reading instruction. However I like to be flexible in grouping my students.  I feel my student’s needs are met through differentiation.

Cunningham and Hall ‘s four blocks reading approach:

1. guided reading
2. self-selected reading
3. writer’s workshop (major component)
4. working with words

This approach’s 2^nd goal was to not ability group and cover a wide range of literacy levels. This approach advised against achievement grouping.

3 Common Characteristics between the two approaches

1. Equal weighing of aspects or components in both approaches.

2. Teacher’s methods (plan, set up, and conduct of program)

3.  Braumann (understanding/responding, skills/strategy)  Cunningham/Hall (enjoyment/understanding/strategic word identification processes)

Balance is philosophical perspective because it revolves around knowledge or epistemological issues (validity of knowledge).

1. What constitutes knowledge?
2. Where is that knowledge located?
3. How is that knowledge acquired?

3 Categories of children’s knowledge about reading are equally important

1. Local knowledge (Phonological awareness/sight words)

2. Global knowledge (understanding/interpretation and response to strategies)

3. Love of reading (positive attitude/motivation/ and desire to read)

Who are the experts?

Teacher

Parents

Children (from each other)

All three together contribute to learning to read

Reading Strategies connected to “balanced” instruction

Discussion groups

Peer led literature

Teacher modeling

“Teachers who holds a balanced philosophical view of reading process values multiple ways of learning and arranges their reading program to incorporate diverse instruction techniques and settings.”

“Chall,1996

Different kinds of knowledge about reading are critical at different phases of development.

 1^st and 2^nd grade phonological awareness, word recognition strategies are key to beginning readers

3^rd grade learning to be fluent becomes more important

Comprehension and reading to learn become more important from then on.”

“Most important reason to thinking about balance as a philosophical outlook is that many teachers are trying to implement balanced approaches to reading.  This means teachers, teacher educators, and principals need to know what it is so they can help implement it.”

PAUL NEUFELD

Comprehension instruction in content area classes (2005)

Our group all agreed this article had some very valuable information.  Teaching comprehension skills can be difficult.  We all think that reading and comprehension overlap all academic subjects areas.  It will be important even more so now with CCSS.

Neufeld makes a strong point throughout his article,

Comprehension strategy instruction is most effective if it is delivered within a context where students use the strategies to read and learn from the actual texts they are expected to read. This is accomplished by using actual content area materials during each phase of the explicit instruction process.

Our group also discussed the fact that a reader’s perspective is key in their reading comprehension.  Comprehension is active intentional thinking and students’ understandings will vary as a result of their backgrounds.  This is something that is often overlooked by many educators.           

We also considered the Neufeld’s statements on question asking and answering being the strategy that drives other strategies.  The types of questions one asks of oneself before, during, and after reading are important for comprehension.

We found the following strategies along with the questions very helpful and plan to use these with our future students.

Neufeld’s  “Getting ready to read strategies”

1.  Read with purpose

• Why am I reading this text? (e.g., to prepare for a class discussion, to write a

report about this topic, to review before a test, for enjoyment)

• How should my purpose affect the way I read the text?

2.  Overview the text

• What does this text appear to be about?

• What are some of the major topics covered in the text?

• How is the text organized?

(e.g., enumeration, time order, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem/solution)

4.  Activate what you already know

• What do I already know or think I know about this topic?

5. Predict

• I think this text is going to be about....

We also thought the rules for creating coherent summaries were very helpful not only for our students but will also be helpful to us.

Rules to help students create coherent summaries:

Rule 1: Delete unnecessary material (e.g., delete details that are not germane to the main topic).

Rule 2: Delete redundant material (e.g., delete repetitious statements made in the text).

Rule 3: Select a word to replace a list of items (e.g., replace “beans, flour, sugar, and dried fish” with “food”).

Rule 4: Select a word to replace the individual parts of an action (e.g., replace a long description of soldiers crossing a mountain pass with “the soldiers crossed the mountain pass”).

Rule 5: Select a topic sentence (e.g., select a sentence that captures the main idea or gist of a paragraph or passage).

Rule 6: Create a topic sentence if one is not available. (McNeil & Donant, 1982)

We found Neufeld’s effective comprehension strategies for instructing these strategies very helpful. Regardless that they were in phase 1 and 2 teachers and students will move back and forth between both.

PHASE 1: EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION OF INDIVIDUAL STRATEGIES

Introduction and justification: The process of explicit instruction is one in which the teacher must take an active role in teaching the strategy to be learned, rather than simply presenting it and hoping the students “catch on” and learn to use it effectively.

• Modeling: Through demonstration and thinking aloud teachers guide the students through the strategy.
• Guided Practice: Providing students with numerous opportunities to practice the strategy.  The teacher and the students implement the strategy together, sharing the responsibility.
• Independent practice: Teacher gives assignments that require students to assume full responsibility for using the strategy while teacher moniters and gives feedback.

Phase 2: Teaching for self-regulated strategy use

The ultimate goal is to help students read a point where they independently approach and read texts in strategic fashion.

• Choosing and Then using the appropriate strategy or strategies given their purpose for reading.

Short list of Comprehension instructional helpful hints

• Teaching a few comprehension strategies well is more effective than teaching many strategies poorly (Brown, 2002).

• Teach students to use strategies flexibly, adapting them to their needs, their individual preferences, and the text at hand (Pressley, 2002c).

• Remember that reading comprehension strategies are a means to an end and not the end. The end is helping students become expert comprehenders of challenging texts.

• Students need many opportunities to practice the strategies they are learning (Brown, 2002)

LAURA S. PARDO

What every teacher needs to know about comprehension

We discussed some important areas to work with and focus on to help our kids stay on track with their comprehension skills from this article.  Here is a list of some of the important areas discussed:

Her definition for comprehension: “comprehension is a process in which readers construct meaning by interacting with text through the combination of prior knowledge and previous experience, information in the text, and the stance the reader takes in relationship to the text.” (Pardo, page 272)

Other key thoughts we discussed from Pardo:

• comprehension happening “the literary event”. 
•   Background knowledge helps them make sense of what they are  reading.
•  Teachers, can

1.    teach decoding skills,

2.    build fluency

3.    help build and then activate background knowledge

4.    teach vocabulary words

5.    motivate them

6.    engage them in personal response to texts.   

• Structures of text are important. Be sure to teach text structures, model appropriate text selections for them, and give them time to read independently to practice what you have taught them. 
• Support the ‘transaction’ by providing explicit instruction of useful comprehension strategies (multiple strategy approaches)

1. teach them to monitor their reading and ‘repair’ by applying appropriate strategies they have learned

2. use a scaffolding approach to gradually release responsibility to them

3. help them see the connection between reading and writing. Good writers can become good readers.

We feel both of the articles will help us while teaching comprehension.  I know I will refer to them often.  They both gave me a better insight to teaching comprehension.

 

Allington, Valencia, Buly,

What I’ve Learned About Effective Reading Instruction (Allington, 2002)

Behind Test Scores: What Struggling Readers Really Need (Valencia, Buly, 2004)

(Allington, 2002)

We discussed the six T of effective elementary literacy instruction.

1. Time: Reading and Writing is done 50% of each day
2. Texts: Supply of books their students’ levels
3. Teaching: explicit demonstrations of cognitive strategies and effective modeling of a good reading strategies
4. Talk: classroom talk is purposeful and posed more “open” questions, conversations between teacher/student and student/student
5. Tasks: longer assignments, tasks often involved student choice and a task could be worked with many days (example: a student’s piece of writing)
6. Testing: grades based more on effort and improvement than simply on achievement

We talked about that Allington stressed an effective teacher did almost no test prep.  Those teachers believed their instruction would help their students perform well on any test.  I know, I fell into the test prep trap in the past.  It is difficult to not worry if what I had done was enough.  Teachers must have confidence in what we are doing. 

We also agreed that if enhanced reading proficiency is to increase it will be through the classroom teacher.  Teachers will need great support and training every year to become more expert.

(Valencia, Buly, 2004)

• Our group agrees with both articles that an effective teacher will always be key in a successful classroom. Regardless of the method or curriculum in place by the district, great teachers will mold and change it to suit their students’ needs. Even if he or she must spend their own money.
• Our group believes that one size does not fit all. Children’s needs should be met at their level and development.  Children need multilevel, flexible, small group instruction.
• We discussed how time, money, materials, and training would be an important factor to help all teachers become more effective in their classrooms.
• We need to be more mindful how we as teachers model, think aloud, and talk to our students about reading strategies and literature.
• Teachers need multilevel books with a range of interest for their students. 
• Schools need more effective assessment rather than just the one big state test to guide our school’s instruction
•  Teachers need time and help (reading specialist) to look beneath what is on those state exams to find a good instructional point for struggling readers.