What I Learned at the International Reading Association Post #2

Welcome to post number two series of “What I Learned at the International Reading Association”.

“Despite the nationality of the child, if he or she is reading by the end of grade three, there is a high probability that that child WILL graduate from High School” Richard Allington, Teaching Edge, IRA, 2013

It is the Adults that Matter

I have to be honest.  Richard Allington can be brutal.  What follows are some of those ‘Brutal but true’ statements that he has been claiming for years and backs up with a continuous flow of research.

“We spend too much time on things that don’t work for some kids—if it is not working, CHANGE it”.  If the kids are not getting it, it is NOT the kids it is what YOU ARE DOING.  This isn’t new.  If you have read any of John Hattie’s work, he says the same thing and bases  it on his meta-analysis of many studies (Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analysis Relating to Achievement).

“If the kids are not learning to read—it is because of us. We can’t change the parents.  We can’t change their background experience.  Someone has to decide what they are going to do to get kids learning,” Allington, Teaching Edge, IRA, 2013.

Effective Teachers

Teachers who are explicit in their teaching of skills and strategies with students, have excellent results with student achievement. You have to know your kids.  If you are continually monitoring their progress  (not just your progress through the curriculum) and making the adjustments they need, kids will succeed.

Dr. Allington explained to us how interesting it is that many kids who are placed in an intervention DO catch up. The most expert teachers can get them caught up in two years. HOWEVER, kids WILL slip back if in following years, they end up in a classroom where the instruction is focused to the middle of the group or is NOT explicit to the needs of the students.

Allington says over and over again. Look to the research, NOT to the “program”. The strategies, and foundational research based learning structures are what we should be reading, studying up on and becoming expert in. EXPERTISE is where it is at!!

Let Kids Read

There is overwhelming evidence that students who READ A LOT at their independent reading level are successful and have very few learning difficulties in higher grades.  Are ALL your kids ACTUALLY reading during your reading block? During DEAR time? Do they have enough books at their level to read? If you make one simple change, ensure that EVERY student in your classroom has  a lot of reading material at their reading level.

At Their Level Means: they can comfortably decode and comprehend the text. They are engaged, and do not need assistance. They are reading between 97—99% accuracy.

“Students who read below their independent level, do not improve as much or as fast as those who are reading a lot at their independent reading level” Allington, Teaching Edge, IRA 2013.

Here is Richard Allington’s Checklist : (also published in Educational Leadership,  March 2012 Issue)

EVERY day, EVERY child:

• Reads something they have selected.
• Will read something accurately
• Will read something they understand
• Will talk to peers about their reading and writing
• Will write something that is meaningful—to them.
• Will listen to a fluent adult read aloud.

As a former Grade One teacher, Allington confirmed something for me.

It is critical that Kindergarten and primary teachers (grades 1-3) know how to teach reading, know what the reading and writing behaviours are that they should be monitoring and guiding, and have the tools and strategies they need to use when working with students in small groups or one on one.

We have some work to do!

What I Learned at the International Reading Association 2013 – Post #1

I have to say the the International Reading Association is one of the best conferences that I have ever attended. It is here that you learn about and have confirmed, so many research based aspects of Literacy. There is so much I could share. So much I feel I need to share. With that in mind, I have condensed the highlights for me, into bullet form so that I could share as much as I can.

…AND because there was so much I will include what I have learned in two posts. Here is the first of two!!

Linda Hoyt

• visual inferentiation is very important.
• teach kids to read like detective and write like a reporter
• teach kids how to use key words to summarize
• sketch to stretch – teach kids to sketch what they are visualizing as they read, label drawings, tell a buddy what they sketched and then do a quick write.
• word lists don’t work – the words have to be meaningful and kids need to talk about them.
• it is important to find the ‘right’ books for kids that are not ‘readers’.

Regie Routman and Literacy Lessons

• Teachers must be knowledgeable and prepared in what they do
• If you want HIGH school wide achievement, you need to embed the PD. Every teacher must be knowledgeable.
• Teachers and leaders must work together to improve student learning.
• It doesn’t matter the age, grade or level of the student, how we engage them. Support, length of time and topic are the only differences in our teaching based on the ages and abilities of the students.
• Guided reading is a check in. Based on what the child is doing and what he or she needs the child is doing most of the work. The teacher is only guiding.
• Reading programs do not teach comprehension. The teacher MUST know how to do this. If you stuck at the Recipe level – where you are following a program in a lock step manner, you and the students are in trouble.
• Kids need lots of books to read – classrooms should have up to 1500 books them for students to choose from.
• Public conferences – all kids learn as you celebrate a student’s writing.
• Giving really good feedback to kids is difficult to do.
• The person doing most of the talking is doing most of the learning.

Reading Teacher Staff

Debbie Miller

• -The Gradual Release of Responsibility is not linear. There must be lots of modeling and lots of time for the students to practice their learning – guided and independent.
• The time you spend in your lesson teaching should be minimal and explicit. Spend more time having students work, practice and talk about their learning
• Don’t OVER scaffold – this will lead to conformity and compliance. We want kids to dig in and do it for themselves.
• You must be thoughtful and purposeful in the teaching and learning time you spend with your students.
• Share the learning Target with your students. Are they clear on what that might be? If you are clear on what you need to teach them and what you want the students to do, think about what you have to teach EXPLICITLY.
• You WANT kids to experience the THRILL of figuring it out. How will you do that?
• You have to teach kids how to talk to each other.

Stayed tune for highlights from Richard Allington!!