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Analyzing literacy program
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The current crisis in literacy levels of adolescents in Alabama and across the nation is well documented through the multitudes of assessments given to measure proficiency. Initiatives in education, such as the Common Core and College and Career Readiness Standards, provide for higher expectations for teaching and learning, as well as raise the bar for performance on standardized testing. These standards often do not take into account the remediation required for the students who lack the literacy skills required to meet the rigorous requirements for reading across the curriculum. Research reports from the national level, state level report cards, and local indicator results for both districts and schools prove a significant discrepancy between …show more content…
Often times, these learners will participate more freely in instruction because there is less fear of failure or judgement when independently working with technology. Helt (2003) states without the “face-to-face contact,” students often feel less inhibited and are more willing to participate in the learning activity. However, the process of including technology in literacy instruction in all content areas is faced with many barriers such as support, training, and teacher attitudes, beliefs and skills. Once again, throughout the research a recurring theme for increasing content and technology literacy involves ongoing and supportive professional development for teachers (Zoch …show more content…
While the literature supports that there are a multitude of strategies and methods to increase adolescent literacy rates, the research supports that low achieving readers in the middle grades are difficult to remediate and often require intensive support in order to make noticeable gains in a reasonable amount of time. Research also indicates that most schools do not have the resources allotted in order to provide for these gains at the pace needed to ensure that students will graduate college and career ready. Clearly, the literature and data present there is a need to improve methods and professional development for increasing adolescent literacy rates at both Edge Middle School and across the nation. The literature reviewed also provides a solid set of indications of instructional methods, professional development and teacher reflective activities which need to be committed to daily practice and embedded within lesson planning, data analysis and student
With such high numbers of adolescents falling below basic in reading, illiteracy is a battle that must be fought head on. The largest dilemma with the struggle is the number of variations that cause adolescents to become reluctant, unmotivated or struggling readers. Fortunately, a large number of strategies exist to encourage and strengthen readers of all ages, proving that adolescence is not a time to give up on faltering students. Rather, it is a time to evaluate and intervene in an effort to turn a reluctant reader into an avid one (or near enough). Ultimately, educators must learn to properly assess a student’s strengths and weaknesses (Curtis, 2009) and pair them with the proper intervention techniques. If one method does not work, countless others exist to take its place.
Last school year, I took a college class that required hours of field experience in a high school English class. I was able to observe different English classes and different high school grade levels. What made a big impact on me was to hear some of those high school students struggling with reading more than the third grade students I was teaching that same school year. These students were expected to read and comprehend grade level text when they were reading at an elementary level. Illiteracy “is considered the blackest mark of a person’s finally in school and the greatest failure in the American school system” (Tchudi, and Tchudi 75) and there are around twenty-five million functional illiterates in the United States (75). Why are our middle school and high school students still struggling with reading? What can English/Language arts teachers do to help these struggling readers?
For my community involvement project, I volunteered at Memminger Elementary School for a program called “Reading Partners.” The program focuses on helping children build strong literacy skills to carry with them into their academic careers. It requires the tutor to read to the student that has been assigned and in turn the student reads to the tutor. The program assists in teaching the students valuable reading skills. Being able to read is critical to a child’s educational success. The program works with more than 100 schools within seven states. The program is geared toward students of low-income families. The statistics for children’s literacy in the United States are astonishing. “In 2011, just thirty-four percent of the nation’s fourth graders in public school could read proficiently” (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). The program itself has had exponential success. Principals and teacher have reported that “Reading Partners” has helped increase students’ reading levels. During my time at the program I accumulated twelve volunteer hours.
Scott, T. M., & Shearer-Lingo, A. (2002). The effects of reading fluency instruction on the academic and behavioral success of middle school students in a self-contained E/BD classroom. Preventing School Failure, 46, 167-173.
The curriculum-based issue that was identified through the teacher leadership team was student Lexile Levels. Members of the team consisted of representatives from second and third grade homeroom teachers, Title I, Program for Exceptional Children, Early Intervention Program, and Administration. The team evaluated 3rd grade English Language Arts End of Grade Milestones Assessment data to identify a weakness in 3rd grade students not performing within the College and Career Ready Lexile Stretch Band and achieving the identified minimum Lexile Level. The teacher leadership team agreed to explore literacy practices that would improve student Lexile levels. The team understood the importance of reading and how this skill is carried throughout
To begin with, before anyone can develop an opinion as to whether technology is a useful tool in the classroom, one needs to understand that technology plays an important role in today’s world. However, the use or over-use of technology in educating young children in teaching literacy to young children is a much debated theory. There are many opinions regarding the positive influence technology can have as a useful tool in the classroom, yet there are those, like myself, who also see the negative aspect of too much technology.
In high school, I volunteered as a teen mentor with the local chapter of Teen Trendsetters, of which I was a founding member. Each week, I spent an hour reading and completing comprehension exercises with a grade 2 student who was performing below grade level. I acted as a role model and mentor, showing the young student that reading was important. Though my involvement with this organization and with early childhood literacy ended upon my high school graduation, my time as a teen mentor inspired an interest in supporting children who struggle with reading. I have additional experience with young students as a grade 3 classroom assistant.
Teenage Illiteracy has a major effect in many teenagers’ lives today. Literacy is a learned skill, and illiteracy is passed down from parents who many not are able to read nor write. In America two thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare. As Americans we often don’t take the time to realize that schooling at a younger age through high school will improve a child’s opportunities and chances at life. Schooling in younger ages, middle school, and high school play a major part in a child’s life as an adult and how they function.
The 2002 NAEP for eight grade students found that, similar to performance levels for elementary aged students, only 32 percent of the nation’s eight graders read at or above a proficient level, while 68 percent read at or below the basic level. Likewise, for the 12th grade students, 36 percent read at or above the desired proficient level and 64 percent scored at or below the basic level (US Department of Education in Catone & Brandy,
Technology is becoming more and more dominant in our society.Everyday upgrades are being made and new innovations are being discovered. Technology is all around us whether we want it to be or not: it is the vehicles we drive, it can be found in our homes, and can even be found in the grocery store.Every place we look there is some type of technology.I believe technology has had a major impact on our school systems and is still impacting it today.There are those who do not agree, though, that technology has impacted our schools.Eric Gormly writes, “In fact, many theorists point out the overall impact of technology on education has been quite small, manifesting little discernible change in the classroom.” [1]Yes, there are some schools that are not as advanced as others, but many of them do have a significant amount of technology in them.I find it fascinating that so much technology has been incorporated into our classrooms, but I believe that, even with all of the positive aspects that are associated with technology, there are some negative and even dangerous aspects that should be taken into account.I will be sharing some of the equipment that has been used in the schools, how both the students and the teachers use the equipment, and also the positive and negative effects that technology has had on our schools.
The twenty-first century has arrived, and it has brought some of the most advanced computing technologies into the classroom; this leaves us with a very important question, do we really need technology, such as iPads or computers, implemented in our learning plans? As a student that has taken entire courses on iPads or computers, I can tell you that the former is not the case. There are plenty of reasons to teach about technological advances in each individual field of learning, but, more often than not, technology is unreliable and distracting for students. Not to mention that methods of maintenance rehearsal, like taking notes by hand, are more effective for recollection of information than staring into a screen. The bottom line is, using technology as a tool for education in the classroom is not necessary because it can inhibit the way students learn material.
Modern technology has made it so much easier to obtain educational information for classroom or homework assignments. It offers educational games that stimulate the brain and help children who have difficulties focusing on traditional teaching and learning procedures. College students are even taking advantage of online courses that many colleges are offering as an alternative to physically attending classes. Advances in technology and computers will continue to play an important role in education for many generations to come.
The new ICT programs with technology have altered curriculum and have taken a different look at education. According to many authors, including Solar, “Teachers design, implement, and assess learning experiences to engage students, improve learning, enrich professional practice and provide positive models for students” (Solar et al. 212). Studies have shown that ICT devices make the lesson easier for the teachers to teach (Yunus et al. 124). Moreover, teachers need to stay up-to-date with the expectations and guidelines of technology, which is maintained through conferences, classes and meetings. CBC News broadcasts, “If they expand the role of technology in the classroom, teachers need to learn how to appropriately employ it...the key to all this is teacher support and professional development” (“Technology in the classroom…”). Professional development is a critical part of ICT in the teacher’s career; it should be ongoing and well planned to be effective and sustainable (Alemu). Likewise, technology is a part of the daily class lessons, which teachers need to meet, with the expectations of ICT. It has become more of a challenge to incorporate technology into the classroom, but it is a positive instrument for the students to learn how to operate technology in order to prepare them for their future careers (Niemeyer). Teachers encompass technology with five basic
Technologies have dramatically changed the diverse fields of our lives in terms of business, education, and culture. This development of technology has influenced a shift in the educational environment and pedagogy from traditional language education to technological language education, such as Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and Computer Mediated Communication (CMC). Especially, a few decades ago, Literacy education had not applied educational technology in language pedagogy because the earlier popular teaching methods focused on direct instruction. Essentially, this traditional language pedagogy tended to use simple class materials like textbooks and a blackboard so that it was unable
What is technology? A definition of technology literacy might well begin with a definition of technology. Technology consists of all the modifications humans have made in the natural environment for their own purposes (Dugger 2001)—inventions, innovations, and changes intended to meet our wants and needs, to live longer, more productive lives. Such a broad definition of technology includes a broad spectrum of artifacts, ranging from the age-old (flint tools, wheels, levers) to the high-tech (computers, multimedia, biotechnologies). In short, if humans thought of it and made it, it’s technology.