Too Dumb for Hard Text?

1. Laura Gilchrist English Language Arts Coordinator Joint School District No. 2 Too Dumb for Hard Text?

2. First Things First • Appointment Book: Find four people you will meet with throughout the session to discuss your thoughts about specific topics. Write down names.

3. ASCD Article, Feb., 2011 “Too Dumb for Complex Texts?” by Mark Bauerlein, ASCD, Feb. 2011, Vol. 68, 5. Bauerlein posits:“The primary cause of unreadiness [for college] is the inability [of students] to grasp complex text.”

4. Bauerlein further asserts: • For teenagers who send up to 3,000 text messages per month and who spend their entire school day surrounded by the tools of acceleration, decelerating their reading when complex texts come up in class becomes nearly impossible.

5. What is Complex Text? Let’s define it:

6. What is Complex Text? • Bauerlein defines complex text as ”works characterized by dense meanings, elaborate structure, sophisticated vocabulary, and subtle authorial intentions” such as “a US Supreme Court Decision, an epic poem, or ethical treatise.”

7. Common Core ELA Appendix B • Exemplar Informational Text for Grade 11-12 • Title: THE COST CONUNDRUM. • Authors: Gawande, Atul • Source: New Yorker; 6/1/2009, Vol. 85 Issue 16, p36-44, 9p, 1 Color Photograph • Document Type: Article Accessible through EBSCO, library database provided by LiLI(Libraries Linking Idaho)

8. Do You Agree or Disagree? Why? Meet with your 9:00 and discuss • When teachers fill the syllabus with digital texts, having students read and write blogs...multimedia assemblages, and the like, they do little to address the primary reason that so many students end up not ready for college-level reading.

9. Do You Agree or Disagree? Why?Meet with your 9:30 and discuss. • When teachers assign traditional texts—novels, speeches, science articles, and so on—in digital format with embedded links, hypertext, word-search capability, and other aids, they likewise avoid the primary cause of unreadiness.

10. Six Assumptions About Learning Learning is: • Goal-oriented • The linking of new information to prior knowledge • The organization of information • The acquisition of cognitive and meta-cognitive structures • Nonlinear, yet occurring in phases • Influenced by cognitive development Billmeyer, R. & Barton, M.L. (2002). Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If not Me, Then Who? Alexandria: ASCD

11. Making Learning Goal-Oriented • Teach students to set goals and then ask them to reflect regularly on them • Set Purposes: Tell students why they are reading and what they should pay attention to while they read • Have students determine if they met the purpose for reading and explain how (metacognition)

12. Linking the New to the Known(Building Background Knowledge) • Students come to us with their own background knowledge and experiences (called schemata) • The reader constructs meaning based on connecting new information to what he/she already knows

13. Example of Schemata The questions that p_______ face as they raise ch________ from in_________ to adult life are not easy to answer. Both f______ and m______ can become concerned when health problems such as co________ arise any time after the e________ stage to later life. Experts recommend that young ch_________ should have plenty of s_________ and nutritious food for healthy growth. B_________ and g______ should not share the same b________ or even sleep in the same r__________. They may be afraid of the d_________. Source: Billmeyer and Barton 2002, adapted from Madeline Hunter

14. Example of Schemata The questions that poultrymen face as they raise chickens from incubation to adult life are not easy to answer. Both farmers and merchants can become concerned when health problems such as coccidiosis arise any time after the Egg stage to later life. Experts recommend that young chicks should have plenty of sunshine and nutritious food for healthy growth. Banties and geese should not share the same barnyard or even sleep in the same roost. They may be afraid of the dark. Source: Billmeyer and Barton 2002, adapted from Madeline Hunter

15. Ways to Build Background Knowledge • Anticipation Guides (could use clickers so entire class can see thinking) • K-W-L-Plus • Prereading Plan • Making Prereading Predictions • Vocabulary Self Assessment • Interactive Notes • If students just take notes, the overall effect of act is less than if they actually do something with the notes! Notes alone are not super-effective. Discussion helps address misconceptions.

16. Prereading Plan (Langer, 1981) • Identify the central concept and introduce to students (What comes to mind when. . “) • Students individually write all associations and then share onto composite list • Students reflect on why each association was made • Conclude activity by saying, “As a result of our discussion, can you think of any other information you know about this topic?” Billmeyer, R. & Barton, M.L. (2002). Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If not Me, Then Who? Alexandria: ASCD

17. Let’s Try it: • What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” • Write down your thoughts. . .

18. Meet with your 10:00 to share your thoughts. • Meet with your 10:00 to share your thoughts. • Let’s generate a group list. . . • “As a result of our discussion, can you think of any other information you know about this topic?” • Extend Further: What questions did you think of when you first heard the quote?

19. How to Extend using Digital Tools: • Students can respond digitally • Prereading guides don’t have to be printed! • Share compiled lists on class wiki • Assign groups of students to be in charge of posting summaries of class discussion • Revisit lists after learning

20. Interactive Notes Burke, J. (2002). Tools for Thought. Heinemann: Portsmouth.

21. Organizing Information • Remember this? When teachers assign traditional texts—novels, speeches, science articles, and so on—in digital format with embedded links, hypertext, word-search capability, and other aids, they likewise avoid the primary cause of unreadiness.

22. Organizing Information • Digital formats do not excuse students from deep reading • Teachers can teach reading strategies for digital text. • Have students to read without accessing links (except for dictionary tools) • Design activities around exploring hyperlinks—how do they relate to the text? If they don’t why not? • Have students reread • Have students reread

23. Organizing Information • Digital formats do not excuse students from deep reading • Teachers can teach reading strategies for digital text. • Utilize tools available such as highlighting or creating note taking template to support reading • Reader response • Concept Definition • Proposition/Support Outline • PowerPoint

24. Proposition/Support Billmeyer, R. & Barton, M.L. (2002). Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If not Me, Then Who? Alexandria: ASCD

25. Proposition/Support

26. Have Students Use PPT to Organize Information • If students have access to PowerPoint they can use the smart art tool to create graphic organizers

27. Have Students Use PPT to Organize Information Yes, this is a very SIMPLE example. . .

28. Cycle:

29. Insert -> Smart Art -> Choose Graphic Organizer ->Fill in the blanks • Model first, then practice with students before independent practice • Students should be able to eventually choose the tool that matches the appropriate graphic (cycle, list, hierarchy, etc.)

30. Developing Cognitive and Metacognitive Structures • Having students reflect as they read and after they read is very important • If students just take notes, the overall effect of act is less than if they actually do something with the notes • Notes alone are not super-effective

31. Developing Cognitive and Metacognitive Structures • Students need to know specific strategies as well as how and when to use them • All teachers must be content teachers and “learner” teachers in that they help students learn strategies and how/when to implement them

32. Strategy Instruction as Differentiation • Students need to be taught specific strategies • If a student already utilizes an effective content area reading strategy, don’t make him/her change to an unfamiliar one • Practice and ask students to evaluate use • Digitize

33. Developing Non-Linear Thinking Researchers believe that learning occurs in three phases that are non-linear: • Pre-active thought or preparing for learning • Interactive though or processing that occurs during the actual learning • Reflective thought to integrate, extend, refine and apply what has been learned Costa and Garmston, 1994, Buehl, 1995,

34. Implications for Education • Increasingly, purchasing texts (printed or electronic) are delayed because of lack of funding. . . Yet text demands are growing • Students will be accessing digital text • We need to support students to read digital text successfully

35. Meet with your 10:30 appointment • Do agree with Bauerline’s statement? Why or why not: “The more high school teachers place complex texts on the syllabus and concoct slow, deliberate reading exercises for students to complete, the more they will inculcate the habit.”

36. Complex Text Requires • Time • Teacher support/scaffolding • Deliberate Reading Assignments • Students (and teachers) need to be taught how to access digital texts • Teachers need to hold students accountable to reading complex texts (Do you know how to access materials through your school’s library home page? Through the state’s LiLI homepage?)