Week 8 Assignment_Brown_D

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1 Week 8: Assignment Devona Brown Master of Education, Walden University Reading and Literacy Today Dr. Cathy Gibbons December 21, 2023

2 Week 8: Assignment Since starting the Master of Education degree, my philosophy of literacy instruction has significantly changed in a short period. I have learned the most about teaching by studying the students I teach (Tomlinson, 2010). This paper aims to discuss three key components of my philosophy of literacy instruction and topics that most influence my practice as a teacher. This paper will also discuss the insights I have gained related to theoretical and evidence-based foundations of reading and writing processes and instruction. I will also reflect on the seven pillars and my experience with this course. One of the best things about life is that we never have to stop learning. There are always new skills to learn and techniques for us to adopt (Agrawal, 2015). Even though I've always had a deep love and enthusiasm for my students, the background knowledge I'm learning is truly helping me refine my teaching style. To fulfill the various requirements of students, teaching and studying 21st-century reading involves a wide range of skills and tactics. Three key components of my philosophy of literacy instruction are first inclusion and differentiation. I think that all students should feel appreciated and allowed to contribute fully to the learning process in the classroom by fostering an inclusive environment. To address the varied needs, interests, and skill levels of pupils, this entails differentiating education. I try to offer a variety of entry points, teaching tactics, and scaffolded support so that every student has access to and can participate in the material. Secondly, classroom assessment is important in my practice. The one constant during this reevaluation of education is the fact that schools and educators are to be held accountable for students’ attainment of educational outcomes (Stiggins,1992). Since many students enter a class with vastly varied backgrounds and experiences, assessment plays a critical role in my teaching

3 it helps me understand each student's starting point before we start a unit or new topic. I now understand that a child's prior knowledge can either positively or negatively impact their ability to learn. After a lesson, assessment is crucial so that teachers can learn more about how effectively their lessons are understood by their students and make any necessary changes, modifications, or adaptations. It is important to evaluate our students as the educational landscape changes to see if we are effectively imparting the knowledge and skills they require. In addition to this authentic and meaningful learning should take place for students to produce growth on formative, summative, interim, and post-assessment. I think that teaching literacy should have a purpose and apply to the lives of the students. It should strive to foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity and teach fundamental reading and writing skills. To promote profound comprehension and a sincere love of reading and writing, I make an effort to include real-world applications, authentic texts, and inquiry-based activities. In my classroom, I use a variety of strategies to motivate my students to read, write, and become lifelong literacy learners. One strategy I use is to create a positive and supportive classroom culture that values literacy and encourages students to take risks and learn from their mistakes. I desire for my students to feel that their needs are important to me, and hope that this will help motivate them in my class. Thirdly, another key component of my philosophy is I place a high value on family and community because I am aware that a large portion of what my kids learn happens outside of the classroom. Since their experiences outside of school have a big impact on them, I think it's critical to stay in touch with families and support learning at home. My In my view, communities should also make an effort to offer resources to all families and students to reduce the achievement gap in education. In my practice, I make an effort to get to know my students and

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4 their families and use Class Dojo and emails as a way of communication. I also send home newsletters and encourage my parents to be actively involved in their child’s education. I believe “getting to know students is critical if the teacher is to have insights into the background knowledge and oral language abilities (Reutzel, 2018). As I continue to grow in my practice as an educator building strong relationships with my students and their families is important. During this course, I was introduced to the seven pillars of effective reading instruction and one pillar in which I feel most competent is “teacher knowledge”. Young students’ success in early reading is highly dependent on knowledgeable teachers (Reutzel, 2018). Teaching for seventeen years I have gained a wealth of knowledge through PLCs, PDs, colleague collaboration, understanding and applying the standards, lesson planning, creating SMART goals, and analyzing student data. I have faith in my abilities to help students grasp concepts by using a curriculum and teaching that is based on North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Cumberland County Schools (CCS) aligned with the common core state standards, which are intended to be met by my fifth graders. I've worked hard to make sure that I understand the fundamental abilities I need to teach and the most effective ways to do so. Knowledge is gained through practice and patience. Despite my confidence in my subject-matter expertise, I'll keep working to advance my professional development and teaching methods. But at the same time, there is much improvement needed for assessment. To go beyond merely accepting the data and making plans with it at my disposal, I intend to learn more and research best practices for handling evaluation data once I have it gathered. Despite my regular summative and formative assessments of students, I could devote more time to planning and research with a focus on important data points. When it comes to pacing, I generally attempt to follow the curriculum

5 calendar quite strictly. Throughout the school year, I have to modify my lesson plans based on my student's needs to differentiate my reading and writing instruction. An insight that I have gained in that “…writing and reading are reciprocal processes that simply must be taught together” (Anderson & Briggs, 2011). Reflecting on this course I realized the importance of teaching both reading and writing and incorporating the two daily through planned lessons and differentiation. I now understand that a student's proficiency in writing can influence their reading comprehension. Students can progress more in numerous areas at once and, ideally, retain more information from each subject if they can establish stronger linkages between subjects. In addition, I learned about the International Literacy Association (ILA) Standards for Reading Professionals in this course. As stated by standard one, “candidates understand the theoretical and evidence-based foundations of reading and writing processes and instruction” (International Literacy Association, 1998). I've started to get a deeper grasp of the most efficient approaches to teaching reading and writing as I've looked at some of the theories around this subject. In particular, I now know more about how crucial it is to include both writing and reading in a well-rounded literacy curriculum. My experience in this course has led me to think more deeply about the importance of motivation and engagement in reading. I've been able to improve my ability to increase student engagement in reading over the years, but getting my students to write is challenging. As Reutzel and Cooter state, “motivation to write is a very different animal from motivation to read…Readers are consumers. Writers, on the other hand, are producers of text.” Motivating my students to write is a topic that I would consider developing into a research question for an Action Research Project.

6 References Agrawal, A. (2015, March 18). 4 Reasons You Should Never Stop Learning. https://www.inc.com/aj-agrawal/4-reasons-why-we-should-never-stop-learning.html Anderson, N., & Briggs, C. (2011). Reciprocity Between Reading and Writing: strategic Processing as Common Ground. https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1598/RT.64.7.12 International Literacy Association (1988), Learning to read and write:Developmenttally appropriate practices for young children. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/ positionstatements/PSREAD98.PD Reutzel, D. R., & Jr., R.B. C. (2018). Teaching Children to Read (8th Edition). Pearson Education (US). Stiggins, R., & Conklin, N. (1992). In Teachers’ Hands: Investigating the Practices of Classroom Assessment. In Teachers' Hands: Investigating the Practices of Classroom Assessment - Richard J. Stiggins, Nancy Faires Conklin - Google Books Tomlinson, C. 2010. One kid at a time. Educational Leadership, 67(5). 12-16.

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7 Appendix

8 Teachers are one of the key elements in any school and effective teaching is one of the key propellers for school improvement (Ko, 2013) therefore, teacher knowledge is important in the classroom. According to the book, Teaching children to read: The teacher makes the difference, “in order to teach reading and writing, teachers need to acquire research-based knowledge about student development in reading and writing processes and effective reading instruction practices.” My current literacy practice pertaining to this fist pillar is regularly attending Professional Development (PD) and Professional Learning Communities (PLC). Both are paramount in my school district. By attending Professional Development and PLC the quality of instruction has improved for me in my classroom. When I fist started teaching in the United States small group instruction was confusing despite giving many resources to teach from. Learning how to effectively teach whole and small groups was a game changer. Things I learned and now apply to classroom are flexible groupings (small group), cooperative learning strategies like think-pair-share and numbered heads together, learning centers that spiral back on standards that are current or already taught. Pillar Two classroom assessments are essential for making sure every student receives appropriate instruction and then verifying that learning has taken place (Reutzel, 2019). In my practice, I understand that data is very important, and my students are given both formal and informal assessments for placement. This allows me to provide tiered instruction, differentiation, and appropriate resources in a class with different learning levels and abilities. After my ELA whole group time I am also able to assess my student’s work through something I do call quick write or retell. This is done to check for understanding of the passage, story, or skill. In the middle of the unit my students take an interim test. I use the data collected to reteach in small groups if the skills were not grasped. This also allows me to provide worksheets or assign a

9 Mastery Connect passage with the standard to further assist the student’s understanding of the skill. The final opportunity to see if the student grasps the concept is through a Post-test. The data collected helps to determine if the student needs intervention. Pillar Three Evidence-Based Teaching Practices. Great teachers have an abundance of tools in their instructional toolbox to ensure that every child is helped to reach his or her full potential when learning to read (Reutzel, 2019). My school is currently studying a reading program called ‘LETRS’. This program provides proven research that works to help students to read. Through this program I can support my students through using individual diagnostic assessment such as fluency passages, leveled readers, probing techniques, scaffolding, checkpoints, guided and independent practice. I have seen from the beginning of the school year to now a tremendous amount of growth with my students in reading. Also, my class are on Reading SucccessMaker their current placement shows growth which means the program we are using is working. For this program to be effective my students understand our clear expectations. They follow the routines daily. I am also giving them positive feedback about their work and assisting them in areas needed. To make my lessons engaging I like to have my students role play, imagine, dress like the characters in the book, create scenes from the stories, utilize their Chromebooks to research the author or go to padlet and write what they like or dislike about the story. Sometimes we recreate the ending of the story. Pillar Four Response to Intervention (RTI). The Personal Education Plan (PEP) is what my school uses to serve the needs of diverse learners. This document outlines to the parents that their child needs a PEP in Reading and or Math. This decision is based on progress monitoring. The data collected is from their classwork, interim, pretest, posttest, and Benchmark exams. In my practice I have an XL sheet that labels the standards with my students scores. I like

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10 organization and having the data in one place allows me to recognize my strong and week students. My students that show mastery will remain as a tier 1. The students who are not progressing will be moved to tier 2. My tier 2 students are given extended time besides small group. For example, three days out of the week for 15 minutes. The groups are smaller, and I use this time wisely to reteach the skills but in a different way than before. For instance, I taught Theme by using the Wonders story and having the students identify it. My tier 2 students did not understand it so, I had to reteach. This time on my anchor chart I explained the definition of theme and gave them real life scenarios. We started a discussion, and the students were able to relate to the scenario. After making the connections I asked, “what is the mean point of what we just discussed?” All hands went up and the students were able to answer correctly. Then I informed them that the theme is the message or moral that the story conveys to its readers. Next, I model how to find the theme with a short passage followed by many examples we did together. On the other hand, if my tier 2 interventions are not working and the student assessment scores are still low, I move them to tier 3. I intensify the time I see them. For example, the entire week for 20 minutes. I ensure that my instructions are differentiated to their level. I find the resources on the grade they are performing at target their specific needs. Pillar Five Family and Community Connections. Teachers can add great power to a child’s literacy learning program by educating the adults in their lives in proven reading development strategies that make sense in our busy world (Reutzel, 2019). In my classroom family engagement is very important. Teaching at a Title 1 school is hard to get my parents to actively participate in their child’s learning experience in. What I do to foster communication and engagement is call each parent at the end of the week and excitedly tell them how amazing their kid is and provide a snapshot of what we did in class. I will direct them to Cumberland

11 County’s parent homework portal and encourage them to utilize the site to learn more about the topics we covered in class. I would inform them of my open-door policy. They can visit the class when they have free time to experience what learning is like in my room. When the school has events, I would encourage my parents to volunteer and let the students know a secret prize will be given to each student whose parents come out or participate. I am currently on the Committed Community group at my school and our mission is to get the community to partnership with the school. Through our efforts we have churches, businesses and parents sponsor the school, provide services to help our students succeed in the classroom and their home life. Donations through money or food are provided for students and their families. These stakeholders are essential to moving our school forward and teaming up to help build the whole child. Pillar Six Motivation and Engagement. While much motivation is intrinsic to the student, teachers also play a vital role in the motivation and engagement of their students (Pearson, 2016). I come to class everyday happy and energetic in hopes that my mood will set a positive tone for my room. In the mornings a greeting and things to do will be displayed on my clear touch along with instrumental music softly playing in the background. The main lights are off and the lamps and battery-operated candles are lit. The infuser is on with our favorite class scent “Ocean Breeze”. The students enjoy our quiet morning routines, and their little voices sing the lyrics to the instrumental music playing. This routine is done to decrease the chatter and motivate the students to do their morning work quietly. It works every time for my class. However, the students that I am currently teaching are not self-motivated. From PLC I learned strategies to keep them focused. I provide hands on activities in the lesson like sorting, cutting, and pasting, or creating a bookmark. I also incorporate student’s voice, and choice. The student’s perspectives are valued, and they can make decisions like choosing a partner to peer up with, and using a

12 story ball to select which question they want to answer. I incorporate real life experiences for example, during reading a vocabulary word such as adaptation is mentioned. I pause the reading and discuss the meaning. Then ask students, “now that the weather is changing what are some things you do adapt to this change before coming to school?” Some response, wear warmer clothing, drink hot chocolate, or turn on the heater in the car. I would also motivate my students by rewarding them with Class Dojo points. In my class we have a point goal and if a student gets the required number of points, they can go to the PBIS school party held at the end of each quarter. This is a popular party that everyone in the school wants to attend so, this motivates my students to earn points during the lesson by participating, helping others, or volunteering to read during the lesson. I also provide poor readers with a shoulder buddy (stronger student in reading) and set learning goals (in kid-friendly language). According to Teaching children to read, “New literacy studies has been defined as “the skills” strategies and insights necessary to successfully exploit the rapidly changing information and communication technologies that continuously emerge in our world.” I incorporate Pillar Seven Technology and New Literacies in my class by providing students with an ample amount of technology use. My students are engaged with interactive read aloud from Wonders, SuccessMaker Reading, Nearpod interactive lessons that reinforces the skills, and research of information online. At the end of a passage, I have my students type a summary of the story and insert a picture. Last week we read the story “The Quest for the Missing Brocade”. After Numbered Heads Together each group selected one activity to do online: (1) create a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the main idea and four supporting details, (2) in a Word Document write the summary of the story, (3) create a story web displaying the characters, setting, plot and state the theme of the story. This activity engaged the students. I notice when I give them written

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13 work, they tend to take a little longer. Whereas, using the computer they completed the task faster. References: Ko, J., & Sammons, P. (2013). Effective Teaching: A Review of Research and Evidence. In ERIC . CfBT Education Trust. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED546794 Reutzel, D. R., & Cooter, Jr., R, B. (2019). Teaching children to read: The teacher makes the difference (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Pearson. (2016, October 20). Encouraging Positive Student Engagement and Motivation: Tips for Teachers . Pearson.com. https://it.pearson.com/aree-disciplinari/english/motivation/encouraging-positive-student- engagement-and-motivation.html CONNOR, C. M. et al. Effective Classroom Instruction: Implications of Child Characteristics by Reading Instruction Interactions on First Graders’ Word Reading Achievement. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS , [s. l.] , v. 4, n. 3, p. 173–207, 2011. DOI 10.1080/19345747.2010.510179. Disponível em: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=edswss&AN=000208762700001&site=eds-live&scope=site . Acesso em: 5 nov. 2023.

Week 8 Assignment_Brown_D

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