Are we ready?

We are almost to the end of our Masters degree and I think about if we are truly ready for the myriad of problems that we will be expected to deal with and the many miracles we are expected to perform.

The role of the reading specialist in schools where many students struggle with reading is changing. As a group we need to discuss the evolution of the reading specialist's role to that of reading coach and research on how reading coaches meet an important need in teachers' professional development.

Recently, a new role for the reading specialist has been suggested for schools with large numbers of struggling readers. This role conceptualizes the reading specialist not as someone who works directly with students (Quatroche, Bean, & Hamilton, 2001) but as someone who works directly with teachers as a coach and mentor. In this new role the reading specialist supports teachers in their daily work--planning, modeling, team-teaching, and providing feedback on completed lessons in collaboration with classroom teachers in a school. In addition, the reading specialist assists teachers by helping them understand the assessment and instructional cycle and how that cycle can help them as they develop lessons and organize their classes for instruction. In the No Child Left Behind legislation, the Reading First Initiative views reading coaches as a viable and important professional development component for Reading First schools in the United States (U.S. Department of Education, 2002).

We need to be very clear on our roles, because we may be expected to perform miracles that are at times unreasonable. The technology learnt in this course will require serious changes in policy and assessment if we are to succeed. Not only must we be prepared to make fundamental changes in our readers abilities but, we must be prepared to advocate for change - some of us are to placid, taking whatever conditions we meet and at times undermining those who are prepared to advocate change. If we continue like this, divided, not standing up to represent our voices then, be prepared to take whatever nonsense the ministry may hand to us -and make no mistake hand it to some of you they will.

Saving Lia

Lia (pseudonym) is a fourteen year old first former (7th grade), who wears an over sized dirty school shirt, a skirt that extends past her ankles and sports an unkempt head of naturally curly dark brown hair. Hailing from a low socio- economic geographical location, Lia lives with her mother and six siblings in a one-room house. In relation to her peers she is at the bottom and groans are heard when she attempts to read or speak. During class Lia ‘writes’ quietly and diligently, but frequently attempts to leave the class on various pretences, after approximately twelve minutes she places her head on her desk and goes to sleep. The school library has no literature for her reading level.

Learning to read and reading to learn are two of the most important missions of education. In a comprehensive review of research on reading instruction for students with significant developmental disabilities, Browder, Wakeman, and Algozzine (2006) found that the majority of reading instruction for this population focused on remediation instruction, which as later research suggests, does not lead to enhanced reading ability. Research suggests that the science of reading dealt primarily with emerging readers and those at risk for reading failure-students with significant developmental disabilities are bypassed; additionally, research reveals a consistent lack of focus on reading instruction for this population-who are probably the least likely to read without carefully planned, explicit instruction.

How do we as educators address this national issue? What are effective instructional reading methods for failing students? Developmentally delayed students will continue to fail unless we as educators develop research based instruction methods matched adequately to students’ needs. Predominantly, there is a virtual absence of scientific research based reading teaching methods and strategies which can create specified attainment benchmarks to guide teaching and learning, and promote the necessary diagnostic, remedial and preventative interventions critical to the development of an effective, inclusive and efficient education system. We will do whatever we can, going beyond our capacities, as most of us already but the questions asks will it be enough to save all the Lia's?

Dreamscape - Virtual Reality and Asessment

I strongly believe that virtual reality can significantly improve reading and produce greater reliability and validity in assessing Caribbean students whose first language is Creole. How? through virtual reality. I know it sounds crazy, but really its not:)

Social networking technology such as Web 2.0 may make constructivist, culture-based, collaborative knowledge making assessments tools readily available. Web 2.0 technology can potentially construct socio-cultural knowledge through dialogic reading assessment. Dialogic assessments (Macrine & Sabbatino, 2008) shifts learning to an integrated, socially constructed process of meaning making for the reader. An adaptation of this model of dialogic assessment utilised in this paper employs struggling readers’ language (such as Creole) to construct an assessment through dialogue representative of the learner’s culture.

The aim of engaging Web 2.0 tools with assessment is to include student-constructed knowledge (Vygotsky, 1985) through a socially constructed culture, maximise assessment efficiency and to begin and develop a collaborative community of practice. Web 2.0 is a cluster of Internet-based technologies (Moore, 2007; Spivack,2006), which emphasize online collaboration and sharing through social networking sites (Facebook), wikis (Pbworks, wikispaces), communication tools (Google Docs), blogs (Blogger), podcasts and three-dimensional virtual environments such as Second Life and Active Worlds- globally, reading challenged or not young people have eagerly embraced Web 2.0. Students, labelled remedial are navigating their way through complex virtual worlds (SIMS, World of Warcraft); such navigation requires reading skills. Web 2.0 can authentically assess reading students’ needs by engaging them in a medium that is of interest to them.

So are you reay to try it?

What about Teachers? technology and Teacher Training

What about UWI, after all this is the institute for higher learning so what about UWI? If teachers are to successful in technology is UWI making use of technology for teachers? Are our new teachers equipped to integrate new dimensions of teaching into thier pedagogy or are we going to be left behind?

With the emerging new technologies, the teaching profession is evolving
from an emphasis on teacher-centred, lecture-based instruction to student centred,
interactive learning environments. Designing and implementing successful ICT-enabled teacher education programmes is the key to fundamental, wide-ranging educational reforms.

Teacher education institutions may either assume a leadership role in the
transformation of education or be left behind in the swirl of rapid technological
change. For education to reap the full benefits of ICTs in learning, it is
essential that pre- and in-service teachers are able to effectively use these new
tools for learning. Teacher education institutions and programmes must provide the leadership for pre- and in-service teachers and model the new pedagogies and tools for learning.

How eBooks add value to education (but give me my paperbacks!)

I love e-books and the creativity it promises for myself, my students and my toddler :) eBooks (in the broad sense of electronic content) are ideal for the reading environment. A number of social and economic factors make eBooks or digital content preferable to paper textbooks and course materials—or at least highly
desirable as adjuncts to these materials.

First of all,eBooks provide a means for non textbook course adoptions whether the material is a trade book (nonfiction, biography,etc.) or customized content authored by us or colleagues.This is particularly appealing for assessment as a diagnostic tool, in which IRI are commonly used. In addition, textbooks in eBook format can be made modular. Furthermore, with dictionary plug-ins and automated text-to-speech technology,the eBook reader software can greatly benefit students whose primary language is not English- a factor we must be cognisant of, since the majority of our readers speak creole.

eBooks can also improve on qualities of traditional printed books. Like a paper
book, the digital medium is often simply more convenient or appropriate as either
a replacement for or an adjunct to the potentially heavier, environmentally
unfriendly paper medium. Our students hardly ever have a textbook in thier bag, but tell me which one of them forgets thier cell phone or Mp3 players?

As the first set of reading specialists within Trinidad and Tobago we need to pilot programes such as ebooks into the curriculum, providing technology relieably and assessibly and thus make our work that much easier.

That's for my students including my son, but I still like my paperbacks:)

You cannot be a competent reading specialist without Technology

The Newsday's editorial (Sunday Newsday, July 25th 2010) suggested that in order for Trinidad and Tobago to function as a knowledge based state, we need to incorporate the creativity that technology affords. Duh?! If we are indeed to keep up it is imperative for us to move into technology running-not walking. And what about us as educators? Does the reading community possess the necessary conditions for creativity to exist?

As educators we must move forward and keep abreast of technology if we are to be not only inclusive, but knowledgeable enough to increase creativity among our students- especially those older adolescents (15-18) who have reading difficulties, but can do other things-one of which is use technology. We must be mindful that we do not limit our students because of our own inadequacies/ fear of technology. While it may be true that some of us are not technologically savvy-we need to be if we are to provide equity for our reading challenged students.

The competent reading specialist must be able to effectively and strategically use technology to diagnose,assess and develop effective reading strategies. How can you be termed a reading specialist if you are not abreast with technology - technology which is student oriented? Are we to be stuck in a vat of teacher centered learning in today's world? Stop whining people! Embrace the technology its not that difficult:)

The degree of challenge on reading performance

Why is it we complain so much? The degree of challenge in this class is appropriate to our degree level-masters, which takes me along a trend of thought... why do we traditionally give tasks at times mismatched to our students needs and abilities? Reading is not just a subject area but a skill needed by students to be successful across academic disciplines and for personal and economic outcomes. Assessment is crucial for designing appropriate instruction, a question we need to answer is at what level of challenge reading processes, specifically rate, word identification and comprehension, can be most accurately assessed. level of challenge is frequently defined by the percentage of words that a student can identify in a passage- there are three levels; frustration, instructional and independent.

Should we provide a student with a frustration level passage in order to determine what types of errors they make? Or would students' skills be best evidenced when reading at instructional level? research suggests ( Heibert, 2006; Affenbleck, 2006) that while knowing a students' skill level can assist in tailoring the instructional needs, we must be mindful of overarching. Web 2.0 has the potential to correctly diagnose and assess and match our students' to their needs. How can technology do this? In the context of social-collaboration where we can gather together a comprehensive database for our learners as both a reference and a diagnostic/assessment tool.