Players Today, Leaders Tomorrow

How does play in early education classrooms influence and shape our leaders of tomorrow?  The answer lies in what we are teaching our children through our chosen curriculum.  As Dr. Karen Wohlwend challenges on the voice of literacy podcast, do we want our children to possess only a discreet set of skills that helps them one time on one test, or do we want them to be innovative, creative, and able to be fast on their feet?

By incorporating play into the classroom, you can actually help build children's literacies. Allow more time for play and provide the children with open-ended opportunities for exploration.  From their play you can introduce new literacies that build on their interests.  One example, as provided by Dr. Wohlwend in Playing Their Way into Literacies, is if a child shows interest and aptitude for making something, you might encourage her to create a "how to" book of instructions to teach others to make the same object.  By also providing examples of "how to" books around the classroom, you've now bridged both reading and writing to the child's play and created a social environment in which they can learn.  From this one idea, you can reach many children from a range of different learning styles, and it all starts with play.   

So how does this play make our children leaders?  "Governments and industries need people who are adept at flexible creativity and innovation" and children learn that through "the practices that play uniquely provides: improvising with new technologies and practices, inventing new uses for materials, and imagining new contexts, spaces, and possibilities" (Wohlwend, 2011, p. 127).

Baker, E.A., Wohlwend, K. (2009, February 16). Play with Disney princess dolls and children's literacy development. Voice of Literacy. Podcast retrieved from http://voiceofliteracy.org

Wohlwend, K.E. (2011). Playing their way into literacies: Reading, writing, and belonging in the early childhood classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Playing and Learning

I'm sure that anyone that has worked with groups of young kids, in one capacity or another, has at some point witnessed a game, a playtime, where one child becomes the "teacher" and the others fill the roles of the students.  It is one that I have seen across many of my experiences as a camp counselor, a daycare assistant, and even in classrooms; and, always I think back on those playtimes fondly.  So imagine my pleasure while reading Playing Their Way into Literacies, by Karen Wohlwend, and reading about the students that were "Abbie Wannabes," students pretending to be teachers.  I could picture the scene perfectly, and it brought me great joy to read about the existing connections between that wonderful play and children's literacy.  
 

Wonderful memories were not the only thing that Wohlwend reminded me of.  I was also reminded of a podcast that I had listened to recently when I read that "In the playing/reading nexus, reading strengthened play and made a pretend teacher's performance more credible" (p. 19).  I was instantly brought back to Dr. John Guthrie's 5 critical points in motivating students to read (see my blog post from March 17, 2013).  Specifically, he says to motivate children to read, help them see the value of it, make reading pay-off for them.  There is no denying that children will see value in improving their play, and since the children engage in this type of play in groups and choose this play for themselves, it further motivates them to read. 

Playing teacher is not the only type of play in which this is applicable.  If you tune in to what children are doing while they play, you can see evidence of all types of literacy strategies.  As Dr. Karen Wohlwend informs us in a podcast with Dr. Betsy Baker, we are in a time where play has gradually been disappearing from kindergarten rooms, and kindergarten is becoming the new first grade.  We need to latch on to children's interests, recognize the literacies built into them, and encourage children to play. 

Baker, E.A., Guthrie, J. (2013, January 27). How motivation, engagement, and reading achievement are related among adolescents. Voice of Literacy. Podcast retrieved from http://voiceofliteracy.org
 
Baker, E.A., Wohlwend, K. (2009, February 16). Play with Disney princess dolls and children's literacy development. Voice of Literacy. Podcast retrieved from http://voiceofliteracy.org

Wohlwend, K.E. (2011). Playing their way into literacies: Reading, writing, and belonging in the early childhood classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Increase Achievement through Motivation

"Engagement is more important to reading than intelligence."  This is a quote from Dr. John Guthrie on the Voice of Literacy podcast from January 27, 2013 titled "How motivation, engagement, and reading achievement are related among adolescents." 

So, as teachers, what can we do to help support our students?  Dr. Guthrie offers 5 points that are critical to students' motivation to read.  He says if they are motivated, they will read more.  Having students read more is our goal since the more they read, the better their opportunities for reading achievement.  His points of motivation are as follows

1. Relevance - Make reading relevant to students and they will be motivated to read.   An example would be to watch a video or conduct a hands-on activity and follow it up with reading a text on the topic to learn more. 
2. Choices - Give the students one choice every day, even if it is a little choice.  They may choose which book, or which chapter in a book, to read.  Another choice might be which character to analyze or which event to read about.  The main point is that with their choice, the students gain a sense of ownership in their reading.
3. Collaboration - Let students see that reading can be both social and independent.  Allowing just 2-5 minutes of reading with a partner each lesson will help motivate students to read.
4. Confidence - Build students' confidence by having them set achievable goals for themselves, whether it is a certain number of pages to read, or a certain number of questions they are working to answer.  And, be sure to match the student with an appropriate text. 
5. Value - Help students see the value of reading, make it pay off for them.  Have an activity that if they read something first, they will perform better, such as a debate. 

 If you sit and think about it, these points are almost intuitive.  How motivated would you be to read a text that was handed to you by someone else, that you had no choice in, is not relevant to anything you are doing or interested in, that is written in a manner that is beyond your understanding, you see no benefit from, and are forced to suffer through alone?  If, as teachers, we can satisfy at least one of Dr. Guthrie's points with every reading our students are assigned, then we can increase their motivation to read and through it increase their reading achievement.  

Assessment and Evaluation are Not Synonymous

My recent readings, along with the recent administering of standardized state tests, have had me thinking a lot about assessments.  As a pre-service teacher, I've learned that assessments are an integral part of education.  In order to help students learn and grow, you first have to know their strengths and abilities.  Unfortunately, the term "assessment" is often used in conjunction with standardized tests, but what is really meant is "evaluation," and the two have different meanings. 

Teachers use assessments to determine students' understanding, what their strengths are and what they are ready to learn next.  Also, assessments help teachers decide what direction to go in for future instruction; they happen regularly and allow teachers to keep a pulse on students' learning and abilities.  Evaluations, on the other hand, are purely about results.  How do the students compare to a set of standards or to other students?  How do they rank?  The results of evaluations are often coupled with some form of accountability, either for the student, the teacher, the school, or a combination there of.  In a Voice of Literacy podcast, Dr. Betsy Baker and Dr. Caitlin Dooley note that in some instances students are being retained based on the results of a single test and, likewise, teachers are being hired and fired based on single test results. 

Dr. Dooley states it perfectly, "One test doesn't tell the whole story."  That is why the distinction between assessment and evaluation is so important.  Essentially, assessment is like a movie of a child's performance filmed from multiple angles over an extended period of time, and evaluation is a single snap shop, taken from one angle (and often a critical one) at a single point in time.  Which would you want to represent your child's abilities?

Strategies for Comprehension and Assessment

Reading for Comprehension

We learn to read in order to make meaning of a text.  And while we are reading we are using a number of different thinking strategies to help us to uncover that meaning.  There is no one-size-fits-all approach to reading or learning to read.  That is why, when we help students with their comprehension strategies, it is important to show them a variety of strategies that they can use on their own. 

So what are these strategies we are teaching?  The comprehension strategies are ones that you and I use during our regular reading without paying much attention to them, but need to be developed in children.  The strategies include asking questions, visualizing, making connections, and drawing inferences, among others.  It is what our brains are doing while we are reading.  But, as Pat Johnson and Katie Keier explain in Catching Readers Before They Fall, the important part is not the strategies themselves, but rather the use of the strategies to create meaning.  We use multiple strategies working together at the same time to create meaning while we are reading.  This is one reason that we cannot teach the strategies as stand-alone lessons.  They should always be built into a lesson on comprehension.  So, whenever you are highlighting one strategy to model for students it is important to emphasize that what you are trying to do is uncover the meaning of the text and the strategy you are showing them may help you do so. 

When it comes time to show the students a certain method, be aware that they will need to be shown more than once.  Start by modeling how you use the strategy, then move on to a shared demonstration, and then guided practice.  The only way to determine when to move on to the next method, is to observe your students through class activities and during one on one sessions to see if they are grasping the lesson.  There is no pre-prescribed amount of time to spend on each part.  Once you see the student has grasped what you are showing, then move to the next.  Once they show the ability to apply the method, let them use it independently, but continue to monitor them in case they need additional support. 

 

Assessing Reading Ability

There are a number of different systems out there being used to assess students’ ability to read and understand a text.  Just as we wouldn’t teach just one strategy for comprehension, we shouldn’t assess just one portion of reading ability.  We need to look at comprehension, but we also need to consider the syntax, semantics and graphophonics.  Using a miscue analysis allows us to gain a fuller picture of a student’s ability by taking into consideration all of these.  A great way to present the findings of a miscue analysis is through the use of a spider chart.  In her article “A New Spin on Miscue Analysis: Using Spider charts to Web Reading Processes,” Karen Wohlwend shows how a spider chart can give a “snapshot of reading processes with a specific book in a specific moment in time.”  So while the analysis and chart are helpful, we must remember that a child’s reading system is always changing and what it really takes is a well tuned-in teacher to determine where the student’s strengths and opportunities for improvement are.  

Not about the Level, All about the Student

Listening to the podcast between Dr. Betsy Baker and Dr. Heidi Anne Mesmer about text complexity, I started thinking about leveled readers and leveled texts.  As an aunt, it was helpful to know what reading level my nieces were at, so that I could by them books that they would be able to read independently.  It was convenient to walk into a book store, seek out the Level 2 books and find one that fit my nieces’ interests. 

 

Now that I am preparing to be a teacher, I see that there is a lot more to developing readers than just matching them up with their appropriate levels.  As Dr. Mesmer said on the podcast, “leveling is a nice place to start,” and she continues by telling us that when choosing a book for a student you want to find one that is challenging and stimulating; it should be one they can read and want to read.  

So how do we find a book that is both challenging and stimulating?  We can start with the leveled books; but, as indicated by the article Let’s Start Leveling about Leveling by Kath Glasswell and Michael Ford, it is up to us as teachers to use our professional judgment to use these texts in a manner that will promote reading proficiency.  The key is actually to focus on the student, not the book, and what that student needs – work within their zone of proximal development.  Don’t be rigid in the student’s level.  If he needs more comprehension instruction, then put him in a small group with others that need comprehension instruction.  If he needs to develop self-monitoring strategies for meaning, then put him in a group with others who need to develop these strategies, even if they are not in the same level.  Whatever the needs of your students are, be sure that you have built your book collection to include various text styles as well as many different topics so that you can engage students based on their interests.

So now you might be wondering, how do I determine what type of instruction to use?  Gretchen Owocki and Yetta Goodman help us to answer that in their book Kidwatching: Documenting Children’s Literacy Development.  Chapter 6: Oral Reading and Miscues, tells us that a miscue analysis helps a teacher to understand a student’s reading strategy, and it shows which problem solving strategies they are using to decode a text.  The miscue analysis is not just for the teachers though.  It is important for the student to also reflect on her miscues and the strategies she is using to create understanding.  Going over it together will help the student to know her own processes and will build her confidence.  The teacher can then determine which small group activities will benefit the student the most and can help her to select appropriate texts, choosing not based on level, but based on her needs.

 

Don't "Dumb it Down"

How many times have you been surprised by a child who has demonstrated ability beyond what you expected based on his age?  

I experienced just that a number of years ago when I was driving around with my niece, age 4 at the time, and she pointed out a piece of construction equipment just off the road, and as she points she says to me "look a dig-dig...I mean, an excavator."  I have no idea where she learned the word, but she was absolutely correct.  The piece of construction equipment that she pointed to was most definitely an excavator!  

Too often, when speaking with children, we try to adjust our vocabulary to fit their age, when using adult language would actually be better to help them with their early literacy development.  In Dr. Betsy Baker's podcast "Using Categories to Teach Vocabulary to Preschoolers with Dr. Susan Neuman," Dr. Neuman tells us that explicit focus on vocabulary development early on is the foundation for early literacy development.  She goes on to encourage parents and teachers to use "interesting and unusual words."  This reminded me of a story my own mother likes to tell.  When I was in Kindergarten, she often wondered if I was learning anything in school.  I always came home talking about eating snacks and taking naps.  Well, one day I came home a bragged about how we were learning about the letter "O" in school and I proudly told my mom that I was "obstinate."  She never questioned my schooling again, and she learned the power of interesting words.   

Debbie Miller does a wonderful job of giving examples of using adult talk in her book Reading with Meaning, especially in Chapter 5: Schema.  In teaching children about schema and thinking strategies such as "text to self connections," Miller tells her students the names of the strategies just as she would an adult.  She does not dumb down a lesson, even for first graders.  In fact, one of the main points she makes when talking about modeling for children is "use precise language."  She explains "nothing says 'inferring' quite like 'inferring'" and that "what you say and how you say it becomes what [the children] say and how they say it!"  So call an excavator an excavator and enhance your children's vocabulary, it will only aid in their literacy development. 

More Than Just Sounding It Out

Telling a child to “sound it out” is one of the least productive ways in which to help her read, and yet it is probably the most common.  

As teachers we need to set our students up for success and use a variety of techniques to aid any student that is struggling with reading.  Naturally, the technique used will depend upon the child, his background knowledge, and where he is developmentally.  We also have to make sure that we have shown children how to use any technique prior to asking them to utilize it.  We need to model the behavior, and show them how it is done.  Let them see the usefulness of going back and rereading the sentence from the beginning, or looking at the pictures for clues.  Explain what you are doing while you are doing it (and I'll bet you’re not just sounding it out).

Now for your most challenging students, Pat Johnson and Katie Keier give some great strategies for helping struggling readers in their book Catching Readers Before They Fall. Reading through their suggestions, they all seem almost obvious, and yet I wonder if I would have ever thought of them.  For instance, knowing that you read from left to right, (directionality), is an essential piece of knowledge in order to learn to read, but I wonder if I would have noticed that a child hadn’t learned that.  Also, clearly identifying that each word spoken has a matching written word (one-to-one correspondence) is something that needs to be learned and is not just an innate ability.  So the suggestion of using texts or our morning messages with exaggerated spacing only makes sense.  

One activity I particularly enjoyed was one for children who are having extreme difficulties with letter identification.  The activity is a sorting one; and, as such, it easily ties in with skills that children need to use for math and science.  Just as you would in a science exploration, allow the child to observe the varying features of three-dimensional letters (magnetic letters).  Help her describe the letters and what they see, without naming them.  Let her explore the curves and the straight lines to become familiar with the characteristics and give her the language to describe them.  Then have her sort them in various ways, always starting with small groups and building up as she gains proficiency.  Now when you work with her on identifying letters or forming them, you have a shared language with which to work.  

With all the great suggestions that were offered by Johnson and Keier, a couple stand out above the rest.  First, “develop a ‘can-do’ attitude,” celebrate all the positives that you can and help build the child’s self-esteem.  Even Brian Cambourne recognizes this as being a condition of learning, although he calls it “expectations.”  Show him that you expect him to learn and that you believe he is capable.  His increased self-worth and positive attitude will benefit his learning.  Secondly, “Take time to reflect on what is working for these students and what needs to be adapted to better meet their needs.”  We can never forget that every child is an individual with individual needs.  What are the needs of the child that struggles to read?  How can we change our approach with her?  It all comes back to knowing your students and doing more than just “sound it out.”   

Use "A Tudor who Tooted" to Teach!

I'm sure we all have our favorite tongue twisters, but what do they have to do with teaching?  Plenty!  Not only do they help with phonemic awareness, but they add a level of interest that will keep students engaged. 

In a podcast with Dr. Betsy Baker, Dr. Deborah Rowe discusses her research which explores the role of interest and agency for written expression among preschoolers. 

The way she describes it, children prefer certain styles of play.  But, even though they lean more towards their preferred style, they will participate in others.  The four styles of play that Dr. Rowe talks about are

socially oriented play - where students want to talk and be with others.  They often choose their play center based on what others are doing.  Drama is a recommended activity for these students.

procedural play - where students want to "do it right" and to see how it works.  They may recreate what is in a picture.  These students do well with conventional school based literacy.

creative play - where students like to explore and experiment.  They may find new ways to use common materials.  These students may challenge you as they often do what you would least expect. 

conceptually oriented play - where the students are all about ideas.  They tend to focus on a topic of interest. Inquiry based science activities are recommended for these students.

Dr. Rowe's study concentrates on 2-3 year old children, but the findings are relevant for children that are older as well.  I would even argue that the findings apply beyond childhood.  Let me give you an example.  Recently, I had the opportunity to explore art materials for a class I am taking.  The class was given a list of supplies and an assignment to try out all the different materials and see what you could do.  I was at a loss.  I desperately wanted directions, something to guide me.  Without structure or guidance, I found little joy in the assignment.  Some of my classmates, on the other hand, found the freedom inspiring.  They relished in the ability to do whatever they wanted.  These are two very different perspectives on the same, seemingly fun, assignment.  And now that I've learned of Dr. Rowe's study, my feelings make more sense.  Even if I think back to my play as a child, I was definitely the one who reached for the picture to try and replicate the creation on the box.  While I can, and will, participate in other types of play, I most certainly prefer procedural play.   

 

So what are the implications?  Taking into account these different preferences toward play, we can use this information to engage students when it comes to literacy.  We must use a variety of activities to reach our students.  

Building on the ideas of Rasinski and Padak about teaching phonemic awareness and incorporating fun ways to keep them engaged, we can take into account our students' interests and tailor our activities accordingly.

Rasinski and Padak recommend Hinky Pinkies and tongue-twisters for students to "play with language" and "develop their sensitivity to sounds" (Rasinski & Padak, 2008). These are excellent examples of engaging activities that appeal to students' interests while serving a literary purpose. 

Socially oriented students would probably enjoy practicing tongue-twisters with their fellow classmates.  And those that are conceptually oriented would probably enjoy rhymes that involve whatever topic they are interest in at that point in time.  The Hinky Pinkies will satisfy those those that prefer procedural play with its structure, but the flexible nature of the game will also invite those that prefer creative play.   

To give students the best base for literacy learning, it is important for them to build phonemic awareness.  Why not engage them in their interests at the same time?  How much more of an impact would lessons have had for you if they provided the structure, or freedom, that you preferred?  That's what we need to take into the classrooms with us.  Connect with students' interests and make a lasting impression.   Even Betty Botter can make a better batter!