Applying Research to Reading Instruction: What’s Next?
Timothy ShanahanUniversity of Illinois at [email protected]
Why research?
• Lack of growth in reading achievement in more than 3 decades: need to do better
• Deep divisions in the profession: must have way to solve disagreements
• Higher accountability demands: greater need for certainty
Settling the Reading Wars
• The National Reading Panel: a public review of research
• Nature of acceptable evidence• Findings become the basis of public
standards: Reading First
However,
• NRP findings are not yet in place• RF Implementation Study: Not much
change in comprehension instruction in RF
• ETR Survey (ETR): many teachers still unaware of SBRR
• NCTQ study on teacher education• Let’s do a quick review of NRP…
Phonemic Awareness
• Studies show that young children need to learn to hear the separable sounds within words
• PA is not phonics• Teachers need to know how to
teach PA (and they need to be able to distinguish the sounds in words)
Phonics
• Studies show that phonics gives young children (K-2) a clear benefit in learning to read
• Phonics instruction needs to be systematic• Teachers need to know how to
teach phonics and they need to provide a substantial amount of phonics in early grades and in remedial interventions
Oral reading fluency
• Studies show that teaching students to read aloud fluently improves reading achievement
• Fluency instruction requires oral reading practice with repetition and feedback
• Teachers need to provide substantial fluency instruction
• Cleveland study
Vocabulary (word meaning)
• Studies show that explicit teaching of word meanings improves reading achievement
• Teachers need to provide substantial vocabulary instruction
• NELP panel findings• NLP panel findings
Reading comprehension
• Studies show that teaching reading comprehension strategies improves reading achievement
• Strategies instruction is more than comprehension practice
• Teachers need to provide substantial amounts of comprehension instruction
• Are strategies necessary?
Why do we need to get beyond those points?
• Those five things are essential, but there are many other issues in the teaching of reading
• There has not been a sufficient continuous federal effort to keep the research picture updated (new panel coming)
Importance of time
• Amount of instruction is the number one determinant of school learning
• Need to ensure that teachers spend sufficient amounts of time teaching reading and writing
• Schools are finding ways for providing more time
Need for Greater Literacy Effort in Pre-K and K
• Importance of alphabetic code including phonological sensitivity, letter names, print awareness, oral language and no difference pre-K and K (NELP)
• More explicit idea of vocabulary knowledge (NELP, in process)
• Oregon evaluation of all-day K• NELP: positive findings for phonological
and print instruction, reading to kids, parent efforts, preschool, and oral language
• ERF study due in fall
Greater focus on content area reading
• What are we preparing kids for?• The ACT study• Greater attention to content
reading instructionCarnegie projects
Need for greater ELL effort
• ELL students are a growing population, and as a group they have lower comprehension
• They often match first language students on basic skills
• The elements work, but not as well as they do with first language students
• Need for vocabulary and comprehension efforts (intensity)
Need for writing instruction
• Writing is a key element of literacy
• Research is clear that writing instruction (not just practice) can raise reading achievement
• Many aspects of reading benefit from the greater intensity of writing instruction
Need for on-going professional development• Most neglected finding in NRP was that
professional development for teachers led to higher reading achievement for students
• NCTQ study (Philadelphia, etc.)• Successful districts do more than
buy programs—they make sure teachers can use programs effectively
Conclusion
• We’ll never make progress in reading achievement until we rigorously apply research findings
• But that isn’t a static process
• Research evidence needs to continue to accumulate for continued improvement