Fostering Academic Literacy
Engagement:
Meeting CCSS Expectations
John T. Guthrie
University of Maryland
Challenges of
Common Core State Standards
• Cognitive--▫
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▫
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Complex texts
Disciplines of science, history, literature
Close reading; knowledge building
Reasoning, integration, vocabulary
• Motivation and engagement
▫ Extensive reading
▫ Confidence, interest, beliefs
▫ Reduce disengagement
Challenges
• More complex reading requires more
engagement.
• Engagement and motivation increase
achievement, now and in the FUTURE.
Motivation and Engagement
• Medical Regeneration
Heart becomes self-healing
• Reading Engagement
Student becomes self-improving
Self Improving System
Extended self-improvement (growth after inst)
Generated by:
• Engagement – teacher ratings (Guthrie-Wig. ‘08)
• Motivation self reported (Morgan & Fuchs ‘07)
• Time spent reading self-reported (Becker ‘10)
Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction:
Motivation Practices--Alignment
Student
Motivations
1. Self-efficacy
2. Interest
3. Interest
4. Valuing
5. Peer
interaction
6. Safety presumed
Classroom
Practices
1. Success
2. Choices
3. Relevance
4. Theme
5. Collaboration
Challenges
• Classroom practices can increase engagement.
• Classroom practices can lead to disengagement
and avoidance.
• Challenge—what is the structure of teaching for
engagement toward the CCSS?
General Lesson Plan
for Engagement toward CCSS
1. Concepts
2. Text selection
3. Motivation support
4. Reading strategy
5. Common Core State Standardsbased task
Concepts
Concept — Abstract representation of events,
motives, interactions, causes, such as:
 symbiosis
 military conflict
 slavery
 deception
 reconciliation
 not a person (Abraham Lincoln), single event
(Battle of Antietam), specific insect (dragonfly)
Text Selection
Information text refers to written language of
non-narrative form in paper or electronic
versions such as:
• Emancipation Proclamation
• Biography of Harriet Tubman
• Science chapter on symbiosis
• Diagram of photosynthesis
• Letter from Louisa May Alcott
Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction:
Motivation Practices--Success
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•
•
•
Providing texts that are readable
Videos that support text comprehension
Peer or teacher feedback regarding success
Students' recognition of their own content
knowledge expertise
• Students' recognition of using reading strategies
to read well
• Setting realistic goals for texts and tasks
Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction:
Motivation Practices--Choice
• Self-selection of books or sections of books
• Student input into topics or sequence of topics
• Student input into strategy use for
comprehension
• Options for demonstrating learning
• Selecting partners or teams
• Micro Choices daily
Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction:
Motivation Practices--Relevance
• Observational activities linked to text
▫ Hands on science
▫ Videos of science phenomena
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•
•
•
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Connecting reading to experience
Relating text to background knowledge
Matching text to students’ interests
Multicultural content
Setting real world purposes for reading
Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction:
Motivation Practices—Importance in theme
• Recognize reading as a useful knowledge
building activity
• Explain how reading helps in understanding the
world around us
• Importance of learning from information text
• Show how text answers key questions
• Identify text as Source of writing, explaining,
debating, poster design
• Classroom benefits today
Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction:
Motivation Practices--Collaboration
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•
•
•
•
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Reading in partners or small groups
Exchanging ideas, sharing expertise
Student-led discussion groups, book talks
Team projects, such as a poster
Peer conferencing and feedback
Roles for discussion: lead, add, summarize.
Motivation Support
• Teachers’ Guide
1. Plan
2. Announce
3. Scaffold
4. Debrief
Study 1
Study 1
Study 2
CORI and Traditional
Reading/LA
• 1000 grade 7 students
• 20 teachers
• 6 weeks---April-June, 2010
• PD = three half-days
Study 3
Percentage
Correct
ITC
57
56
55
CORI first
TI first
54
53
Time 1
Time 2
Time 3
Study 4
• Baker, L. (plus 7): International Electronic Journal of
Elementary Education, 2011, 4(1), 197-227.
• Grades 2-4-- 220 students
• Infusion of 66 information books/classroom;
Professional Development –balance & search
• Results
▫ No increase in reading comprehension
▫ Declines in motivation
▫ Declines in amount of reading
• My Conclusion? Motivate your students.
Study 5: 105 U.S. Top High schools
• Reading Comprehension of 15 Yr.
• PISA – 2009: Shanghai, South Korea
• 105 comparable USA schools
• 3 case studies
How are the top schools distinctive?
“Middle Class or Middle of the Pack?”
Jon Schnur, America Achieves.
http://www.americaachieves.org/docs/OECD/Middle-Class-Or-Middle-Of-Pack.pdf
Study 5: 105 U.S. Top High schools
• Data-driven and transparent
▫ learning outcomes
▫ “soft skills like completing work on time,
resilience, perseverance and punctualit
• Principal and instructional leaders
emphasize
 “student attentiveness and effective
questioning”
 concrete and specific direction
Research:
Reviews on Motivation Support
• Institute for Education Sciences – K-2
• Institute for Education Sciences –Adolescent
• Christensen, et al (2012) Handbook of Research
in Student Engagement (800 pages)
• Guthrie, et al, In Christensen, et al 2012
• Becker, et.al. (2010). JEP, 102, 773-786
• PISA, 2009;
http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/48852630.pdf
• www.CORILearning.com -for power points
Professional Development
• CORI---3 half-days;
▫ Target motivation & engagement practices,
texts, strategies
• Build Interdisciplinary Units
▫ Follow guidelines on IRA website.
• Sullo, 2009. The motivated student: Unlocking
the enthusiasm for learning. ASCD.
• Policy: Engagement as school goal; teacher
planning time; teacher quality
Closing points
• Boosting engagement fosters present and
FUTURE achievement.
• Teachers can have it all--by balancing all.
▫ Standards (25%), Texts (25%),
▫ Strategies (25%), and Engagement (25%)
• School policy for engagement is imperative;
teacher quality is re-conceptualized.