“A book for two”
Blending reading comprehension
strategy instruction and peer tutoring
Overview of the workshop
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction
Background
Innovative peer tutoring program
Research
At work …
Introduction
Getting acquainted …
• Participants of the
workshop
• Primary school
teachers
• Project team members
• Postgraduate students
• Department of
educational studies
Department of educational studies
http://www.onderwijskunde.ugent.be/en/index.htm
Department of educational studies
http://www.onderwijskunde.ugent.be/en/cv_vankeer.htm
Getting acquainted … some questions
• How satisfied are you about the general
language teaching and language policy
in your school/country?
• How satisfied are you about the actual
reading comprehension instruction in
your class/school/country?
0
10
Getting acquainted … points of view
• In reading comprehension instruction it is important to
give students a lot of reading opportunities. Only in this
way they can develop their reading skills.
• Reading comprehension is essentially an individual
matter. The students have to learn to read with
understanding themselves.
• The main task of the teacher in reading comprehension
classes is to evaluate the students’ understanding of
texts.
Background
Reading
• is important in our society
• is consequently one of the most
important learning processes in primary
school
• is however not trouble-free for all
children
• Persistent problems with reading comprehension
Misunderstandings regarding reading
• If children are able to decode words,
they understand the meaning of the
written information
Comprehension versus decoding?
Buzz session
If reading is more than decoding, what
other components are essential reading
skills?
Reading components
•
•
•
•
Alphabetics
Fluency
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Definition comprehension
Discovering the meaning and intention
behind written words, sentences, and
texts.
(Aarnoutse & Van Leeuwe, 2000)
Buzz session
Discovering the
meaning and
intention behind
written words,
sentences, and texts.
What exactly does that
mean?
Let’s unravel!
Read the article “What is
evidence-based reading
instruction?”.
Make sure you can react
on questions about it.
Buzz session
Let’s unravel!
What exactly did you
do while reading and
trying to understand
the text?
Reading strategies
Monitor & regulate
Before
Reading process
After
Reading strategies
Monitor & regulate
Before
Reading process
After
Reading strategies
Monitor & regulate
Reading strategies
Before
Reading process
After
(Meta)cognitive processes
• Reading strategies: Series of planned
cognitive activities, purposefully used by the
reader to understand a text better (Aarnoutse
& Verhoeven, 2003).
• Metacognitive processes: Processes that
have the reading act and the understanding
of the text as object: steering, monitoring,
and regulating reading behavior and
understanding
(Meta)cognitive processes
• Reading strategieën: Series of planned
cognitive activities, purposefully used by the
reader to understand a text better (Aarnoutse
• Before: Aim: preparing for reading the text
&• Verhoeven,
2003).
E.g. determining reading aim, tuning reading
• Metacognitive
processes:
Processes
that
approach, activating
prior knowledge,
…
the
reading
act&and
the understanding
• have
During:
Aim:
monitoring
regulating
understanding
of• the
as object:
steering,
monitoring
E.g. text
predicting,
distinguishing
main and
side issues,and
structuring,
schematizing,
adapting
reading pace,
regulating
reading
behavior
and
reflection on key words, …
understanding
• After: Aim: evaluating understanding
• E.g. reading aim reached?, integrating new
knowledge, summarizing, …
Buzz session
Let’s go back to the text
and the mentioned
reading strategies.
Categorize your applied
reading strategies into
strategies before, during,
or after reading.
Misunderstandings regarding reading
• If children are able to decode words,
they understand the meaning of the
written information
• All students ‘discover’ (meta)cognitive
reading strategies as tools for
enhancing reading comprehension
Misunderstandings regarding reading
• If children are able to decode words, they
understand the meaning of the written
information
• All students ‘discover’ (meta)cognitive
reading strategies as tools for enhancing
reading comprehension
• The teacher’s role in reading comprehension
instruction is limited to evaluating text
understanding
Traditional reading comprehension
instruction
• Students read a text
• Teacher asks questions
related to the content
• Students answer the
questions
• Teacher evaluates the
answers
• Hardly no instruction!
• Only 1% of the time related
to reading comprehension
instruction
Product-oriented reading instruction
Reading comprehension instruction
Needs more
• activity
• interaction
• engagement
of the students
Process-oriented reading instruction
Causes of reading comprehension
difficulties
•
•
•
•
Characteristics of the reader
Characteristics of the text
Characteristics of the context
Didactics
Characteristics of the reader
• Other reading components (alphabetics, fluency, vocabulary)
• Prior knowledge
• About the content of the text
• Linguistic knowledge
• Knowledge of strategies
•
•
•
WHAT: declarative knowledge
HOW: procedural knowledge
WHEN/WHY: conditional knowledge
• Interest
• Motivation
• Self-efficacy
Characteristics of the text
•
•
•
•
•
•
Difficulty
Type of text
Length
Structure
Predictability
Target group
• Close versus far from the students’ interest
Characteristics of the context
•
•
•
•
•
Task pressure
Time available
Setting
Noisiness
…
Didactics
Product-oriented
• Correct answer on
questions regarding
content
• Mainly evaluation,
seldom instruction
(Aarnoutse &
Verhoeven, 2003)
Process-oriented
• Reading strategies
• Instruction:
explaining, modeling,
discussing
(Aarnoutse &
Verhoeven, 2003)
Important elements in process-oriented
reading instruction
• Explicit instruction in
reading strategies
• Focus on (peer-led)
interaction about
texts
Explicit reading strategies instruction
Explicit strategy instruction is effective in
teaching students to apply reading strategies
(e.g., De Corte et al., 2001; Pressley, 2000; National Reading
Panel, 2000; Van Keer, 2004)
• Via scaffolding to self-regulation
• Combining different strategies: transfer effect
“True self-regulation is the product of years of
literacy experiences” (Brown et al., 1996)
Steps of explicit strategies instruction
I do
we do
•
•
•
•
Teacher explains what the strategy consists of.
Teacher explains why this strategy is important.
Teacher explains when to use the strategy in actual reading.
Teacher models how to perform the strategy in an actual context
(e.g. by doing a think-aloud using a real text) while students
observe.
• Teacher guides learner practice.
•
•
you do
Work through increasingly challenging examples using authentic texts
Teacher gradually releases responsibility to the students
• Students independently use the strategy as they pursue their own
reading and projects.
Buzz session
Have a look at the video
concerning “explicit instruction”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=N9leUP-yrW8&feature=related
• How do they define explicit
instruction?
• Why is it important?
• What are the preconditions?
Buzz session
Have a look at the video
concerning a lesson about
“making a summary”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=6h4q-bok644&feature=related
• Which approach does the
teacher use?
• What are the important
elements in here instruction?
• Link it to explicit instruction
• What are the preconditions for
this approach?
Peer-led interaction
Peer-led interaction on reading activities
promotes strategy use and comprehension
(e.g., Fuchs & Fuchs, 2000; Klingner et al., 1998)
• Interaction pattern “question teacher –
answer student – evaluation by teacher” 
passive student
• More activity of the students necessary
• Collaborative learning, peer tutoring, …
Collaborative learning - definition
Collaborative learning refers to a
teaching strategy in which pupils work
actively and purposefully together in
small groups, with the aim to enhance
both their own and their team mates’
learning (Ishler, Johnson, & Johnson,
1998).
Collaborative learning - definition
Collaborative learning can be defined
as a teaching strategy in which two or
more learners are expected to depend
on and be accountable for the own ànd
one another’s learning process
(Dillenbourg 1999).
Peer tutoring - definition
“a procedure in which one student
teaches another student a specific skill
or set of academic responses”
(Brady, 1997, p. 1)
Peer tutoring - definition
“a method of cooperative learning, based on
the creation of pairs of students, with an
asymmetrical relation and a common, known
and shared objective, which is achieved
through an externally planned framework”
(Duran & Monereo, 2005, p. 181).
Peer tutoring - definition
“people from similar social groupings
who are not professional teachers
helping each other to learn and
learning themselves by teaching”
(Topping, 1996, p. 32)
Peer tutoring - variants
Cross-age
Same-age
Theoretical background peer interaction
• Piaget
‣ interaction helps to “decenter”  other
perspectives
‣ socio-cognitive conflict
‣ “when two contrasting world views are
brought into contact, this is likely to stimulate
some cognitive restructuring, learning, and
improved understanding” (Mercer, 1996)
Theoretical background peer interaction
• Vygotsky
‣ Socio-cultural theory
‣ Co-operation
‣ transition from “interpersonal to intrapersonal
functioning”
‣ “learners having to explain ideas to each other is
useful because it encourages the development of a
more explicit, organized, distanced kind of
understanding” (Mercer, 1996)
Buzz session
A preview of peer tutoring in primary school
• What are the aims the teachers pursue with a Peer
Tutoring approach?
• What are the broader possibilities of this approach?
• How could you implement this approach in reading
comprehension classes?
• What are the difficulties you see?
• Which preconditions should be taken into account?
Unfortunately …
• Teaching of reading strategies for developing
comprehension is the exception rather than the
rule
(e.g., Aarnoutse & Weterings, 1995; Dole, 2000;
Pressley et al., 1998)
• Student-centered interaction is anything but
common practice
(e.g., Alvermann, 2000)
Buzz session
Have a close look at the handbooks, instruction manuals and reading
material you brought to the workshop.
• To what extent is explicit instruction in reading strategies present?
Illustrate with examples and counterexamples?
• Which reading strategies are taught (explicitly)? Declarative,
procedural, and conditional knowledge?
• Which didactical approaches are used to teach the reading
strategies (Thinking aloud? Modeling? …)
• Are their opportunities for peer interaction? In what way?
Collaborative learning? Peer tutoring? Other approaches? Illustrate
with examples and counterexamples?
Innovative
peer tutoring
program
Objective of our innovation
Bridging the gap between instructional practice and
research evidence indicating the possibilities of
explicit strategies instruction and peer interaction
about texts
‣ Developing and evaluating an instructional intervention
‣ In real classrooms
‣ In partnership between researchers and practioners
Characteristics of the intervention
• Explicit instruction in reading
comprehension strategies
• Class-wide cross-age peer tutoring
‣ 5th and 6th grade “tutors”
‣ 2nd and 3th grade “tutees”
‣ Working in pairs
Essential components in the program
•
•
•
•
•
Explicit instruction in reading strategies
Peer tutor training
Regular peer tutoring activities
Coaching and guidance by the teachers
Reflection
Explicit instruction in reading strategies
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Activating prior knowledge
Predictive reading and scanning texts
Distinguishing main issues from side-issues and summarizing
Monitoring and regulating the understanding of words
Monitoring and regulating comprehension in general
Classifying types of text
Representing texts schematically
Explicit instruction in reading strategies
• Explicit explanation
(what?, how?, when?)
• Modeling through thinking aloud
• Teacher-led whole-class practice
• Transfer from external monitoring
to self-regulation using strategy
assignment cards
‣ Steps
‣ Non text-specific questions
Explicit instruction in reading strategies
AERA 2007 • Fostering Reading Comprehension and Strategy Use
Hilde Van Keer & Ruben Vanderlinde • Department of Educational Studies • Ghent University
Activating prior knowledge
Important because it
helps students make
connections to the
new information they
will be learning.
e.g. Brainstorm
Predictive reading and scanning texts
• Predictive skills: for example,
predicting the content of an article
or from a headline or introduction.
• Scanning: We often read for
specific information. For example,
we look in a newspaper to find a
specific information.
• Skimming: This is where we read
for the gist of a text, we don’t
focus on every single word but are
just trying to get a general
understanding of the content.
Distinguishing main issues from sideissues and summarizing
Summarizing is how
we take larger
selections of text and
reduce them to their
bare essentials: the
gist, the key ideas,
the main points that
are worth noting and
remembering.
Distinguishing main issues from sideissues and summarizing
When you ask your students to
summarize, what usually
happens?
• they write down everything
• they write down next to nothing
• they give me complete
sentences
• they write way too much
• they don't write enough
• they copy word for word
What do you want them to do?
•
•
•
•
•
pull out main ideas
focus on key details
use key words and phrases
break down the larger ideas
write only enough to convey
the gist
• take succinct but complete
notes
Monitoring and regulating understanding
of words
Unravelling the meaning of
for the text relevant words
and expressions
• Dictionary
• Online
• Examples, descriptions,
illustrations
• Talk about it with peers,
teacher, …
Monitoring and regulating comprehension
in general
• Students who are good
at monitoring their
comprehension know
when they understand
what they read and when
they do not.
• They have strategies to
"fix" problems in their
understanding as the
problems arise.
Monitoring and regulating comprehension
in general
Comprehension monitoring
and regulating instruction
teaches students to:
• Be aware of what they do
understand
• Identify what they do not
understand
• Use appropriate strategies
to resolve problems in
comprehension
Classifying types of text
E.g.
• Informational text
• Narrative text
• Expository text
• Argumentative
text
Different aims of the writer Different goals of the reader
Representing texts schematically
Looking for relations
in the text and
visualizing these:
• Cause – result
• Categories
• Sequence
• …
Representing texts schematically
Concept map
Mind Map
Integration of the strategies
• Practicing the
combination of
different strategies
• On different types of
texts
• In different situations
and classes
• Leading to real selfregulation
Integration of the strategies
Reading and strategy
logs
Buzz session
In our program, we selected 7 different reading
strategies.
For this buzz session, you will work in groups. Select
with your group 1 of the 7 strategies. Make sure that
each strategy will be selected by one group.
Buzz session
Prepare the explicit instruction in the strategy your group selected.
• Which materials will you use?
• What will you say?
• What will you do?
• What do you expect the students to say/do?
Use the steps of explicit strategies instruction as a guideline
In role play you will exercise the application of the explicit instruction.
One of your group’s member will take on the teacher role. The other
groups take on the role of students.
Essential components in the program
•
•
•
•
•
Explicit instruction in reading strategies
Peer tutor training
Regular peer tutoring activities
Coaching and guidance by the teachers
Reflection
Peer tutor preparation
•
•
•
•
Get acquainted with tutor role
How to show interest in the tutee
How to start and finish a tutor session
Dealing with (tutees’ and one’s own)
mistakes
• How to give feedback and reinforcement
• How to offer explanations and assistance
• Questioning
• Scaffolding
Peer tutor preparation
Group discussion
Role play
Games
Peer tutor preparation
Meeting the tutees
‣ 5th/6th grade meets
2nd/3th grade
‣ Tutor meets tutee
Peer tutor preparation
Becoming a good
tutor
• takes time
• does not end
after preparatory
lessons!
Teachers have to
stimulate reflection
on the actual
tutoring sessions
Peer tutoring preparation
Thougth about a
peer tutor certificate?
Buzz session
Have a look at the tips
for tutors provided in
the book “Tutoring
Matters: Everything
You Always Wanted to
Know About How to
Tutor (Rabow, Chin, &
Fahimian, 1999)”
• Are all the tips clear
for you?
• Try to complete the
list of tips with 3
additional tips!
Essential components in the program
•
•
•
•
•
Explicit instruction in reading strategies
Peer tutor training
Regular peer tutoring activities
Coaching and guidance by the teachers
Reflection
Peer tutoring activities
• To practise the reading
strategies
• In fixed cross-age dyads
• Weekly face-to-face peer
tutoring sessions
• Structured by using
strategy cards
• With a clear helping
relation between a tutor
and a tutee
Peer tutoring activities
• Practise strategy per
strategy
Reading
Motivation
‣ Selected texts by the
teacher or researcher
‣ Free texts chosen by
the children
• Integrating all
reading strategies
True self-regulation
Blending peer tutoring and strategies
Monitor & regulate
Reading strategies
Before
Reading process
After
How to choose a book?
• Learning to choose a book is a process!
• You can teach children to do this successfully by means of some
guiding questions
•
•
•
•
•
•
What are you looking for?
Which writers do you like?
Who wrote this book?
What do you think it is about?
Did you read the back flap? Was it interesting? Do you think you will like it?
Read the first page. Is it to difficult? Is it to easy?
• Teach the children to ask those questions themselves
• Model!
Essential components in the program
•
•
•
•
•
Explicit instruction in reading strategies
Peer tutor training
Regular peer tutoring activities
Coaching and guidance by the teachers
Reflection
Buzz session
Everyone knows how important the role of the
teacher is! This is even more true for peer-led
activities!
Have a short two by two brainstorm about the role
of the teacher:
• Before the peer tutoring sessions
• During the peer tutoring sessions
• After the peer tutoring sessions
Coaching and guidance by the teachers
Before peer tutoring sessions
• Introduce peer tutoring
• Peer tutor training
• Explicit instruction reading
strategies
• Match peer tutoring dyads
• Provide and select reading
materials
Match peer tutoring dyads
• Reading level
• Temperament & character
• Siblings are difficult (brothers/sisters)
Reading materials
What
• School library?
• Public library
• School books
• Journals
• Newspapers
• Developing materials
yourselves?
How
• Varied choice
• Accessible
• Pleasantly and
conveniently
arranged
• Different types of
texts
Coaching and guidance by the teachers
During peer tutoring sessions
• Helping and coaching the
peer tutoring dyads
• Modeling reading strategy
use and tutor skills
Coaching and guidance by the teachers
After peer tutoring sessions
• Stimulating reflection and
optimization in group
discussions
• Adjusting future sessions
(repeating strategies,
selecting alternative
material, …)
Other types of reading promotion
Reading out loud for
the students
Individualized free
reading
Other types of reading promotion
Classroom and/or school library
Other types of reading promotion
Keeping reading logs
Other types of reading promotion
Advices or book tips from one student to another
Other types of reading promotion
Books discussion
groups
Taking books home
Essential components in the program
•
•
•
•
•
Explicit instruction in reading strategies
Peer tutor training
Regular peer tutoring activities
Coaching and guidance by the teachers
Reflection
Reflection
• After each peer tutoring session
• Goal: adjusting following sessions
• Based on students’ experiences
• Based on teachers’ observations
• About the use of reading strategies
• About tutor skills
• About what went good/wrong, difficulties,
opportunities, examples of good practice, …
Tutor preparation
Explicit instruction in reading strategies
Peer tutoring
Reflection
Buzz session
Have a look at the video concerning
peer tutoring:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wJd
3HjLFlQ
•
•
•
•
Which components from our own
peer tutoring program do you see in
this American program?
What are the difficulties you see?
Which preconditions should be taken
into account?
Which effects of peer tutoring are
mentioned?
Research
Peer tutoring … promising!
•
Broadly applicable
‣ diverse age groups
‣ diverse disciplines
•
Better learning results and performance
• Positive evolution social and emotional
functioning
‣ self-image
‣ social relations
‣ attitude towards the discipline
Research
Effect studies
Process studies
WHAT is realized by
means of the
intervention?
HOW are the effects
exactly realized?
E.g. (Quasi-)
experiments
E.g. Interaction
analysis, observation
Design effect studies
• Quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design
• Large-scale
‣ 25 schools (study 1 & 2: Grade 2 + grade 5) 15 schools (study 3: Grade 3 + Grade 6)
‣ 44 teachers - 39 teachers
‣ 898 pupils - 762 pupils
• Long-term intervention study
‣ November-May
Participants effect studies
2nd - 3th grade
Exp.
Contr.
Control group
• Teacher-led whole-class
• Comprehension-check
after reading texts
• No explicit instruction
• No peer interaction on
texts
5th - 6th grade
Exp.
Contr.
Instruments effect studies
Among other things:
• Index of Reading Awareness (Jacobs & Paris, 1987)
‣
‣
‣
‣
Conditional knowledge
Planning
Regulation
Evaluation
• Reading Strategy Use (Pereira-Laird & Deane, 1997)
‣ Metacognitive strategy use
‣ Cognitive strategy use
• Motivation for Reading Questionnaire (Wigfield & Guthrie, 1995)
• Standardized reading comprehension tests (Staphorsius &
Krom, 1996)
Data analysis effect studies
Multilevel analysis with 2 levels
‣ Pupil (level 1)
‣ Class (level 2)
Stepwise procedure
‣ Null-model
‣ Explanatory variables (gender, pretests)
‣ Effects of experimental conditions
Results effect studies
3th grade
Awareness
6th grade
Awareness
‣ Conditional knowledge
‣ Planning
‣ Regulation
‣ Evaluation
‣ Conditional knowledge
‣ Planning
‣ Regulation
‣ Evaluation
Reading strategy use
Reading strategy use
Reading comprehension
Reading comprehension
E.g. results reading comprehension
53
51
49
47
Control group
45
43
STRAT + CA
41
39
37
35
pretest
posttest
retention test
STRAT + SA
Why does it work?
Instruction in strategies
Peer tutoring
Interaction
in dyads
Goal-oriented
practice
More active
learning time
Positive
self-image
Less negative
Attributions/thoughts
Improved reading
comprehension
Design process study
Interaction in peer tutoring dyads
• Cross-age tutoring (grade 2 + 5)
• Same-age tutoring (grade 2/grade 5)
Participants process study
CA
SA2
SA5
Low achievers
4 dyads
18 recordings
3 dyads
12 recordings
2 dyads
9 recordings
High
achievers
4 dyads
18 recordings
3 dyads
12 recordings
2 dyads
8 recordings
Coding scheme process study
Analysis
‣ Fixed intervals (5 seconds)
‣ Based on coding scheme
6 categories
•
•
•
•
•
•
Non codeable
Off-task
Administrative routines
Reading and monitoring reading behavior
Assignment cards
Interaction
Coding scheme process study Interaction
• Affective interaction
• Regulative interaction
• Cognitive interaction
‣
‣
‣
‣
‣
‣
‣
Tutor questions
Responses tutees
Tutees’ mistakes and search for help
Tutors give help
Tutees accept or question help
Self corrections
Comments
Results process study
63.8
70
Occurrence (%)
60
50
40
30
20.8
20
10
11
7.1
0.1
1.5
Off-task
Administrative
routine
0
Uncodeable
Reading
Interaction
Completing
assignment cards
Results process study –
Cognitive interaction
28.21
Occurrence (%)
30
25.5
25
18.47
20
15
14.32
8.06
10
5
3.35
2.13
Accepting or
questioning
help
Selfcorrections
0
Asking
questions
Answ ering
questions
Mistakes,
asking for help
Giving help
Commenting
Results process study – Tutor
questions
50.00
43.97
45.00
Occurrence (%)
40.00
35.00
30.00
Spontaneaous
25.00
Assignment
17.72
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
7.38
9.48
6.61
3.54
3.16
3.54
3.74
0.86
0.00
Review
questions
Thinking
questions
Probing
questions
Hint questions Metacognitive
questions
Results process study – Tutor help
60
49.93
Occurrence (%)
50
40
30
21.64
23.92
20
10
1.4
0.75
2.37
0
No help
Indicating
Providing thinking
incomprehension
time
High-level
elaboration
Low -level
elaboration
No elaboration
Results process study (M)ANCOVA
No significant differences
‣ Off-task
‣ Administrative routines
‣ Reading and monitoring reading behavior
‣ Assignment cards
Significant difference: Interaction: CA > SA
Occurrence of interaction
Results process study – Occurrence
interaction
140
120
100
80
60
Condition
40
20
CA
SA 2
0
-20
SA 5
1
2
Recording occasion
3
4
5
Results process study – Spontaneous
tutor questions
30
20
10
Condition
0
CA
SA 2
-10
SA 5
1
2
Recording occasion
3
4
5
At work
Buzz session
At this moment, you received all the necessary
information and practice to create your program blending
peer tutoring and reading comprehension strategies
instruction!
• Work in groups of 4 to create a draft version of a
program for your institution.
• Use the “Create your own…” guideline to develop your
program!
• Present it to the other teams!