By George Vaites
Career and technical education (CTE) has enormous potential to develop the reading proficiency levels of its students. Significant strides toward this goal can be made through simple, yet fundamental, changes in teaching practices.
The decision to claim responsibility to improve the reading skills of students can be a difficult move for any program. Even more arduous, identifying a plan of action that addresses reading deficiencies can be downright perplexing. Ponder for a moment some of the available options that can be pursued.
The publishing market is a typical starting point. The lure of a ?research-based? program that guarantees success is nearly irresistible. A sales consultant who seemingly has the answers to the reading ills of your school is very enticing.
What about the latest software program that promises to customize practice to individual skill levels? Perhaps a 15- or 20-minute daily segment is all that is necessary to significantly improve your school?s test scores.
Undoubtedly, there are countless programs and remedial tools that are available for the purpose of improving reading skills. Learning about these choices can be a daunting task, while deciphering their claims of research (funny, they all seem to be successful) can be equally challenging. The issue, though, is not finding a prepackaged quick fix. Rather, what can be done differently in the CTE classroom to advance students toward reading proficiency?
Increasing the amount of time students engage in reading during the school day is absolutely critical to any attempt at improving reading achievement. Before pursuing ?solutions,? administrators and teachers should first reflect on the volume of reading completed by their students.
Take a moment to consider the amount of time your students spend reading in a given day or in a one-week period. More likely than not, this time is miniscule and, in some cases, completely lacking. Can reading improvement honestly be expected in this scenario?
Developing the ability to read well can be compared to nearly any other skill or activity. A novice golfer will greatly improve his game by playing more golf. Culinary skills grow each time a new dish is prepared. Bands perfect a song by playing it repeatedly. Reading takes no exception.
While some CTE students falter with reading, most are able to decode basic text and apply effort toward comprehension. Above anything else, this group needs significant time to practice the skill of reading in order to move forward. Is there a better vehicle for this trip than the mere act of reading itself?
Richard Allington, a researcher from the University of Florida, discussed the strong connection between reading volume and reading achievement in his 2001 book entitled What Really Matters for Struggling Readers. In citing the Anderson, Wilson and Fielding study of 1988, he compared the number of minutes that fifth grade students read in a day to their scores on a reading achievement test. Impressively, those who read 40.4 minutes per day scored on the 90th percentile. Pupils who read 12.9 minutes per day fell on the 50th percentile. Finally, those students who read 1.6 minutes per day fell on the 10th percentile.
In this book, Allington states, ?Everyone has heard the proverb: Practice makes perfect. In learning to read it is true that reading practice?just reading?is a powerful contributor to the development of accurate, fluent, high-comprehension reading. In fact, if I were required to select a single aspect of the instructional environment to change, my first choice would be creating a schedule that supported dramatically increased quantities of reading during the school day.?
Many educators tend to overlook the correlation between reading achievement and the amount of reading volume. Instead, there appears to be an obsession with finding the one program that will magically turn around every non-proficient reading score with little inconvenience to the status quo. While the pursuit of this mythical anecdote will likely continue, it does not change the indisputable fact that most lower-achieving readers spend little time engaged in reading, and most higher-achieving readers do just the opposite. Acknowledging this, the first step to take on the path towards reading proficiency is to increase the quantity of student reading. The question of the day then, is how?
CTE teachers can substantially increase the volume of student reading by incorporating content literacy into the classroom. Content literacy, sometimes referred to as content area reading, uses the components of the reading process (reading, writing, listening and speaking) as tools for learning.
But why should a CTE teacher be concerned with content literacy? Simply put, it can be a powerful ally to educators who teach complex and highly technical concepts. When students read, write and communicate about their trades, vocabularies are significantly expanded and the scope of knowledge deepened. Integrated into the existing format of contextual learning, content literacy can feverishly aid the effort to become more academically rigorous.
A family and consumer sciences teacher, for example, needs to cover cognitive development as part of a child growth and development unit. Using content literacy, the teacher locates a relevant magazine article or textbook chapter for reading and uses this as a basis for instruction. However, the piece is not assigned for students to passively read. Instead, the teacher incorporates various writing, listening and speaking activities, which are integrated before, during and after the article is read. Greatly improving student learning, these methods also provide comprehension support to readers.
Content literacy, when done with quality, requires that readers are actively engaged with the text that is being presented. This is in stark contrast to the common method of utilizing reading in the secondary classroom. Typically, a reading assignment includes a textbook chapter along with corresponding lower-level questions.
The downside to the traditional assignment is significant. Most textbooks are at a higher readability level than their designated grade. Simply telling students to read a section without any instructional support will likely cause readers, even those who are more capable, to flounder. This often results in assignments that are incomplete or done with minimal effort. Here, teacher and student become utterly frustrated, and both derive little, if any, value from reading as an instrument for learning.
CTE teachers are not expected to transform into the reading specialist role and acquire additional duties as they implement content literacy. Instead, they capitalize on the benefits of active learning to improve student learning while simultaneously providing increased reading opportunities.
Sitting among the hills of western Pennsylvania is Lenape Technical School, a comprehensive CTE program for juniors and seniors. The faculty of Lenape is diligently working to meet the needs of the student body, and included in this effort is a school-wide initiative to improve reading skills.
Todd Luke, a faculty member who has taught precision machining for 11 years, is one teacher who has embraced this effort. After encountering a professional development seminar conducted by Mark Forget of M.A.X. Teaching, Luke?s approach to instruction was dramatically changed. By listening to Forget?s message about the positive effects of content literacy strategies for both learning and reading, Luke was clearly inspired. When Forget modeled some of his ideas in a coaching visit, he was a born-again teacher.
Throughout the winter and spring months of the past school year, Luke toyed with the different reading and teaching methods he had discovered through M.A.X. Teaching. In a class period last May, he demonstrated his success by conducting a lesson where he taught a machining concept and also gave his students precious time to read.
During this period, Luke wanted his junior class to learn about tapers, or how to converge and hold metal together. Avoiding the temptation to first tell his students what they should know, Luke attempted to have his students grapple with the topic. He did this through a textbook chapter and the use of content literacy strategies.
?What do you know about tapers?? Luke asked his class in a serious tone. It is clear that he commanded respect from his students and exuded confidence in their abilities. Almost without hesitation, hands were raised and several students shared their knowledge. Luke recorded these statements in the first part of a K-W-L chart (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned).
The next phase of Luke?s lesson is what he refers to as a guided preview. Directions were given to skim through the chapter with the purpose of getting a sense for the major concepts and vocabulary to be presented. Students noted the headings, boldface print, and the different pictures and graphics. At times, Luke posed a question about a term and then demonstrated thinking skills by articulating his thoughts. Other times, students anxiously raised their hands to comment or question.
Energy was clearly buzzing in this machine shop as students discussed tapers. As a final step before reading, Luke asked the young men what they would like to learn while reading this chapter. After recording their responses in the middle section of the K-W-L chart, Luke instructed them to read with the purpose of finding the answers to the class?s questions.
Luke had essentially placed a roadmap in front of his students to use while proceeding through the text. This action cannot be overstated as an effective reading and teaching method. For readers, especially those who are weak, this is one of many support mechanisms that will be offered during the lesson to guide reading comprehension as well as content acquisition.
Each student read the chapter silently. However, Luke broke this into segments according to the sections of the chapter. At each interval, students paused to reflect on the material that had just been read. Working in pairs, one student verbally summarized the section while the other listened critically to ensure understanding had taken place for both parties. Students were encouraged to reread the passage for clarification if necessary. After each segment, the roles of listener and speaker were reversed.
Luke proactively moved around the room, monitored conversation, and even answered a question or two. Like a conductor of an orchestra, he merely provided the tempo for the class to follow. The music?or learning?was being performed by the students.
As the class finished the assigned reading, Luke revisited the K-W-L chart and elicited responses for the What I Learned section. Students offered answers to the questions that were originally asked by the class. A few additional thoughts were offered as well.
As a closure, students were given five minutes to write a summary on tapers. The purpose of this task was for them to convey what they knew and what they learned during the exercise. Writing had to be neat and punctuation correct, though the focus was clearly on content. If necessary, the textbook could be consulted. When completed, the assignment was collected and evaluated.
Luke?s lesson represents the foundation of what is known as content literacy. During this period he thoroughly covered an important concept from his curriculum through reading, writing, listening and speaking activities. By taking this route, student learning was greatly enhanced while reading comprehension was fostered. Furthermore, students were given precious time to practice the skill of reading.
As student John Rehak testified, ?I hate to read. I used to never read anything. Now I can read something and get more out of it.?
In addition to increased student reading through content literacy, there are other issues and challenges of particular importance that should be a part of any initiative to improve reading skills.
Providing teachers with a broad overview of the reading process is paramount. The purpose here is to help teachers become more efficient with the use of content literacy. For example, knowledge that comprehension occurs before, during and after reading is essential to the successful use of content literacy.
A challenge that must be tackled is the type of reading material found in the classroom, and its respective reading level. Students benefit little from text that is too difficult or at their frustration level. To combat this, teachers can make the effort to build classroom libraries that consist of various written work. Magazines, newspapers and trade publications are all possible options. Here an emphasis is placed on locating documents that differ in reading level as well as attract student interest.
CTE can play a significant role in moving students toward reading proficiency. Indeed, there are numerous considerations to make when pursuing this goal and developing a school-wide plan. However, the foundation of proficient reading scores is built on the amount of time students spend reading. For an impact to be made in the context of CTE, reading must become an integral part of the learning process. This can be accomplished in large part through content literacy. George Vaites recently completed a master?s program in reading at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. As part of his studies, he also completed an internship for the state education department?s Bureau of Career and Technical Education. In this role, he assisted with the Improving Literacy Through Career and Technical Education initiative. A former elementary school teacher, he is currently pursuing a doctorate with an emphasis in language and literacy at the Pennsylvania State University.
Books and Professional Development Resources
Dr. Mark Forget
www.maxteaching.com
6857 T.R. 215 Findlay, Ohio 45840
Phone #: 404-441-7008
Penn Literacy Network
www.gse.upenn.edu/pln/
Graduate School of Education
3700 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6216
What Really Matters for Struggling Readers: Designing Research-Based Programs, by Richard L. Allington; ISBN #: 0-321-06396-1; Copyright 2001; Published by Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, Inc.
Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If Not Me, Then Who? (2nd Edition), by Rachel Billmeyer and Mary Lee Barton; ISBN #: 1-893476-05-7; Copyright 2002; Published by McREL.
