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U-CAN READ is a parent education program aimed at developing children's literacy skills by providing parents and carers with ideas, knowledge and support. It is a joint project of ACT Department of Employment and Training and the University of Canberra. Parents are educated in ways to support their children at home as well as given one-to-one assistance by a literacy advisor for up to twelve weeks.
U-CAN READ is a parent education program aimed at developing children's literacy skills by providing parents and carers with ideas, knowledge and support. It is a joint project of ACT Department of Employment and Training and the University of Canberra. Parents are educated in ways to support their children at home as well as given one-to-one assistance by a literacy advisor for up to twelve weeks.
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U-CAN READ is a parent education program aimed at developing children's literacy skills by providing parents and carers with ideas, knowledge and support. It is a joint project of ACT Department of Employment and Training and the University of Canberra. Parents are educated in ways to support their children at home as well as given one-to-one assistance by a literacy advisor for up to twelve weeks.
Copyright:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Formati disponibili
Scarica in formato PDF, TXT o leggi online su Scribd
U-CAN READ: Literacy intervention in years 3 10: A
Macro/micro vision of a parent education program.
Kaye Lowe, Debbie Martens, Kelly Hannett | University of Canberra
Collaborating with parents to support the literacy success of their children could be the best available option we have for reaching those students too often regarded as 'falling through the gaps'. The research literature stresses we still have a long way to go in educating parents effectively and also in addressing the needs of struggling readers in the middle years. Cunningham and Allington, (2003) point out that most parents are unsure of how to teach reading or help their children with literacy development. Research by Senechal (2006) involving 1174 families highlights the positive impact of parental involvement on children's reading acquisition. He explains that when parents were taught specific literacy skills to use with their children, the programs were twice as effective as those where parents listened to their children read and six times more effective than those where parents were encouraged to read to their children. In addition, Project ROAR (Reach Out And Read) indicates that parents are eager to help their children and when instructed in appropriate literacy activities can positively affect the academic progress of their children (Gilliam et al, 2004).
U-CAN READ is a parent education program aimed at developing children's literacy skills by providing parents and carers with ideas, knowledge and support. It is a unique program for the following reasons: 1. It is a joint project of ACT Department of Employment and Training and the University of Canberra and housed in The National Capital Centre for Literacy Research (NCCLR). 2. It is specifically tailored to meet the needs of students in Years 3-10. With the emphasis of most intervention programs on the early years, according to Wasik (2004) few parent programs address the needs of children in the primary grades and beyond. 3. It provides a multi-dimensional approach to literacy intervention. Parents are educated in ways to support their children at home as well as given one-on-one assistance by a literacy advisor for up to twelve weeks following the seminars. Through a series of five two-hour seminars over five weeks and one reflective session, parents 2 are given knowledge and strategies to support their children at home. Parents are empowered to be the supporters of literacy success.
The Literacy Centre operates five days a week with extended hours depending on the needs of families. A minimum of eighty families are catered for annually. U-CAN READ is based on current best practices in literacy interventions and research in parent education. Currently, U- CAN READ employs a Director, two literacy advisors and an administrative assistant. The literacy advisors are experienced literacy teachers employed by ACT Department of Education and Training and in what follows they describe their experiences of working with middle years students in the program.
U-CAN READ works in partnership with teachers, parents and children. In order to attend U- CAN READ, students must be: enrolled in Years 3 10; experiencing reading difficulties; enrolled in ACT schools; referred by a principal or school counsellor.
U-CAN READ operates on a number of guiding principles. The program aims to: 1. Support parents to work collaboratively with their children and NCCLR staff for literacy success; 2. Demonstrate and model literacy strategies that are evidence-based, self-sustaining and supportive of life-long readers; 3. Respect and accommodate the knowledge, experience and diverse literacy backgrounds and experiences of parents, children and families; 4. Support parents and children to build relationships that enhance successful learning; 5. Provide a quality and professional education program based on up-to-date international research; 6. Make available quality literacy resources in an environment that is conducive to learning; 7. Monitor students' progress using a variety of assessments.
3 The following descriptions are based on the experiences of two literacy advisers Debbie and Kelly - as they reflect on their work with the parents and students that they work with and the strategies used to bridge the literacy gap for these middle years students. Debbie I have fourteen years teaching experience from kindergarten to year six. During that time I taught a number of children who struggled with learning to read. My concern for these children was that when compared to their peers, their future educational opportunities were limited. I was also worried that their self-esteem and enthusiasm for learning was diminishing as the years progressed. When the opportunity arose to be a part of the U-CAN READ program at the University of Canberra I jumped at it. I saw it as an opportunity to support struggling readers. It was a way for me to research the reading process in a microcosm with children who were finding it difficult. I wanted to know why they were struggling and how best to help them. I was also keen to help their parents. Students I am the literacy advisor to a group of seven middle years children, one girl and six boys. Parent concern, school recommendation and scoring below average at reading on school assessments were the prime reasons for these students being referred to U-CAN READ. In Kayla's case, her mother instigated the process of referral because Kayla had scored at least one band below the benchmark of her NAPLAN results in Year 5 for reading, writing and spelling. Henry's mother was concerned about D's and E's on his report. Michael scored three bands below the average for his year level in reading. Many of the parents and children had sought out other options including dyslexia centres, behavioural assessments by specialists, hearing, speech and sight assessments. When children begin the program, a number of assessments along with an observational and attitude survey are completed. From the attitude survey, the following comments are common: "some books are tricky for me'; ' am not very good'; 'CRAP, know its important but who gives a cow'; ' am pretty bad'. Some children say they want to improve their reading while others admit that they attend the Centre because of pressure from their parents to improve. Parents 4 As the parent seminars progress, the parents become more visibly relaxed each week and begin to share their stories of success with the group. One parent related the story of changing the reading location at home. Rather than sitting at the kitchen bench where reading time had always been a struggle, they moved to the floor. This change made the whole reading experience more relaxing and enjoyable. Another parent said she realised that her son didn't really have a "big problem with reading because he understood what he read but he really didn't like to read out loud. After the seminar series and before the individual assistance (IAP) program begins many parents report visible gains in their children's reading performance and attitudes. The parents are less stressed and anxious about the reading experience at home. The focus of U-CAN READ is to build or restore the working relationship between children and their parents. Through collaboration with parents and children, strategies for use at home are demonstrated and designed to cater for the needs of each family. As literacy advisers, we do not want to be seen as having a "quick fix to reading problems but rather as partners in children achieving success. We are facilitators of reading and aim to empower parents with ideas, strategies, and knowledge to support their children with reading. Strategies Many different strategies are used and tailored to meet the needs of each child and parent. Parents work with their children under the guidance of the literacy advisors. Some strategies that have proven to be extremely successful include the following: Dialogue Journals The students write in a dialogue journal weekly. They read these entries aloud at the beginning of each session. I respond each week in writing. I first respond to what the child has written, then I share my personal experience of the topic and finally sign off with a question. My response is of similar length to that of the child. Dialogue journals support the child's emerging reading and writing competencies. Dialogue journals serve six purposes in U-CAN Read. They provide a way to: 1. communicate between the parent, child and literacy adviser; 2. model good writing; 3. demonstrate conventional spelling; 4. provide non-judgemental feedback; 5 5. build relationships between parent, child and literacy advisor; 6. allow the child to express ideas freely and take responsibility for the topics chosen. Each child uses the dialogue journal in a different way. John uses his dialogue journal as a way of continuing a fantasy story. Each week he adds a character description or a piece of the plot and I provide written feedback. Terry's dialogue journal is an exploration of his journey as a reader. He includes strategies he has tried with reading each week and how they have helped him. Bridging Texts Essential to U-CAN Read is linking the children with books they love. The emphasis is on moving children on to read independently. A successful strategy has been the use of bridging texts that are of high interest. A contributing factor to Robert's success as a reader was his discovery of the Zac Power's series. Zac Power is a character who doubles as a school boy and secret agent. Previous to reading Zac Power, Robert's primary experience with reading was levelled readers at school. For him, those readers became an association with failure. When he didn't move through the levels as quickly as his peers, he started to associate the levelled readers with personal failure. He found the books boring. Once introduced to Zac Power, he caught the "reading bug. He began to experience the love of reading. In the earlier sessions of the AP's, Henry chose to read easier texts. He chose books with large writing and few words. Every week, he was introduced to quality books through the use of paired reading. He enjoyed the humour in these books and began to read independently. n week four, there was a shift in Henry's reading choices. He became critical of the bridging texts he was choosing and in his reading log he rated them as not interesting. He realised the storylines were oversimplified and less exciting. Currently, he has a wide repertoire of authors he enjoys including Andy Griffiths and Paul Jennings. Reading Like a Writer Frank Smith (1988) claims that "everyone who becomes a competent writer uses authors. they must learn to read like a writer in order to learn how to write like a writer. Competent readers notice words with interesting spellings, a well-turned phrase and stylistic idiosyncrasies. Reading this way does not affect comprehension but rather promotes it because it is based on prediction (p.23). 6 Kayla's reading improved quickly when she shifted her emphasis to making meaning rather than decoding words. We discussed that spelling and writing would most likely improve now that she was reading more. On the car trip home, her mother said she questioned whether this could be true. The next week, she was asked to read like a writer by being more aware of what she was reading, taking note of the author's style, interesting words and spellings. Kayla took on the challenge and began writing words she noticed in her reading in the back of her dialogue journal. These words had spelling patterns she had previously found difficult. She found a purpose for reading like a writer and used this for improving her writing and spelling. Using Writing to Build Reading Success U-CAN READ aims to build on a child's strengths and interests as the beginning point into the world of books and reading. Whether it is art, history, poetry, music, humour, aeroplanes.our resources support the child's interests. Mark, a Year 8 student was reluctant to start the program and his first dialogue journal entry accentuates his fear: " was terrified at coming to uni to get tutored. But it was good to get a day off school and meet new people. The one way glass was pretty cool and it was amazing how many books there were and you were not scary as I presume all teachers are and you were all smiles. According to Mark, he was a good writer but his poor reading and spelling held him back. The Centre arranged for a visiting author to meet with the children and Mark attended and presented three of his stories. In her written feedback, the visiting author described his stories as being well structured and with great action scenes. She recognised his ability to empathise with his characters. Mark gained confidence through his writing and realised that reading served a real purpose to improve his writing. Coping Strategies Most children arrive at the Centre with well-developed coping strategies, that is, ways of avoiding reading. These range from giving up, looking to their parents for assistance, or refusing to read. Thomas was no exception even though his strategy was unusual. We would read together and when it was his turn, he would fall about laughing at each funny section of text. It would sometimes take several minutes for Thomas to compose himself and continue reading. The avoidance behaviour dissipated as Thomas started to read for enjoyment. As 7 his confidence grew and he chose books he wanted to read, his avoidance behaviour diminished. Conclusion Michael epitomises the U-CAN READ journey. According to school records and initial testing at the Centre, Michael read well below his age group. The first time Michael read with his mother in the IAP, he was upset and agitated. His mother was also visibly distraught. Michael pleaded with his mum to help him with unfamiliar words. At home, the only strategy his parents knew to use was to be the 'instant word factory' and state the word. Throughout the course, parents are given strategies and prompts such as reading on, rereading, missing the word, substituting a word familiar in meaning, or guessing on the basis of meaning. Michael was finding this very unfair as he relied on his mother to tell him difficult words. During the IAPs and at home Michael was supported to read for meaning. Book orientations, paired reading, echo reading were just some of the strategies introduced to Michael and his mother. Michael and his mother worked together to use prompting strategies and by week 6, Michael's reading had improved to the extent that without assistance he confidently read the "Magic Finger by Roald Dahl. When asked whether he thought six weeks ago that he would be able to pick up and read a book like this, he replied "No way'. Kelly I have had seven years of classroom teaching experience, five in the ACT and two in the U.K. I have experienced teaching children who dislike learning literacy, particularly reading and as a result perform unsatisfactorily in classroom assessments and in national tests such as NAPLAN and SATs. I applied for this position with U-CAN READ as a way to gather more information about what I could do for children who had difficulty in literacy and to closely examine why they were failing. As a child I loved reading. I was the one with the flash light after lights out and I want all children to share this passion. Students The group of middle year students consisted of four boys and one girl. In the first few IAP sessions, the children lacked confidence. They were frustrated and embarrassed by their poor literacy skills but were eager to learn. When one child was asked the question "What do 8 you think of yourself as a reader?, she answered 'Really bad. Another child was asked "How do you cope when you have to read and write? he responded: ' don't like to do it'. n the first few weeks, the children were uncomfortable reading out loud and in some cases, read quietly, barely able to be heard. The children were referred by teachers, schools counsellors and principals. On the Neale Analysis Reading Tests they scored from below average to very low in reading rate, reading accuracy and comprehension. The children were reading on average at two years below their chronological age. The children received learning assistance at school, some being withdrawn from their classrooms and others receiving assistance in the classroom. Strategies Prompting Initially, the children lacked comprehension skills when reading mainly due to the stop-start nature of their reading. When trying to read a word that was unfamiliar or difficult, the children fixated and often refused to move beyond the word. After the parent seminar, parents gave prompts such as 'read on' or 'go back and re-read'. At times, a piece of paper was placed over the problem word to encourage the child to read on in order to avoid fixating. Many times, children experienced an enlightening moment at the end of the sentence, page or a few pages on when they were able to work out the word independently. Over three or four weeks, an improvement in the children's reading for meaning became obvious and their focus shifted to reading for meaning and the question frequently asked of themselves was "Does that make sense? Book Orientation: Supporting Children for Success Parents in the program are encouraged to support their children throughout the reading process and shift the emphasis from reading being seen as a test. One of the strategies used is to provide a book orientation. Together, parents and children look through a book prior to reading, talk about the pictures, the author & illustrator, the blurb, content and challenging words. This ensures that the child does not struggle with unfamiliar words at the crucial time of building their confidence and fluency. After a few weeks of book orientation and experiencing success, the children's confidence improves. Some children take control of this strategy and prior to reading look through the book pointing out pictures and difficult words. 9 Giving Children Responsibility: Book Choice and Paired Reading A critical element of U-CAN READ is giving children choices around their reading material. In order for this to happen, the centre makes available a high number of quality texts including picture books, early chapter books, chapter books, books for older readers, magazines, comics and websites. In the first few weeks, the children seemed amazed at the freedom they had to choose from the shelves. They borrowed between 1-3 books each week. In the few weeks that followed, they began to take home 3 books minimum per session. The children demonstrated an eagerness and excitement to borrow each week. Some children insisted on lists of books being written for future reading. The children and parents also began to source reading material from their local libraries and bookshops. Once the children had ignited their passion for reading a book or series of books, they became confident and excited when reading here at the centre and at home. Some children took their favourite books home to read to younger siblings which was evidence of their changing perceptions of themselves as readers. Often children found a connection with a book or series that they enjoyed reading with their parents. One child loved reading Dr Seuss because her father had read them all when he was younger and had kept all of his old copies. Reading familiar texts such as fairy tales enabled another child from the middle years to become an independent reader. He enjoyed reading improvisations such as The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Ron Sciezka and Prince Cinders by Babette Cole. He loved the quirkiness of the story being read from a different characters perspective and in the case of Prince Cinders, he loved the more modern view of the familiar story, Cinderella. When children located a book or series with which they connected, it was often difficult for them to stop reading. For others, a pattern of reading independently at home every second night was established. On alternate nights, parents and children would participate in paired reading as a means of accessing more challenging texts. Paired reading serves a number of purposes: 1. Through the sharing of a book, the child/parent relationship seems to strengthen and without stress, they genuinely enjoy the experience. 2. Through paired reading, the parent is able to model reading. The child hears fluent reading and adopts these strategies when it is his or her turn to read. 10 3. Paired reading allows the child to maintain meaning and fluency. Paired reading can be introduced in a number of ways taking turns to read sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph or page by page. To further include the whole family in a shared reading experience, many children from the middle years chose to take home multiple copies of texts. There was one book for each family member, even if the child who attended the centre had a much younger sibling. One parent commented "We now sit around the table and read together as a family. Humour is also is a vital part of reading for some children. It often gives the child purpose for reading and makes it fun when reading may have been a tedious and boring activity in the past. The Dairy of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney was a book choice made by Paul, and after using paired reading with his father, he read the book at home during the week. He raved about it and recalled the funniest parts. His father stated that he had gone out to buy the next book in the series and by the end of the week Paul had read all four of the books independently. The book was a turning point for this child. Paul 'caught the reading bug' and told me that his parents bought him a torch. With his parent in earshot, he described how he now uses it to read in bed before lights out. Later in the session when the parent walked outside, Paul returned to our working space and informed me secretly that he often hides the torch to read after lights out. He then put his finger to his lips and said "Sshhh. almost cried with joy. strongly believe that we need to give children back the responsibility for choosing their own books. Using strategies such as paired reading, guided reading and echo reading can enable children to access books that may be too hard for them to read independently. Once children find the "right book, it is hard for them to put it down. Conclusion Effective literacy programs for parents inform them of how children learn to read and write; parents become informed participants in their children's learning. n addition to educating parents, an effective program provides a range of researched strategies to implement at home. Prior to undertaking a parent program, parent's avenues for providing assistance can limited. They are often left to draw on their memories of schooling and what they recall of their own literacy experiences. Their strategies revolve around sounding words out or telling the child what the word is. Frustration, anxiety and fear are present in many homes when the 11 child's aggravations and the parents' angst collide around a book. Providing a repertoire of strategies and an understanding of why they are important is empowering to the parent and beneficial to struggling readers. It is the logical solution to an enduring problem of middle years children struggling to understand why they have been forgotten in the quest to achieve literacy. References Cunningham, P.M., & Allington, R.L. (2003). Classrooms that work: They can all read and write. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Gilliam, B., Gerla, J.P., & Wright, G. (2004). Providing Minority Parents with Relevant Literacy Activities For Their Children. Reading Improvement, 419(4), 226-234. Senechal, M., & National Institute for Literacy. (2006). The effect of family literacy interventions on children's acquisition of reading: From kindergarten to Grade 3. A meta- analytic review. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: RMC Research Corporation Smith, F. (1988). Joining the Literacy Club: Further Essays into Education. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books Inc.