In ECI 543 and ECI 544, Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading Disabilities, Dr. Davis pushed us to go in depth with understanding the various reading processes, with a focus on various ways of assessment and remediation.
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Dr. Davis challenged us to work with a small group of classmates to create a model and verbal explanation of the reading comprehension process based on our learning from class materials and discussions paired with our observations of "think-alouds" we each completed while reading texts for the first time.
To the left is the model my group created. Click on the small circle on each step to hear our collaborative voiceover. We used the tech tools ThingLink and VoiceThread to complete this project and posted it on a class Padlet to share with our classmates. |
Another project we completed involved finding a "Must-Read Article" and completing a commercial to teach our classmates about it. Click here to see the commercial we created for "Reading Writing Reciprocity: Inquiry in the Classroom by Erika Daniels, Jennifer Hamby, and Rong-Ji Chen. We used the tech tool Animoto to share this with our classmates.
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In my opinion, the most meaningful part of the fall semester was engaging in creating a diagnostic reading report. For this project, we were asked to identify an elementary or middle school reader (preferably one who has demonstrated difficulty with school literacy) who is willing to participate in the activity. After seeking permission from the reader's parent and the reader, we conducted a series of assessments and constructed a diagnostic reading report. The report was shared with the reader's parent. We administered at least six assessment tools, which varied depending on the age and development of the reader, but included the Analytical Reading Inventory, and assessments regarding concepts about print, phonological awareness, word recognition, spelling, fluency, comprehension, strategy awareness, and motivation/attitude. See below for my completed report (student's name has been changed for privacy and parent has given permission to share anonymously).
Dr. Davis also asked us to design a protocol for intensified instruction, where we used our cumulative understanding of the topics discussed through the semester and our professional experience as literacy educators to design an optimal research-informed protocol/framework for working with readers when they have literacy difficulties. Our protocol needed to specify the components of each lesson and examples of how those components might be implemented. In addition, our protocol needed to include at least one “disruptive” feature that makes it stand out from more traditional protocols that have been used in the past; it should also specify how individual lessons are situated within a broader disciplinary inquiry or thematic examination that gives coherence to the reader’s intervention experience across time. The protocol needed to be versatile/flexible enough to be used with readers with a wide range of characteristics and difficulties, but specific enough that a knowledgeable teacher could actually use it. These protocols were shared with our classmates and others who are looking for ways to support readers at various stages of literacy development. See below for my completed assignment.
Our final assignment for the semester was to synthesize our learning into a "5 Truths" visual. See below for my ideas for this project.