Tenth grade student Jessica Babcock writes a thesis statement from the text she read aloud to her class.
Last year, tenth grade Sackett Educational Center student, Jessica Babcock would have told you Math was her weakest subject. In fact, she despised Math so much she would find ways to avoid doing her work all together. This year, with the introduction of some new student-driven learning strategies, Babcock says Math is her favorite class.
Babcock says the reason for this change is due to the teaching/learning strategies her teachers acquired through a grant-funded literacy initiative by the Education Alliance at Brown University.
“My writing has really improved and I’m using the strategies in all of my classes,” said Babcock.
Brown University’s Collaboratory for Adolescent Literacy Leaders (CALL) grant has allowed a team of four teachers and one literacy specialist to join six other teams across the country in a professional development program to improve classroom instruction and student achievement.
The teachers in the CALL grant team experiment with literacy strategies to increase students’ ability to access information. With the help of things like graphic organizers and “think aloud” sessions, students can cite evidence from text, verbalize their thought process, and gain a deeper understanding of the vocabulary and the overall content – all requirements of the new Common Core Learning Standards.
For example, during her ELA class, Babcock read aloud a passage and then wrote a thesis statement on the class’ dry-erase board based on what she read. The students then came up with evidence from the text to support that statement and used transitional phrases between statements, forming the basis of an essay.
The teachers on the CALL grant were first introduced to the Brown University framework over the summer and are now implementing the strategies in a few targeted classrooms.
Now, about halfway through the school year, teachers are reporting observable results.
“We’re seeing tremendous progress with students,” said Special Education Teacher Christine Carioto. “The students are practically begging to be the one to come up to the board.”
According to Questar III Literacy Specialist and CALL grant Team Leader Carmella Prusko, students are taking the literacy strategies they’ve learned in one subject and applying it in other subjects as well. This type of interdisciplinary approach to literacy is intended to help students prepare for college and careers.
The positive results are also measurable. In addition to improved exam scores, teachers track students’ engagement and behavior levels. The data shows the progress students make over time, allows teacher to compare each student to other students not in the targeted classrooms, and allows them to modify the strategies as needed. This type of data-driven instruction is a key element to the Regents Reform Agenda.
Many of the strategies found in the Brown University framework incorporate bottom-up, student-driven instruction as opposed to the traditional teacher-led practices.
“Students are really taking ownership of their learning,” said Principal Kimberly Rockenstyre. “It is amazing to go into a Math class where students are discussing together how they got their answer, and are learning from one another. Student engagement has much improved since incorporating the CALL literacy strategies.”
“Some of these strategies we’ve done forever but the difference is that the focus is now on the students and how they do it,” said Carioto. “We’re hearing new ways to come to the same answer and the kids’ thought process. It’s really fun!”
In addition to the in-classroom work, teachers on the CALL grant team meet together for three hours per week prior to the start of the school day to share strategies and bounce ideas off one another. They observe their own team’s classroom in person and also view the other teams’ classrooms online.
“There is a lot of laughter and excitement with the sharing and critiquing,” said Prusko. “And the excitement the teachers have has really benefited the students by making them more engaged.”
This bottom-up approach is also evident in how the teachers implement the strategies with little to no assistance from administrators. This not only allows teachers to feel more comfortable in sharing with other teachers, but it alleviates the stress on administrators as well.
“I have a responsibility to make sure teachers are complying with the Common Core Learning Standards and the Regents Reform Agenda, but now I can do it in a different fashion,” said Rockenstyre. “I can now support teachers rather than provide direction.”
During the second year of the program, the CALL grant team will mentor other teachers either at Sackett Educational Center or possibly another Questar III team. This will enable them to pass on the strategies they’ve found to be most effective, thus increasing achievement and improved behavior for even more students.
