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Why Guided Play-based Learning in Early Literacy?

Nov 3, 2022 | Differentiated Instruction, Early Literacy, Formative Assessment

Play-based learning is an approach to learning that maintains a child’s enjoyment of either free play or guided play while engaging with learning content. 

Free play is purely initiated and driven by the student, while guided play has some degree of teacher involvement.

In early literacy, play-based learning is proven to have a significantly positive effect on narrative language ability and grammar. 

Play-based learning with teacher guidance has been shown to raise phonemic awareness and phonics skills in kindergarteners. 

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that when literacy materials and teacher involvement are added to play-based learning, language skills improve significantly. 

With such a strong association between guided play-based learning and the advancement of early literacy skills, it’s worthwhile to explore the benefits of play-based learning, its examples and the extent of teacher involvement that constitute it. 

Play-based learning is one approach to differentiate learning— something Sprig has covered in a previous article showing how differentiated learning supports all other forms of learning. 

Indeed some children may display a greater preference for play. 

But by itself, play-based learning as a strategy for the whole classroom is a great way to improve early literacy scores.

Play-based learning supports early literacy development in multiple ways.

 

Benefits of Play-based Learning. How it Supports Early Literacy.

Benefits of Play-based Learning. How it Supports Early Literacy.

 

Directly Impacts Language and Reading Acquisition

Play-based learning enhances children’s literacy and language development. It allows children a chance to both learn and practice their newly acquired skills. 

Children are able to connect oral and textual modes of communication as they learn about  the structure and meaning of new words.

 

Drives Cognitive and Social Development which Moderates Language Development

Play-based learning engages all of early learners’ senses. It allows them to express their thoughts and feelings, investigate their surroundings, and make connections between what they already know and new information and abilities. Such cognition ability is helpful in learning how to read. 

As early learners playfully express themselves to their classmates and teachers, they bring their language, traditions, and culture into the classroom. Such healthy social development aids reading ability. 

 

Builds Learning Language Positivity

Just as there is a concept called positive identity as a math learner, the same concept carries over to language. A growth mindset is required to develop the confidence to improve reading skills. 

Including play in learning activities fosters a love of learning languages in kids. Children are more likely to learn and explore new literacy topics when they appreciate their learning environment. Including play in the classroom improves memory and new information retention — important factors in learning how to read. 

 

Provides Deep Understanding of the Required Components of Reading

Play-based learning evokes many other types of learning, such as inquiry-based learning, problem-solving, curiosity-based learning, etc. Working on all of these different types of learning is great for clarifying knowledge structures that ultimately lead to a deep understanding of language. 

Decoding words and understanding language are crucial for reading comprehension. A deep understanding of both processes can be grasped by direction instruction and play-based practice.

 

Examples of Play-based Learning

Examples of Play-based Learning

Examples of play-based learning need not be newly introduced to any early childhood or primary educator out there. They are so common in fact, that when listing them, one immediately recognizes their place in the classroom. 

Role-playing, drawing, using playdough, blocks and puzzles for learning activities, dancing and singing, are all considered to be a part of play-based learning. 

However, more so than just knowing these play-based activities, it’s important to understand how to engage in these activities. The next section describes what play-based learning looks like in action. 

 

Characteristics of Guided Play. Continuum of Student-driven and Teacher-led Play-based Learning.

Characteristics of Guided Play. Continuum of Student-driven and Teacher-led Play-based Learning

Guided play was distinguished from free play at the opening of this article, to demonstrate how effective play-based learning was when it had some level of involvement from the teacher, either as an organizer, observer or planner. 

But guided play should include some free play inside its structure in order for it to be truly classified as play-based learning.  

Dr. Angela Pyle, an early childhood education researcher from the University of Toronto says that guided play “starts with free play driven by the children and their imaginations, and ends with direct instruction, which is completely driven by the teacher.”

 

Guided play can be thought of as both student and teacher initiated. 

A child can initiate play by starting to play with an object. The teacher can then use the opportunity to teach literacy skills such as building vocabulary around the items that the child is curious about. 

But if the teacher creates centers in the classroom that are specifically made for play, then this whole process can be thought of as teacher initiated. 

High-quality classrooms use hands-on activities that are carefully planned by the teachers. The teacher can teach a child how to learn, instead of just what to learn. 

  Purposeful play experiences can be designed by teachers to create richer learning experiences that are better remembered and internalized by early learners. 

 

Guided play experiences are directed by the child and facilitated by the teacher. 

The ratio of direction and facilitation can be adjusted to ensure that the lesson plans are being met. 

It is chosen by the student, but teachers plan, observe and guide the whole experience. This type of educational experience is self-chosen by the student, but it is sufficiently process oriented. 

 

What Sprig Does with Play-based Learning

What Sprig Does with Play-based Learning

This article barely scratches the surface when it comes to the wonders of play-based learning! 

Primarily, it’s important to establish the specific link between play and early literacy. When this bond is understood however, there are many play-based strategies that can be explored. Some of them are codified in the Sprig Reading App, an interactive tool for Pre-K to Grade 2 teachers to implement evidence-based reading instruction.

To systematically instruct and practice hundreds of essential early literacy skills, a healthy amount of play is required in the classroom. Many actionable tips are showcased in the teacher training modules that are contained within Sprig Reading. 

The teacher has great responsibility in choosing the type of play-based activities and controlling their level of involvement to ensure that their students reap maximum benefits from guided play-based learning. 

For every foundational reading skillset, there are playbooks designed by former educators and researchers that have a demonstrable impact on improving those very skillsets. 

If done well, the play-based learning approach fosters the interest and curiosity of the students  through exchanges that are meant to challenge the students’ thinking.

Children who co-construct their early reading experience with classmates, apply what they learn to real-world situations and make significant discoveries while they work towards learning objectives.

For early literacy, this amounts to playing with word and language concepts to sufficiently develop the right skill sets in order to start reading. 

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The Ideal Online Professional Development for the Reading Teacher

Oct 27, 2022 | Early Literacy, Formative Assessment

A typical teacher spends 68 hours a year on professional development (PD) activities. With the inclusion of self-guided professional learning and courses, this annual total jumps to 89 hours. 

While this adds up to over two weeks of PD in a school year, it’s very important to prioritize what teachers are learning to ensure that the professional learning meets their expectations.

This is especially true for literacy instruction in preschool, kindergarten and Grades 1 to 3, where there is strong impetus for evidence-based reading instruction. 

Sprig covered the role of PD in strategic reading instruction in a previous article. It’s essential reading for anyone looking to better understand the linkage between PD and improving early literacy instruction. The article goes into the components of effective PD for reading instruction, its examples and its expectations.

This article will talk about the role of online PD, how it connects with the real purpose of PD, and how such a format can be useful for evidence-based reading instruction. 

It makes a case for online professional development being suited to raise student performance because of the advantages it provides to the reading teacher. 

For clarification, in this article, both the classroom teacher and literacy specialists are referred to as the reading teacher.  The term encompasses anyone who is involved in teaching early literacy to children. 

 

Why Online Professional Development?

Why Online Professional Development

Not having enough time is cited by school leaders as the greatest challenge to offering PD. Almost three quarters of school leaders say that PD happens on district-wide days off that are reserved for teacher in-service training. 

There is definitely a time crunch that is experienced by school systems and by reading teachers. 

Everyone wishes for more time for professional development without sacrificing any time that can be spent with students. 

Online professional development has the potential to alleviate this pressure by offering both on-demand and live sessions. 

Irrespective of if they are live, or pre-recorded, these sessions would be quicker to attend, and need not clash with other responsibilities a reading teacher might have. 

Despite higher rates of satisfaction reported with online PD, only 30% of schools use it. There is scope for improvement here where schools can increase the flexibility and versatility of professional development programs.

Online PD programs are more flexible as they let teachers participate from wherever they are. They are also more versatile as they can be quickly put together to address a certain topic and can be watched at any time that is convenient to the teacher’s busy schedule. 

 

Legislative Purpose of Professional Development. vs Actual Need. 

Legislative Purpose of Professional Development. vs Actual Need.

Before further addressing the merits of online PD, what is the legislative purpose of PD? Answering this question can help us to better understand the current situation and how it can be modified to enhance instruction for reading teachers. 

Most states require teachers to renew their licenses to continue working in the school system. These requirements vary by state, and only 11 states have clear instructions regarding the purpose of the renewal. 

However, the majority of states mandate that educators complete some sort of PD, suggesting that they want the relicensing procedure to promote and validate continuous professional development.

The majority of states’ renewal requirements place a higher priority on the accumulation of time-based credits obtained through formal college coursework or more conventional PD activities like in-service days or seminars.

These short-term events can be disjointed, where there is no one goal binding them together. 

They are thus poorly aligned with teachers’ improvement needs.  

There is currently a dearth of the kind of sustained, targeted and personalized PD opportunities. Research suggests that PD opportunities with these characteristics are more likely to improve early reading instruction and student performance.

 

Sustained PD

It’s better to maintain a consistent professional learning schedule. 

Setting some time aside is recommended for PD. Large school districts set aside dedicated time for PD, such as New York City, which has built-in PD time on Mondays.

 

Targeted PD

It’s better to create PD programs that are in line with the school’s or state’s vision, or in line with the latest research on reading instruction, for example. 

It’s important to do a needs assessment on the professional learning needs of school teachers to implement research-based recommendations. According to a guide released by the Institute of Education Sciences, such needs assessment should include teacher self-reflection and classroom observations. 

 

Personalized PD

It’s better to design PD in a way which leaves room for personalization for the teacher. 

It should reach a balance between fitting the current standards around the existing teaching practices and tailoring the existing teaching practices to fit the current standards. 

The change that is asked for should not be rigid where teachers have to abandon their existing practice. Rather, it should have enough opportunities for personalization where the teacher can adopt new practices while still upholding their core practice.

 

How Can Online PD Be a Force for Evidence-based Reading Instruction?

How Can Online PD Be a Force for Evidence-based Reading Instruction

The online modality can help drive the sustenance, targeting and personalization of PD, which were mentioned in the last section.

 

It drives sustenance by continually collecting teacher feedback and preparing a series of PD opportunities that cover every challenge, need or learning area requested by the teacher. 

Such PD sessions are immediately useful for the classroom teacher due to the hands-on tactics that are taught, which can be quickly transferred to the class. They are also useful resources for discussions to be had at the school. 

The convenience and quickness of online PD ensures that a culture of continuous learning is set at the school. 

 

It drives targeting by creating a series of sessions that are pertinent to the challenges faced by the teacher. It offers helpful language for prompting and guiding readers to help students master the craft of reading. 

It gives teachers clear, succinct, and useful guidelines and materials for organizing and teaching developmentally suitable evidence-based lessons. 

 

It drives personalization through the ability to save PD sessions for later viewing. In this way, it’s a permanent resource for the teacher who can view and learn from it multiple times at their own convenience.

They can organize sessions in a way that is most applicable to their teaching needs at the time, and not be subject to a one-size-fits-all approach. 

 

Sprig Reading PD workshops ensure that reading teachers have the knowledge and tools required in order to excel at their professions. They are live interactive sessions which are announced on all our social media platforms and our newsletter.

Want to stay up to date with the latest early learning announcements and insightful articles? Follow us on our social media channels and subscribe to Root to Fruit, Sprig’s newsletter on all things early learning. 

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Evidence-based Early Literacy Trends and Lessons (With Examples)

Oct 20, 2022 | Early Literacy, Formative Assessment

During this time of post-pandemic learning recovery, school teachers and administrators are working hand in hand to improve the learning experience for students. 

It’s in everyone’s best interest that students succeed! Especially when it comes to early literacy and math, proficiency in these two fundamental domains are the building blocks of success in learning and life.

Sprig Learning has worked in tandem with its education partners over the years to create early learning solutions that promote a culture of early literacy equity. 

It’s a time of great change, where new approaches and resources are being tried to teach early readers, such as evidence-based reading instruction and structured literacy teaching resources. 

The change process is usually preceded and followed by unfreezing and refreezing respectively. If this 2019 report from Education Week is any indication of the viewpoints held by the majority of educators, we are still at the unfreezing stage.

But the blow dealt by the pandemic to the continuity of in-school learning has definitely hastened the need to take action and speed up the change process. 

The learning loss that has occurred has grabbed the attention of many school districts and teachers across North America. Some have started to implement practices that are more conducive to evidence-based early literacy. 

Nine such evidence-based instruction trends are reviewed in this article, with examples. The lesson learned from each trend is discussed as well.

Evidence-based Early Literacy Trends and Lessons

 

Trend: Aligning Professional Development with Teacher Needs for Certain Grade Configurations

At King Elementary in West Contra Costa Unified School district in Richmond, California, the school leadership team focused on aligning various professional learning spaces to help teachers improve their reading instruction. 

Teachers in each grade were asked what type of professional development their grade level teams needed.

In lower grades, the focus was on phonics instruction, in middle grades the focus was on chapter books, and in the upper grades the focus was on project-based reading units.

Lesson

Before choosing professional development for the teaching staff, ask to see how it will inform their strategic reading instruction. 

 

Trend: Obtaining Buy-in From All and Keeping Everyone on The Same Page

Schools in Pella Community School District in Pella, Iowa, use a Reading Plus Partnership pledge that is an agreement among students, parents, teachers, reading specialists and principals to reach the highest educational objectives and strive for academic success. 

Parents are kept informed about all interventions. Everything is recorded to ensure accountability. Instructional procedures, materials, number of sessions, length per session, individuals involved, and follow-up notes are all recorded.

Lesson

Establishing collective ownership of literacy goals is a recommended action for increasing literacy equity, but if there is a system in place to check in on every instructional detail, it makes collaboration easier between the parties involved, including parents. Parental involvement is an established indicator of early reading success. 

 

Trend: Creating An Atmosphere of Play-based Learning

Jess Keenan, part of the K-1 faculty, at Waynflete Academy in Maine, stresses the importance of play-based learning. Kindergartners are naturally curious and eager to learn, which lends itself well to making choices in the classroom, playing with materials, and interacting with others to learn more about the world around them via language and math. 

The teacher has a responsibility to provide ample opportunities to students throughout the school day to engage with written and spoken language. In Jess’s words, “an approach to learning that is teacher-led and driven by student interest can be a powerful platform for learning.”

Lesson

Evidence-based learning is not at loggerheads with play-based learning. Both practice and play are needed, and they often complement each other. Explicit instruction needs to be practiced by students through play, where they can joyfully practice the learned concepts. 

 

Trend: Setting Time Aside for Foundational Skills

When focusing on learning recovery, sometimes the impetus is to catch up to grade level material as soon as possible. But in the process,  it is important not to gloss over the foundational skills. 

Students have to be ready for the next year, but not without mastering the grade level skills first. Mastering a skill is different from merely catching up to it at the level of your peers. Knowing this, the Public schools in Milwaukee have set a standard for their teachers, where time is dedicated to focus on prerequisite skills every day. 

Lesson

Each student is unique. This includes their ability to learn and retain information. If something is understood but not practiced enough times, there is a chance of forgetting it. Thus, setting aside some time to practice the fundamentals of literacy is most important. 

 

Trend: Sustaining Small Group Instruction

Evidence suggests that tutoring in small groups is beneficial over time, regardless of the environment or circumstance the students are in. Research published in 2021 by Brown University’s Annenberg Institute for School Reform showed that consistent tutoring sessions can accelerate learning by two to 10 months.

The Bristol Tennessee City Schools (BTCS) has partnered with the Niswonger Foundation to deliver high-dosage and high-impact tutoring in literacy and math. BTCS will be reimbursed for its tutors’ and project coordinator’s salaries, as a part of this program. 

Lesson

Differentiated instruction as a strategy in early literacy is widely known. When such a practice is sustained over time, the students in smaller groups reap the benefits. Whenever there is a scope of personalized learning, the class should be split into smaller groups. This will however require regular formative assessments.   

 

Trend: Reallocating Time Blocks Based on Need

Tennessee’s Haywood County Schools (HCS) allocated a 45 minute daily intervention time slot reserved for students to work on a variety of skills, to the studying of foundational skills for all students.  Reading proficiency levels in Grade 3 at HCS jumped from 8% to almost 26% within the span of a year.

Lesson

Depending on the situation, it can be helpful to consolidate various types of interventions into one lesson for the whole classroom, that is designed to master the basics, and thereby reduce the likelihood of future interventions. Again, understanding the classroom profile is key here. 

 

Trend: Providing Intensive Instruction to Test Student’s Maximum Learning Potential

Juan, a Grade 2 student at an undisclosed elementary school, only knew half of the consonants and none of the vowels of the alphabet. Despite his assessment results reflecting that of a special needs student, he made fast progress in one school year where he moved up two reading levels. This sudden jump was a stark contrast from his prior two years of stagnation. 

It was the result of an intensive phonics intervention applied by his teacher who had received dozens of hours of training in several different research-based reading programs.

Lesson

Sometimes, progress, or lack thereof, is not steady. It can happen in spurts. By not underestimating the capabilities of the student and providing intensive instruction, young learners can quickly be brought up to speed. 

 

Trend: Aligning Intervention with Curriculum

Ethel I. Baker Elementary School in  Sacramento City Unified School District has What I Need (WIN) Classes, which consists of 45 minutes of  daily structured literacy intervention using a curriculum that is strong on phonological awareness, phonics and sight words. 

Many students who were lagging behind have moved up one grade level throughout the course of a school year. Proficiency in listening, reading and speaking have all improved since the introduction of the program. 

Lesson

Reading intervention is critical in the success of early readers. It matters if the intervention is for foundational skills, the mastering of which will form the building blocks of reading proficiency. Thus when choosing an ideal reading intervention program, it’s important to see what type of curriculum it adheres to. 

 

Learning Lessons From Early Literacy Trends

Learning Lessons From Early Literacy Trends

There is a lot to learn from those teachers and staff who have taken the bull by the horn when it comes to starting early literacy initiatives. They have started to implement evidence-based early literacy practices.

It’s always good to have the right plan, but sometimes the urgency of a situation forces action before a plan. 

The efficacy of school improvement plans is not universally agreed upon. According to a RAND Corporation survey, only 44% of teachers and 67% of principals believe school improvement plans change teaching practices. 

In order for such plans to be effective, teachers need to be involved in the strategic planning. However, Less than half of the teachers surveyed say that strategic planning is a collaborative project in their school. 

Sprig hopes that these evidence-based early literacy trends started by teaching teams at schools inspires new thinking. By looking at the results they have delivered thus far, a far broader application of these trends are warranted.

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7 More Actions Schools Can Take Today to Increase Early Literacy Equity

Oct 13, 2022 | Early Literacy, Equity in Education

A couple of weeks ago on the Sprig Blog, 10 actions to increase literacy equity in schools was covered. It’s a highly recommended article for those who want to take action to address the existing literacy equity gap. 

The effort to reduce literacy inequity is a massive undertaking. It’s one that requires multiple actions. The original research conducted to write that piece included more than 10 ideas! Thus, as a part two of the same series, Sprig Learning presents to you, “7 More Actions Schools Can Take Today to Increase Literacy Equity”.

These 7 actions are just as applicable and research-based as those mentioned in the first part of this series. Sprig hopes some of these (if not all), are incorporated into future school improvement plans. 

 

Actions to Increase Early Literacy Equity

Comprehensive Instruction for Each Student to Increase Literacy Equity

1. Strengthen Instruction Using What Has Been Proven to Work

For literacy equity to flourish, it’s important that every student has access to  high-quality instruction rooted in evidence-based research.

For example, introducing phonics and phonemic awareness early on is a recommended practice for boosting literacy achievement. The National Reading Panel reviewed 52 studies of phonemic awareness instruction and 38 studies on phonics instruction to find that they produced positive effects on early literacy development, especially when applied in kindergarten and grade 1. 

 

2. Ensure Professional Development Is Aligned to Evidence-based Reading Instruction

With a push towards structured literacy that places an equal emphasis on both knowledge and practice of reading, it’s important that preservice teachers receive the right training. But as some of the preparatory programs have not revised their syllabus yet, the professional development (PD) offered by schools and school districts must bridge the gap and effectively train all educators. 

When PD sessions address strategic reading instruction that is backed by extant research, educators are in a better position to address literacy inequity. Educators get access to new information which they can use to optimize their existing teaching practice. It’s also an opportunity to review and align the vision of the school to mitigate literacy inequity. 

 

3. Create a Culture of Literacy by Explaining What is being Taught

To progress towards literacy equity, it’s important to include young learners in discussions of what is working versus what is not. They need to understand all that is being done, and why it is being done, i.e. to provide themselves the best chance to succeed as an early reader, and in life.

The What Works Clearinghouse is an initiative of the Institute of Education Sciences that acts as a trusted source of scientific evidence of what works in education. It reviewed the literacy achievement literature to find 10 studies showing significant association between motivating and engaging instruction and the improvement of students’ reading comprehension. 

It was recommended that the purpose of each lesson be explained, as well as the utility of various comprehension strategies. Students felt more confident knowing that what they were learning would help them to read. 

 

4. Improve Kindergarten Readiness using Data and Outreach

In an article published by the  National Conference of State Legislatures, it says that prekindergarten standards should align to each state’s K-12 standards. In this way, kindergarten readiness is improved, which is a major factor in determining early literacy equity. Sprig created an evidence-based early Literacy resource map for the US, where one of the questions answered for each state is if the state connects birth to age 5 data with K-3 education. 

To address literacy inequity at its root, kindergarten readiness must improve. Where applicable, schools and the community as a whole can offer a helping hand to parents with either knowledge or learning resources. This can increase parental involvement, which is a big indicator of early reading success. 

 

5. Use Appropriate Differentiated Instruction Measures

In a report by Northwestern Evaluation Association on data-powered strategies for literacy development, the use of data to differentiate learning is highlighted throughout the main points. Sprig has written at length about the virtues of differentiated instruction (from the teacher’s point of view) and personalized learning (from the student’s point of view).

Among many of the positive qualities of differentiated instruction, its ability to mitigate literacy inequity is very potent. Having data of each student makes a world of difference in tailoring instruction according to each student’s needs and abilities. Teachers are able to optimize instructional groups and lesson plans for their classrooms.

 

6. Provide Developmentally Appropriate Assessments

All early literacy researchers recommend the use of age relevant or developmentally appropriate assessments. Assessments provide valuable data that can be used to identify students who need extra support, and also inform instruction. 

It increases all around accountability in the school when there are enough detailed formative assessments. In order to increase literacy equity, there needs to be a working system that monitors the progress of every student. For different terms at each grade level, there should be a baseline expectation of where each student is on all of their foundational reading skills.   

 

7. Develop an Effective Intervention Strategy

Interventions should be applied early and as often as necessary to ensure young learners understand the concepts that are required of them to become a strong reader. Thus, early interventions must be modified to suit the specific skills and knowledge that is appropriate for each student. 

Applying an intervention strategy requires careful deliberation over the needs of both teachers and students, and the capabilities of the school itself.  It’s not as easy as picking an intervention program and expecting greater literacy equity, regardless of the current circumstances. But after a proper needs assessment is conducted, a cost-effective and evidence-based intervention strategy is one of the best ways to narrow the literacy gap. 

 

Comprehensive Instruction for Each Student to Increase Literacy Equity

Comprehensive Instruction for Each Student to Increase Literacy Equity

There is an increase in the discussion regarding what is the right approach to early literacy, analyzing both a structured approach and a balanced approach. It’s important to keep in mind that it’s ultimately the reading results that determines the efficiency of an approach. 

So it’s crucial to not leave any stones unturned when checking if a certain addition to instruction would have made a difference in early literacy achievement. In this regard, it’s good to be as comprehensive as possible when planning instruction. 

Kymyona Burk, a senior policy fellow at ExcelinEd and former elementary school language teacher, says that the focus should be on language acquisition and comprehension in the early years, where the teachers “explicitly and systematically teach their students how to decode”. Alongside phonics and word recognition, she also vouches for sentence structure and vocabulary. 

When reading instruction covers all the bases that are recommended by research, the likelihood of a student achieving reading mastery increases, regardless of their current situation. When actions like those recommended in this article and the prior article of the series are taken, it greatly benefits every early learner.

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Need for Professional Development in Strategic Reading Instruction

Oct 6, 2022 | Differentiated Instruction, Early Literacy, Formative Assessment

Despite $18 billion spent each year on professional development (PD) in schools across the United States, the lack of satisfactory PD and training in the primary grades continues to be a recurrent theme in early learning. It was identified as one of the 5 major early learning challenges faced by schools, along with the lack of time, lack of pay, resource shortage, and learning loss. 

It’s not enough to have more and more PD. PD should be goal-oriented and improved upon annually to meet the demands of educators. Particularly at a time when there is a call for more evidence-based practices to be taught in teacher training programs and implemented in classrooms, PD needs to be strategic. 

When done right, PD can be a tool for strategic reading instruction. 

It can consolidate and further advance the learning gained from teacher preparatory programs on evidence-based instruction. 

Furthermore, it can introduce these concepts to teachers who have not heard of them before. 

Most importantly, it can provide practical and actionable guidance to teachers by which they can improve reading proficiency for their students. 

This article explores the goals of PD for strategic reading instruction and the ideal components of PD. It subsequently discusses the types of PD that are available, and the expectations of a high-quality PD program.

 

Professional Development for Strategic Reading Instruction

Professional Development for Strategic Reading Instruction

Professional development (PD) is the ongoing training received by teachers to improve their skills, knowledge, and expertise as a teacher. School districts provide PD to teachers to educate them about curricular adoptions or other school-wide and classroom initiatives. 

From a teachers’ perspective,  learning must introduce and reinforce the latest teaching practices so teachers can better support their students. Teachers also want PD to be aligned with the vision of their school district. Additionally, teachers want to improve their professional skills and methods which they know produce the best results for early reading success. 

For strategic reading instruction, all three of these reasons are important on their own merit.

 

Ongoing Learning

If there are new ways, methods or approaches to teach young students the science of reading, teachers should be equipped with this knowledge.

Vision Alignment

If the school has a particular goal towards improving reading scores, teachers must evaluate what they can do within the given timespan, to work towards achieving this goal. This can include seeking help or consultation.

Optimizing Teaching Practice

Teachers have amazing classroom insights. Rather than overhauling the way teachers teach, it’s more likely that the information learned and knowledge gained in PD sessions will be used to bolster existing teaching practices. The best case scenario for PD is when the teacher can use the information presented to address concerns, and improve their existing teaching practice. 

 

Components of Professional Development for Excelling in Reading Instruction

Components of Professional Development for Excelling in Reading Instruction

The positive effect of professional development on student reading performance is well established, where increased quality of teaching and greater teacher knowledge improves reading outcomes. 

In a meta-analysis of 35 studies that featured an experimental design, controlled for student characteristics and other contextual variables, seven commonly shared PD traits were identified that lead to successful student outcomes.

 

Successful PD programs:

  1. Focus on teaching strategies associated with specific curriculum content.
  2. Incorporate active learning to get hands-on experience in designing and practicing teaching strategies. 
  3. Support collaboration with other teachers, members of teaching staff and paraprofessionals.
  4. Uses models of effective practice.
  5. Provide coaching and expert support.
  6. Offer opportunities for feedback and reflection.
  7. Is of sustained duration. 

When choosing PD, it’s important to ask if these seven components are reflected in the program. PD today can be executed in multiple ways. Some examples follow in the next section. 

 

Professional Development Examples in Early Literacy 

Professional Development Examples in Early Literacy

Professional development today is much more than passive training outside of school hours. Sometimes, it is collaborative in nature, and is integrated into the daily teacher schedule. 

Also, PD need not necessarily consist of just one activity or session at a particular point in time. PD can take the form of a PD plan, which can consist of multiple PD activities conducted over a certain period of time. 

Today’s world of high-speed communications is advantageous for professional development, where it’s possible to have interactive learning sessions from the comfort of your home or school office, as well as collaborate with others who may not be in the same vicinity. 

PD such as action research, attending conferences, curriculum planning, curriculum mapping, professional books and journals, peer coaching, workshops, and/or seminars can now all be conducted online. Of course, there are certain advantages to doing them in-person and in-school. 

There are other forms of PD which cannot be conducted by using virtual means only. They best lend themselves to being done on site.  Namely: classroom/school visitation, education exchange and examining student work.

There is another class of PD that is more long-term, such as: professional development schools, leadership development programs, journaling and school improvement teams. 

As long as these PD modalities have the seven characteristics covered in the previous section, the likelihood of success of early readers increases. 

 

Professional Development Expectations

Professional Development Expectations

 What does ideal PD for early reading instruction look like? 

Due to the:

  • range of modalities varying in length, location and timespan
  • the variety of goals that range from support, alignment and improvement
  • and the specific content area addressed by PD

…there are many options for constructing the ideal PD.

Sprig Learning  provides evidence-based PD that is grounded in foundational reading skills that have been proven to create successful readers by Grade 3. 

All of the PD material is the final product of decades of research and reports on effective reading instruction. All of the workshop best practices are packed into Sprig Reading, an evidence-based interactive tool for Pre-K to 2 teachers. It is designed to be used with any reading program or approach.

Attend Sprig’s Early Reading Assessment, Instruction and Planning Interactive Workshop this Tuesday, October 11. As the first part of a multi-part workshop series on evidence-based instruction, educators can expect to learn what has worked best for classrooms engaged in strategic reading instruction.

Sprig Reading workshops contain information that can be integrated into existing curriculums across multiple content areas to improve reading scores. They are created to help teachers support both pre-emergent and emergent readers. 

By attending these workshops, teachers can expect to increase their knowledge on the assessment-instructional link, progress monitoring and goal-setting for both individual readers and smaller groups of students with similar needs. 

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10 Actions Schools Can Take Today to Increase Early Literacy Equity

Sep 29, 2022 | Early Literacy, Equity in Education

In a recent survey conducted by Pearson of nearly 3,000 primary teachers, the top 3 challenges faced by students in 2021 were said to be: the widening of the disadvantage gap, focused intervention for individual students, and identifying gaps in learning.

Every school needs a plan to help all students achieve their full potential in the early years. Or students run the risk of not meeting literacy expectations throughout their schooling, which has been the case both before and after the pandemic. 

Sprig has previously written on components of high-performing school improvement plans, focusing on particular case studies. It has also gleaned findings from over 30 case studies to provide guidance on improving early learning student achievement.

Those articles are strongly recommended for those who want to get a fuller understanding of how to raise early literacy scores. 

Creating the right plan and formulating the right strategy are important, but sometimes it helps to review ready-made actionable recommendations to help those students who are in dire need.

What are some things schools can do today to boost reading proficiency scores and accelerate both learning gains and learning recovery? These 10 actions can be implemented by any school to increase literacy equity. 

 

10 Actions That Promote Literacy Equity

10 Actions To Promote Literacy Equity

1. Develop and Communicate Goals Around Early Literacy

There are many examples of school districts establishing specific literacy goals for students by the end of Grade 3. It helps to have such goals in place, which sets forth the vision of what is to be achieved. Top-down accountability considers the academic wellbeing of every student. 

For example, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Clark County School District Superintendent, Jesus Jara, has a goal of increasing Grade 3 reading scores by 7 percentage points. 

 

2. Identify a Reading Curriculum That Is Suited to Achieving Your Goals

Identifying the right reading curriculum (or program) that aligns to the research and evidence around the Science of Reading is essential for early literacy success. This must also align to the school’s vision, philosophy and learning objectives for early literacy success.

An evidence-based reading curriculum is so important because it helps in both horizontal and vertical planning. Teachers must plan for the school year. They must also know what the learning expectations are for students at both the beginning and end of the school year. In this way, the early learning journey of every young student is accounted for. 

 

3. Adopt a Early Literacy Screen to Identify Student Needs

Every state and province across North America has Grade 3 or Grade 4 standardized assessment. But there are 12 states in the US that don’t have mandated kindergarten entrance assessments. In Canada, there are no mandated kindergarten entrance assessments as of now.  

If student performance will be measured at Grade 3, it also makes sense to measure a baseline. It does not necessarily have to be standardized, but can be adopted and customized by individual schools to understand how to best help each student. Sprig Language, for example, offers such an initial assessment screen that uncovers each student’s strengths, needs and interests in regards to oral language.

4. Scaffold Individual Grade 2 Learners to Proficiency

By Grade 2, emerging readers should have acquired phonological awareness and phonics skills that will enable them to stay at grade level. But at times when there has been so much disruption to learning, there are many students who still struggle with these skills, for whom scaffolding may be required. 

Given that the Pre-K to 3 period is so crucial, assumptions of proficiency must not be made. It’s important to have regular formative assessments that monitor the growth of every student’s ability to read. 

 

5. Adopt a School-Wide Literacy Plan

Literacy skills do not have to be restricted to language classes. Reading skills can be included in other subjects as well, such as math and science. Administrators can provide guidance to all teachers in figuring out how to incorporate certain evidence-based literacy skills into their lesson plans.

In Cedar Valley Community School in Washington, literacy intervention specialist Kim Copeland, has expanded the school’s literacy program where students can practice the literacy skills they need throughout the day, and in general education classrooms. 

6. Set High Standards 

In order to achieve literacy equity, expectations should be realistic. But they should also be ambitious to realize the highest latent potential for success for every child. 

The Leave No Child Behind report from UNESCO, says that principals in schools where the students succeed have a can-do attitude. In all the most improved schools cirted in the report, high expectations are set, where a consistent, coherent and focused literacy program is applied.

7. Identify Struggling Readers as Early as Possible

Time is of the essence in early literacy success. Whether it’s finding out if someone has dyslexia, or finding out if certain circumstances are preventing a student from gaining an optimum learning experience, such information needs to be known early on, so the right countermeasures can be taken. 

Not every state in the US has mandated dyslexia screening. But that does not mean an individual school cannot offer this screening service to its students. Early literacy intervention is a point that cannot be stressed enough. 

 

8. Establish a Multi-tiered System of Support

A multi-tiered system of support is a framework that aims to improve learning outcomes for all students, depending on the type of support required. A school should have a common shared language to identify students according to their level of needs.

The highest-quality evidence-based instruction should be provided to the whole classroom. But for those students who need extra support via small group instruction, such help should be made available to them.

 

9. Hire Positions Specializing in Literacy

It’s important to provide primary teachers the help they need to teach early literacy to all students. Literacy coaches, reading specialists, literacy interventionists, and literacy coordinators make a big difference in the quality of the early learning experience. The efficiency of such positions have been repeatedly proven. 

Fulton County Schools adopted the Every Child Reads Plan in 2021, which includes placing designated reading coaches and paraprofessionals in every elementary school in the district. 

10. Establish Collective Ownership of Literacy Goals

When hiring new positions and fostering a culture of early literacy success, it is important to obtain buy-in from all teachers, staff and administrators. 

Rollie O. Jones, principal at Kellman Corporate Community School in Chicago, says “we have a cross-section of teachers, some young, some seasoned, some in-between, but they all must buy into our vision. I look for teachers who will make that commitment to a coordinated curriculum and become part of our family here in the school.”

 

Programs VS Practices in Early Literacy Equity

Programs VS Practices in Early Literacy Equity

Efforts to find the best early literacy programs usually revolve around the teaching resources used by educators. There are so many resources available and new ones are being created every school year. The findings of the effectiveness of all such programs have been discrepant. 

Rather, studies that focus on best practices have yielded more consistent results over the years. It is difficult to determine one best program that is superior to all others for achieving literacy equity.  But it is possible to determine best practices based on evidence that shows robust relationships between particular practices and high literacy achievement. 

This article showcased 10 such practices, at both a teacher and administrator level, which when applied can lead to successful outcomes for all students. 

Sprig Reading, Sprig Learning’s newest early learning platform, is an interactive tool for evidence-based instruction. It promotes teaching, assessment and differentiation best practices in early reading, so teachers have a way to teach the foundational skills and concepts, and track the progression of students. 

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