Final Report Submitted

"Learning is finding out what we already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, and teachers." -- Richard Bach

That is exactly what I have done, I have learned.

As I started to do my Diagnostic Case Report I reviewed what I have done with my student when I met with him during the semester, I was constantly wondering if I am correct, if I am including all the right information. I have gone through all of my data collected twice, just to see if I have missed anything and to verify my findings. I had all the data, and compiling was a feat all in itself.

I have discovered I have a very unique student. I tried to discuss that in my Case Report, but to what extent? I have submitted to Dr. Rivera, I await constructive feedback before it goes to the committee to be reviewed. It has been quite a journey, considering I am the only one taking practicum this year.

Needless to say, I have learned so much I feel accomplished.

Quote taken from: http://ripplemaker.hubpages.com/hub/50_Inspirational_Quotes_for_Teachers

Image taken from: http://scratch.mit.edu/galleries/view/9706

The Fourth Day...

"I start a picture and I finish it."
Jean-Michel Basquiat

It is now passed the mid-point of the semester, and I am moving right along. Although I do have more work in for me, I am trying to finish everything. Before we began our session we went into the Literacy Library to get a book. I wanted to do Running Records with the student. He chose the book “Creepy, Crawly Baby Bugs” by Sandra Markle. When we began the session first I tried to do the Language Experience Approach, where the teacher is the scribe, and the student simply tells a story. As I sat there with a white board I simply gave the instructions to the student to tell me a story, and I will write it down. The student just looked at me, with a big smile, but no words for me to write. I continued to encourage him, asking to say anything, tell me how your day went...etc. to try and spark some ideas in him to begin telling me a story so I may be the scribe. After about five minutes of my prodding to try and get something out of the student, he simply replied, "I'm too shy." So we left it at that.

Then we used the book the student chose from the library, to gather a Running Record. We continued with our Session Plan doing stories from the QRI. When the session ended, I approached the parent and asked her if it is feasible to meet twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 pm. - 5:00 pm. She agreed, saying, “No problem.” I explained to her, that I wanted to make sure I get enough information, as next week will be our last week to meet.

I’m very glad I decided to request additional meetings with my student. As I was sitting down with Dr. Rivera going over some of the lessons I found out that I am missing a couple of things, in particular the listening comprehension portion. The extra sessions I set up with my student will definitely be busy.

Quote Taken from: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jeanmichel_basquiat.html

Picture Taken from: http://www.sjpl.org/tags/booksale

Midterm Self-Reflection...

A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
-Nelson Mandela

My semester began as a nerve racking semester, as a person that sets foot on a stage for the very first time, for their first performance. Then my nerves calmed and the feeling of accomplishment began to set in especially with eventually reading the whole textbook. I have read all 16 chapters of the textbook, having no trouble relating to what was being discussed. I know I am most definitely going to constantly refer back to the text book, not only in the near future for the upcoming semesters, but in the near future when I am actually a reading specialist. At first I was shocked to actually complete the text, but I found out it was something that I could completely follow and read with ease. I’ve had exposure to majority of the items discussed throughout the text. I was glad, and most of all feel accomplished.

I have participated in elluminate sessions accordingly, and have posted to the best of my ability in the class blog, and Dr. Rivera reminded me that I must post in the moddle rooms as well. Through all of these activities I am grateful we have them, as it helps me to stay on task. I have found out that it is very easy to get off task, and fall behind, especially with the amount of work needed, not to mention the readings. I think one of the most major problems I am dealing with is time management, as I have a very very hectic schedule.

I am currently working on being prepared for each session I have with my case study student. My main concern is actually having the time to accomplish my goals for the remainder sessions. I am going to have to sit down, and really plan the remainder of the semester, using an effective calendar, to list everything I need to do, by the hour. With the careful planning I am going to take, I know there is only room for success. I am going to conference with my student's parent and ask her if it is feasible, either to meet twice a week, instead of once a week, I will also ask her if the time is appropriate, I can adjust, but I just need to plan ahead of time.

Quote taken from: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/nelson_mandela.html

Picture taken from: http://ldswhy.com/qa/how-can-i-have-clean-thoughts/

The Third Day...

Teaching should be full of ideas instead of stuffed with facts. ~Author Unknown

The session began around 15 minutes late, transportation issues. I received a call from my parent, saying they are going to be late; she is stuck in traffic and still needs to pick up her daughter from school. When my student arrived I made him choose a book that he would like to read, afterwards, I asked him to read it out loud, as I was going to take a Running Record with him, to see his reading rate, etc... He chose the book The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room by Stan & Jan Berenstain. After letting him read about 50-90 words of the book, the first two pages, I continued to read the book out loud doing Shared Reading with him, reading along side. When we finished the book, that is when we started our narrative story, from the QRI-5 “Mouse in a House.” We continued with the QRI-5, until the time was up for our session. I'm thinking, that the QRI-5 is going to take up most of my time during our future sessions and I may need to meet with my student more often than originally planned. I will conference with the parent after our next session.

Quote taken from: http://www.quotegarden.com/teachers.html

Picture taken from: http://icenvtech.wordpress.com/category/new-books/

The Second Day

"They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel." - Carol Buchner


Today's session was pretty good, and very productive. I can see that my student is really starting to warm up to me, and we are getting things done. We went over word lists and one expository story from the QRI-5 to find out the students level. At this point, I'm wondering if it is enough though? I chose two grade levels below the student's actual grade level and I am not too sure if he was motivated by the expository story I chose. Next session though, I am going to try a narrative story from the same level, and see if he is at least motivated to read it. I also let the student draw, which he really loves to do, and by the look of his drawing, he is pretty good. I liked the detail he put into drawing his person, which by the way, he said was him. He also labeled the "wind" since we were reading an expository story on air.
I guess I still am wondering if I am doing the right thing, if I am on the right track. Dr. Rivera mentioned that it was too bad that I don't have some others in the class, to have that "peer" support group, which would have helped. But I know that Dr. Rivera is at my disposal, and I am able to ask for her advice/suggestions.

Quote Taken from: http://ripplemaker.hubpages.com/hub/50_Inspirational_Quotes_for_Teachers
Image Taken from: http://www.freakingnews.com/Hot-Air-Balloons-Pictures--2374.asp

In the beginning...there was light...

"A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others."

~Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, translated from Turkish

I like to think, it only takes a spark to get a fire going, today was the spark, to get the learning going. Today, October 4, 2011 was our initial meeting, I was able to meet the parent of my student, and my student as well. Initially the parent was lost, on campus. I contacted her via cell phone and asked her for her exact location, we agreed to meet at a common location (Field House) and proceed to School of Education (SOE). The way our session began was interesting, I was allowed some time to sit down with Dr. Rivera and do a self-examination and relax a bit before our actual session began. I was extremely nervous meeting my student and his parent. After the initial meeting, in the parking lot of the Field House the parent repeatedly apologized, we walked over SOE and began the session.

I started with the Literacy Center Forms, explained to the parent what the forms are, if she has any questions do not hesitate to ask, etc... She proceeded to the next room to complete the forms. While the parent was filling out the forms, I started the Student Interview, I used the Literacy Student Interview, reading the questions and taking notes as the student responded. At this point, with my first couple of questions I began to get nervous. My student seemed very shy majority of the student’s responses were “I don’t know.” He was constantly shrugging his shoulders in response to majority of my questions, until we came to the question: "Who do you think is a good reader?" He was able to identify a good reader, his classmate Nathan. I was glad! I finally got a response from the student besides, "I Don't Know." When asked what makes Nathan a good reader, his response, once again was “I don’t know.” I continued with the interview, and the student only had two favorite books, which he was able to name. He said he enjoyed math, and watching cartoons, on the Cartoon Network. The last movie he watched was Captain America, and his favorite part of the movie was when Captain America became strong. I asked the student if he speaks or understands any other languages, besides English, and he said, “I understand Filipino.” I asked him to say something in that language and he said, Bahu, which means stinky. I noticed when I asked him what the word meant he began to laugh, and had a smile on his face.

He is a very SHY student!!! I am anticipating having to do many activities for him to open up, warm up to our sessions. My main concern is how quiet/shy the student is because majority of his responses to the Student Interview Questions were mostly “I Don’t Know.” I am wondering if he or even I are going to be able to make it through the next session, when we start to work. I’m concerned too if I am going to be able to get the student to talk. Hopefully, the activities I have are going to be able to open him, and make him more comfortable and responsive.

Quote taken from: http://www.quotegarden.com/teachers.html

Picture taken from: http://www.juztimage.com/candle-pictures-sample-tips/candle-pictures-4/

Reflections...

"Thought flows in terms of stories -- stories about events, stories about people, and stories about intentions and achievements. The best teachers are the best storytellers. We learn in the form of stories." -- Frank Smith

Quote Taken From http://ripplemaker.hubpages.com/hub/50_Inspirational_Quotes_for_Teachers

Image Taken From

http://faculty.fordham.edu/siddiqi/fred/fred_7/fred7.html

Wow! I haven’t blogged in a while, I guess the middle of the semester has caught up with me, and I am so busy with everything, school, work, teaching and most of all my family obligations. I think we are all filled with stories, and my stories could keep you here forever! Needless to say I have been reading my chapters and I found them to be very informative. I have also been attentive to our illuminate sessions, which are very helpful, in the event if I have any questions. I am currently on task now preparing for my initial meeting with my case study tomorrow.

In Chapter 8 the role of the teacher in an effective program of assessment, arguing that high-quality information about students requires knowledgeable teacher/evaluators was described. Also described were a number of informal assessment strategies for evaluating specific components of reading competence. In Chapter 9- An Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) was described as individually administered informal reading test designed to place students in materials at the appropriate levels and to identify their strengths and weaknesses in the areas of word identification and comprehension. Traditionally, IRIs are used to identify students’ independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels. I especially liked how resource personnel must be particularly sensitive to the potential abuses of IRIs, given the limited amount of time that they are likely to come in contact with individual students. In particular, it may be difficult to predict a student’s performance in the classroom from a small sample derived from administering just one IRI. However, in the hands of a skilled specialist, IRIs can provide a great deal of valuable information about the reader within a relatively short time period. At the completion of this Master’s degree I am going to be just that, A SKILLED SPECIALIST!

In Chapter 10 where formal assessment were discussed I paid close attention, because I currently use some of these assessments. Formal assessment devices typically are published tests that provide standardized methods of administration, scoring, and interpretation and are often at the heart of the procedures used in traditional diagnoses of reading and writing problems. The first half of the chapter describes the aspects of standardized testing that are essential for evaluating formal tests, including issues of type and purpose, important statistical concepts, validity, reliability, the characteristics of norming populations, test fairness, and the interpretation of test scores. I have some familiarity with these assessments and to see it discussed in the text book had made it more “real” for my practice.

Chapter 11 focused on the point in assessment when informed decision making is required to determine how instructional planning will proceed. Specifically, this chapter dealt with understanding and implementing the steps in the assessment-instruction process that involve evaluating the match between learner and context (Step 4), reflection and generating hypotheses (Step 5), and diagnostic teaching (Step 6). In this chapter, I was better able to understand the implementations I utilize in my classroom. Seeing it mapped out on the assessment-instruction process made it more comprehensible and cohesive.

In Chapter 12 they provided information that will help teachers get started with instruction. First, we identified several key characteristics of an instructional program and discussed the issues related to establishing a literate environment, setting goals and objectives, establishing organizational patterns, and selecting materials. Next, we described a general instructional framework that is appropriate as a core program for all students but especially for low-achieving readers and writers that can be adapted to the needs of individuals or small groups. The components of this instructional framework are familiar with reading, guided reading, guided writing, word study, and sustained reading and writing.

In Chapter 13 the components of word recognition and spelling ability were reexamined and discussed were several issues related to teaching word-level instruction. In particular, they described the debate surrounding the appropriate way to help students acquire effective word analysis strategies, noting that views have tended to be polarized. Some educators argue that word identification strategies will not be acquired without direct instruction; others argue that they cannot be taught at all unless students are helped to learn them as they engage in extensive reading and writing in meaningful settings. I would imagine this is where the sound judgment of a reading specialist will come in, once the student’s background has been acknowledged.

Chapter 14 discussed the role of vocabulary and vocabulary instruction in reading and writing and presented a variety of strategies for teaching vocabulary. The well-documented relationship between vocabulary and comprehension makes vocabulary an important part of literacy instruction for all students, but especially English language learners.

Chapter 15 & 16 dealt with several issues related to literacy instruction. Specifically, we noted that research has provided persuasive evidence of the interraltionships between reading and writing and has also resulted in considerable knowledge about effective teaching and productive learning. In the first section of chapter 16 they described the various roles that literacy professionals are expected to perform. These range from direct instructional contact with students to consultative roles with teachers. We noted that these critical roles all share a common requirement for effective communication. We argued that literacy leaders must be able to interact with a wide array of people, sharing information and advocating for effective assessment and instructional practices.

Finishing the textbook, has been quite an accomplishment, on my part, and I definitely know that I am going to be referring back to this text very often, as it was very helpful in explaining the whole process a reading specialist will go through in order to determine/help the child improve.

Throughout the weeks of September I have been attending several of the presentations being offered here at the university, which were free and open to the public.

The first presentation I attended was H. Costenoble's Chamorro Dictionary – Sept. 14, 2011 Barbara Dewein, a research assistant at the University of Bremen, presented on H. costenoble’s Chamorro Dictionary on Wednesday, September 14, 2011, 6:00pm - 7:00pm in the CLASS Lecture Hall. H. Costenoble is known as the author of Die Chamoro Sprache, a Chamorro grammar text published in 1940. The manuscript of Grundwörtersammlung der Chamoro Sprache, a Chamorro dictionary also conducted by Costenoble, has recently been found. The dictionary was meant as a complement to the grammar text but it was never published.

The second I attended with Dr. Rivera was the UOG Presidential Lecture Series LANGUAGE ENDANGERMENT A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE – Sept. 20, 2011 Dr. Robert A. Underwood hosted the 14th presentation in his Presidential Lecture series featuring Dr. Thomas H. Stolz, a professor at the University of Bremen in Germany, who presented “Language Endangerment - A Comparative Perspective”. Language death is a very common phenomenon in the modern age. Estimates range from 60% to 90% of today’s languages being at least moderately endangered such that their survival into the next century is at stake. The lecture was held on September 20, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. in the IT&E Lecture Hall Room 131, 1st Floor of the Jesus S. and Eugenia A. Leon Guerrero School of Business and Public Administration Building UOG Campus.

The third presentation I attended was Chaifi - A fairytale from the Marianas by Georg Fritz: A Commented Re-edition – Sept. 27, 2011 Steve Pagel, University of Bremen, presented Chaifi - A fairytale from the Marianas by Georg Fritz: A Commented Re-edition on Tuesday, September 27 from 6:00pm - 7:00pm in the CLASS Lecture Hall. In 1906, the German district captain on Saipan, Georg Fritz, made available to the German public the Marianas legend of Chaifi. It was published in two German language journals that year in two different languages: Chamorro and German.

I am a firm believer in Language and Culture, and these presentations perpetuated my beliefs.

Reflections on Chapters 5, 6, & 7

"Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another." -- Marva Collins

Chapters 5, 6 & 7 were as always, with the whole book full of loads of information. I felt as I read through the chapters, I will constantly refer back to these chapters for more in depth information, and most especially when they discuss assessing a classroom. I especially like the statement: Every educator knows that literacy is not accomplished in schools alone. (Lipson & Wixson, page 123) I especially enjoyed how Chapter 5 discussed how standards of competent performance are determined by culture. I had a constant question lingering, when assimilating into another culture what do the students take with them, from their existing cultures and what do they leave behind? I liked how the chapter discussed the tools and strategies techniques for assessing the instructional setting, general instructional practice, and specific instructional activities. These techniques include questionnaires and observational devices such as guiding questions, rating scales, and checklists. Most are informal and require some organization and reflection on the part of the person doing the evaluation. I feel that I am doing all these things mentioned in this chapter, I have some background knowledge.

In chapter 6 I found I paid close attention when they examine the important characteristics of tutoring programs and how they influence student performance. My career has mostly dealt with being a tutor, and I am doing exactly that with my full-time job. I also liked how the chapter describes computer software and information/communication technology. It was very helpful to see how computers have aided the educational process in general.

In chapter 7 the factors that form the foundations of literacy was discussed. The gradual emergence of written literacy skills in the context of oral language development provides the perspective adopted for this chapter. The two major areas of competence were detailed and are necessary for literacy learning: oral language development and literacy experiences.

Image taken from: http://tutoringalaxy.com/main/classes-available/humanities/reading-comprehension/

Quote taken from: http://ripplemaker.hubpages.com/hub/50_Inspirational_Quotes_for_Teachers

Illuminate Session & Chapter Reflections

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement, nothing can be done without hope and confidence." -- Helen Keller
Quote taken from: http://ripplemaker.hubpages.com/hub/50_Inspirational_Quotes_for_Teachers





The illuminate session was interesting, having to use a different program to "chat" hold an online session, it just took some getting used to, needless to say it was nice. We discussed a multitude of information during our session, and it was most helpful to answer my questions. I will share further in depth, my reflections on reading Chapters 3 and 4. Also, the Differentiated Instruction and Response to Intervention (RTI) – See websites: http://www.reading.org/General/Publications/ReadingToday/RTY-0906-RTI.aspx, http://www.reading.org/downloads/resources/rti0707_implications.pdf and the Literacy Assessment, A Handbook of Instruments: Reading and Writing.

As I was reading Chapters 3 & 4 I noticed that Chapters 1 and 2 focused on understanding the reading and writing processes, which set up the foundation for the upcoming chapters. In chapter 3 the focus is on understanding the full spectrum of reading and writing abilities and applying this understanding to the assessment and instruction of reading and writing. A plan for the assessment-instruction process is presented, and the reasons for using this plan are explained and the steps in the assessment-instruction process is simply laid forth and described. All throughout the reading of this chapter the materials discussed were quite familiar, I have utilized this process, now I am beginning to understand the process more intrinsically, and understand how essential this process is to reading.

This chapter considered an interactive view of reading and writing ability and disability and its application to assessment and instruction. The first section of the chapter presented an interactive view of reading and writing ability and disability that is consistent with the interactive view of reading and writing processes. An interactive view of disability suggests that students’ performance on various reading and writing tasks is an indication of what they can and will do under specified conditions, rather than a set of fixed abilities and disabilities. As I was reading this portion of the chapter discussing disability, I began to understand the role of a reading specialist. When I first began reading/studying to become a reading specialist one question that was constant or lingering was how we separate a child with a disability, verses a child that just has difficulty with reading or writing. As I further read the chapter I came to realize our attention is focused on how each student performs under different conditions and which conditions are most likely to facilitate learning rather than identifying the disability. The notion of the proper match between student and circumstance is what we must grasp if we are to be effective evaluators and instructors. This is where we need to consider not one reading program fits all. But that question still remains, is there really a difference between a reading specialist and a special education specialist? Aren’t the two related? Some students, maybe a small percentage of students, in special education classes are placed there by reading specialists.

The second section of this chapter focused on an understanding of the assessment-instruction process described in this text. This was a very helpful portion of the chapter, because it discussed the process in detail. This process was characterized as an evaluation of the existing match and the identification of the optimal match between a learner and the conditions of the learning context, and as one that is similar to an RTI approach to the identification of learning disabilities. The long-range goal of the assessment-instruction process was described as the development of strategic, motivated, reflective learners who are able to apply their skills and strategies independently and in a flexible manner. I seriously believe when the chapter discussed that learning to read and write is characterized as a lifelong pursuit in which the knowledge gained from each reading/writing experience affects subsequent experiences. Because there are differences between instructional settings (classroom, resource room, clinic, etc.), different applications of the assessment-instruction process for these settings were discussed. Classroom teachers have the benefit of daily contact with students but limited time to spend with individual students. In contrast, the specialist of clinician has the benefit of individual time with the student but limited access to the student’s daily interactions with reading and writing in the classroom. As a result, the amount of attention devoted to individual components and the procedures used to evaluate them are likely to vary.

Assessments of student reading and writing ability must begin somewhere. In chapter 4 a road map was provided for the initial step of the assessment-instruction process: Getting Started. I believe this chapter was very important, because once we have good or somewhat perfect start, there is no room for failure. The procedures for collecting, interviewing, and observing described in this chapter are essential to a good beginning, but these activities don’t end after this phase of the assessment-instruction process—as in “That’s done, now let’s move on to the next step.” We must constantly talk and observe with an eye toward assessment it should be a continuous activity in every classroom and most especially in our clinical setting. Because these are such powerful tools, they are useful in virtually every phase of the assessment-instruction process.

This chapter begins with a brief discussion of the nature of assessment and some guidelines that are important for the entire assessment-instruction process. The idea of a diagnostic portfolio is also introduced. As we use the term, it is both a way to think about assessment and instruction and a way to manage information. In all of my classes, and every student I work with, I have created portfolios with them, I am an avid believer in portfolios and how it effects the progress of a reader/writer. Then the chapter provided a rationale and descriptive procedure for collecting background information and conducting observations and interviews, including a discussion of the sources of information that are useful in the Getting Started phase. The information discussed in this chapter was most especially helpful, considering that I am going to be “Getting Started” with my case study and contact the parents.

In the Getting Started step of the assessment-instruction process, there is less concern with gathering information about students’ application of literacy skills than we are with obtaining a general picture of the factors that may be influencing the performance data that will be gathered later. In this chapter observation, interviews, and work samples are discussed as approaches to the problem of gathering background information for the purpose of getting started. The approaches were discussed and most helpful in the hopes of gaining an initial understanding of the learner and the context within which he or she is learning. The techniques described in this Getting Started step of assessment-instruction, is something I may refer back to over and over again, as I would want to somewhat “accomplish” and be comfortable with the techniques used.

The purpose of this chapter was to assist the reader by providing the knowledge and techniques necessary for getting started in the assessment-instruction process, which it did very well. It began with a set of guidelines that are important for the entire assessment-instruction process. These guidelines promote an approach to assessment that is contextualized examines how readers and writers perform in authentic classrooms or other real-world settings.

As I read the RTI portion/assignment the first thing I notice was how much information it covered. It discussed topics ranging from New and Expanded Roles for Reading Teachers, Key Concepts and Benefits of RTI, Professional Development and RTI, Funding to Support and Implement RTI, New And Expanded Roles For Schools Using RTI, System Design for RTI, Implications for Administrators Using RTI, these are just to name a few. Some of the ideas I remember most, and agree with are how reading specialists are among the best-trained professionals in leading schools to help develop, implement, and evaluate new models of service delivery as well as deliver professional development. Also, how clearly, reading specialists will be called on to take a more proactive and flexible approach to sharing reading knowledge with other personnel and to working collaboratively to learn the insights and knowledge of other staff professionals. Reading specialists working in districts that opt to develop an RTI approach can offer tremendous value and expertise at many levels. IRA members can begin the RTI process by reviewing what they are currently doing to monitor student progress and make data-based decisions within a problem-solving framework. In regards to the Literacy Assessment which ones I will specifically use, I know I will determine which one is age appropriate. I know that I will use the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (Garfield's different expressions) and the Denver Reading Attitude Survey. I have some experience using surveys in my classes especially when reading is addressed, and I know I will be able to use these surveys with ease.

There is a multitude of information I am taking in at the moment, and I know that if I have concerns/questions/comments, I will be able to discuss at any given point throughout the semester. Thank goodness for the internet, and how it has made us accessible today.

Image courtesy of: http://www.sgfl.org.uk/englishandliteracy/primary/guidedreading