Page 28 - iRead EL in Research Paper

RECOMMENDATION
Beginning readers should be provided with ample opportunities to read voluminously the types of texts that they nd interesting and that are on their reading level. Texts that are on the appropriate level provide an individualized balance of support and challenge. Both qualitative and quantitative data should be collected about student behaviors during reading in order to inform decisions about the types of texts to which students should be exposed.
iRead’s Approach
After each series of software lessons, students read a high-interest Success eBook that employs controlled vocabulary to carefully sca old the reading experience and reinforce speci c phonemic/phonics skills young readers have just developed. eBooks provide increasingly complex text, along with correct pronunciation of every word and friendly de nitional support for high-utility vocabulary words. Designed to be relevant to children of diverse backgrounds and interests, eBook themes include life and physical science, earth and space science, health, music, poetry, sayings and phrases, history, geography, and world cultures. Engaging photos and illustrations deepen children’s interaction with the text.
Students also have access to a library of downloadable books, appropriately leveled on the basis of individual performance data. Students are able to collect and track the books they have read in their iRead backpack collections.
And in the iRead Family Portal, parents are provided reading lists of high-interest literacy and informative trade books, from which children can choose, based on their own interests. They can also download decodable books that are just right for their child’s level.
Classroom Management Practices
for Di erentiated Instruction
Classroom management refers to everyday processes, practices, and procedures—including e cient data management techniques—that foster a “smooth-functioning, productive classroom learning environment” (Roskos & Neuman, 2010, p. 308). E ective personalized, di erentiated instruction depends on a well-organized and positive classroom environment, reinforced by appropriate teacher procedures and accessible student data.
Research Evidence and Expert Opinion
While personalized, di erentiated learning at its most granular level involves instruction tailored to the individual child, it also draws on the practical and social advantages of small-group learning. Recognizing that a di erentiated classroom will have multiple learning activities occurring simultaneously, Sousa and Tomlinson (2011) recommend that teachers develop clear and consistent methods to maximize the use of learning time, ensure that students stay on task, and set expectations for student behavior.
At-risk students, in particular, bene t from e ective classroom management strategies to ensure that learning time and resources are e ectively employed, and that attention is focused on learning (Roskos & Neuman, 2010).
Di erentiation also implies assessment, as teachers need to understand where students are in order to understand what they need. Thus, e ective data management is another vital component of a di erentiated classroom. In calling for di erentiated instruction based on student assessment data, Institute of Education Sciences’ Practice Guide for Response to Intervention (IES, 2009) notes the need for teachers to be able “to collect and interpret student data on reading e ciently and reliably” so that they can “develop data- driven decision rules for providing di erentiated instruction to students at varied reading pro ciency levels for part of the day” (p. 9).
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