Naomi S.

Forster
Case Study/Reflective Paper
EDUC 340: Spring 2014
All teachers are teachers of reading. . .

Immediately upon reading this phrase, what comes to mind is the broader term of
literacy. If we think in these terms, then of course, all teachers across all subject areas are
instrumental in improving a students ability to think, learn and to identify questions found
in the text of any content material.
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The challenge for many educators is moving from the traditional instructor-focused
lecture and question (passive learning) format to a more dynamic and student-centered
(active learning) teaching style. The former is a process that merely transmits the
information but does not engage the student with the material, it fails to make the
information personal and typically an opportunity is lost to create an active learning
environment. When creating student-centered lessons, the educator is also providing a
forum in which learners can share viewpoints, exchange information and develop social
and emotional skills. Additionally, when teachers organize hands-on learning activities and
activate students prior knowledge of a subject, students are able to outperform same-
grade peers and respond to questions of higher-order thinking with greater proficiency.
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A method for activating a learners prior knowledge is using a KWL template,
which asks the student to think about what they already Know about a subject, what they
Want to know and finally, what was Learned at the conclusion of a lesson. This template
helps students learn to predict outcomes and connect new information to knowledge they

1
Vacca, Richard T. Vacca, Jo Anne L. "Literacy Matters." Education: Literacy & The Learner.
Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2011. 10-12. Print.
2
Vacca, Richard T. Vacca, Jo Anne L. "Literacy Matters." Education: Literacy & The Learner.
Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2011. 5. Print.
already possess. It is also an effective tool for teachers to assess a students understanding
of the subject matter and an insight into areas that may need to be re-taught or clarified in
the next class. This could be a useful strategy in my content area because it will help me
understand how to make a topic more personal to my students, to assist in gauging what
competencies with the material already exist and where I would need to focus more
attention for overall comprehension.
Literacy isnt simply learning how to read, it also the ability to comprehend and use
knowledge that is written or is transmittable in another format. An important component
to literacy is being able to make sense of shared knowledge by applying it, the ability to
decode new vocabulary and to reasonably predict outcomes using new information. Brain
research has shown that if given several different modes of learning a new skill, then more
pathways are built in the brain to process, store and retrieve this new skill or knowledge.
This is why it is vital that educators employ multiple strategies when introducing a new
topic.
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One strategy that is especially effective for activating prior knowledge in English
Language Learners is a Verbal and Visual Word Association activity. The process helps
students understand key words, improves vocabulary comprehension among non-
proficient readers in all content areas, provides a visual component and requires that a
student make personal connections by providing examples from their own lives. Using this
technique in my content area could make a lesson about the Renaissance period interesting
for students because it would encourage them to think about how their lives might be
similar and different from someone living during that time period. The culture, science and

3
Willis, Judy. "Memory, Learning and Test-Taking Success." Research-based Strategies to
Ignite Student Learning: Insights from a Neurologist and Classroom Teacher. Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2006. 3. Print.
art of the time still influences our lives today and by studying how it relates to the student
on a personal level can make the information more powerful and increase comprehension
even if English is not their primary language.
The successful comprehension of vocabulary that is of a more technical nature can
be achieved with a moderate amount of planning. Before the new terms are initially
introduced, studies have shown that if the key terminology is pre-taught then students
will have a more successful opportunity to make connections and relationships between
the words and subsequent concepts.
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Graphic Organizers can be a powerful strategy for
pre-teaching the key terms of a new topic. They provide a visual format for turning
abstract ideas into a concrete format where ideas, concepts and terms can be grouped
according to relationship, function and importance. The main concept can be easily
identified, typically in the center, and surrounded by supporting themes. It also allows
students the freedom to organize the information in a personal way that makes sense to
them. Arrows, boxes, bubbles, stars, bullet points are all opportunities for expression and a
graphic means to understand new material in any subject. They are also useful tools that
can be tailored to assess comprehension and understanding. The feedback provided by the
student can give the educator a quick visual snapshot whether the main concepts were
recognized or if a re-teach in specific areas might be needed. As a visual learner myself, I
often employ this strategy when learning new material or outlining a paper I need to write.
Using graphic organizers in the my content area would be useful when showing
relationships between specific time periods and the most important events taking place at
that time. If the Civil War were being taught, as an example, this strategy could be effective

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Vacca , Richard T. Vacca, Jo Anne L. "Introducing Technical Vocabulary." Education:
Literacy & The Learner. By. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2011. 144. Print
because it visually illustrates important battles, influential people, and how they affected
those events.
Another creative way to engage the learner and to teach how to learn is with the use
of the Character Map. This strategy can also be used to help teach students how to
organize the information, determine which are the most important facts and is fun because
it can be applied to non-human as well as living things. The process is simple as it asks the
student to think about the thoughts and feelings of the object or person being studied. This
technique also requires students to practice their writing skills in the first person, consider
an experience from another person or things point of view and allows for creativity.
Similarly, a RAFT exercise can facilitate learning because it helps students clarify,
explore and contemplate the ideas or concepts found in a course reading.
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The main
components to the RAFT are taking the Role of the writer, determining who will be the
Audience, what Format will the piece take and what is the Topic for discussion. This was a
memorable moment in my lab experience in the classroom this semester. In the small
group of geography students I worked with one day, we were studying the Israeli conflict
and its origins. Rather than ask the students to answer questions or complete a worksheet,
I proposed they write a letter as if they were either a Palestinian or an Israeli citizen to the
other. They were to tell the other person why they/themselves had a right to lay claim on
the disputed Holy Lands citing evidence from the text and to add what they imagined
would be the personal feelings of the individual they were portraying in their letter. What I
found to be so useful about this strategy was its ability to elicit interest and laughter but
also engagement. Some might argue that more importantly, it was also an effective tool to

5
Vacca , Richard T. Vacca, Jo Anne L. "Writing Across The Curriculum." Education: Literacy
& The Learner. By. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2011. 220. Print
assess comprehension and necessitated a true understanding of the material in order to
make the most compelling argument. I found students pouring through the information in
order to get a firm understanding of their persons point of view. On the last day of my
lab I actually sat with one of those same students. He was flipping through his notebook
looking for notes and I heard him chuckle. When I asked what was funny, he pointed to the
letter he wrote on that same day and re-read some of it to me, laughing. What a magical and
successful moment for both of us!
An important component to creating effective lessons are also a focus on
summarizing, evaluating and clarifying understanding assist students in extending their
thinking.
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A Venn Diagram is a strategy that can be used to extend thinking because it is
used to describe logical relationships and to illustrate similarities and differences between
two concepts within a topic. It is also another valuable assessment tool for educators to
determine the level of comprehension and understanding of each concepts individual
characteristics. This sort of activity could be useful in my content area when determining
students knowledge of Native American culture and how it was different or similar to the
culture of Western Europe during an identical time period.
Regardless of an educators content area all teachers are teachers of literacy.
Important components of teaching literacy effectively are the ability to teach to all types of
text, to engage students, create active learning lesson that are student-centered, make
lessons personal, to assess comprehension and understanding and to extend thinking in
order to tackle higher thinking questions.

6
Vacca , Richard T. Vacca, Jo Anne L. "Using Comprehension Strategies to Extend Thinking."
Education: Literacy & The Learner. By. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2011. 127. Print