6 Time Wasters in the Reading Classroom

By -
Reading instructional strategies
We don't have time. Biggest educational complaint! Right? Yes. What about instructional strategies that don't work? They also squander time, time that we don't have. Here's the quick list of strategies that can be replaced with more effective and time efficient practices:


    Six Best Practices for Reading Instruction
  1. Calendar Time 15-20 minutes wasted >>> replace with weekly or monthly review of the month, day, etc... Use the fresh morning for more critical word study, place value, or writing skills.
  2. Word List and Look it Up in the Dictionary 5-15 minutes wasted >>> Long-term memory doesn't encode dictionary definitions well. Replace looking up words with more meaningful vocabulary instruction such as concept mapping, using context clues, and student talk.
  3. Prizes for Reading (untold minutes) >>> Prizes encourage for sure...but for students who struggle, they don't teach reading and many times punish. That means it undermines motivation. Instead, create reading goals, learning goals, praise effort, chart growth, and celebrate growth. Here's a post where we look at the power of growth.
  4. Weekly Spelling Tests 25 minutes wasted >>> Whole class lists do not address learning needs. A better practice is to determine spelling development level and give learning tasks for analyzing and sorting words based on different patterns. Assessment? Look at student writing for a spelling evaluation or grade. Plus...save yourself the headache of grading spelling lists!
  5. Free Reading Time 20 minutes wasted >>> Unsupporting independent reading doesn't teach or allow for focused practice. Instead, pair independent reading with instructional tasks such as using a specific comprehension strategy, giving coaching feedback, paired discussions, and reading response activities.
  6. Sit for 45 Minutes 40 minutes wasted >>> Physical activity is central to the focused brain activity required for reading. Kill the long lesson format and replace it with 5-10 minute mini-lessons, guided reading, task cards that allow for movement, and game-based practice tasks.
Interested in ways to measure and celebrate growth? Here are two posts Vocabulary for Growth and Grading for Growth.

For a list of research to support these suggestions see the Edutopia post that inspired this one!

Comments

Post a Comment

What are your thoughts?

Popular posts from this blog

Accidental Diminishers, 6 Types for Self-Reflection

By -
Image
Multiplying results, multiplying your network, multiplying strength in others, multiplying your team's effective - these are all traits of multipliers (here's the amazing book by Liz Wiseman ). On the flipside, there are many actions that can diminish in spite of being spurred by good intentions. In this post, I'll share with you 6 types of accidental diminishers : The Optimist The Rapid Responder The Pace-Setter The Rescuer The Idea Guy Always On Marci Houseman shared the graphic below on Twitter, and I thought it would be perfect to share with you. The Wiseman Group " Being a multiplier means being aware of those times when we have a tendency to be an accidental diminisher. To build capacity we must provide others with the opportunity to learn and grow—even if something is done “differently” than we would have done it." - Marci Houseman The Optimist Being an optimist is a strength, and it's much needed. However, the strength
Read more

How Long Should Direct Instruction Be?

By -
Image
How Long Should Direct Instruction Be? Direct instruction is great, but how long should it be - based on brain research? This is a great reminder from Eric Jensen about the length that most students can cognitively engage (in direct instruction, that is). Thanks  @DavidJHuber , for sharing this as we go back to school. But what can be done in only 8-12 minutes? Here are 5 high-yielding strategies that fit perfectly in this short direct instruction window. 1. Expand Prior Knowledge in Direct Instruction Part of the challenge in teaching classes of students (instead of individual students) is the range of background knowledge. Each student comes to class at a different starting point. Direct instruction can very efficiently build prior knowledge for all students. Present visuals, videos, quick reads, or graphic organizers. Fill in prerequisite background knowledge and push the limits on enriching background knowledge. This will allow all students to make richer connectio
Read more

School Improvement is More than Curriculum and Instruction Expertise

By -
Image
Curriculum and instruction. Those are the foundation of what we do in education, but they are not the center of successful school improvement. Many improvement efforts fail because they focus completely on curriculum and instruction. Campus leaders are prone to making this mistake . After all, principals were teachers, instructional specialists, and curriculum experts. District support staff lean towards making this mistake because most support staff work in curriculum and instruction. And rightfully so - curriculum and instruction are at the center of our business. They just are not the center of successful school improvement. Culture is the center of successful School Improvement Think of Southwest Airlines, General Motors, Facebook, and Google. These are the names of thriving businesses. They are the result of successful on-going improvement efforts focused on organizational culture. They continue as a part of our everyday lives because they have strong organizational culture
Read more