Since I was only participating yesterday, I didn't get to see any of the publisher presentations or the actual review process because those are taking place today through Saturday. I would have loved to do that, but the individuals involved in the reviewing process were recruited last year and went through an intense process to apply and get selected. I was invited to attend as a guest by a man who also just completed his doctorate at PSU who is an education specialist for the Oregon Department of Education. When I got there he asked me to give him feedback on the process so they can continue to improve how they go about reviewing curricula in the state of OR.
The basic gist is that publishing companies present to this group of evaluators. The evaluators score the programs based on a set of criteria that has been established by ODE. The programs that meet a certain criteria are then put on a list of recommended instructional materials that address the CCSS.
During the morning while I was there, directions for the day were given and an ELA specialist from ODE gave a presentation about CCSS and how they impact ELA. There are 6 "shifts" that are taking place:
- Increase reading of informational text
- text complexity
- academic vocabulary
- text-based answers
- increase writing from sources
- literacy instruction in all content areas
All else aside, listening to the presentation was really interesting in terms of my own teaching. I wasn't there "to learn" but I was really thinking about my own instruction and am really glad I was able to attend.
I think the greatest nugget of the day was a statement that really gave me a new perspective on my own research. I have always believed in the importance of helping kids connect what we read with their own lives in order to ensure that everyone has a chance to understand the content. Yet, when the presenter was talking about asking text-based questions, she said, "departing from the text privileges only those that have experience with the topic." That statement really made me think. I don't agree with throwing out questions that ask students to relate the text to themselves, yet CCSS is really pushing to focus on information in the text and to ask questions that require students to actually read and understand the text in order to answer them. The CCSS really emphasizes that students can negotiate the content and think and respond in ways that are not canned. So, staying within the text doesn't mean asking simple recall questions, it means using the information in the text to think, process, and understand at a higher level. And, if we stay within the text, we are ensuring a shared understanding because we are discussing only what we have read together.
Good stuff. Still have to process it a bit.
Have you been using the CCSS to teach ELA?
What do you think about text-based comprehension questions?
1 comment:
This is interesting to read about. We have been shifting to informational reading/writing over the past few years, but the idea of text based questioning is only something we have just started to discuss. I agree with you that we shouldn't throw out the text to self connections entirely, I think that if they are real connections (not like my brother's name is also Tom haha) they are very helpful to the kids. But I definitely see the points on the other side too, as you said- it puts children on the same playing field if we just stick to the text (although I'd argue it really doesn't because they will still comprehend it better if they have a connection). Like everything, I think it's a balance and we probably have moved to far over to the "what do YOU think" side of it, and need to move closer to "what does the text actually say" :)
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