Webinar

 This morning I participated in a webinar on selecting and using core reading programs.

My evaluation: LOVED it! 

Although I was pretty tired because I didn't get much sleep prior to the start of the webinar, I thought it was absolutely fabulous. So many things that were discussed were exactly on par with what I have been thinking about core reading programs. There was some technical difficulty with the sound throughout the hour long presentation, but it was completely worth waking up for and I am even more excited to get my hands on the book written by the presenter Peter Dewitz.

What is a webinar you might ask? Good question. I didn't know either until I took part in one. But I have to say, it was pretty cool!

I was imagining that it would be a video presentation that I would get to watch, but it was actually a lot different than I anticipated. It was better because it actually allowed the participants to utilize a chat function in order to ask questions and make comments throughout the presentation rather than simply listening. Instead of viewing a video of the presenter, we were viewing his power point presentation and we could hear his voice. I tried to take some photos of what the screen looked like so I could post about it.

Here is a close up of the chat window

I found it hard to focus on both the presenter and the chat conversation so I mostly just listened and viewed the slides because  I was more interested in his research than what the other participants were discussing. This interactive chat feature was great though because it allowed us to ask questions which were then answered at the end of the presentation.

 Twice during the presentation, an additional window popped up asking us to answer a question. We were given about a minute to respond. then the group results were posted.

I thought that was a really cool feature as well. 

By no means was this presentation meant to discredit the value of core reading programs, but the Mr. Detwitz did share research indicating that this type of program is best if not used with fidelity. 

Go figure. 

Some of the more salient points that really resonated with me were:

• core programs do not allow the gradual release of responsibility that is most beneficial to students
• most of the stories are not written by actual children's authors.
• the programs are research based, yet some of this research is market research conducted with teachers to see if they like the lessons and the program design. 
• one slide showed the average number of minutes that students who are below grade level readers spend actually engaging in the act of reading during a 90 minute core lesson and it was astounding. For the Treasures program that my district uses, the figure was about 10 minutes. TEN minutes a day spent reading!
• the basic design of core reading programs has barely changed in the past 20 years despite the ever increasing diversity of our student populations.

At one point, Mr. Dewitz shared an example of the vocabulary that was selected for the book Thunder Cake.

On the left you can see the words designated by the reading program to be the "vocabulary" words for instruction, yet the left column shows 9 more words that most likely would also be challenging for students, but are not considered vocabulary words for this text. He emphasized that a scripted program cannot gauge where your students are in their vocabulary knowledge, therefore it is very appropriate for the teacher to select vocabulary words and stopping points based on your knowledge of your particular students. Also, he mentioned that the vocabulary words selected for study should have relevance outside of the particular text being read so students grasp a more universal understanding and can apply the words elsewhere in their lives. 

I love that he validates teacher knowledge and skills, don't you?

Overall, I was really pleased with this presentation. I was told the power point would be posted on the IRA website, but I don't think that has been done yet. When it is, I will try to attach it in a different post so you can read through the entire presentation. It was really informative and made me feel confident that my misgivings about using core programs with fidelity are warranted and quite common among teachers. He actually cited four research studies about fidelity that I will try to track down and post for you as well.

Although the sound was a little sketchy throughout due to a storm in VA where Mr. Dewitz was located, the quality of the webinar was very good and it provided me with lots to think about! My amazement with technology continues to grow and I feel so fortunate to be teaching and studying in a time when there is so much potential for the use of technology to increase learning.