What have I been reading?

Anyone curious about what I have been reading? Well, here is a list of articles that I have scoured in the past couple weeks:

  • Biggs, M. A. R. (2004). Visualisation and Wittgenstein’s “Tractatus.” Studies in Multidisciplinarity, 2(1961), 293–303.
  • Bowyer-Crane, C., Snowling, M. J., Duff, F. J., Fieldsend, E., Carroll, J. M., Miles, J., … Hulme, C. (2008). Improving early language and literacy skills: differential effects of an oral language versus a phonology with reading intervention. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 49(4), 422–32. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01849.x
  • Fricke, S., Bowyer-Crane, C., Haley, A. J., Hulme, C., & Snowling, M. J. (2013). Efficacy of language intervention in the early years. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 54(3), 280–90. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12010
  • Guthrie, J. T. (2001). Contexts for Engagement and Motivation in Reading. Reading Online, 4(8). Retrieved from http://www.readingonline.org/articles/handbook/guthrie/
  • Hulme, C., & Snowling, M. J. (2011). Children’s Reading Comprehension Difficulties: Nature, Causes, and Treatments. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(3), 139–142. doi:10.1177/0963721411408673
  • Hulme, C., & Snowling, M. J. (2013). Learning to Read: What We Know and What We Need to Understand Better. Child Development Perspectives, 7(1), 1–5. doi:10.1111/cdep.12005
  • May, S. (2007). Sustaining Effective Literacy Practices Over Time in Secondary Schools: School Organisational and Change Issues. Language and Education, 21(5), 387–405. doi:10.2167/le799.0
  • Olson, C. B., & Land, R. (2007). A cognitive strategies approach to reading and writing instruction for English language learners in secondary school. Research in the Teaching of English, 41(3), 269–303. Retrieved from <Go to ISI>://WOS:000244438000003
  • Sailors, M., Hoffman, J. V, Pearson, P. D., Mcclung, N., Shin, J., Phiri, L. M., & Saka, T. (2012). Supporting Change in Literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 49(2), 209–231. doi:10.1002/rrq.70
  • Schmitt, N., Jiang, X., & Grabe, W. (2011). The Percentage of Words Known in a Text and Reading Comprehension. The Modern Language Journal, 95(1), 26–43. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01146.x
  • Shanahan, T. (2008). Literacy across the lifespan: what works? Community Literacy Journal, 3(1), 3–20.
  • Snow, C. E. (2002). Variability in reading comprehension. Reading, 19–28. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1465/
  • What, I. E. S., & Clearinghouse, W. (2012). Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers.

Language is the carrier of the human culture

“And language is the carrier of the human culture, by which mankind continually produces and contemplates itself, a reflection of our species–being. Language, one might say, is the medium of mind, the element in which our minds dwell as our bodies dwell on earth in the air. In mastering language, we take on a culture; our native language becomes a part of ourselves, of the very structure of the self. Thus language has dual aspects: it is our means for self-expression, for articulating our unique individuality; yet at the same time it is what we have in common with other members of our community, what makes us like them and binds us to them. As a consequence, language lies at the heart of the problem of membership - in a group, in a culture, in a society, in a polity - central to almost every theoretical issue in social and political study.”
— (Pitkin, 1972, pg. 3)

Pitkin, H. F. (1972). Wittgenstein and Justice. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

What Are Some Key Questions to Ask When Choosing Teaching Methods and Materials for Literacy Instruction?

The following is a quite rough attempt to draft some questions that teachers can consider when selecting teaching methods and materials in a literacy program. The questions ask teacher to reflect upon such items as the developmental stage(s) of learners, the degree of balance in instruction, whether content is suitable, and the adequacy of planing/assessment practices. It is hoped that these questions will be refined and explained in the future. Please explore and enjoy!!

 

Stages of Literacy Development

  1. What stage of literacy development would I consider this individual to be at?
  2. Upon what evidence am I making this assessment?
  3. Is the learner at the age-appropriate level?
  4. What factors would account for the learner being at this particular stage? (refer to the component model of reading achievement - cognitive, psychological and ecological factors)
  5. What instruction/practices has the individual had previously?
  6. What instruction would I recommend for this learner and why?
  7. What resources and practice would this include? Are such resources and practice accessible and appropriate?
  8. Does the learner have access to safe, supportive spaces with a coalition of supporters and access to quality materials?
  9. Am I selecting the most appropriate reading material in relation to content, vocabulary, syntax, motivation and engagement?
  10. What other developmental factors must I consider in my assessment? Language skills? Non-verbal cognitive skills? Background knowledge and interests? Maturation? Interests? Relationships?
  11. What are my hopes and aspirations for the learner? What are opportunities that lie ahead? What are some obstacles? What are some of the choices that will need to be made along the way?

 

Balanced Instruction

What are the Focus Areas of Instruction?

  1. How is my instruction balancing core aspects of literacy teaching: phonemic awareness, word recognition, orthography, fluency, composition, comprehension, robust vocabulary development, critical thinking, applied practice, content learning, and independent exploration?
  2. How are learners developing declarative, procedural and conditional knowledge?
  3. How am I focusing on mastery whilst at the same time allowing time for content-based inquiry and exploration?
  4. Are my lessons/units based around thematic investigations?
  5. Are my lessons/units anchored in real-world interaction and problem solving?
  6. Am I able to employ the Language Experience Approach (LEA) to develop language skills, purposeful reading, and non-verbal skills and knowledge?
  7. Is my focus on mastery systemic, intensive, linear though the use of spelling dictionaries, phoneme walls and progress practice with suitable texts?
  8. Is there ample guided and shared reading practice in order to assist with fluency and accuracy?
  9. Is there ample guided and shared reading practice in order to assist with comprehension?
  10. Am I regularly investing in vocabulary development through thematic investigations, word walls, word maps and related vocabulary/conceptual development?
  11. Is time set aside for reading practice and application of the readers’ cognitive toolkit?
  12. Is time set aside for composition with an emphasis on field building, deconstruction, joint construction, guided construction, and independent practice?
  13. In the earlier and later years is there suitable time set aside aside for oral language development (which is known to impact comprehension, vocabulary and grammatical knowledge) and print-based skills (which is known to impact fluency and accuracy)?
  14. Does my allocation of instructional time reflect a balanced approach?

 

Content & Contexts

  1. Is all learning based on knowledge exploration? Through LEAs? Thematic investigations? Close readings? Etc?
  2. Am I taking into account learners’ prior knowledge and present explorations when preparing LEAs and thematic investigations?
  3. Is the scaffolding provided for content-based learning adequate to enhance deep learning and discovery?
  4. Is the learning taking into consideration the context in which the learning will be applied?

 

In Relationship to Specific Ages and/or Groups

  1. Must I consider the unique experiences of particular ages or groups, such as pre-school learners, English language learners, those with learning difficulties, or adult learnings with limited literacy and/or English?
  2. If so, how does this affect my teaching?
  3. How do I take these factors into consideration?
  4. What are the literacy needs? language needs? learning needs? non-verbal needs? etc?
  5. Why must I continue to ensure that the teaching is developmentally appropriate with high expectations and quality support?

 

Planning & Assessment

Have I taken into account each level of literacy engagement?

  1. Have I taken all the factors above in my planning?
  2. Is my instruction evolving as the learners develop?
  3. Does my weekly timetable make best use of instructional time?
  4. Am I effective in my use of literacy rotations?
  5. What evidence am I collecting to make formative assessments on learners’ progress?
  6. Am I supported in the decisions that I make? Am I able to collaborate with others?
  7. Are my planning & assessment activities fair and adequate?
  8. Have I achieved balance in my instruction?
  9. Is my teaching structured, challenging and creative?
  10. Do I have a clear vision of the pathways for learners?
  11. Do I take into consideration individual differences and differentiate instruction accordingly?
  12. Does my teaching respond to the cultural and contextual diversity of my learners and the community?
  13. Do I consult with a wide range of stakeholders during my planning, preparation, delivery and evaluation?

Teaching Practice Must Progress in Keeping with the Stages of Reading Development

Chall, J. S. (1996). Stages of reading development (2nd ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovic College Publishers.

Over the past couple months, we have made regular reference to Chall's six stages of reading development, which accounts for reading development from birth to adulthood. For that reason, we have added a specific section on the stages of literacy development to the Teaching Folder of the site. Therefore, it provides us with a platform to explore the way in which pedagogy changes as learners develop throughout the developmental sequence. 

If we borrow Wittgenstein’s concepts here, a developmental account of a language/literacy learning progression is sensitive to the way perception (aspect seeing) changes, practices form, attitudes develop, knowledge takes shape and (literate) forms of life take root (or fail to do so). We need to marvel at how learning transpires and how each new act of learning builds from that which came before. We need to be amazed at the small steps and giant leaps that occur. We need to be cautious of stagnation and entropy.

In time, we will address the following sequence of questions for each of the six levels.

1. What does instruction look like at this stage?

  • activities, routines, etc;
  • books and other texts;
  • writing tasks;
  • formal and informal activities; 
  • independent activity.

2. What should learners be able to accomplish/engage in?

  • independently;
  • with guidance;
  • jointly;
  • if/when modelled.

3. What would gradual release of control (or apprenticeship) look like at this stage?

4. At the end of the stage,  how is the learner prepared for the subsequent stage?

Chiu, M. M., McBride-Chang, C., & Lin, D. (2012). Ecological, psychological, and cognitive components of reading difficulties: Journal of Learning Disabilities, 45(5), 391–405.

5. What would be characteristic age range be for this stage? What support/intervention should be provided if a learner is failing behind? 

6. How does one coordinate learning/support if there is a substantial difference between the learner's age and developmental stage? How does one choose content that is both linguistically and age appropriate?

7 How can we use the component model of reading development (depicted to the right)  to (a) identify potential assets/deficits exhibited by the learners and (b) to strategise with a multi-dimensional approach to building capacity in each area?

The sequence of images below demonstrates how the balance of instruction and approach alters across a learner’s lifespan. I invite you to explore the Stages of Literacy page. Explore and enjoy!

p.s. Even though one may be tempted to see skills progressing in a purely sequential manner, I would like to emphasise that each skill domain should be practiced/experienced to some extent at each stage of a reader/writer's development. The following table illustrates a significant point: at any given stage there should be literacy elements that we expect the individual to be able to practice explicitly (e.g. spelling) as well as other elements that individual can participate in with guidance (e.g. prompting or scaffolding a story) or jointly with a peer or adult.

 
 

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References

Chall, J. S. (1996). Stages of reading development (2nd ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovic College Publishers.

Chiu, M. M., McBride-Chang, C., & Lin, D. (2012). Ecological, psychological, and cognitive components of reading difficulties: testing the component model of reading in fourth graders across 38 countries. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 45(5), 391–405. doi:10.1177/0022219411431241

Progress with the Balanced Teaching page

I am pleased to announce progress with the Balanced Teaching page on the Wittgenstein on Learning website. This update includes a comprehensive, referenced introduction for the coming teaching presentations. Select the image and/or link below to begin exploring.

Podcast #3: Commanding a Clear View

Welcome to the third episode of the Wittgenstein On Learning Podcast. In this episode, I discuss Wittgenstein's concept of commanding a clear view. Given the amount of time spent recently on literacy pedagogy in the blog (wittgenstein-on-learning.com/journal), some may be surprised at the choice of topic. However, the topic makes perfect sense. Over the past few weeks, I have been committed to gaining a clear view of the topics of language and literacy development. I have taken a reflective stance of seeking an overarching description of my topic. With such a viewpoint, it is easier to "find my way about". In this podcast, I speak about commanding a clear view in a more general way, and I speak about the significant yet difficult task of developing a synoptic view over our knowledge. That said, any such achievement must be balanced with real practice. In other words, a thinker must spend time ommanding a clear view whilst also getting to the rough ground  to test and refine one's ideas. Or as Wittgenstein puts it, "thinking too has a time for ploughing and a time for gathering the harvest." (Culture & Value).

Four Essays on the Elements of a Balanced Literacy Program

The following four "essays" each tackle the same question: "how do we foster a comprehensive and rich literacy program?" Whilst the essays risk repetition (starting with their descriptions below), they each represent a renewed attempt the explore the same very vexed question. Of the four essays, the essay A Teacher for All Seasons and All Places goes the furthest by taking into account the impact of literacy in the home environment and also speaking about factors that can increase equity in opportunity to learn.

Like previous essays, the following first appeared as Journal entries, but now find themselves revised and updated. (The first - Managing a Balanced Approach to Literacy - first appear in November 2013.) You will find that each reflects the same division of perspectives on language & literacy highlighted in the page titled, Why Wittgenstein? Why not a general site about literacy? Please explore, enjoy and share your thoughts!

Two New Essays: On Literacy & On Practices

This entry comes with a sense of accomplishment. We are pleased to share two (new) essays that reflect important principles from Wittgenstein On Learning. As with many of the essays, both essays initially appeared in the Journal and have been revised and updated for the Essays Section. One essay appeared fairly recently in the Journal (3 July) and it is titled A Framework For Considering Literacy Instruction. The essay seeks to provide a framework for comprehensive and balanced literacy instruction which reflects the developmental stages of literacy and the multifaceted nature of language development.

The other essay is a more expansive attempt to cover its topic. It first appeared as a five-part series starting in January and it now exists as a unified essay that comes in at over 7,000 words (which - in hindsight - is not very much). It focuses on our practices and it is entitled Why Do We Do What We Do?.  Taken together both essays reflect upon two principles that underpin the themes on this site: how we come to see (read) in particular ways and how we come to act (practice) with others within a community. Please explore and enjoy!

Updates Have Been Made to the Glossaries on Wittgenstein on Learning

Regular visitors to Wittgenstein on Learning may have noticed that the topic-specific glossaries, such as the Aspect Seeing and the Knowledge glossaries, are not organised alphabetically. Consequently, until recently, I have been asking visitors to infer the logic of each glossary from the order of the terms. As of today, the logic is made a bit more explicit. Each of the topic-specific glossaries now includes an introductory paragraph near the top of the page.

For instance, the paragraph for the Practices Glossary is as follows:

The concepts of practice, of cultural practices, of communities of practice, of language games, of rules, and of rule following play particularly important roles in the Philosophical Investigations.  It is important to draw a distinction between practices and activities. Activities are actions that we engage in and complete but without the expectation that they are significant or ongoing. Whereas a practice is something that is incorporated as meaningful actions/habits in our form of life which is to be valued. There is also a motivation to refine the practice, and there is a certain status attached to the practice. For instance, art as an activity is a curious things to do; whereas art as a practice takes on a significance that becomes an expressive tool to make sense of lived experiences. Similarly, religion as a practice fulfils a purpose that is unknown to the uninitiated. The practice relies upon there being a community of practice. It also relies on there being individuals who become initiated into that practice and - quite honestly - on there being others who are excluded.

This update is an example of the small updates being made to the site to better explain key themes and concepts. Please enjoy and explore!

p.s. Regular visitors may have missed that the Language Glossary was overhauled a few weeks back. In particular, the glossary now focuses almost exclusively on language, rather than language & literacy.

Let the Teaching (folder) Begin ...

"Thinking too has a time for ploughing and a time for gathering the harvest." Ludwig Wittgenstein, from Culture & Value

It is with great pleasure that I announce the beginnings of the Teaching Folder of the Wittgenstein On Learning website. The Teaching Folder is and will be a special section on the site. Its pages will seek to apply Wittgensteinian principles to practical, balanced teaching techniques and examples.

For some visitors, this section might appear to stray away from direct commentary on the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. This is true. This section will be the one that is the most Wittgensteinian and the least Wittgenstein in nature.

In the Wittgensteinian spirit, it will provide teaching advice, strategies, assessment techniques and examples that meander between cognitive and socio-cultural explanations of learning. The advice will straddle structural and contextual considerations as well as individual and cultural perspectives. Over time, I hope the section will provide visitors with ideas that facilitate rich, meaningful teaching that is multifaceted, developmental and experiential.

A few housekeeping tasks have been completed to pave the way. The Topics Folder has been rebadged as the Background Folder, which now includes the Why Wittgenstein? and Initial Notes pages that previously could be found in the Home Folder. The Overview page has been retitled Key Themes and the Essays page has been moved into the Teaching Folder.

There is much work that still remains ahead. Visitors will notice how the Balanced Teaching, Planning & Assessment and Example & Case Studies pages are all currently under construction. Nevertheless, the bones of the skeleton are in place and a bit of flesh has already started to take shape. To receive updates, I encourage visitors to select the link below -  "Subscribe to the Journal". 

In the meantime, enjoy and explore!!