Working Memory and Reading:

A Winning Combination

By: Mr. Gottshalk

You may be familiar with this: a study done at the University of Texas in 1997 by Metcalf, et al, found that people remember the following:         

·         10 percent of what they read,

·         20 percent of what they hear;

·         30 percent of what they see;

·         50 percent of what they see and hear;

·         70 percent of what they say; and

·         90 percent of what they do and say.

When this study came out, people in the education world paid close attention.  Many courses, including those on brain-based learning, Bloom’s Taxonomy of Critical Thought, and Gardiner’s Multiple Intelligences were designed around this fascinating little set of data.  Why is it that our generation (I’m in my mid-30’s) was so text-dependent that we virtually ignored the other areas in school where we could have learned so much more across the content areas?  And why are teachers being pushed to get their students to go “back to the text” to support answers, if they’re only remembering about 10% of what they read?

When your child comes home from school and you ask, “What did you do in school today?” maybe the question that should be asked is, “Teach me what you learned in school today”.  According to the data, people are likely to remember around 90% of that information, because they are reliving and retelling their personal experiences in the classroom.  Proving a point through interaction of text also takes higher-level thinking skills, and is a prerequisite for many 21st century jobs.

It’s been proven time and time again that when a reader has a personal connection to the text in hand, they are more likely to remember it.  The emotional bond, which is fresh in a child’s working memory, along with “interactive” reading of text (like a read-aloud/picture book, Reader’s Theater, acting like a person in a biography, or choosing topics of interest for nonfiction reading), are proven springboards for higher achievement in English/language arts.

I don’t know about you, but I remember the books I read in school – but not much else about the content within (especially in high school and college!).  If only my teachers and professors back then had the ability to get me to connect and interact with the text in more meaningful ways, those stories would have stuck with me!  And those stories I do remember are the ones I wanted to share with others, because they spoke to me in ways in which I could personally connect.

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Critical Thought and Tomorrow’s Educational Expectations

            In 1956, psychologist Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues developed a teaching and learning “ladder” called Bloom’s Taxonomy of Critical Thought.  As a classification of educational goals on a tiered system, the levels of Bloom’s taxonomy increase in difficulty from beginning to end.  The levels are: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.  These levels have been the bedrock of teaching for years: educators began by asking students basic questions, such as who, what, where, when, why and how, and, ideally, advance all the way through the evaluation level, where students may be asked to make informed judgments based on the information presented in a text, lesson, or observation. 

            The NJSLA assessment, replacing PARCC, replacing NJASK, moves from the “easier” levels of Bloom’s taxonomy to the more intermediate and higher-level thinking domains, where students are  expected to have a foundation for knowledge for the article, passage, or open-ended problem.  There will no longer be any “freebies” (ex: Who is narrating the passage? What is the problem the central character faces?).  Students may be asked more probing questions such as: What are the most admirable traits the central character possesses, and how do you know?  Or: Which of the following statements best explains the theme of the story?

            The new kind of questions and thinking skills required for the NJSLA assessment are a shift in what most people would agree constitute a “typical” educational experience as we know it.  Parents and teachers should still consider Bloom’s Taxonomy, but begin with at least comprehension and application-level questions.  A great way to begin this shift is to ask the child questions that lead away from one or two-word answers.  Elementary teachers often refer to these queries as “skinny” versus “fat” questions and responses.  Asking someone to explain, analyze and synthesize (ex: Why is there dew on the grass in the morning and then where does it go?  What are five different ways to buy a snack from a vending machine for $0.95 without using pennies?  What would have happened in the story if X was added to the plot?) are what Bloom wanted educators to build towards on his higher-end thinking skills. Pretty soon they will be expected of all students, K-12, to better equip students towards college readiness.

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Writing Tips from the Teacher

            There are several ways you can improve your writing and make it more interesting. 

            The first thing you should do is a sloppy copy. Don’t worry too much about spelling, just get the ideas down on the paper. After that, use a blue/red pen to make some revisions. 

One thing you should do, but is difficult to do, is delete a sentence from your writing.   You heard right – get rid of a weak sentence in your paper. You should then create a new sentence using more descriptive adjectives to take its place. 

Another thing you should do is vary, or change, your subjects from time to time. Reading a paper that has “I” or “My” or “Then” or “Next” over and over as the subject of the sentence is boring! You can switch around parts in your sentence to change your sentence structure, or replace the subject with something else altogether. For example:

In The Landry News one lesson I learned is to combine truth and mercy in your writing. 

Instead of using “I” as the subject, flip-flop the predicate and subject to something like this:

Combining truth and mercy in writing was one thing I learned from reading The Landry News. 

Notice that some words have been inserted and other words have been taken out, but the subject “I” is towards the end of the sentence. That’s OK!  It shows that you are varying (changing) your sentence structure.

            You can also use a thesaurus to replace boring old words in your writing. Just make sure that the word isn’t too fancy and it doesn’t take away from what you’re trying to describe in your writing. I took a class once where the teacher told us to omit (take out) at least 5 adjectives on the page and replace them, no matter how great we thought those words were.

Hope these tips help! When in doubt, ask your teacher or another reliable person to read your draft – a second pair of eyes may see things you didn’t. More to follow!

The Importance of Math Facts

At this age level, the expectation is that students are “secure” with knowing their basic multiplication (and eventually) division facts . I take a hard stance on knowing math facts, for a number of reasons. 

First of all, math will be easier for your child if they know their facts. When we say “know your facts” that means we are aiming for both speed and accuracy. A good litmus test is if the student pauses for more than three seconds before they answer (correctly), then it’s not fast enough. This speed and accuracy helps down the road and is expected in higher levels of mathematics.

Secondly, math facts are just that – facts. They are indisputable.  They can be proven by drawing an array, moving counters into rows and columns, or by solving through the inverse operations. Math facts do not change from day to day, or year to year. They have been around for thousands of years and are constant. Some students like to know that facts are just that, and they may find it helpful to know that 6 * 9 is 54 and isn’t going to change.

Third of all, the following units of math all incorporate multiplication and division: fractions, pre-algebra, probability, data analysis, word problems, area and volume, and rates. They are all coming up. It doesn’t make sense to “dump” the knowledge that 6 * 9 is 54 after the unit test – what matters is that the student can recall the fact quickly and accurately, and, from this point forward, apply the knowledge in a future problem involving these upcoming units.

The fourth reason students should know their facts is because rote memorization or fact association will make your child’s math career from this point on a whole lot easier.   Everyday Math teaches students to use “Fact Triangles” with three numbers all associated together. So 6, 9 and 54 would all be on the same Fact Triangle. To practice, the student places his/her thumb on one of the corners and solves which number is missing through association with the other two numbers.

These are the top reasons why students must, must, must know their facts! I feel pretty strongly about it. If your child knows the 11 and 12 times table, that is even better. So quiz your fourth or fifth grader in the car the next time you are driving to BSC or Wegman’s. Remember: three seconds is the limit!

What is Compositional Risk? 

          When every student takes the NJSLA in May, they will read the same directions, and answer the same questions, and respond to the same writing prompts. But what the test directions don’t tell 4th graders anywhere is to use what is called “compositional risk”. Quite simply, compositional risk enhances writing by making it more interesting and improves the overall quality of the written piece. 

Some examples of compositional risk include the use of idioms, exceptional/unusual dialogue, figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, exaggeration, etc.), analogies, vivid imagery (the use of the five senses), humor, rhetorical questions, and the use of italics/bold-faced print. 

Needless to say, a student who is struggling just to piece together sentences to write a coherent paragraph really shouldn’t bother to implement compositional risk at this time.   It would be like adding toppings into an ice cream cone without the ice cream.  But a student might be surprised to see that the use of just two or three items from the list above may bump their written scores up a point, which is a big deal on a holistic scoring rubric. 

For years, Trenton was not clear about how students could earn a top score in writing. The parameters were unclear.  Many test preparation booklets cater to the “proficient” level students, while ignoring those who aspire to become “advanced proficient” in Language Arts.  Students were being scored on a yard stick when the meter stick was what we really wanted to use when evaluating our writing.

Our writing units of study introduce various forms of compositional risk, and students have the opportunity to glean some ideas while crafting their own pieces. Poetry, for example, would sound flat and uninteresting without using vivid imagery or other forms of compositional risk.  Naturally, reading independently at home helps. Reading affords the student more opportunities to connect to a text, and also mimic some forms of compositional risk that an author may use.  Top scorers are most often big readers. So, give it a shot next time!

Tips for Home Education Strategies

Although school is very important, it doesn’t really take up very much of a child’s time. In the U.S., the school year averages 180 days; in other nations, the school year can last up to 240 days, and students are often in school more hours per day than are American students. Clearly, the hours and days that a child is not in school are also very important for learning.

What can I do at home to help my child succeed in school?

• • Create a home environment that encourages learning and school work. Establish a daily family routine of mealtimes with time for homework, chores and bedtime as well as time for family activities.

  • Show your child that the skills he/she is learning in school are an important part of the things he/she will do as an adult. Let your child see you reading books, newspapers and computer screens; writing reports, letters, e-mails and lists; using math to figure change or to measure for new carpeting; and doing things that require thought and effort.

  • Make sure that your home has lots of reading materials that are appropriate for your child. Keep books, magazines and newspapers in the house. You can find many good books and magazines for your child at a yard or library sales. Books make good gifts.

  • Encourage your child to use the library. Ask the librarian to tell your child about special programs that he/she might participate in, such as summer reading programs and book clubs and about services such as homework help.

  • Limit TV viewing to no more than one hour on a school night. Be aware of the shows your child likes to watch and discuss his choices with him. The same goes for video games.

  • Help your child learn to use the Internet properly and effectively.

  • Encourage your child to be responsible and to work independently. Taking responsibility and working independently are important qualities for school success.

  • Show an interest in what your child does in school. Support her special interests by attending school plays, musical events, science fairs or sporting events.

• Offer praise and encouragement for achievement and improvement.

Source Unknown

16 Essential Characteristics of Success

We all have read books that we want to hold on to for a long time – fiction and nonfiction.  I have a lot of them and not enough space. One of those nonfiction books that has “stuck” with me for a number of years is more than just about teaching and learning – it’s about how we can be more effective people in our day-to-day existence.  In Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind, authors Art Costa and Bena Kallick note 16 “Habits of the Mind” that people can and should practice to be better – at anything.  Those 16 habits, and a short note about each which I truncated so that 4th graders could understand, are as follows:

·         PERSISTENCE: Stick to the task until it’s completed.

·         MANAGE IMPULSES: Think before you act!

·         LISTEN WITH EMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING: other people have

different voices than you do.

·         THINK FLEXIBLY: Look at a situation a different way.

·         METACOGNITION: Think about your own thinking!

·         ACCURACY: Check over your work; correct your mistakes.

·         QUESTIONING: Know how to ask good questions.

·         CONNECTING: Apply past knowledge to what you know!

·         BE CLEAR and PRECISE: Don’t be lazy with the words you use.

·         USING SENSES: Your brain wants you to use all 5 of them.

·         CREATIVITY & IMAGINATION: Be different about how you write, think and

solve problems.

·         WONDERMENT: Take an interest in the world around you!

·         TAKE RESPONSIBLE RISKS: Don’t be “comfortable” in what you know.  Want

to know more!

·         HUMOR: Your brainpower is increased 3 to 5 times if you laugh and have fun

before solving a difficult task.

·         THINK INTERDEPENDENTLY: Work with others and share ideas.

·         CONTINUE to LEARN: Even out of school . . . the world is a classroom!

I turned these little “habits” into a lesson in which students are taught what they are, asked which we're lacking in, and then match up the habit with its definition.  The lesson within the lesson is that different people possess different amounts of the habits, but no one person has ALL of these great attributes. We should pick one or two to really focus on to become better students, and, frankly, people.

      When a student is struggling to persist, use stronger vocabulary, link new learning to a past experience, etc., I refer them to the poster and have a little heart-to-heart.  We can all improve in and out of school by practicing great habits of mind, especially when we're faced with challenges. Why would we not?

      There’s a lot more to teaching than just showing up and presenting a curriculum to students.  Teaching positive thinking habits so that we can become better learners and humans is something that I’m always considering!