Nate Hopkins
8/29/2017
LTG Workshop
PPA WebQuest
PPA
WebQuest: Adolescence & Independent Reading
Introduction:
This
topic will express an interest in disinterest—by examining how adolescence correlates
with independent reading levels. In the activity, students will review
statistics, expert accounts and case studies to identify and analyze causes,
and develop viable solutions in response to the causes selected. Students will
follow the six steps in the PPA process to refine a policy that will enhance
the overall quality of independent reading practices for adolescents. Students
will be dispersed into pre-assigned, heterogeneous groups of four. In
culmination of this activity, students will present their findings to the whole
class within their respective small groups.
|
Figure 1
|
The
essential underlying problem is that high reading proficiency levels are
necessary for college-to-career-success, and reading levels have lagging
behind for several years in America now. The need for further independent
reading strategies is represented in Figure
1 (Daggett & Hasselbring, 2014). This data
is based on Lexile levels, or “the numeric representation of an
individual’s reading ability” (MetaMetrics, 2017).
The Figure
1 graph draws attention to the necessity for high reading proficiency
levels outside and beyond high school grade-level equivalents. Comprehending
these types of reading materials is more urgent than reading for personal pleasure, it encompasses insurance forms, bank account
statements, legal violations, terms and conditions and so much more. The issue the evidence
around this problem points toward is: a lack of independent reading skills
present predominately among adolescents. The skill of “learning
to read to learn” is cited as one of the most prevalent underlying causes
for low overall reading competency (Snow & Biancarosa,
2003). Thus, the purpose of this WebQuest is to
promote student voice and choice by directly collaborating with students to
develop actionable, practical and agreeable solutions for reversing the
current independent reading patterns and trends. |
|
|
|
Task:
The
general goals and/or objectives for this workshop will be to create one or more
actionable strategies and solutions for developing stronger independent reading
habits and skills. These solutions will then be evaluated on a scale from best
to worst, and one solution will be deemed best. The WebQuest
will follow the PPA model:
Throughout
this process, the causes and solutions will be student-driven. Students will be
held accountable for establishing and following the rules they have created
for themselves. Therefore, another objective for this WebQuest
is to promote student accountability and autonomy with regard to their
independent reading. Students can be recognized as the beginning and end to the
source of this problem, although it’s understood that there are many factors
influencing this social issue are outside of each student’s personal control.
By the end of the WebQuest, students will be led to
evaluate the overall quality of the solutions they select. There must be at
least a minimum of three different solutions selected in order to execute
an effective evaluation.
Process:
The
process students engage with will follow the PPA analysis process. The strength
of the solutions students generate at the beginning of this activity is informed
by the strength of the causes they’ve identified beforehand. In other words,
the causes chosen will have the greatest impact on which strings for solutions
get pulled. To model this example, potential causes for contemporary low
reading levels could include: (1) a lack of access to high-interest and highly
accessible literature; (2) a lack of structure and supervision at home to
foster independent reading habits, and (3) a lack of positive reinforcement
methods.
Evaluation:
|
Evaluations
of different causes and solutions will be based on statistics presented to
students. When considering and evaluating the policies in place for advancing
reading proficiency, student-reading performance will be examined over time.
For example, according to data
from U.S. Department of Education, “2 out of 3 children are failing to
achieve proficiency in reading, which is also expressed through Figure
2 (MLI, 2017). The existing
policies in place are difficult to observe, but all of these essentially
fall into the following realms: (1) expand access to opportunities; (2)
extended learning time initiatives; (3) data systems for tracking student
progress; (4) require systematic interventions, and (5) train teachers more
effectively in literacy instruction (BR, 2016). Since the effectiveness of
these policies has not proven to be successful over time, the necessity for a
policy with a positive impact is very much a reality. In order to perform
evaluations throughout the PPA process, students will use: the (1) Defining the Problem
Worksheet; (2) Gathering
Evidence Worksheet; (3) Identifying Causes
Worksheet; (4) Evaluating
Policies Worksheet; (5) Developing Solutions
Worksheet, and (6) the Best Solution
Worksheet to determine the most advantageous policy approach. |
|
Conclusion:
In
conclusion, it's clear that we need new and innovative approaches to tackling
challenges that emerge when enacting sustainable independent reading practices.
Many adults, educators and researchers feel stumped when trying to instill an
intrinsic motivation around independent reading. However, this is quite
evidently an issue in need of a bottom-up policy approach. The best way to
accumulate answers, solutions and strategies for bolstering independent reading
is by empowering students to take responsibility for owning their reading
abilities.
Works Cited
BR
(Business Roundtable). (2016). Why Reading Matters: and What To Do About It. Business
Roundtable, More Than Leaders. Leadership, To Support
Improved U.S. Literacy Rates. Retrieved from: http://businessroundtable.org/sites/default/files/BRT_Why_Reading_Matters_12192016.pdf
Daggett,
W.R. & Hasselbring, T.S. (2014). What We Know About
Adolescent Reading. International Center for Leadership in Education:
Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships for All Students. Retrieved from: http://www.leadered.com/pdf/what_we_know_about_adolesent_reading_2014.pdf
MetaMetrics. (2017). What
is a Lexile Measure? The Lexile
Framework for Reading: Matching readers with texts. Retrieved from: https://lexile.com/about-lexile/lexile-overview/
MLI (Mojo
Learning Inc.). (2017). Reading Fluency Statistics. Reading
Kingdom. Retrieved from: https://www.readingkingdom.com/pages/according-us-dept-education
Snow, C.E.
& Biancarosa, G. (2003). Adolescent Literacy and
the Achievement Gap: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go From Here? Carnegie
Corporation of New York, Adolescent Literacy Funders Meeting Report. Retrieved
from: http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/CDA81F09-1522-4AC0-9EEB-7029D9E91F39/0/ALFF1.pdf