Week # 1

8-27-13
Before reading the chapters, take stock of your own ideas and experiences by responding to these
questions in your learning journal:
1a) Describe the reading process how is it that someone makes sense of words in print?
The learner uses knowledge to decode the printed text, but before that they must have an
understanding of how print works. If they do not have that understanding of how print works, time will
need to be spent to teach them how print works.
Class Discussion: Cognitive Learning & Social perspective, when you put them together
Key Take Away: Assessment and instruction consider the interacting factors that contribute to success in
reading and writing.
2a) Account for the variation why do some people struggle to read, or struggle in some contexts?
Some people find it easier to read because they have had more experience or exposure to text. The
background knowledge or schema that the reader has for the subject area strongly impacts their success
with the text. The student might also have a disability that doesn't allow the child to store the
information so that they can retrieve it when they need too.
3a) Describe your understanding of Response to Intervention.
RTI focuses on the fact that 80% of the students will receive the effective classroom instruction that they
need to make them successful from the classroom teacher. 15% of the students will need extra support
or intervention to help them make the gains to be successful in the classroom. 5% of the students will
need a more intensive intervention such as a special education intervention.
After you respond to the above prompts, and as you are reading the chapters and/or after you read,
update your ideas by responding to these follow-up questions:
1b) Lipson and Wixson describe an interactive perspective of the reading process. This perspective
draws from the ideas cognitive scientists and from a sociocultural viewpoint. Articulate the interactive
perspective on the reading process. After this close study of the interactive perspective, what would you
add to, subtract from, or otherwise modify now in your own initial description of the reading process?
The interactive view predicted the differences in the child's reading and writing success in all types of
experiences. It focuses not on the child's weakness but on what the child needs in regard to instruction
to be successful. The interactive view takes into consideration that the child will perform differently
bases on the learning environment. It is also important that the students receive instruction that is
similar in the classroom setting and with the specialist.
I would add that reading and writing go together. To be considered a reader you must be able to read
and comprehend as well as compose.
It is important to know where the learner is so that you can design the instruction to meet the needs
that they are at.
2b) Likewise, after this close study of the interactive perspective on reading and on reading ability and
disability, what would you add to, subtract from, or otherwise modify now in your own initial account of
why some people struggle to read, at least in some contexts?
The case study took a look a Jackson and why he was struggling, with this example I would add that his
behavior seemed less mature than his peers and this also cause a learned helplessness. Jackson was
being pulled from key classroom instruction and was not getting the support that he needs to fill in the
gaps in his learning. These added to his struggle to learn how to read.
3b) Hold up your own experiences with RTI against the ideas presented by the authors, cited from
Johnston (chapter 1) and played out in the vignettes of chapter 3. How might/must you modify the RTI
practices that you are engaged in/familiar with to reflect the spirit of RTI, as presented by the authors?
I think that the current RTI practice that we use is correct. Last year we started to use PLC to talk about
kids more and find ways as a team to help the learner but as educators be more open to what was
working and what did not work.