Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies Analysis

Early reading success is the foundation of a student’s knowledge and self-esteem. The foundation also provides future opportunities for growth. Students must learn to read proficiently so that they are able to learn more in future grades, post-secondary schools, and the workforce. Beverly Tyner’s Small-Group Reading Instruction: A Differentiated Teaching Model for Beginning and Struggling Readers states “In the United States, which offers few career opportunities for the illiterate, teaching children to read proficiently is the most important single task in education.” (Tyner, 2009). Beverly Tyner created the Small-Group Differentiated Reading Model which incorporates research-based strategies for teaching beginning reading skills and skills

Shared book reading focuses on developing comprehension, alphabetics, and general reading achievement to enhance student literacy achievement. The teacher selects a text and reads it aloud to a student and/or group of students. The shared book reading program allows the teacher to model reading strategies, increase alphabetic skills, and activate and increase comprehension skills through targeted questions, prompts, and strategies. During the reading the teacher prompts students with strategic prompts and/or questions to engage the students in the text. Moreover, the teacher directs the students to key elements within the pictures, words, and/or text features. The teacher tailors the shared reading experience to meet the needs of the participants (International Reading Association Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Committee, 2012). Hence, educators are able to alter prompts, questions, and strategies to enhance the learning needs of

I run my program through M4RA (Mentoring 4 Reading Achievement). M4RA uses a scientifically-based model of 1:1 reading mentoring for students reading below grade level, including students with disabilities. Students are mentored 5 times per week by trained peer mentors using Reading A-Z’s tutoring and mentoring packs. Like I said prior, I use an adapted version. I use the tutoring and mentor pack which includes Leveled Books, Fluency Practice Passage, Graphic Organizers, and Comprehension questions. But I created a lesson plan better suited for Middle School Students. I also created work on Clarification, summarization, Questioning, Making Predictions, Visualization, and Retelling the story. I identify each of the 5 areas of reading instruction through this program. There is so many different strategies that I use in this type of learning that all learning styles are reached during some

In duet reading, a stronger reader is paired with a less-fluent reader. The stronger reader sets the pace and provides visual tracking by moving his or her finger below each word as it is read in unison. In audio-recorded books, the student reads aloud with an audio-recorded version of a book. The purpose is to encourage the weaker reader to read along with the tape. In echo reading, the adult reads a short passage and then invites the child to “Say what I say” or “Copy me,” encouraging the child to repeat what the adult has read (Robertson & Davig, 2002). In this way, the adult models fluent reading and then provides the child with an opportunity for immediate practice. In paired reading, children who are struggling with reading fluency are paired up with a more capable reader. In this strategy, the fluent reader and reader take turns reading by lines or pages (Mathes, Fuchs, Fuchs, Henley, & Sanders, 1994).

The intervention used first was the Peer-Mediated instruction with repeated reading (PRR). During this phase, the students were seated across from each other. The students were then given a copy of the passage, one in which to read, and the other in which to mark the time and note any errors observed, along with a stopwatch. Both students began reading from the selected text for the pair for a duration of twenty minutes at the beginning of the class. Next, the “paired reading” time consisted of each student taking turns reading using only a whisper. To ensure the fidelity of the intervention, measures were taken to ensure that one student didn’t have to be the first reader every time. During the read aloud, the student who wasn’t reading would follow protocol and read the following sentence “Stop. That word is _______. What word? Yes, ________. Please read that sentence again.” After the paired reading time, the reader would then be asked to read

The effects of the implementation of the Common Core Standard continues to affect students testing scores and, as a result, the demand for more and more volunteers from the Book Buddies & Classroom Book Buddies program. With more students not meeting the required reading proficiency level, particularly, low-income and minority students, the need for this intervention-type of program is in greater demand than ever. In the current program year, the program has experienced over 30% growth than anticipated. The Book Buddies program is stretched beyond its resources to meet the need of children struggling with reading, the demand for the program from schools and parents.

Recognizing that illiteracy is a family issue, our Book Buddies and Classroom Book Buddies programs recruits volunteers to read one-to-one once a week with a child who is struggling with reading in the 2-4 grades. Our goal is to prevent adult illiteracy by helping children achieve grade-level or better reading skills at the critical time when children are transitioning from learning to read to reading to learn.

The children are pulled from a pool of elementary school students who file for free or reduced school lunch. The organization contacts a child’s school and turns an unused classroom into a new environment full of Reading Partners staff and resources used to help the children learn. The staff is made up of volunteers from areas all around the school that give“weekly one-on-one literacy tutoring using [an] evidence-based curriculum, [or] a series of structured lesson plans”. The lesson plans are customized depending on the child’s age, so that younger children are given instruction that is easier to understand and learn from (“Partners in

Peer Assisted Learning Strategies for reading, otherwise known as PALS, is an approach to teaching children important reading skills. PALS uses peer-mediated instruction that pairs a high-performing with a low-performing reader in order to complete activities that promote reading skills. PALS uses highly structured acitivites, reciprocal peer tutoring, the use of scripted prompts, frequent verbal interaction in feedback, and competitive game format. PALS has shown improvement in the reading performance of students. PALS allows students to be actively involved and allows students with disabilities to spend more time in the least restrictive environment. PALS requires engagement in three activities designed to build fluency and comprehension

What was my reaction to the peer assessments? More than anything I was pleasantly surprised. I got a better rating and assessment than I thought I would.

From the video it was learned that the 1st grade teacher encouraged the students to gain independence as readers and writers in several ways. One of the ways that the teacher encouraged the students was though shared reading. In the video it was learned that the teacher Ms. Pursley, used shared reading. In shared reading the students were encouraged to ask questions, they all read together while the teacher pointed to the words, and the students were able to say important details from the book. Also in reading and writers workshop the students was inspired by Ms. Pulsey to have different reading choices. Students were able to pick from different books and writing activities. Some of the examples they were able to pick from were big books, read

Response: The variables being examined are close reading strategies, reading comprehension, self-efficacy, progress monitoring and classroom participation and engagement. The intervention, Read 180 is a model designed around small group instruction and was used to target specific reading deficits and monitored reading, writing and spelling improvement as well as independent reading time. Students were assessed at the end of the nine week period with the Scholastic Reading Inventory to measure any Lexile gains.

As a student, I remember when I was really little and how much I loved to read. I’d have either myself or my mother read me a book every night before bed. I loved picturing the story within my head, but now as a freshman college student I do not enjoy reading. I only decide to read when its assigned, and even then it's still hard for me to focus, especially if the books not interesting. After reading this article called “How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading”, these are the three major points I related to; having children read out loud, making them stop reading to look up a word they don't know, and quizzing them on things they read. I realized that I related to all of them and remember going through that in school.

Although literacy coaching may be new to some schools, using peer coaching as a procedure of professional development is not offered in many districts across America. A significant amount of research has been circulated on its effectiveness (Joyce & Showers 1982, 2002). According to Vygotsky (1981), learning is deeply rooted within the culture and social relationships, making these relationships key components of learning. Accepting professional development from a Vygotsky’s point of view has many suggestions for literacy coaching (Rodgers & Rodgers, 2007). Literacy coaches today are more knowledgeable and are ready to support, implement ways to improve literacy within schools. Having such support, professional development provides learning that is fundamentally social and collaborative, with teachers of whom are actively participating in their own learning.

I am an active member in my church which praises substance free living. Other than just being a part of a religion, I am a part of a substance-free teaching group at my high school. This group is known as Peer-Teachers; we go through an alcohol awareness retreat, take a pledge to stay alcohol free, and have multiple training days where we learn an alcohol-education curriculum. Once we learn the curriculum we get the opportunity to go to the middle school that feeds our high school and teach four classes about living alcohol free. Each of the classes is geared towards a different lesson which are Integrity, Wisdom, Responsible Decision Making, and Leaving Your Mark. All of the classes are based around alcohol, the effects of it, and how we can