Research Highlights
Overviews of Sample Writings by Faculty
Karen Bromley: Stretching Students' Vocabulary; Collaboration for Diverse Learners: Viewpoints and Practices; Key Components of Sound Writing Instruction; Graphic Organizers: Visual Strategies for Active Learning and 50 Graphic Organizers for Reading Writing and More
C. Beth Burch: Inside the Portfolio Experience--The Student's Perspective
Thomas O'Brien: Science, Technology and Society Teaching Guide
Beverly Rainforth: Collaborative Teams for Students with Severe Disabilities
Lawrence C. Stedman: The International Assessments of Education
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stretching Students' Vocabulary
by Karen Bromley
The Book
Written for grade 3-8 classroom teachers, reading specialists, ESL teachers, speech-language therapists and special education teachers, this book focuses on best practices for building the rich vocabularies students need to achieve in reading, writing and the content areas. It examines the theory and research related to word learning and vocabulary instruction and translates it into strategies and ideas to build students' vocabularies and promote success in content area reading and writing. It contains clear, easy-to-understand explanations of more than 70 teacher-tested strategies drawn from language arts, science, social studies and math. The theory and procedure for each strategy is introduced from the perspective of a real teacher who uses the idea in his/her classroom. Examples, illustrations and photographs show the strategies in action.
Section and chapter titles give a glimpse into the book's content and organization:
Introduction
Chapter 1: How Words Are Learned
Chapter 2: Getting Started With Word Learning
Chapter 3: Using Context to Learn Words
Chapter 4: Using Structure to Learn Words
Chapter 5: Investigating Words Appendix References Reproducible Forms.
What It Means for You
This 128-page, 8x11, soft-cover book includes guidelines for assessing your current vocabulary program and suggestions for improving it. Each chapter includes references and resources for further inquiry. At the back there is a large section of reproducible graphic organizers with detailed ideas for using them. "Internet Connection" boxes throughout the book contain URLs and descriptions of web sites that emphasize word learning. This book is one of Scholastic's popular Teaching Strategies Series published by its Professional Books Division.
For More Information
Bromley, K. (2002). Stretching Students' Vocabulary. New York: Scholastic.
To order: 1-800-724-6527, Option #3, ISBN 0439288398
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Collaboration for Diverse Learners:
Viewpoints and Practices
by Karen Bromley
The Book
Collaboration for Diverse Learners: Viewpoints and Practice is an edited book about the issues and dilemmas of collaborations that strive to improve the literacy development and learning of all students. Contributing authors focus their discussions of shared decision making about curriculum and instruction on 20 projects that involve collaboration between and among students, teachers, parents, administrators, community members and university faculty. Contributors portray collaborative projects that are characterized by innovative methods and views and that provide understanding of alternative literary practices. The book provides introductions to high caliber literacy programs that benefit all students and includes chapters on: Collaboration as Deliberate Curriculum Decision Making; Communicating and Collaborating with Linguistically Diverse Communities; Educational Teams for Students with Diverse Needs; Emphasizing Differences to Build Cultural Understandings; and Collaboration Across Language, Age and Geographic Borders.
One of the most complex challenges confronting educators today is a lack of comprehensive programs to address the literacy needs of diverse learners. Many educators believe an effective solution lies in the building of collaborative relationships among individuals who are guided by respect for diverse capabilities, perspectives and cultural practices as they make decisions about curriculum and instruction to improve the literacy and learning of all students.
This book contains descriptions and analyses of several successful collaborative projects presently in place in schools. Collaboration occurs in various settings and configurations and this book not only delineates some proven methods, but also discusses related issues and problems and serves as a useful resource to anyone facing the challenges presented by diverse classrooms.
For More Information:
Risko, V., & Bromley, K. (2001). (Eds.). Collaboration for diverse learners: Viewpoints and practices. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Faculty Biography
See Faculty to learn more about Professor Bromley.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Key Components of Sound Writing Instruction
by Karen Bromley
The Chapter
In this chapter from Best Practices in Literacy Instruction, Karen Bromley, professor of literacy education, speaks to K-8 teachers who are struggling with ways to incorporate higher standards and new assessments into their classroom writing instruction as they develop student writers who are fluent, competent and independent.
The Findings
In this chapter, Bromley identifies five key components of sound writing instruction in classrooms that reflect a balanced approach:
1. Standards and assessments that guide teachers and students
2. Large blocks of time for reading, writing, talking and sharing
3. Direct instruction in composing and conventions
4. Choice and authenticity in writing for a variety of purposes and audiences and
5. Writing to construct meaning across the curriculum in a variety of forms.
Through interviews and classroom observations of 14 teachers from second to eighth grade, this chapter explores their struggles and successful practices with a range of diverse students. Real-life classroom examples, samples of student work and a list of 20 websites for student writers provide practical best-practice ideas for teaching writing. The chapter includes a discussion of topics that range from standards and assessments, direct instruction, the use of literature and peer interaction in writing development, graphic organizers, writing across the curriculum and integrating electronic literacy into the curriculum.
What It Means for You
Today, many teachers are challenged by changes in the teaching of writing that are like the sweep of a pendulum. These changes have taken teachers from a focus on skills and written products to a focus on writing process, and back to a balanced approach that embraces both product and process. But recent calls for "back to basics" in teaching to ensure attainment of higher standards and improved achievement suggest that the writing pendulum is moving again in the direction of skills and products. This chapter encourages teachers to avoid the pendulum and maintain balance in their writing instruction as they borrow the best from both process and product approaches to develop writers who are fluent, competent and independent.
For More Information
See Bromley, K. (1999). Key components of sound writing instruction. In L. B. Gambrell, L. M. Morrow, S. B. Neuman, & M. Pressley (Eds.), Best Practices in Literacy Instruction (pp. 152-174). New York: Guilford. Contact Bromley at kbromley@binghamton.edu
Faculty Biography
See Faculty to learn more about Professor Bromley.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Graphic Organizers: Visual Strategies for Active Learning
by Karen Bromley, Linda Irwin-DeVitis
and Marcia Modlo
and
50 Graphic Organizers for Reading, Writing and More
by Linda Irwin-DeVitis, Karen Bromley
and Marcia Modlo
The Books
Graphic Organizers: Visual Strategies for Active Learning (1995) and 50 Graphic Organizers for Reading, Writing and More (1999) are both easy-to-use, informative guides for teaching. Graphic organizers give teachers the opportunity to enhance their students' ability to learn and share knowledge in new, exciting and beneficial ways. Although they may be used separately, the combination of these two books is a valuable asset to any classroom. The books present effective strategies for the visual representation of knowledge in a variety of subject areas.
The first book, Graphic Organizers: Visual Strategies for Active Learning, focuses on grades K-8 and provides both useful background information on graphic organizers and specific examples of how to use them across the curriculum. It provides theory and research to support the use of four basic types of graphic organizers (hierarchical, conceptual, sequential and cyclical) and variations. The book includes examples of student work that demonstrate various ways to include multiple learning styles and encourage collaborative learning.
The follow-up book, 50 Graphic Organizers for Reading, Writing and More, lays out clear descriptions and step-by-step procedures for using a wide variety of graphic organizers. The book includes full-sized reproducible templates that make it an easy tool for K-12 classrooms. Student examples provide jumping-off points for teachers and students to explore thinking and learning through visual representations in all subject areas.
For More Information (Order from Scholastic Professional Books 1-800-724-6527)
Bromley, K., Irwin-De Vitis, L., & Modlo, M. (1995). Graphic Organizers: Visual Strategies for Active Learning. New York: Scholastic.
Irwin De Vitis, L., Bromley, K., & Modlo, M. (1999). 50 Graphic Organizers for Reading, Writing, and More. New York: Scholastic.
Faculty Biography
See Faculty to learn more about Professor Bromley.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inside the Portfolio Experience--The Student's Perspective
by C. Beth Burch
The Study
In this article in English Education, C. Beth Burch, associate professor of education, examines students’ attitudes toward writing portfolios. She addresses questions such as What do students actually think of portfolios? How do they perceive their experiences in creating them? What are students’ attitudes toward writing and the assessment of their writing? And how do these notions entwine? Burch uses questionnaires and interviews to examine the attitudes of 338 university students in first-year writing classes, including classes where portfolios were used to assess students’ writing and classes where only individual pieces of writing were assessed and portfolios were not used. She examines students’ expressed feelings about the writing task itself, their perceptions of their learning, their estimates of the possibilities of earning "good grades," their attitudes toward assessment in general, their feelings about the efficacy of their instructors and their ideas about advantages and disadvantages of portfolios.
The Findings
Students in portfolio classes (portfolio students) viewed the writing task more positively than did non-portfolio students, females expressing more positive attitudes than males. Portfolio students also appeared more confident about performing future writing tasks. Ironically, however, portfolios may not be linked to students’ notions of writing progress; students in both groups had similar opinions about whether and how much their writing improved during the course. Non-portfolio students were more tolerant of their writing being assessed than portfolio students were, but portfolio students considered their instructors more positive toward assessment than did non-portfolio students. For portfolio students, the biggest advantage of portfolios was the opportunity to revise their writing; the biggest disadvantage, their ongoing concern about grades being withheld until the portfolio was assessed.
What It Means for You
Writing instructors should expect that regardless of how exciting portfolios appear to them, students might not share this enthusiasm. Instructors should expect male and female students to differ in their reactions to portfolios and should anticipate that delaying grades until portfolios are assessed is likely to disturb many students. Writing instructors might help students feel more comfortable with portfolio grading by being entirely open about criteria for portfolio evaluation; constructing rubrics jointly; offering "dry-run" portfolios mid-term and a non-binding oral grade estimate on any given paper once or twice during the term. Instructors might employ certain specific strategies designed to minimize the discomfort of waiting for a grade such as making specific suggestions for revising and refraining from over-praising students’ efforts. In short, even experienced instructors may find that portfolios produce negligible benefits as far as students’ attitudes are concerned (this finding does not mean that there are not other, excellent pedagogical benefits of writing portfolios for students).
For More Information
See Burch, C. B. (1999). Inside the portfolio experience: The student’s perspective. English Education 32(1), 34-49. Contact the author at bburch@binghamton.edu or 607-777-4697.
Faculty Biography
See Faculty to learn more about Professor Burch.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Science, Technology, & Society Teaching Guide
by Thomas O'Brien
The Publication
NYSTEP Teacher Guide (1996) (New York Science, Technology & Society Education Project) Authors: Dennis W. Cheek and Thomas O'Brien.
This 99-page document provides the conceptual and theoretical background for the eight science-technology-society (STS), middle level modules (e.g., solid waste, water, etc.,) developed through a partnership between NYSED; the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center of the University at Albany, SUNY; and the New York Power Pool, with funding from the National Science Foundation. The modules were designed as teacher resource material (not student texts) to engage middle school students in global thinking and local action on STS issues. In essence, all the modules are "teacher guides" and most of the seventeen chapters in the sole module that is actually titled "Teacher Guide" can serve as stand-alone supports for any STS curriculum.
The Findings
The NYSTEP Teacher Guide provides the reader with a Model for the Infusion of STS Topics into the Science Curriculum (pp. i-iii), plus research-based overviews of such topics as: constructivist learning theory, concept mapping, cooperative learning, authentic assessment, educational technology, increasing participation of women and minorities and additional readings.
What It Means for You
Both the National Academy of Sciences' National Science Education Standards (http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy (http://project2061.aaas.org/tools/index.html) publications recommend that school science curricula include a significant attention to STS issues. The NYSTEP Teacher Guide provides a readily accessible synopsis of the argument for this inclusion and a conceptual tool kit on how to implement such modifications into the middle and high school science curriculum.
For More Information
See O'Brien, T. & Cheek, D. W. (1996). NYSTEP Teacher Guide. Albany: New York State Education Department. Contact O'Brien at tobrien@binghamton.edu .edu or 607-777-4877.
Faculty Biography
See Faculty to learn more about Professor O'Brien.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Collaborative Teams for Students
with Severe Disabilities
by Beverly Rainforth
The Book
In this book, Professor of Education Beverly Rainforth and co-authors review the foundations for teamwork in special education, and propose team approaches to student assessment, IEP development, curriculum development and instruction. This information is provided in the context of emerging models of inclusive education. Although the book focuses on special education and the related services of occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech/language pathology, the material applies to other education services as well. Principles presented in each chapter are illustrated through examples of two students with severe/multiple disabilities, but most principles also apply to students with less obvious disabilities. The book concludes with discussion of the administrative supports teams need to implement this approach.
The Theme
The theme of this book is that the regular education curriculum, class routines and everyday school activities provide numerous opportunities to identify and address student needs. Rarely is it necessary, and often it is counterproductive, to remove students from these situations to conduct "specialized" assessments and to fabricate activities for remediation. What is necessary is for specialists to redefine their roles. When they become members of general education classroom teams, they can observe the demands and opportunities for student participation and design interventions that meet student needs in the context of those demands and opportunities. In the process, regular education teachers receive more classroom-based support, expand their understanding of instructional strategies and adaptations and may enrich their curriculum. Ultimately, students and their families achieve the greatest benefits because their education is more coordinated and comprehensive.
What It Means for You
Schools are moving toward inclusive education, with special education services provided in general education settings as a support to students, rather than as a separate service. While the model of special education services is changing, the model for related services remains detached. The need for related services is increasing at a much greater rate than for special education services, raising important questions about costs and benefits. General education teachers and administrators, as well as those in special education, can influence the models by which related services are provided.
For More Information
See Rainforth, B., & York-Barr, J. (1997). Collaborative teams for students with severe disabilities: Integrating therapy and educational services. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes. Contact Rainforth at bevrain@binghamton.edu or 607-777-2277.
Faculty Biography
See Faculty to learn more about Professor Rainforth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The International Assessments of Education
by Lawrence C. Stedman
The Article
In this article in Educational Researcher, Lawrence C. Stedman, associate professor of education, reviews evidence from the major international assessments of the past two decades, including the recent Third International Math and Science Study. He analyzes competing explanations of the achievement differences, including arguments that the assessments unfairly penalize U.S. students. Stedman looks at issues such as sampling bias, curriculum differences, teaching quality, length of school year, social inequalities and differing visions of childhood. In the final section, he discusses the evidence on domestic achievement indicators and its implications for school reform.
The Findings
U.S. performance has been mixed — our youngest students often have done well, even in science, and our reading achievement has been among the world’s best. These strong performances have received insufficient public attention. In contrast, however, our math and high school science performances have typically been poor. What causes these deficiencies?
Contrary to conventional wisdom, the assessments have not unfairly compared the mass of U.S. students to small academic elites in other countries. Furthermore, although the international rankings have sometimes masked small differences, the achievement gaps for the U.S. remain large and educationally important. Stedman finds that our poor math performance reflects real deficiencies in teaching and curriculum rather than differences in school years, national testing, course sequencing or demographics. Unlike many countries, the U.S. has been wedded to a counter-productive, assembly-line conception of knowledge and schooling. Although our national trends have been generally stable, Stedman reports that student achievement has been weak for decades. He concludes that fundamental school restructuring is needed.
What It Means for You
The country is in the midst of a vigorous debate over state and national standards in education. Part of that deals with whether U.S. students are meeting world-class standards, or should even be trying to. Educators and policymakers will find it useful to become familiar with the international findings and draw lessons from them that are well supported by the research. Stedman provides a guide through the thicket of claims and counter claims, pointing out where the evidence has been misrepresented, questioning the Goals 2000 focus on being #1 in the world in math and science, and yet still suggesting steps that educators can take to improve schooling.
For More Information
See Stedman, L. C. (1997). International achievement differences: An assessment of a new perspective. Educational Researcher, 26(3), 4-15. Contact the author at stedman@binghamton.edu or 607-777-4208.
Faculty Biography
See Faculty to learn more about Professor Stedman.
