Presentation to the Faculty of North Surry High School September 11, 2014 Mark Fuhrmann North Surry High School, Mount Airy, NC Participant in the North Carolina Governors Teachers Network

Good teaching motivates students to learn. Good teachers inspire each other when they share their most innovative and creative practices.  In January 2014 North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, in partnership with the NC Department of Instruction, established the Governors Teachers Network (GTN).  The GTN initiative, funded by the state’s Race to the Top grant, is designed to provide a statewide platform for teachers to share their best work in both student instruction and practice development for teachers.

 450 teachers from across North Carolina were chosen from all grade levels (K-12) and all areas of practice (Science, Math, Social Studies, Reading, Languages, Arts, ESL, Special Education, CTE, Specialists).  GTN participants serve for one year. Teachers remain in their current instructional role but also work to gain a deeper understanding in a chosen aspect of instruction or professional development.  During the year of the development and implementation of their action research projects or curriculum, participants will produce various “deliverables” to NCDPI’s Home Base for use by all teachers across the state.

 Two days of training with NCDPI staff and GTN mentors in Raleigh  Completion of online GTN course in Home Base  Literature review of current research in the chosen area or on the specific topic  Bi-weekly “office hours with Professional Development Leads  Face-to-face meetings with regional participants and PDL’s  Participants present studies to district and statewide meetings and conferences

To determine whether a systematic approach of providing students with a wide variety of informational texts, chosen according to research- based principles of adolescent reading motivation, increases the interest of high school students in the Occupational Course of Study (OCS) to read various types of written product for academic and vocational success, transition planning and self-enjoyment Let’s Read More!!!!

 The participants in the study will be ten 9th and 10th grade students in the first or second years of the OCS program that I will be teaching or co-teaching their English and/or Occupational Preparation courses during the 2014 – 2015 school year. All of the students have been identified to receive special educational services with disabilities of either Mild/Moderate Intellectual Disability or a Specific Learning Disability. All of the students currently read below grade level and most have been described throughout their educational years by testing and by their teachers as “struggling readers.”

 In this study, motivation to read is defined as simply the likelihood of a student choosing to engage in reading. While the motivation to read may be extrinsic, or external (i.e. a short-term reward), motivation to read that is intrinsic, or internal has been shown to be more lasting in nature and more satisfying to the individual reader. The motivation to read is the dependent variable in this study and will be measured by both quantitative and qualitative analysis.  The independent variable in the study is the instructional method used to assist students in increasing their motivation to read. The instructional method in this study will be based upon the principles of creating and delivering instruction that have shown to be effective in increasing the motivation to read of students in high school, particularly those with current reading difficulties.

 Can a program for high school students enrolled in OCS be implemented that will increase their motivation to read for academic, vocational, and transition benefits as well as for self-enjoyment?  What factors or principles in the development and implementation of the reading motivation program are the most effective for OCS students?  How can other school professionals be included in the process of affecting motivation, particularly the school media specialist and general education teachers?

 Many high school students who are receiving special educational services, particularly those in the OCS program exhibit little or no motivation to read, either for their academic courses or for pleasure. As many of the students have been “struggling readers” throughout their educational years, the lack of motivation to read is likely to compound their difficulties with content area subjects and with appropriate social and community interaction as they prepare to transition to adulthood.  The goal of the project is to increase student engagement and motivation in reading various types of written product for academic success, transition planning and self-enjoyment. During a 30-minute session three times weekly in either their English or Occupational Preparation class, students will be given various literary and information texts for reading followed by class or small-group discussions about the material and the level of student interest in the information presented.

 Choice – All students are more motivated to read when they have opportunities to make choices about what they read and how they engage in and complete reading tasks.  Opportunity for Success – Students are more motivated to read when they have the support of instructors and the opportunities to be successful with challenging material.  Relevance – Students, especially teenagers, are more motivated to read when the reading tasks and activities are relevant to their current lives and their future success and happiness.  Access – Students are more motivated to read when they have easy access to a wide range of reading materials.  Opportunities to Engage – Teenagers are more motivated to read when they have ample opportunities to engage in sustained reading.  Social Interaction – Students, especially teenagers, are more motivated to read when they are given opportunities to socially interact with others, especially their peers, about the material they are reading.

 Each participant’s present level of reading performance will be reviewed. Initial discussions, including a student survey assessing reading motivation, will be held with students to determine areas of interest and possible reasons for their reduced motivation to read.  The survey to be used is the Adolescent Reading Motivation Profile (ARMP) which includes 20 multiple choice questions, with a quantitative scoring rubric, related to student attitudes about reading as well as specific questions for a conversational interview between students and their teacher.  Individual reading plans will be developed according to ARMP results and conversations with students.  Reading comprehension will be assessed and the ARMP will be given both prior to and after program implementation. Teacher observations will also be recorded weekly.  The results of the ARMP, student interviews, and teacher observation will be analyzed to determine if the program was effective in increasing student reading motivation.

September and October Student assessment and development of Individualized Reading Plans October- January Program implementation – weekly review and possible modifications February and March Student surveys and data analysis April and May Complete written presentations and submissions to NCDPI Wiki

 Questions or Comments???????