1. Digital Literacies: Engaging Readers Who Struggle
Dr. Hiller A. Spires, Shea Kerkhoff, Marie Himes, & Chang Yuan
North Carolina State University
March 13, 2016

2. Getting to Know You Introduce yourself
Share a specific challenge you have with a reader who struggles

3. Reading for Understanding (Rand Report, 2002)
See

4. Who Are the Readers Who Struggle
Who Are the Readers Who Struggle? What Does it Mean to Struggle with Reading?

5. NAEP 8th Grade Mean Reading Scores
Year
National Average
State Average
Eligible for Free/Reduced Lunch
Not Eligible
Gap
2015
264
261
249
277 28
2013
266
265
253
278 25
Year
National Average
State Average
African American
Latino
White
2015
264
261
243
252
271
2013
266
265
251
258
273

6. NAEP 4th Grade Mean Reading Scores
Year
National Average
State Average
Eligible for Free/Reduced Lunch
Not Eligible
Gap
2015
226
215
242 27
2013
221
222
211
237 26
Year
National Average
State Average
African American
Latino
White
2015
226
229
235
236
2013
221
222
210
232

7. In order for struggling readers to become more proficient, they must READ!
Studies show 1 to 30 minutes of reading per day for struggling readers.
Instead of reading, struggling readers are waiting for a round robin turn, or doing worksheets, doing test prep or doing decoding drills.
Successful interventions have struggling readers engaged in reading 2/3 of intervention period.
Studies show 1 to 30 minutes of reading per day for struggling readers.
Instead of reading, struggling readers are waiting for a round robin turn,
--or doing worksheets, doing test prep or doing decoding drills
Successful interventions have struggling readers
engaged in reading 2/3 of intervention period or

8. Accessing Students’ Funds of Knowledge
Readers Who Struggle
“There is now considerable evidence, from recent intervention studies, that reading difficulties in most beginning readers may not be caused by biologically based cognitive deficits intrinsic to the child, but may in fact be related to the opportunities provided for children learning to read.” p. 378
Accessing Students’ Funds of Knowledge
Vellutino, F. R., & Fletcher, J. M. (2005). Developmental dyslexia. In M. S. C. Hulme (Ed.), The science of reading: A handbook (pp ). Malden, MA: Blackwell.

9. Readers Who Struggle Need Books (Print or Digital) to Read!
“Unfortunately, putting good books in front of our students has not been the focus in many of our nation’s schools.”
Kelly Gallagher (2009). Readicide: How schools are killing reading and what you can do about it. Stenhouse Publishers.

10. Richard Allington: What Really Matters
Matching Reader and Text Level
Building Background Knowledge
Dramatically Expanding Reading Activity
Using Very Small Groups or Tutoring
Coordinating Intervention with Core Classroom
Delivering Intervention by Expert Teacher
Focusing Instruction on Metacognition & Meaning
Using Texts That Are Interesting to Students
Bridging Home and School
Allington, R. (2009). What Really Matters in Response to Intervention. Allyn Bacon.

11. Shea N. Kerkhoff
NCSU

12. Locating and Consuming
Digital Literacies
Locating and Consuming
Digital-Content
Critical Evaluation
Critical Evaluation
Communicating
Digital Content
Creating
Digital Content
Critical Evaluation

13. The Myth of the Digital Native

14. 4 Digital Divides Access Class Time Teacher Knowledge Achievement Gap

15. 1. Access Digital Divide in NC
Results revealed that the proportion of households in North Carolina that subscribe to Internet increased rapidly from 36 percent to 80 percent between 1999 and 2010, but has remained relatively constant since. Critically, this disparity has increased by 53 percent since Compounded by rural and female households.

16. Less time on computers with students from low incomes
2. Classroom Time
Less time on computers with students from low incomes
3. Teacher Knowledge
High-stakes test scores correlation with income
Low scores may mean more time in PD on testing
(Leu et al. 2015)
According to the Pew Research Center, 38% of low income homes (<30,000) do not use the internet contrasted with 3% of high income homes (cited in Leu et al., 2015). In addition, it is widely known that income and standardized test scores are positively correlated. Leu et al. (2015) found that teachers spent less time on computers with students from low income backgrounds in order to prepare students for paper tests. Teachers in schools that focus on high stakes test scores may not have the professional development on using technology in the classroom that they need.
Compounding the problem, many teachers in the classroom today were trained in the 20th century with 20st century technology (Andreotti, 2010).

17. 4. Achievement Gap
Separate achievement gap by income beyond traditional reading achievement gap
Separate component to online research and comprehension (a.k.a. online inquiry reading)
Not in State Standards and therefore not in high-stakes tests
Supporting students acquisition of online research and comprehension skills is matter of equal opportunity
(Leu et al. 2015)

18. What Can We Do? Work in Pairs Teach Last First
Bridge Home and School Literacies
Tap into Motivation Research

19. Teach Last First I do We do You do When introducing new digital tools
When communicating your norms and expectations for groups

20. Bridging Home and School Literacy
While your students may be “digital natives” the digital literacies that they use at home may be different than the ones you are asking them to use at school. You can use those that they use at home as a bridge to using technology to learn.
Inquiry Reading

21. Motivation to Read Growth Mindset Utilitarian Curiosity Social
Mastery not Performance is motivating
Belief that one can succeed
Utilitarian
Learn a procedure
Meet goal of one’s job or future job
Improve vocabulary
Curiosity
Social
Parents or peers value reading
Allows one to talk with peers
(Schiefele et al., 2012)
Intrinsic motivation

22. Why use inquiry-based learning models with students labeled as struggling readers?
Inquiry is not without its critics, need structured scaffolds – particularly with struggling readers

23. Inquiry-based Learning and Struggling Readers
Motivation and Engagement
Choice
Purposeful/Authentic Learning
Building Background Knowledge and Skills
Teacher Scaffolds/Guidance
Knowledge Creation
Iterative Design
Differentiation
Collaboration
Literacy as Social Practice

25. What is Project-Based Inquiry?
Begin with the end in mind: Show a digital product from BRS/CCMMS PBI from Spring 2015 (Hiller’s group)
See what they were able to create; how the phases of the inquiry process are embedded in product

26. Building Background Knowledge and Skills
What do students need to know and be able to do before engaging in PBI?
How will you teach this?
Example from CCMMS and BRS Spring 2015
Four Short Stories
"Thank You Ma'm" (Langston Hughes)
"The White Umbrella" (Gish Jen)
"Everyday Use" (Alice Walker)
“Kong Yi Ji” (Lu Xun)
Student Interactions with Texts
Discussed prior knowledge of American and Chinese cultures through
Conducted close readings of American short stories with reflection and discussion taking place on
Posted character analyses of Kong Yi Ji on
and discussed via .

27. The PBI Process
Step 1: Ask a Compelling a Question Step 2: Gather and Analyze Sources Step 3: Creatively Synthesize Claims and Evidence Step 4: Critically Evaluate and Revise Step 5: Share, Publish, and Act
Description; Scaffolding Techniques; and Challenges for each step in the PBI-Global Process

28. References
Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (Eds.). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching and assessing: A revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of educational objectives. Complete edition, New York : Longman.
Fang, Z. (1995). Chinese short stories of the twentieth century: An anthology in English. New York, NY: Garland Publishing, Inc.
Leu, D. J., Forzani, E., Rhoads, C., Maykel, C., Kennedy, C., & Timbrell, N. (2015). The new literacies of online research and comprehension: Rethinking the reading achievement gap. Reading Research Quarterly, 50(1),
Schiefele, U., Schaffner, E., Möller, J., & Wigfield, A. (2012). Dimensions of reading motivation and their relation to reading behavior and competence. Reading Research Quarterly, 47(4),
Spires, H., Hervey, L., Morris, G., & Stelpflug, C. (2012). Energizing project-based inquiry: Middle grade students read, write, and create videos. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(6),
Spires, H., Kerkhoff, S., Graham, A., & Lee, J. (2014). Model for Inquiry-Based Disciplinary Literacy. Disciplinary Literacy for Deeper Learning MOOC-Ed. Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. Raleigh, NC: NC State University.
Spires, H., Wiebe, E., Young, C., Hollebrands, K., & Lee, J. (2009). Toward a new learning ecology: Teaching and learning in 1:1 learning environments. Friday Institute White Paper Series. NC State University: Raleigh, NC.