Knowing how to provide optimally effective reading instruction is important for all educators, bu... more Knowing how to provide optimally effective reading instruction is important for all educators, but it is critically important for urban educators. The current paper is built on the assumption that, regardless of the instructional approaches used by school districts, deepening urban educators' understanding of the reading process will better equip them to facilitate students' reading development, and to diagnose and intervene if reading difficulties are discovered. Based on that belief, a discussion of a highly regarded reading model, the Parallel Distributed Processing Model (PDPM), is presented. The model explains the existence of four distinct processors (Orthographic, Phonological, Meaning, and Context), as well as the components of: Phonics, Connectionism, and Limited Internal Attention. Use of the model for instructional and diagnostic purposes is reviewed, and activities to strengthen each of the processors are offered. Overall, it is hoped that understanding the reading process through the lens of the Parallel Distributed Processing Model will help all educators, especially urban educators, facilitate reading success for their students.
Abstract: The goal of this research was to investigate the effects of teacher read-alouds when st... more Abstract: The goal of this research was to investigate the effects of teacher read-alouds when students use, versus do not use, student companion texts during the read-alouds. Both quantitative and qualitative research data were collected based on an experimental design which randomly assigned 168 low SES, primarily Hispanic, students to either listen-only or companion text conditions during a 4-month intervention. The study was framed from a Connectionist theoretical perspective. Quantitative results indicated that no significant ...
Abstract We investigated the effects of humor on vocabulary instruction in a study with 84 sevent... more Abstract We investigated the effects of humor on vocabulary instruction in a study with 84 seventh grade students from an ethnically mixed, middle-class, Northeastern, suburban school district. The experimental group received a series of lessons for vocabulary words for which we provided humorous contexts. The control group received a series of vocabulary lessons for the same words in typical, non-humorous contexts, based on guidelines from a standard reading textbook.
Abstract This study investigates the effectiveness of multiple fluency interventions on a single ... more Abstract This study investigates the effectiveness of multiple fluency interventions on a single subject in grade three. Fluency interventions, including choral reading, echo reading, repeated reading, audio book modeling, and teacher modeling were implemented over a period of eight weeks. Results indicated that using multiple fluency strategies, rather than a single fluency strategy as is usually investigated, was positively associated with improvement in oral reading
ABSTRACT Five teams of researchers observed literacy instruction in 28 first-grade classrooms in ... more ABSTRACT Five teams of researchers observed literacy instruction in 28 first-grade classrooms in diverse settings across five states. At each site, they observed teachers who had been identified by administrators as outstanding or typical, and they noted how each teacher taught and the literacy achievements of the students in each class. Based on student academic engagement and classroom literacy performances, the most effective and least effective teachers in each locale were selected and their instruction further analyzed.
H ow do we perform complex mental tasks, such as reading the newspaper or browsing for informatio... more H ow do we perform complex mental tasks, such as reading the newspaper or browsing for information online? Specifically, how are words on a page or screen effortlessly transformed into rich internal representations? One approach to address such questions is to build theories and models of the various internal mental processes that are thought to be undertaken, and evaluate their ability to shine light on empirical data. These theories and models are known as cognitive processing frameworks, or perspectives, and are common ...
Abstract 1. This study examined the relationships between students' attendance at full-d... more Abstract 1. This study examined the relationships between students' attendance at full-day, half-day, or no preschool and first grade reading achievement. 214 urban, low SES public first grade students of mixed ethnicities were studied. Using the students' Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2) scores (Beaver, 2006), results indicated that by the middle of first grade students who completed one year of full-day preschool significantly outperformed students who did not attend preschool. Students who completed one year of full-day ...
Page 1. 695 Full-Day, Half-Day, and No Preschool Effects on Urban Children's First-Grade... more Page 1. 695 Full-Day, Half-Day, and No Preschool Effects on Urban Children's First-Grade Reading Achievement Joy E. Valenti Diane H. Tracey Kean University, Union, NJ 1. This study examined the relationships between ...
Five teams of researchers observed literacy instruction in 28 first-grade classrooms in diverse s... more Five teams of researchers observed literacy instruction in 28 first-grade classrooms in diverse settings across five states. At each site, they observed teachers who had been identified by administrators as outstanding or typical, and they noted how each teacher taught and the literacy achievements of the students in each class. Based on student academic engagement and classroom literacy performances, the most effective and least effective teachers in each locale were selected and their instruction further analyzed. The ...
Knowing how to provide optimally effective reading instruction is important for all educators, bu... more Knowing how to provide optimally effective reading instruction is important for all educators, but it is critically important for urban educators. The current paper is built on the assumption that, regardless of the instructional approaches used by school districts, deepening urban educators' understanding of the reading process will better equip them to facilitate students' reading development, and to diagnose and intervene if reading difficulties are discovered. Based on that belief, a discussion of a highly regarded reading model, the Parallel Distributed Processing Model (PDPM), is presented. The model explains the existence of four distinct processors (Orthographic, Phonological, Meaning, and Context), as well as the components of: Phonics, Connectionism, and Limited Internal Attention. Use of the model for instructional and diagnostic purposes is reviewed, and activities to strengthen each of the processors are offered. Overall, it is hoped that understanding the reading process through the lens of the Parallel Distributed Processing Model will help all educators, especially urban educators, facilitate reading success for their students.
Abstract: The goal of this research was to investigate the effects of teacher read-alouds when st... more Abstract: The goal of this research was to investigate the effects of teacher read-alouds when students use, versus do not use, student companion texts during the read-alouds. Both quantitative and qualitative research data were collected based on an experimental design which randomly assigned 168 low SES, primarily Hispanic, students to either listen-only or companion text conditions during a 4-month intervention. The study was framed from a Connectionist theoretical perspective. Quantitative results indicated that no significant ...
Abstract We investigated the effects of humor on vocabulary instruction in a study with 84 sevent... more Abstract We investigated the effects of humor on vocabulary instruction in a study with 84 seventh grade students from an ethnically mixed, middle-class, Northeastern, suburban school district. The experimental group received a series of lessons for vocabulary words for which we provided humorous contexts. The control group received a series of vocabulary lessons for the same words in typical, non-humorous contexts, based on guidelines from a standard reading textbook.
Abstract This study investigates the effectiveness of multiple fluency interventions on a single ... more Abstract This study investigates the effectiveness of multiple fluency interventions on a single subject in grade three. Fluency interventions, including choral reading, echo reading, repeated reading, audio book modeling, and teacher modeling were implemented over a period of eight weeks. Results indicated that using multiple fluency strategies, rather than a single fluency strategy as is usually investigated, was positively associated with improvement in oral reading
ABSTRACT Five teams of researchers observed literacy instruction in 28 first-grade classrooms in ... more ABSTRACT Five teams of researchers observed literacy instruction in 28 first-grade classrooms in diverse settings across five states. At each site, they observed teachers who had been identified by administrators as outstanding or typical, and they noted how each teacher taught and the literacy achievements of the students in each class. Based on student academic engagement and classroom literacy performances, the most effective and least effective teachers in each locale were selected and their instruction further analyzed.
H ow do we perform complex mental tasks, such as reading the newspaper or browsing for informatio... more H ow do we perform complex mental tasks, such as reading the newspaper or browsing for information online? Specifically, how are words on a page or screen effortlessly transformed into rich internal representations? One approach to address such questions is to build theories and models of the various internal mental processes that are thought to be undertaken, and evaluate their ability to shine light on empirical data. These theories and models are known as cognitive processing frameworks, or perspectives, and are common ...
Abstract 1. This study examined the relationships between students' attendance at full-d... more Abstract 1. This study examined the relationships between students' attendance at full-day, half-day, or no preschool and first grade reading achievement. 214 urban, low SES public first grade students of mixed ethnicities were studied. Using the students' Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2) scores (Beaver, 2006), results indicated that by the middle of first grade students who completed one year of full-day preschool significantly outperformed students who did not attend preschool. Students who completed one year of full-day ...
Page 1. 695 Full-Day, Half-Day, and No Preschool Effects on Urban Children's First-Grade... more Page 1. 695 Full-Day, Half-Day, and No Preschool Effects on Urban Children's First-Grade Reading Achievement Joy E. Valenti Diane H. Tracey Kean University, Union, NJ 1. This study examined the relationships between ...
Five teams of researchers observed literacy instruction in 28 first-grade classrooms in diverse s... more Five teams of researchers observed literacy instruction in 28 first-grade classrooms in diverse settings across five states. At each site, they observed teachers who had been identified by administrators as outstanding or typical, and they noted how each teacher taught and the literacy achievements of the students in each class. Based on student academic engagement and classroom literacy performances, the most effective and least effective teachers in each locale were selected and their instruction further analyzed. The ...
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