A Model Program to IntegrateEffective Reading Strategies into

CTE Instruction Presenter: Betty R. Ware

Supervisor of Career and Technical Education,Fine Arts & Health/Physical Education

Presented at ACTE Convention by Chester P. Wichoski, Project Director , Temple CTE Reading Project Temple University

Chet.w@Temple. Edu

• Developed in response to a concern with low reading skills of many Career and Technical Education (CTE) students

• Selected because of their proven effectiveness with students in CTE programs in Pennsylvania through a research and development project conducted by Temple University Center for Professional Development in CTE

Temple CTE Reading Project D. Garnes, FRA

• Reading is a fundamental skill• Central to all learning• According to NAEP data, the reading levels of

high school age students are alarmingly low

Temple CTE Reading Project D. Garnes, FRA

• Ability to read at an early age is an accurate predictor for later success in school

• Been known to predictAcademic successAcademic difficultyDiscipline problemDrop out ratesEarly elementary grade reading scores

(first, second, third grade) predict prison populations 15 years later

Temple CTE Reading Project

D. Garnes, FRA

• Traditionally, the teaching of reading ends at sixth grade

Unless student has severe reading problems

• Almost all teachers, including English teachers and most academic and CTE teachers have not been professionally prepared to use reading strategies

Temple CTE Reading Project D. Garnes, FRA

• Most CTE students are motivated because they elect to be in a CTE program

Creates a window of opportunity for teachers to integrate proven reading strategies

Many strategies can be incorporated into the delivery of CTE content

Temple CTE Reading Project D. Garnes, FRA

• These reading strategies are not attempts to make the CTE teacher a reading teacher nor change the focus of the CTE instructional content

• It is an opportunity for CTE teachers to enhance the teaching and learning process by incorporating proven reading strategies

• Three major categories of reading strategies1. Reciprocal Teaching2. Scaffolding3. Journaling

Temple CTE Reading Project D. Garnes, FRA

Reciprocal Teaching (RT)A reading comprehension strategy readers use

to increase their understanding and retention of text passages

Students learn and apply four reading strategies: Predicting text outcomesClarifying confusing textQuestioning key conceptsSummarizing text information

Advantages of RT

Promotes strategic readersIncreases meaningful classroom discussion

and dialogueAddresses the comprehension challenges of

many teachersApplicable for primary through college levels

Scaffolding Instruction

• A temporary learning aid designed to help the student grow in independence as a learner

• Once the skill the scaffold is intended to help has been mastered, the scaffold should be withdrawn

Temple CTE Reading Project D. Garnes, FRA

What is Scaffolding Instruction?• A set of pre-reading, during-reading and

post-reading activities specifically designed to assist a particular group of students in successfully reading, understanding, learning from and enjoying reading passages

(Groves & Groves, 2003)Temple CTE Reading Project

D. Garnes, FRA

Advantages of Scaffolding • A temporary support to assist the students’

comprehension of text• A support structure that allows students to

complete task and gain knowledge• Activities which can be used to self-monitor

and internalize reading • Activities which provide ways for students to

discuss and write about reading passages

Temple CTE Reading Project D. Garnes, FRA

Journaling• A reading comprehension strategy integrating

structured writing activities that are used to monitor learner understanding of reading passages

• Readers collect data, reread, and analyze the findings in order to discover what they mean or how they can be used

• Can take many forms: note-taking, memos, learning logs, paragraph summaries, and reflection writings

Temple CTE Reading Project D. Garnes, FRA

Why Journal in Content Areas?Writing is the most disciplined form of

thinking (Murray, 1984)Journaling is integral to the thinking processAllows processing and retaining of key ideas

Temple CTE Reading Project D. Garnes, FRA

Advantages of JournalingSummarize ideasOrganize processes and sequencesExplore ideas from the textDraw conclusions and reactionsSelf-evaluate learningDiscover vocabulary and develop meaning

Temple CTE Reading Project D. Garnes, FRA

Questions or Comments??