A correlation between school violence and poor reading performance?

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, in a Guardian newspaper article, "Fatherless and clueless", discussed the issue of violence in our nation's schools. He cited several examples of violence in many of our Secondary Schools. He penned a chilling statement talking about 'the creation of an entire generation of youths that will form the next wave of criminals. Have mercy! I hasten to add that this article was written before he became Attorney General. He therefore was blaming the then governnment for not taking decisive action to stem the tide of the violence.



Anyway, I don't want to engage in any political discourse. My interest as an educator is the implication for teaching. It is said that many of the incarcerated criminals are illiterate. As Remedial Reading Specialist, our responsibility is to do our utmost in the classrooms to excite our weak students and inspire them to pursue learning. They may not all go to university but they need to be functionally literate and they need to know that reading empowers them and enhances their life generally. If we really want to show them the relevance of reading, we can probably ask them if they wouldn't want to avoid a situation where their girlfriend/boyfriend writes a love letter and they can't even read it! As a Christian educator, this is where I believe that redemption and education are one. Helping a child to read has far-reaching consequences. It's not just preparing them for this life, by becoming caring, productive citizens but they should know how to unlock the treasure of God's word and prepare for eternity.

Dealing with dialect in our classrooms

Recently, I was reading a post from a blog "English with Jennifer- a blog for teachers". In it, she dealt with dialect in the classrooms of the developed countries where there is a real pot pourri of languages and nuances of the same language. As I read, I realized that she was addressing the challenge with different pronunciations and accents, especially when considering Americans and the British from different parts of the country. Jennifer is of the view that students should be made aware of the many differences in pronunciation. She gave an example. She pronounces 'cot' and 'caught' the same way. Obviously, she recognizes that in a classroom, the teacher must be consistent with whichever pronunciation the student is exposed to daily. Consistency is the key. The teacher must be aware of his/her accent and pronunciation of words. Tape recordings are to be used to expose students to other pronunciations or accents.





When I think of our local context, our situation is different. Our main concern is not accent but sentence structure. Consider this: Tobagonians say "Ah going home back." while Trinis say "Ah going back home." Then we have "The house big, big." for "The house is very big." Of course we know that we don't tell the students that they are speaking badly. We simply ask them to say it another or a different way. Our language is colourful and sometimes it's the best language to use in a given situation. However, we need to prepare our students to use the language that most of the world uses. After all, we do live in a global village. I am still grappling with the 'how' in using the vernacular in our classrooms. I wish that I could see a lesson plan. Maybe I should ask Dr. James (: I like a particular statement that is made in Jennifer's blog. It says that the ultimate goal is to be understood and not to adopt a certain accent. In our context, the ultimate goal is for our students to know when to use the dialect and when to use the standard English.

5 surefire strategies for developing fluency

In her article, found on the University of Phoenix website, Lisa Blau shares, what she terms, five

surefire strategies for developing fluency. They are:

1. model fluent reading


2. repeated readings in class


3. promote phrased reading


4. enlist tutors to help ou


5. reader's theatre

As a result of reading the literature and attending the Reading courses with Dr. Conrad, I readily identified with all except one which is 'promote phrased reading'. I don't think that I ever really thought about emphasizing the phrases. Of course it makes sense because we don't read individual words in a choppy, truncated manner. I can see the sense of highlighting phrases for the students and having them repeatedly say them smoothly so that when they are reading the passages, they would transfer that ability and it would go a long way to improve their fluency. For some students who may require more scaffolding, we can even use a marker, pencil etc. to divide, where appropriate, the passages into natural phrasal units.

In her article, Blau mentions that 40% of all fourth graders (nine-year olds) are disfluent. I wish we had statistics for our local context. In the absence of stats, we all know that the percentage is high among our Secondary School students. Thank God there are several strategies that we can employ to remedy this undesirable condition.

Have you heard of Audioblox?

This is a brain-training system created by one Dr. Jan Strydom. Recognizing that learning is a stratified process, this system seeks to automatize the foundational learning skills such as concentration, perception, memory (visual and auditory), logical thinking and imagination. The creators draw an analogy with football. They say that in order to be a footballer one has to learn certain skills like dribbling and passing. So in reading, so long as one can master the foundational skills then reading is possible. Having isolated the skill and provided activities for practice, opportunities are created for the students to apply these skills in reading scenarios.



On the website, there were video clippings of sessions with teachers using the Audioblox materials. It was very interesting. Among the many testimonials, there was one from a teacher of remedial students who praised its effectiveness with her students. We may not have access to the programme but I found the compilation of the cognitive foundational skills very useful. In my planning, I can seriously consider incorporating activities to strengthen those skills. For example, I would have many read - aloud sessions using books with vivid descriptions to develop and enrich their imaginations. I must also bear in mind that practice time is essential for mastery. Failure to develop some of these cognitive skills can jeopardize their learning.

Is our teaching of writing right on?

Is the traditional appoach to the teaching of writing really working for our students? Why are our students generally scoring poorly in Creative Writing in the SEA exams? We probably need to revisit this approach. Let's think about it. The approach is to give the students the same topic, give them a stipulated amount of time, collect their scripts, decorate their papers with red ink, give them a grade and return the scripts to them without much feedback. Sounds familiar. Mind you, I am not saying that ALL teachers use this method. There may be those who are au courant with the latest research and, therefore, their pedagogy reflects this.

There is much research coming out of America which strongly supports the process approach to writing which emphasizes content and not grammar and conventions. Students select their own topics, they brainstorm, they write a series of drafts, engaging in revising and editing (at this stage emphasis is on grammar and other conventions) and then finally publication. Collaboration with peers and teacher is encouraged and feedback is rich at every phase. The process is recursive. Donald H. Graves, considered the 'father' of the process approach says that this is ideal for students with learning disabilities because focus is on what they know and their self-esteem improves when others value their writing and give feedback. Quite frankly, I strongly believe that writing can improve students' reading, spelling and comprehension. Students have to re-read, they realize when words are omitted because the sentence does not make sense and they detect spelling errors sometimes. It is an approach, in my view, worth introducing into our classrooms.

Culham, R. 6+1 Traits of Writing. New York:Scholastic

Are we ready for Dr. Tim Gopeesingh?

In this Ramdass article, entitled Minister:Education System is Weak, it is reported that Education Minister Mr. Tim Gopeesingh laments the flaws and weaknesses inherent in our education system. He identifies administrative problems at head office and also problems within the schools. Among his concerns is the staggering number of children with serious disabilities compounded by the fact that there is an insufficient number of specialists to address their needs. Apparently, he has plans for his ministry to partner with the Tertiary Education Ministry to ensure that our schools are provided with specialists.

I am encouraged by this proposed step by the Minister which suggests that this programme would be considered highly. It means that as future reading specialists, we must be adequately prepared because there would, undoubtedly, be high expectations from us to perform 'miracles' and significantly impact on the present reading crisis. Thus far, we have been exposed to courses relevant to our professional development. Take, for example, the course on Assessment and Diagnosis. We are now equipped with the tools to correctly identify the reading difficulties of our students. This is quite an achievement because, I do believe, that many of our students fall through the cracks and fail to receive the needed attention because their weaknesses were not diagnosed properly and, therefore, adequate treatment was woefully lacking. Concerning the ICT course, its relevance in integration in reading instruction is unquestionable. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the importance of our favourite course, Fundamentals of Educational Research I, affectionately called Stats. It is time for more research to be conducted in the field of reading and, therefore, this course has provided the knowledge and skills necessary for such. So, yes, I believe that we will be ready for Dr. Gopeesingh when he calls upon us. All the best colleagues as we strive to empower our students to be productive citizens of our country.

Ramdass, A. Minister: Education System is Weak. Trinidad and Tobago Express website retrieved(2010-07-22)

"Literacy is not just about reading and writing..."

"...it is about respect, development and responsibility." So said the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in his annual message for Literacy Day 2009.In his sobering speech, he mentioned that the worldwide scale of illiteracy is staggering with approximately 776 million illiterate adults. Literacy, he said, empowers people. Ban Ki-Moon endorsed a statement by Dr. Lalage Brown, a lecturer, who said that "even the simplest acquisition of literacy can have a profoundly empowering effect personally, socially and politically."

I refer to illiteracy as the invisible handicap which does disable its victims. But we can't tell who they are by casual observation. When I think of the empowering effect of illiteracy, I am really inspired to do my utmost for those thirty-one students who will be sitting in front of me come September morning. I know that the task will be overwhelming but not impossible. Doesn't the Bible say that all things are possible with Christ? When I committed myself to working with remedial reading students, I was wide-eyed when I made my decision. I know that the challenges will be many, including interacting with parents in denial and impatient subject teachers who may be unwilling to go the extra mile for the students who really ought not to be in the Secondary school system (but that is another story). All that I know is that if I want my students to be equipped to face their future then my efforts must be relentless. Let us collaborate, especially using the new technologies to assist each other for support. Together, with God's help and our zeal and knowledge, we can aspire much and achieve much.

Give Them Some Good Ole Lovin'

In her article, Sandra Brooks focuses on what makes a teacher effective. No, it is not the incorporation of technology or well-planned lesson plans, although these are indeed important. It is good ole lovin'. In the article, Teaching Ideas that Work!, Brooks says that the teacher's genuine personal interest in the student and his/her family is a vital element if we want our students to attend in class and be on-task. She says that we must be in tune with the lives of our adolescent students, being compassionate and even sharing, as much as practical, our own personal lives in an attempt to break down barriers. We also need to foster healthy relationships with their parents balancing praise and criticism of their children.

Indeed, it is important for us to remember that in implementing all of the latest teaching strategies, if we fail to be compassionate and patient with our charges, we will not be effective as teachers. We teach students not lessons. These students, in particular, are fragile and must be handled with care.It would be instructive for us to note at least three possible reasons for poor student class participation. They are the lack of parental support, little concern for the student and shoddy lesson preparation. Can you identify any more? So let's pray with and for them, engage in casual conversaions with them. Who know? You may get material for instructional planning.

Brooks, S. Teaching Ideas that Work! The Journal of Adventist Education, February/March, 1993. Vol.55 no. 3 9pp.19-22

Boy oh boy! What's happening with our boys?

Which is it? Is it the ability factor or the interest factor that is responsible for the gender gap in the reading performace? This is a concern raised in an article, entitled "Putting the 'Boy Crisis' in Context" which focuses on the worrisome disparity in reading differences between boys and girls. The article drew attention to the fact that this problem is an international one as indicated by the (2009) PIRLS report which revealed that, in the forty countries where studies were conducted with nine to ten-year olds, the girls outperformed the boys. This alarming situation, which has been with us since the early 1900s, is apparently also based on race and ethnicity.



If the problem is based on ability, says one contributor, it is a matter of administering the appropriate intervention. If, however, the problem is based on interest, then the onus is on the teacher to ensure that the teaching style is appealing to this group. Having learned on Friday that, of the thirty-one remedial students assigned to my school, twenty-two are boys, I have been thinking how I can create a 'boy friendly' learning environment. I need to source reading material that is action-oriented. These students would benefit from more field trips which will be incorporated in the reading lessons. Hoping that the students will indeed be recipients of laptops, I would invest in reading software for them. I know that a great part of my vacation will be spent on creating learning resources for these students so that, come September morning, I would be ready to inspire my charges.


Sadowski, M. (2010, July/August) Putting the "Boy Crisis" in Context. Harvard Education Letter, Vol.26, No.4

Remedial students or remedial parents?

Imagine that! Two hundred and forty remedial students are assigned to one Secondary School. At my school, there has been a 150% increase in the number of remedial students assigned. It is a very alarming situation. From what I have been hearing from other colleagues, there numbers have also been quite staggering. No doubt, there is urgent need for a multi-pronged attack to address this issue. Let's focus on the parental element for now. I am not convinced that many parents are shouldering their responsibility at home with respect to providing the stimulating learning environment. Of course, there are many parents who have not abdicated their responsibility and we definitely highly commend them. I am sure that they reap the rewards of their labour. The number, however, of parents who fail to consistently provide the support is too high.

What can be done at a national level to instil in delinquent parents a commitment to nurturing a home environment conducive to learning/ reading? Does the National PTA body have a programme for this? I will investigate. As individual reading specialists who know the value of family literacy and who would have read the research which supports it, we can do our part in our schools by keeping in contact with our parents and using segments of our PTA meetings to educate our parents. I applaud the efforts of Barbara Bush, whom some refer to as the First Lady of Literacy who established a Foundation for Literacy. Many NGOs are given grants to establish centres where families can visit and be immersed in a learning environment. What else can we do in our country to encourage our parents to partner with us for the benefit of their children, our future leaders?

You can visit barbarabushfoundation.com for more on her incredible work.