(This article was written in response to a video that is not publicly available. It stands, alone, as a reflection on differentiation.)
Considering the two students, Sofia and Matteo, I’m given to noticing the differences and similarities between them, for how they relate. Sofia is a speaker of English as her native language and Matteo is originally from Italy, learning English as an additional language at an unknown juncture in his life. His skill with the English language is nearly at native level, though clearly needs more practice to make it to that point. On the other hand, Sofia is also struggling even though English is her first language. Her struggles are related through the representation of a difficulty with decoding and literary fluency. What they both need is thoughtful and intentional practice. They have both been related as generally willing students without behavioral or cognitive issues to contend with. As such, their improvement is readily possible with focused attention. They will need to approach their books with new ideas, frameworks, and goals.
One reading comprehension strategy that comes to mind for Sofia is PALS, the peer-assisted learning strategy that brings students together, to practice in shared time (IRIS, 2008). She would listen to and read to another student during it and would then relay questions relating inquiry about what they each had read. This would allow her to read in a safe space with her peer and the friendly feedback could be helpful for how she considers what she is reading.
A second, broad-based learning strategy that would be well applied, this time to Matteo, would be the usage of graphic organizers. His profile defines previous success with them. As readers are tasked with slowing down their reading into chunks so that they can write within one, the reading bursts are, to that effect, directed into patterns of staccato (or chunking). Each section filled in a graphic organizer tells a portion of the whole in a way that helps with maintaining understanding in long-term ways. That advancement through an intentionally staccato patterned reading approach becomes a strength rather than an impediment in this way.
Sofia is represented as having no trouble reading her text messages/using a cell phone. Following, as “past teachers have been successful in helping her make inferences by providing scaffolded instruction and support,” as today’s assignment’s provided source material provides, ‘scaffolded instruction and support’ is reasonable to continue offering. For the first of two scaffolds, I’d assign her a KWL chart for brainstorming (animating the reading comprehension strategy of “Activating Prior Knowledge”), which is a three-part worksheet that asks the student to start by writing down what they (K) know, then what they (W) want to know, followed up with the third column in reflection after reading to include what the student (L) learned (IRIS, 2012). This is particularly appropriate because all native-born students of the US have some sort of awareness of the American Revolution by her age, but there is always more to learn.
Also, for while she’s reading, I would have her use a commonly used graphic organizer known as a Mind Map, so she has a way to retain information in a way that will help with her understanding of connections and so she will have an easy way to refer back to her previous thinking as she moves forward in her learning (Fitzell, 2011). These two approaches would have useful effects on her abilities to think about, retain, and organize what she has been asked to investigate so she will be well prepared for the discussion that will follow.
Matteo is a separate case and has somewhat dissimilar needs. Considering him, assessments are worth discussion. Certainly, an easily accessible variation of assessment would be one that is formative so that I, as a teacher, can clearly view to what extent this student is comprehending what he reads. To do so, since his spoken language skills are notably good, I would begin by asking clarifying questions during his readings, so that he would be tasked with revisiting the ideas of what he had already read. Indeed, the famous Feynman Technique is based on this idea of having a student re-tell what they’ve been tasked with learning (Feynman, 1985). By doing so, he and I both can isolate what gaps in his comprehension there are, and we can move forward with instruction from there. We could talk about what he picked up and I could ask leading questions about connections or details that he may show evidence of having missed. This kind of review can help solidify what has been passed over.
A second type of formative assessment would be asking him to make predictions about what may come next in his text. Doing so would task him with formulating the situation that is described in the text he has already read for description. When a student is tasked as such, the text can lose its abstract nature and become more clearly a notion of reality for them. By dissolving this abstraction and having Matteo internalize the material of the text that he has covered, he can naturally grow a greater connection to what has been presented to him and the content, in turn, becomes more accessible through the perspectively alternative consideration of it. In this case, the exercise of the assessment is an intentionally juxtaposed thinking process that at its core, is based on how it can encourage connection to the text, rendering it more accessible to the reader (Fries-Gaither, 2011).
Both students are situated well for growth, while having largely different paths in their similar struggles. As such, it is appropriate to consider alternative ways to address what could seem like a similar situation if only the results of a diagnostic assessment were on hand. Allowing the external realities such as Matteo being a speaker of another language as his first, among however many he speaks, is an important consideration for how a teacher will approach a student who shows signs of struggles in their academic path. This task is a good representation of how thoughtful differentiation is helpful all around.
Resources
Feynman, Richard P., Leighton, Ralph, Hutchings, Eduard, (1985). Surely you’re joking, Mr. Feynman!: adventures of a curious character. W.W. Norton, New York.
Fitzell, S. A. G. (2011). RTI strategies for secondary teachers. Corwin Press.
Fries-Gaither, Jessica, 2011. Making Predictions: A Strategy for Reading and Science Learning. Ohio State University, https://beyondweather.ehe.osu.edu/issue/the-sun-and-earths-climate/making-predictions-a-strategy-for-reading-and-science-learning. Accessed April 2024.
IRIS Center, 2008. PALS, a Reading Strategy for High Schools. Vanderbilt University press. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/palshs/. Accessed April 2024.
IRIS Center, 2012. Components of Effective Comprehension Instruction. Vanderbilt University press. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/sec-rdng/. Accessed April 2024.
Evaluator’s notes
You demonstrate a strong understanding of strategies to improve reading comprehension by detailing how you would implement peer-assisted learning and utilize graphic organizers to help Sofia and Matteo strengthen their understanding. You effectively explain scaffolding techniques when you discuss how using a graphic organizer could help increase Sofia’s comprehension.