Research
Summary
The Questions:
- How do reading journals guide instruction to
improve student learning?
- How do readers with varying abilities respond
to literature?
Rationale:
These questions originated from a desire to better
understand what students think about while they
read. With great pressure on teachers to ensure
that students perform well on standardized tests,
teachers must be able to understand how different
kinds of readers comprehend what they read. Formal
assessments often lack the insight into student
thinking that teachers need to tailor their instruction
to improve learning. By gaining a deeper understanding
of how different students process what they read,
teachers can design instruction to better meet diverse
needs.
Data Collection Tools:
- Student reading journals
- Teacher reflections and observations
- Student questionnaires
The Process:
Reading journals were used as the primary response
and assessment tool in a 5th and 7th grade classroom
during novel studies. Students were expected to
respond several times a week to a novel that had
been chosen for the whole class. The novel study
took three weeks. Responses alternated between teacher
prompts and student-selected prompts. Journals were
collected from six students per class including
two lower level readers, two average readers, and
two high level readers. Student responses were divided
into categories that commonly emerged and then analyzed
accordingly. Both teachers kept a journal documenting
their observations and reflections during novel
studies. Students also completed a questionnaire
indicating their understanding and preferences when
using the reading journal.
Data Analysis:
Reading journals
Entries were analyzed using six categories including
summary, interpretation, personal connection, literary
elements, opinions, and wonderings/predictions.
Low level reader entries were simple with few details
to support ideas. These entries lacked structure
and were often unclear. Student entries typically
fell into the summary or opinion categories. Average
reader entries became longer, but repeated the same
structure. These entries reflected specific examples
from the text to support ideas and opinions. The
entries included each of the categories, but students
generally repeated the same categories in their
journals. High level reader entries provided ample
literary analysis that included each of the categories
with almost every entry. These student entries reflected
a high engagement with the text and always provided
text support for their ideas.
Teacher reflections
Teacher journals had two main themes. First, teachers
noticed the higher level thinking skills that high
level readers regularly exhibited. They wondered,
how can we get all students to reach that same goal?
How do we raise the bar for all our students? Second,
students’ entries were inconsistent with their previously
shown capacity. Teachers questioned student motivation
and their ability to increase the quality of student
entries.
Student questionnaires
Student responses to the questionnaires reflected
a general understanding of the purpose of the journals.
High level readers demonstrated a deeper understanding
of the teacher’s goals for the journals. When asked
whether students preferred student-directed prompts
versus teacher-directed prompts, the student responses
varied. Low level readers and average level readers
indicated a mixed preference for both teacher and
student-directed prompts. High level readers demonstrated
confidence in their ability to respond freely and
preferred to direct their own journal responses.
Analysis:
We found that reading journals facilitated discussion
among students by allowing students the opportunity
to reflect and share their ideas. We were able to
gain insight into their thinking, and provide instruction
based upon our observations. We were also able to
model higher level thinking.
Next Steps:
We will present our findings to the faculty at
our school. We can also provide professional development
to support teachers who would use the reading journals.
Ideally, as a faculty we could collaborate regularly
to discuss the implementation of reading journals
throughout the school year. Individually, we will
continue to use and improve the reading journals
within our own classrooms with a specific focus
on assessment. On a broader scale, we hope to collaborate
with teachers in CPS to continue the discussion
of making meaning from written response.
Policy Recommendations:
School-wide:
- Implement the use of reading journals at every
grade
- Differentiated instruction with a small group
approach
District and State-wide:
- Provide opportunities for written response
- Provide teacher professional development
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