Reading in the

21st Century

Created By: Erica Grossman and Melissa Winkle

The Knowledge Age

“The Knowledge Age is a new, advanced form of capitalism in which knowledge and ideas are the main source of economic growth (more important than land, labour, money, or other ‘tangible resources). New patterns of work and new business practices have developed, and, as a result, new kinds of workers, with new and different skills, are required.”

-New Zealand Council for Educational Research

Big Movements/

Major Ideas

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)& Reading First Initiative

2002

Vogt & Shearer discuss the following impacts these movements made on education:

• Increased federal funding for reading instruction if schools provide scientifically-based reading instruction evidence.
• Teachers are required to engage systematic instruction and assessment in respect to the students phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
• The need for teachers to continue seeking more effective ways for students to reach their literacy goals.”

Examining the Historical Context for Teaching Reading, Page 17

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

2004

“The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), is a United States federal law that governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to children with disabilities,” was revised to its current state in 2004.

-Office of Special Education Programs

U.S. Department of Education

IDEA Act Continued...

• Under the IDEA Act, children from birth to age 21 are eligible for services.
• School districts are required to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment.
• Individuals receive assistance in preparing for careers and living independently.
• Gave rise to implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) in classrooms.

Click Here for Full Access to the IDEA framework

Response to Intervention (RtI)

In Quality Reading Instruction in the Age of Common Core Standards, RTI "is about preventing failure, not identifying and labeling those who fail (Franzen and Smith, 2010, pg 107).”

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Examining the Historical Context for Teaching Reading, notes RtI is “designed to reduce the number of students placed in special education, RtI seeks to identify and address the needs of struggling readers before they fail (Vogt & Shearer, pg 17).”

Striving Readers

2005

This program was intended to raise the reading achievement levels of middle and high-schooled aged students in Title 1 schools. This program has three components:

• Professional development for teachers across subject areas
• Targeted intervention for struggling readers
• Rigorous project evaluation

Examining the Historical Context for Teaching,page 17

Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in

Middle and High School Literacy

2006

• This vision had an impact on adolescent literacy programs.
• Revised in 2006, It outlined 15 key elements for intervention for adolescent literacy:
• Direct, explicit, comprehension instruction- understanding what they read
• Effective instructional principles embedded in content- practicing reading and writing skills specific to the subject area
• Motivation and self-directed learning- building motivation to read and learn
• Text-based collaborative learning- students interacting with one another
• Strategic tutoring-intense individualized reading, writing, and content instruction
• Diverse texts-variety of difficult levels of texts

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Reading Next Continued...

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• Intensive writing-instructions related to writing tasks that students will have to perform in high school and beyond
• A technology component- as a tool for technology and a topic of literacy instruction
• Ongoing formative assessment of students- informal daily assessment of student progression
• Extended time for literacy- 2-4 hours of literacy instruction and practice
• Professional development- long term and ongoing
• Ongoing summative assessments of students and programs- formal and provides data that are reported for research purposes and accountability

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Reading Next Continued...

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• Teacher teams- interdisciplinary teams that meet regularly to discuss students and instruction
• Leadership- teachers who have an understanding of how to teach reading and writing
• A comprehensive and coordinated literacy program- which is interdisciplinary and includes the community and out-of-school organizations

“We believe that if the funding, research, policymaking, and education communities embrace these recommendations, the literacy field will make significant strides toward the goal of meeting the needs of all students in our society, while also strengthening our understanding of exactly what works, when, and for whom.”

- Gina Biancarosa & Catherine Snow

For additional information

visit Reading Next.

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5 Pillars of Educational Reform by President Obama

2009

On March 10, 2009, President Obama gave the first educational speech of his presidency. He laid the foundation for restructuring the educational system with his “5 pillars of educational reform.”

• ”Investing in early childhood initiatives,” reframing Early Head Start and Head Start
• ”Encouraging better standards and assessments” by using testing itineraries that are more suitable for students and better aligned in the world in which they live.
• ”Recruiting, preparing, and rewarding outstanding teachers” with incentives for a new generation of teachers and for new levels of excellence among all teachers.
• Promoting innovation and excellence in America’s schools” by modernizing the school calendar and the structure of the school day and supporting effective charter schools.
• ”Providing every American with a quality higher education-whether it is college or technical training.”

(See ED Review, March 13, 2009)

Race to the Top

2010

On January 4, 2010, the U.S. Department of Education announced the new template for the new NCLB/ESEA.

• It incorporates a lot of President Obama’s earlier address.
• Schools applying for funds under the Race to the Top initiative will have to meet stringent guidelines :
• Tying teacher evaluations to student achievement through standardized testing
• The school has to meet a certain criteria in terms of measureable gains on students test scores

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Race to the Top Continued...

In 2009 and 2010, the Federal Government implemented the Race to the Top initiative by releasing $4.35 billion in funds to support states implementing educational reforms.

• Major goal for this initiative was to make sure that students progressed from grades 3-12 , that they were career ready and and on track for college by the time they graduated from high school.
• States would be competing against one another for these funds, therefore strict compliance with raising standards, improving teacher quality, and expanding the reach of charter schools was either a good thing or not so good thing for the state.
• For more information, visit Race to the Top!

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

Replacement of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965

2015

Full implementation beginning in the 2017-2018 School Year. ESSA provisions include the following:

• Requiring all students in America be taught to high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in college and careers.
• Vital information be provided to educators, families, students, and communities through annual statewide assessments that measure students' progress toward those high standards.
• Helps to support and grow local innovations—including evidence-based and place-based interventions developed by local leaders and educators.
• Increase access to high-quality preschool.
• Maintains an expectation that there will be accountability and action to effect positive change in our lowest-performing schools.”

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-U.S. Department of Education, 2015

Technology in the Classroom

• Technology is a tool that aids in education and learning and should be used in all classrooms.
• Constant investment has to be made to replace and update technology, in order for it to be relevant.
• Technology can be used to improve critical thinking and literacy skills. Learning valuable research skills can help students at higher levels of education and beyond.
• Schools should teach responsibility and accountability in the use of technology. They need to know the morals and ethics of using online content.
• Technology can be present in every aspect and stage of education. Designing creativity in technology is an exciting aspect. It's more than just whiteboards, digital cameras, or projectors. It's about finding ways to use technology meaningful and make learning more dynamic and relevant to life.

Technology in the Classroom Continued...

A 21st century classroom must promote:

• Creativity- develop, implement, and communicate ideas
• Critical thinking- analyze information to solve problems
• Communication- articulate thoughts and ideas clearly
• Collaboration- sharing responsibility and working with others

Technology allows students to create projects and help with learning activities by promoting the 4 C’s listed above.

Technology has become part of life and the schools have to embrace modern technology. However, it must serve the needs of the students and be used as a tool to enhance learning, if it doesn’t then it has no place in our classrooms.

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Major Figures/

Theorists

John Seely Brown

• He believes, “when our world is filled with interconnected, imbedded computers, calm technology will play a central role in a more humanly empowered twenty-first century. What matters is not technology itself, but its relationship to us.”
• John Seely Brown is a visiting scholar and advisor to the Provost at University of Southern California(USC) and the Independent Co-Chairman of the Deloitte Center for the Edge.
• His personal research interests include the management of radical innovation, digital youth culture, digital media, and new forms of communication and learning.

Mizuko Ito

Mizuko “Mimi “ Ito is an anthropologist of technology use. She focuses on children and youth's changing relationships to media and communications in Japan and U.S.

• She is focusing her research right now on how to support socially connected learning experiences for children.
• She is the co-founder of Connected Camps and Connected Learning Alliance

Donald Leu

• Areas of Expertise
• Literacy and Technology
• Reading Education
• Cognition and Instruction
• International authority on literacy education
• Focuses on new skills and strategies required to read, write, and learn with Internet technologies
• Researches best instructional practices that prepare students for these new literacies.

Partnership of the 21st Century Skills (P21)

In 2002, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills was founded as a non-profit organization by a coalition that included members of the national business community, education leaders, and policymakers:

• National Education Association (NEA)
• United States Department of Education
• AOL Time Warner Foundation
• Apple Computer, Inc.
• Cable in the Classroom
• Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Dell Computer Corporation
• Microsoft Corporation
• SAP
• Ken Kay (President and Co-Founder)
• Dins Golder-Dardis

“P21's Framework for 21st Century Learning was developed with input from teachers, education experts, and business leaders to define and illustrate the skills and knowledge students need to succeed in work, life and citizenship, as well as the support systems necessary for 21st century learning outcomes. It has been used by thousands of educators and hundreds of schools in the U.S. and abroad to put 21st century skills at the center of learning.”

-P21 Staff

Rebecca Silverman

• Assistant Professor of the College of Education’s Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education
• Director of the Maryland Language and Literacy Research Center
• Focuses on vocabulary and comprehension strategies for English language learners

Don Tapscott

• Economics Theorist
• Focuses on Digital Economy

In order for teachers to ready students for today’s careers in economics and digital ran world, Tapscott encourages the integration of IT and social media within the classroom.

Resources

Bennett, Paul. (2011). The “21st Century Schools” Movement: Is Burying the Past the Wave of the Future?. Retrieved from https://educhatter.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/the-%E2%809C21st-century-schools%E2%80%9D-movement-is-burying-the-past-the-wave-of-the-future/.

Biancarosa,C.,& Snow,C.E.(2006).Reading next—A vision for action and research in middle and high school literacy:A report to Carnegie Corporation of New York. Retrieved by: https://www.carnegie.org/media/filer_public/b7/5f/b75fba81-16cb-422d-ab59-373a6a07eb74/ccny_report_2004_reading.pdf

Ito, Mimi. (2017). Mimi Ito Weblog. Retrieved from http://www.itofisher.com/mito/

Lokesh, Uticarsh. (2013). Technology and It’s Role in 21st Century Education. Retrieved from http://www.edtechreview.in/trends-insightinsights/277-role-of-technology-in-21st-century.

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Resources Continued...

National Science Teachers Association. (2017). Learning Knows No Bounds [GIF]. Retrieved from http://www.nsta.org/disabilities/legal.aspx.

Neuman, S. B.& Gambrell, L. B. (Eds.). (2013). Quality reading instruction in the age of Common Core Standards. Newark, DE: International Reading Association

New Zealand Council for Educational Research. (2015). Shifting to 21st Century Thinking in Education and Learning. Retrieved from http://www.shiftingthinking.org/?page_id=58.

Partnership of the 21st Century. (2017). Framework for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework.

Pink, Daniel. (2011). Conceptualage [JPC]. Retrieved from https://areete.wordpress.com/tag/daniel-pink/.

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Resources Continued...

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Tech 4 Learning. (2017). Build A 21st Century Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.tech4learning.com/21st_century_classroom_elementary.

The Big Think. (2017). John Seely Brown. Retrieved from http://bigthink.com/experts/johnseelybrown

Thinkers 50. (2017). don_tapscott [JPG]. Retrieved from http://thinkers50.com/biographies/don_tapscott/.

University of Connecticut. (2017). Donald Leu. Retrieved from http://education.uconn.edu/person/donald-leu/.

University of Maryland. (2017). Rebecca Silverman Awarded Fulbright Scholar Grant to Teach in Myanmar. Retrieved from http://www.education.umd.edu/CollegeNews/2017/wnrSilverman-teach-Myanmar.html.

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Resources Continued...

U.S. Department of Education. (2017). Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Retrieved from https://www.ed.gov/essa.

U.S. Department of Education. (2016). Welcome to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs’ (OSEP) Part C of the IDEA website. Retrieved from http://idea.ed.gov/part-c/search/new.html.

Weiser, M. & Brown, J. (1996). The Coming Age of Calm Technology. Retrieved from https://medium.com/re-form/the-coming-age-of-calm-technology-c76bbaad33ff

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