With decades of cognitive research now available (The Science of Reading) we have a much more informed understanding of the reading process. It makes sense to incorporate that knowledge with current standards of best practice. That means what we deliver should be evidence-based, explicitly taught, systematic, diagnostic and responsive (all the hallmarks of Structured Literacy) to ensure we get GREAT RESULTS.
BUT in a very busy and noisy educational environment, it is also imperative that we provide you the teacher with a simple approach that provides clear direction and focus that is MANAGEABLE as well, something that motivates and gets students excited. That's a SHARP reading programme.
Having immersed ourselves in this world of reading instruction for several decades ...
HERE IS OUR CONTRIBUTION
How SHARP is your classroom delivery?
Our online courses set you up with simple structured routines based on the latest cognitive research that deliver impressive results: motivated engaged students and confident teachers.
We cover all aspects of reading instruction.
You must have effective and easily accessible texts!
You will be delighted by the way our stories and information text meet those requirements. High interest, well formatted text put your students in the zone for instruction. Kids love the Bloom's Taxonomy follow-up activities that reinforce the skills you have been teaching.
Can you pinpoint your students needs?
Beyond your phonics assessment you need to establish benchmarks to measure progress. That data drives and supports your decision-making about next steps for instruction.
Our testing procedure (Informal Prose Inventory) covers RA 6-14+ years.
Keep up with the dialogue about effective instruction.
Are you interested in digging a bit deeper into our thinking about reading instruction?
Read our accumulated 'wisdom' on this foundational component of any curriculum. Join in the discussion. Add your own thoughts and comments.
Yes, our understanding of how we learn to read has blossomed. We now have many increasingly complex models of the learning that occurs (and I would suggest that there is much more to come!)
Has that been helpful? Maybe...maybe not!
Here is an interesting query posed by one of the foremost researchers in this field, Nell Duke.
"A central question is, how can (and should) teachers embed all these research-documented practices into a curriculum? It is one thing to demonstrate that if a comprehension strategy is taught systematically over, say, a 10-week period, students will benefit in terms of strategy acquisition, text comprehension, or even standardized test achievement. It is quite another to figure out how to “curricularize” that strategy, along with all the other research-proven strategies that might make a difference."
The challenge for curriculum developers, school literacy leaders and the classroom teacher is to find a way, as Duke says, to curricularize these many many possibilities available into effective, efficient classroom routines that don't exasperate and discourage teachers and students.
Pearson suggests that 'comprehension instruction is best when it focuses on a few well-taught, well-learned strategies. Although we can now point to a litany of effective techniques, that does not mean that using a litany of techniques will be effective.' This is applicable to all stages of reading instruction.
Nell K. Duke, P. David Pearson, Stephanie L. Strachan, and Alison K. Billman "Effective Practices for developing Reading Comprehension"
As our name SharpReading suggests, our goal has always been to tackle this need for balance; to SHARPEN classroom practice so that the best possible outcomes are available for students BUT in a way that is manageable for the teacher.
I wake up in the morning and I know exactly what I am going to be doing for reading today. I wish the rest of the day was like that!'
For you the teacher - It is that sort of simple that we are looking for!
For your students, reduce the clutter. Let them feel successful. Don't overwhelm them with SO many possibilities that the road ahead seems unattainable.
Yes, I know that in reality reading skills are not necessarily acquired in a nice neat linear sequence.
HOWEVER, a SHARP reading program should provide clear steps for readers to progress through and provide clear direction for the teacher about each of the steps, always allowing for differentiation according to needs.
Our SharpReading Developmental Progression provides a learning pathway. Students are kept in the appropriate learning zone by managing the cognitive load they can cope with. When they are ready we can confidently move them on to the next stage.
Our Scope and Sequence provides the details for instruction and a suggestion for year levels.
Who is doing the work?
SharpReading routines are based on Explicit Teaching with the gradual release of responsibility BUT we know how hard it is to let go and let the student truly play around with the new learning and experience that 'aha' moment. We get stuck in Guided Practice - cueing and prompting all day!
Our structured lesson routines allow what we call Independent Practice to happen. Students know exactly what they are working on and how the lesson will unfold. They feel free to take risks and the level of challenge is just right so that they can successfully problem-solve those challenges.
'I didn't realise how much of the thinking I was doing for them' - Teacher new to SharpReading.
They feel in control of their learning - we build autonomy! Reading skills become AUTOMATIC responses.
Get your weekends back!
The routines drive your lessons not those lesson plans you sweated over. This frees you up to monitor how students are processing text and provide them with their next step towards mastery.
Our leveled text makes it easy to select the right amount of challenge for every lesson.
Our assessment procedures help you establish benchmarks and identify strengths and weaknesses as they progress through the stages.
Hilton and Brian have between them spent decades as classroom teachers, always looking for ways to hone their craft as teachers. They met as tutors at NZGSE and collaborated on developing an approach to reading instruction for the beginning teachers they were training.
Since 2010 they have worked as independent consultants in schools in NZ , Australia, Hong Kong and China, and overseen the training of hundreds of teachers world-wide face-to-face and via their ONLiNE Teacher Training Courses.
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