Seems like this is one of the fundamental problems with "programs." No matter how good - and this one sounds like it is based on some approaches we would agree with - when the teachers use it as a program, they don't change. And the students don't get the fundamental messages (which the teachers inadvertently convey throuth their discourse tec.) so the program doesn't change much. Even well conceived programs need to be used by teachers who understand the assumptions, the underlying whys and goals and etc.
I remember that this one of the issues with the CLAS - the California approach to authentic assessment back in thge day before it got wiped out. Even though it was created by really knowledgeable educators and recognized as excellent. it still got implemented (0ften) as a mandated approach. Because the teachers that used it didn't have the opportunity to re-create it themselves, thus internalizing the underlying theoretical assumptions, it didn't work. (0other reasons too e.g. politics etc. but for me an important lesson to be learned was that it was assumed that teachers would change because they were given an excellent asssessment as a model. Real change needs opportunity to experience new strategies ourselves. And with childrne. That is why I love so much the approach taken by Keene et al through Mosaics and this list.) Sally From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 2006/11/26 Sun AM 08:51:47 CST To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Mosaic Digest, Vol 3, Issue 23 A few years ago I witnessed Read 180 being used in a SPED classrooms and I remember that the teachers really liked it. Read 180 sets your classroom into stations, with the computer program building background knowledge and I think checking comprehension on a literal level. The teacher has a guided reading time as well. It uses Scholastic trade books for reading materials and also uses Scholastic's Book Counts (I think that is the name) to check comprehension. The books are leveled by lexile levels. The students really liked it and it did get middle school teachers to work in small groups. If you buy it, be sure you have all the materials (there are lots of cds to order) since I also remember it being used in summer school and teachers lamenting that not all the needed materials were there. I would not rule it out if funds are available. Marsha _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http:// literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
