Dave, Thank you for your update. I am going to try this with fourth graders in my school this year. Will keep you updated and try to send some anecdotal evidence if that will be helpful.
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Dave Middlebrook Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 8:14 AM To: Mosaic Listserv Subject: [MOSAIC] textmapping research As we head into another school year, I thought I'd update you all on my efforts to interest reseachers in studying scrolls and textmapping. Bottom line: the going has been slow; I am still plugging along. As far as I know, only three studies have been completed -- but none of them have been written up. They were done at a community college, a middle school and an elementary school. Anther study at a university was derailed by a graduate student strike, and one at a state college died for lack of funding. From what I hear, the results of the three completed studies were strong, but the teachers who completed them do not have the time to close the process. Family emergencies and the usual ups and downs of life have their own pull; time passes and the data grows cold (as does the motivation to restart the work). At this stage of the game, research is essentially a volunteer and out-of-pocket undertaking. While this is not the ideal situation, it can work. We all know that this is a familiar stage in the process of innovation. New ideas take time to rise. We're still very much in the bootstrapping phase of things. Sooner or later, this will take off. I am trying to speed this process by writing the book -- which is intended to reach researchers as well as teachers. With any luck, this will work. In the mean time, since so many of you have had experience uing scrolls and textmapping in your classrooms, I'd like to encourage you to write an article that describes what you have found. It need not be very long and it most certainly does not need to be backed by hard data. A straight telling of your experiences would do. I have compiled a short list of publications -- IRA, NCTE, and others -- that regularly and enthusiastically publish such articles from classroom teachers. You'll find it about half way down this page: http://www.textmapping.org/collaborate.html Articles of this kind are not peer reviewed, but they can be very influential in building support for new ideas and approaches. And they are also a good way for teachers to build their own credentials. I hope you will consider giving this a try. Sooner or later this will catch. Thank you for your interest and support. I look forward to seeing some of you in your classrooms this year! Dave Middlebrook The Textmapping Project A resource for teachers improving reading comprehension skills instruction. www.textmapping.org | Please share this site with your colleagues! USA: (609) 771-1781 [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ 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.
