Nurturing Knowledge Susan B Neuman University of Michigan

Nurturing Knowledge Susan B Neuman University of Michigan WOW Professional Development Training September 7, 2007

Case Study #1: One Teacher’s Experience

Why Begin Early? : The Opportunity Hypothesis • Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practice – Begins at birth – Reading and writing occur interchangeably – Children need to understand the purposes of using literacy – Literacy practice must build on good early childhood practice

Poverty…

• Interactions… Hart and Risley…

The Need Hypothesis: Risk factors • Stark, and triangulated differentials in access to print for children who come from middle- and lower-income neighborhoods • Resources, Language, Social Networking

Beginning Kindergarten Students’ School Readiness Skills by Socioeconomic Status (SES) • • • Lowest SES Highest SES Ability to recognize letters of alphabet 39% 85% Ability to identify beginning sounds of words 10% 51% Identifies primary colors 69% 90% Counts to 20 48% 68% Writes own name 54% 76% Amount of time having been read to Prior to kindergarten 25 hours 1, 000 hours Accumulated experience with words 13 million 45 million ______________________________

What do we need to do? • Better understand the mechanisms that underlie risk factors • Create better connections to effective interventions

What is literacy? • Content knowledge • Procedural Knowledge • Dispositions

wonder

discovery

inquiry

building

curiosity

more curiosity

problem solving

creativity

sharing

joy

Current Pre-K programs

Current Programs

The World of Words • Conceptual knowledge and vocabulary= knowledge, skills and dispositions

What is WOW? • An embedded multimedia program designed to promote vocabulary, and concept knowledge in content areas that include health, science, math, social studies • Improve child outcomes

What is it and Why? • Children learn through multiple input channels • One medium can add to another and build important cognitive strategies • Picture superiority effect

What Do We Know About Children’s Learning? • Active (children need to respond overtly and often) • Briskly paced to cover a substantial amount of material • Motivating • Appropriately challenging (the term we use is ‘challenging but achievable’) • Eliciting frequent and corrective feedback • Well-sequenced to provide clear accountability and consistent follow-up

What Types of Responses Do We Encourage? • Choral Response • Individual Response • Open-ended Responses

What Does an Embedded Multimedia Program Include: • Video clips—targeted to content learning • Specially written information books • Picture cards and pocket charts • Take home books • Wow. Phone

WOW Phone

How is the program organized? • • Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: Get Set Give meaning Build Bridges Step Back

Lesson Sequence • • Tuning In Content Clip Information Book Picture Cards—Word Sorts, “Time for a Challenge” • Writing • Take home book • Progress-monitoring

knowledge seekers