DOCUMENT RESUME ED 424 577 CS 216 502 AUTHOR Langer, Judith Beating the Odds: Critical Components Boost Student TITLE Performance. INSTITUTION National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement, Albany, NY. SPONS AGENCY Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE 1998-00-00 NOTE 4p. CONTRACT R305A60005 Journal Articles (080) PUB TYPE English Update: A Newsletter from The Center on English JOURNAL CIT Learning and Achievement; p1,8 Fall 1998 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. *Academic Achievement; Classroom Environment; Classroom DESCRIPTORS Research; Cultural Pluralism; Educational Research; Elementary Secondary Education; *English Instruction; *High Achievement; *Instructional Effectiveness; Literacy; Teacher Behavior ABSTRACT A number of research projects in the field of English education and literacy are beginning to yield findings about both instruction and achievement in a variety of circumstances. Findings across the projects point to three critical components that make a difference in student performance: connections, conversation, and exploration and analysis. This research is carried out by the Center on English Learning and Achievement in classrooms at all grade levels across the United States. Many of the research projects investigate classrooms where students beat the odds--that is, their learning and achievement are higher than that of students in comparable schools elsewhere, even as they face a variety of problems including high poverty levels and large numbers of children learning English as a second language. Common findings indicate that, in the most successful classrooms being studied, teachers constantly make overt connections between the content and skills being taught and used, and things the students already know or have previously studied. Further, across classrooms of excellence, conversation functions as a way for students to think about and learn concepts and broader substantive issues, as well as to gain ways to develop proficiency in the language rules that mark knowing in the particular subject area. Finally, successful classrooms encourage students not just to engage with a topic, but to explore and analyze it, using inquiry and creativity. In classrooms that beat the odds, students have many such opportunities. (SR) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** Beating the Odds: Critical Components Boost Student Performance. by Judith Langer U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Resetuch and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC/ DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS 'finis document has been reprOduCed BEEN GRANTED BY rdCeived from the person aS or Organisation originating 11 0 Minor changes have been made reproduchon to improve [lushly Points of view or openons stated ment do not in this docu. necessarily represent OERI position official or pohCy TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 BBB33930=National Research Center in English Learning and Achievement, Albany, NY. ED000036=Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. Published: 1998 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE A Newsletter from the Center on English rning & Achievement Beating the Odds across the My colleagues and I at CELA recently grades, teach- completed our second year of data ers and stu- gathering and analysis. Those of you who dents inspect have been following our work through Critical features of this newsletter, research reports, confer- characterization, ence presentations, on-line discussions, Components plot structure, and other communiques know that the themes, out- CELA research projects presently under comes, or mul- way have begun to yield important Boost Student tiple perspectives findings about both instruction and not only as they achievement in a variety of circum- Performance apply to the work stances. being read, but The Center's goal is to inform the field by Judith Langer also as they relate of English education and literacy about to what they have already read as well as of argument appropriate to each disci- effective learning and achievement for the to real life in this and other eras and pline. When engaged in substantive diverse students who populate the discussion, teachers model and encourage conditions. nation's schools. Many of our projects When a lesson designed to review a students to use such context-specific focus on schools and classrooms where skill begins, the teacher connects it to how conversational rules as turn-taking, that is their students beat the odds it may have helped the students in a uptake, explanation, and argumentation learning and achievement are higher than previous activity. In this way, skills and that indicate the knowledge and expertise that of students in comparable schools their use are connected to a larger context appropriate in that-situation. In partici- elsewhere. These schools face a variety of in which they naturally occur and are problems including high levels of student pating in this way, students gain control used. Such lessons are often closed with not only of the ideas but also of subject- poverty and large numbers of children suggestions for ways in which students who are learning English as a second specific and situation-specific vocabulary, might use the skill in forthcoming activi- grammar, and organization. language. ties, once again connecting it to its useful- Teachers also help students to learn In our efforts to leverage the knowl- that conversation provides not merely an ness in a larger literacy activity. Across edge gained within each research project grade levels, repeated and overt connec- opportunity to "say" ideas, but an oppor- and communicate general findings as tions make a substantial difference in tunity to share them with others as a way soon as possible, individual project what students focus on and learn. researchers and Center directors have to consider alternatives and reach more In contrast, in more typical classrooms, well thought through understandings. been meeting to identify common find- each lesson tends to be treated in a more ings that cut across the various bodies of Thus, across the grades, conversation is isolated fashion, with broader connec- work. At present, findings across the used in an expansive sense, as a way for tions left implicit or unaddressed. students to gain deeper understandings projects point to three critical components that make a difference in student perfor- CONVERSATION See Beating the Odds on page 8 mance: Connections, Conversation, and Across classrooms of excellence, rjr Exploration and Analysis. conversation functions as a way for students to think about and learn con- u CONNECTIONS cepts and broader substantive issues, as In the most successful classrooms we INSIDE well as to gain ways to develop profi- are studying, teachers constantly make THIS ciency in the language rules that mark connections between the content and knowing in the particular subject area. r'e skills taught and used not merely within ISSUE From this perspective, conversation lessons, but also across lessons, topics, involves using both content and forms of \-) and time. Content that is studied at one 2 "Reading" the World Wide Web point in time is always connected to literacy to express knowledge in ways something the students already know or 4 that are understood and valued. Integrating Curriculum have previously studied, and the connec- In the most successful classrooms, 6 Effective Early Literacy Teachers tions are overt, so that students are aware teachers invite students to engage in and Student Test Scores substantive oral and written conversa- of the links they are making. For example, in literature instruction tions using the specific content and forms 3 go, Beating the Odds from page 1 of the content, while also learning the students not just to engage with a topic, critical features of vocabulary, syntax, but to explore and analyze it. Such gen- and when they genre, and rhetoric erative learning involves inquiry and apply that mark an educated person. going beyond the given. In creativity In more typical classrooms, teachers classrooms that beat the odds, students treat speaking and writing as means to have many such opportunities. For ex- check what students know as opposed to ample, across the grades students under- ways to help them think and learn more take activities for which there is no single content and language. or simple solution. Rather, these activities require students to look for new possibili- EXPLORATION AND ANALYSIS ties, including a variety of opportunities Successful classrooms encourage to investigate and analyze. The final product is new and more complex under- standings. To stimulate thinking from various perspectives and to encourage the kinds of productive team efforts that are prized in business and industry, teachers often CENTER ON ENGUSH LEARNING & assign activities to groups of students, ACHIEVEMENT (CELA) who hone their individual thinking, University at Albany, SUNY, ED-B9 investigate possibilities, and develop and 1400 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12222 examine new ideas with input and feed- 518-442-5026 back from others. Generative learning is celagcnsvax.albany.edu also sought in the activities students do http://cela.albany.edu on their own. Exploration and analysis with the Universities of Wisconsin- is prized as deep understanding, as is Madison, Oklahoma, and Washington the ability to communicate what has COMER DIRECIORS been learned. Judith Langer, University at Albany In more typical classrooms, students Arthur Applebee, University at Albany are off task more of the time, and engage- Martin NystrandrUniversity of Wisconsin- ment with material rather than deeper Madison exploration and analysis is the goal. Editor: Janet Angelis Across the classrooms we are study- Educational Outreach Director: Sherry Guice ing, which include grade levels from early Design and Production Management: elementary school to high school and Benigraphic Publications, Inc. beyond all across the United States, these Preparation of this publication was supported features stand out as ways to help stu- under Grant #R305A60005 as administered by the dents beat the odds: Connections, Con- Office of Educational Research and Improvement versation, and Exploration and Analysis. (OERI) in the U.S. Department of Education. The The next three issues of this newsletter contents do not necessarily reflect the position or will feature each in greater detail. Please policies of OERI, the department, or any agency of the U.S. government. stay tuned. 4 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IERICI Office of Educational Research and improvement (OERI) Educational Resources information Center (ERIC) NOTICE REPRODUCTION BASIS This document is covered by a signed "Reproduction Release (Blanket)" form (on file within the ERIC system), encompassing all organization and, therefore, or classes of documents from its source does not require a "Specific Document" Release form. This document is Federally-funded, or carries its own permission to reproduce, or is otherwise in the public domain and, therefore, may be reproduced by ERIC without a signed Reproduction Release form (either "Specific Document" or "Blanket"). (9/92)