Thursday, August 9, 2012

Role of Sound in Writing


Question: How does speaking help writers to write more effectively?

Answer/Quote: “Although speech and writing constitute different modes of communication and make different demands on a communicator, there is some reason to think that the act of speaking may directly assist the act of writing. Tovatt and Miller (1967) have reported results of an experimental composition program in which each student was taught to ‘test the patterns he writes against his ingrained oral pattern’ (p. 7). Citing Alexander Pope’s line ‘The sound must seem an echo to the sense,’ Tovatt and Miller claimed that reading a passage aloud can help writers examine their work for inept phrasing or lack of clarity. Robert Zoellner (1969) and Terry Radcliffe (1972) have argued that students are often able to say aloud that which they are not able to write. Both writers suggest that speaking aloud to another student can help students discover and clarify ideas they will subsequently write about.” P. 103.

Comment: All these ideas are worthy of being tested in the writing classroom. But they emphasize speaking and not standard English. Useful for generating ideas and, possibly, style. RayS.

Title: “Considerations of Sound in the Composing Process of Published Writers.” CR Cooper and L Odell. Research in the Teaching of English (Fall 1976), 103-115.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Standard American English

Question: What do three books on French education in the written language suggest about the existence of standard American English?

Answer/Quote: “For the contemporary world of teaching, we choose with Chartier, to follow the ‘invention of everyday life’…as the logic of school practice, over the abstract myth of a rational and scriptal culture of schooling. In this sense, before proposing new guidelines for literacy instruction to teachers, it seems prudent to understand how, at ground level, they devise effective practices that allow students to learn what they are expected to know. By adopting the spirit of occupying the common ground of the written record admitted into classrooms, many teachers, in their various ways, may yet be turning schools into spaces of inclusion and growth for all children..” p; 340.

Comment: My including this quote from a review of three histories of French writing instruction might seem to be a stretch. But I have noticed in the teaching of writing in the United States that more and more writing instruction encourages the use of informal English as opposed to formal, standard American English. I describe informal written English as using many of the characteristics of spoken English—needless repetition, beginning sentences with “there,” the use of imprecise verbs, such as “get,” “getting,” “gotten,” and nouns, “things.” I also include passive constructions, ignoring parallel structure and dangling and misplaced modifiers, among other transgressions against formal, standard American English. I think this tendency is inevitable in light of Facebook, Twittering, e-mail, etc.

The point of the quote is that this tendency toward the democratization of language flies in the face of a hierarchical society that privileges such differentiating characteristics as formal, standard American English as it opposes the elite language of the remnants of aristocracy in France. Therefore, the French classrooms are now more inclusive and democratic. Et too, Anglais? RayS.

Title: “Paradoxes in French-Language Instruction: Recent Social and Historical Research on Literacy I France.”  Elsie Rockwell and Ana Maria Galvao. Reading Research Quarterly (July/ August/ September 2012), 3288-341.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Biliteracy

Question: What is “bilitereary” and why is it important?

Answer/Quote: “The study of Biliteracy has recently been gaining more attention because of the increased visibility of diverse communities where children are growing up bilingual and in some cases, biliterate. Research on biliteracy has also risen sharply in the last two decades because of a desire to improve the learning experiences of school children from diverse linguistic backgrounds in the United States and around the world. Further, globalization has brought increased interest in understanding multinational communities that are developing, and in maintaining linguistic communities where all children—both those who are part of the dominant linguistic community and newcomers—are ready to compete in a globalized world by drawing from the existing linguistic, multilingual, and multiliterate societal resources.” P. 307.

Quote: “The sparse extant research on biliteracy invites a reexamination of the contexts where biliteracy occurs and an ongoing consideration of ways to design biliteracy studies that draw on several theoretical perspectives. One set of contexts that needs to be explored is communities in which adults and children value and make use of various languages and multiple literacies. Relatedly, contexts need to be studied where spontaneous biliteracy makes its way into children’s and families’ interactions and exchanges of knowledge…. As such, research on biliteracy has supported what might be called a normalization of bilingualism and  multilingualism for everyone (not just immigrants) as part of national educational language agendas and initiatives.” P. 324.

Comment: The study of language is inevitably moving in the direction of their intermixing with a “bi-“ in the terminology. RayS.

Title: “Review of Research: Biliteracy Among Children and Youths.” Iliana Reyes. Reading Research Quarterly (July/ August/ September 2012), 307-327.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Reading Attitudes of Middle School Students


Question: How do middle-school students feel about reading in print and reading in a digital setting?

Quote: “To examine the current state of reading attitudes among middle school students in the United States, a survey was developed and administered to 4,491 students in 23 states plus the District of Columbia. The instrument comprised four subscales measuring attitudes toward: recreational reading in print settings, recreational reading in digital settings, academic reading in print settings, and academic reading in digital settings.” P.283.

Here’s the instrument:
> How do you feel about reading news online for class?

> How do you feel about reading a book in your free time?

> How do you feel about doing research using encyclopedias or other books for a class?

> How do you feel about instant messaging or e-mailing friends in your free time?

> How do you feel about reading online for a class?

> How do you feel about reading a textbook?

> How do you feel about reading a book online for a class?

> How do you feel about talking with friends about something you’ve been reading in your free time?

> How do you feel about getting a book or a magazine for a present?

> How do you feel about texting friends in your free time?

> How do you feel about reading a book for fun on a rainy Saturday?

> How do you feel about working on an Internet project with classmates?

> How do you feel about reading anything printed (books, magazines, comic books, etc.) in your free time?

> How do you feel about using a dictionary for class?

> How do you feel about being on social websites like Facebook of MySpace in your free time?

> How do you feel about looking up information online for a class?

> How do you feel about reading a newspaper or a magazine for a class?

> How do you feel about reading a novel for class? P. 291.

Quote: “The attitudes of females were more positive than those of males toward academic reading in print and digital settings and toward recreational reading of print. In contrast, males exhibited more positive attitudes than females toward recreational reading in digital settings.” P. 200.

Quote: “…the potential of digital environments for increasing engagement and fostering social interaction remains unrealized, and students’ attitudes toward reading are likely to be similar with respect to the two environments.” P. 299.

Comment: No clear-cut differences between digital and print reading. The questionnaire is interesting. Try it with your students. RayS.

Title: “Reading Attitudes of Middle School Students: Results of a U.S. Survey.” Michael C. McKenna, et al. Reading Research Quarterly (July/ August/ September 2012), 283-306.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Listening Skills and Inference

Question: What role does inference play in listening skills in children, ages 4 to 6?

Answer/Quote: “Vocabulary and verbal memory are necessary for inference making within narratives. Children need to understand words and have mental resources to connect different ideas to make inferences within narratives. Simultaneously, inference making may well facilitate vocabulary acquisition, as children learn to infer the meanings of words from context. Our findings support the theorized reciprocal relationship between vocabulary and inference-making skills, although the facilitating role of verbal memory is less clear. Overall, the contribution of inference-making skills to the development of narrative listening comprehension from age 4 to age 6 indicates that inference skills are already in place among pre-readers and play an important role in the construction of a meaning-based representation of a narrative.” P. 277.

Comment :4 to 6 year-olds already have in place the inferencing skills needed to learn vocabulary from context and for listening to narratives. Therefore, one can assume that pre-readers already have the skills needed to make inferences as they learn to read narrative materials. It would seem that teachers should take advantage of students’ ability to draw inferences when learning to read with narrative materials. Interesting finding. RayS.

Title: “The Role of Inference Making and Other Language Skills in the Development of Narrative Listening Comprehension in 4 -6-Year-Old Children.” Janne Lepola, et al. Reading Research Quarterly (July/ August/ September, 2012), 259-280.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Reading and the Common Core State Standards


Question: What is the goal in reading instruction for the Common Core State Standards?

Answer: “The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts …2010….draw attention to text in an unprecedented manner. The goal of the CCSS is to prepare U.S students for college and their future careers, in part by increasing levels of text difficulty from the early grades through high school.”  P. 235.

Comment: Interesting. RayS.

Title: “Toward a Theoretical Model of Text Complexity for the Early Grades: Learning from the Past, Anticipating the Future.” HA Mesmer, JW Cunningham and EH Hiebert. Reading Research Quarterly (July/August/September 2012), 235-258.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Sentence Combining

Question: Does practice in sentence combining improve quality of writing?

Answer: “A review of the research on sentence combining which concludes that practice in sentence combining probably does improve overall composition quality, but to a limited extent.” RJ Marzano. 1976. P. 293.

Comment: Like everything else in producing successful compositions, many things contribute to the writer’s success. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English, January 1, 1976 to June 30, 1976.” Daniel J. Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 278-293.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Engineers and Communication

Question: What are engineers’ communication needs?

Answer: “Concluded that the most essential learning experiences for engineers seeking initial employment in a firm similar to the one surveyed are those that develop the ability to communicate with person-to-person, small group, telephone and short memoranda methods.” SS McKeown. 1976. P. 292.

Comment: Including e-mail? RayS.

 Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English, January 1, 1976 to June 30, 1976.” Daniel J. Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 278-293.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Teacher Response to Writing


Annotation

Question: What messages are being given to students through their teachers’ responses to their writing?

 Answer: “A three-year study  of the responses instructors make to the writing of students shows that potentially different messages are being sent in the course structure and the evaluative priorities in reading students’ papers.” CR Kline, Jr. 1976. P. 292.

Comment: What messages was I sending in my comments on student’s writing? I think I was trying to persuade students to use standard English. I think my students felt that that style was unrealistic. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English, January 1, 1976 to June 30, 1976.” Daniel J. Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 278-293.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Parallelism

Annotation

Question: How are parallel structures used differently in different kinds of prose?

Answer: “Based on an extensive computer-aided examination of representative published American writing, this book examines and compares how various kinds of prose employ the diverse forms of parallelism.” MP Hiatt. 1875. P. 291.

Comment: Might not be of interest to my readers, but it is to me. I consider the use of parallel structures a hall mark of smooth style in writing. The full citation is Artful Balance: The Parallel Structures of Style. MP Hiatt. New York: Teachers College Press. 1975. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English, January 1, 1976 to June 30, 1976.” Daniel J. Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 278-293.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Revision

Annotation

Question: Do students get greater satisfaction if they revise before teacher comments or before they see the teacher’s comments?

Answer: “Attempted to determine whether students would show greater writing improvement and more course satisfaction if they revised compositions before rather than after the instructor graded them.” JP Dudenhefer, Jr. 1976. P. 291.

Comment: Never thought of asking the question. The annotation doesn’t give the answer. Could be an interesting insight for students. Might increase the amount of revision before turning in the paper. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English, January 1, 1976 to June 30, 1976.” Daniel J. Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 278-293.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Persuasion

Annotation

 Question: Which is taught more frequently: writing persuasion or critically analyzing persuasion?

Answer: “Although 83% of responding teachers said they attempt to prepare students as both senders and receivers of persuasion, 43% of these emphasize the role of sender, and only 15% emphasize the role of receiver.” DJ Dieterich. 1976. P. 291.

Comment: The imbalance between writing persuasion and reading it surprised me. But maybe I should not be surprised. How many English teachers emphasize critical reading in their classes? It was always on my mind, but I never taught it directly. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English, January 1, 1976 to June 30, 1976.” Daniel J. Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 278-293.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Engineers and Writing


Annotation

Question: How important is writing to engineers?

Answer: “Respondents spend 24% of their time writing ; the writing is very important to their positions; and the ability to write effectively has helped them in their own advancement.” RM Davis. 1975. P. 290.

Comment: I found interesting that engineers spend 24% of  their time writing. That’s a considerable chunk of time. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English, January 1, 1976 to June 30, 1976.” Daniel J. Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 278-293.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Teaching Writing Exposition

Annotation

Question: What is a good method for teaching the writing of exposition?

Answer: “Hypothesized that a method of writing instruction that employs expository organizational models to be imitated by students is more effective in improving expository writing organization than conventional classroom instruction. Results indicated a significant improvement for students in the experimental group and a significant decline for students in the control group.” JR Andreach. 1976. P. 288.

Comment: Well, I don’t know what conventional methods of teaching expository writing means. I do know that using models of expository organization is a good method for teaching the method of organizing expository writing. I’ve always included models of expository writing in my instruction. Very effective. And most effective is the use of the five-paragraph essay, which has recently (2000 and later) come under censure. What better way to demonstrate the idea of introduction, thesis sentence, paragraphs with topic sentences and summary final paragraph? The criticism is, of course, that students sacrifice form for content or ideas. Don’t confuse the model with a genre. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English, January 1, 1976 to June 30, 1976.” Daniel J. Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 278-293.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Writing in School

Annotation

Question: What are the effects of writing in school?

Answer: “A case study of one fourth-grader’s writing processes which concludes that the student exhibited school-conditioned responses such as more concern for form than content and more concern for length than for effective expression.” A Seaman. 1975. P. 288.

Comment: I’m not sure what this finding means. Of course, it’s a limited sample. Is privileging form and length what schools emphasize? Just a question. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English, January 1, 1976 to June 30, 1976.” Daniel J. Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 278-293.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Grammar and Writing


Annotation

Question: Does grammar, either traditional or transformational, help improve children’s writing?

Answer: “A study of the direct effects of traditional and transformational English grammar on children’s writing skills which found that the effects are negligible.” WB Elley, et al. 1976. P. 280.

Comment: First, let’s get straight the purpose of a knowledge of grammar as applied to writing: it is to polish writing so that the reader begins at the beginning and reads uninterrupted, in unbroken fashion, without distraction by grammatical mistakes, from beginning to end. The purpose of grammar is to study the sentence, to create sentences that read smoothly. The purpose of composition is to create whole pieces of writing, with the emphasis on paragraphs, transitions and the expression of ideas that can be summarized and clearly remembered. The sentence and the composition—two different analyses with one purpose—a smoothly written composition uninterrupted by distractions, but not by ideas.

I have read this study in its entirety. If the care had been taken with the traditional presentation of grammar as it was with the experimental study of transformational grammar, the results might have been considerably different. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English, January 1, 1976 to June 30, 1976.” Daniel J. Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 278-293.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Figurative Language

Annotated Research

 Question: Can 5th graders benefit from instruction in figurative language?

Answer: “Clearly documented the fact that fifth graders in this population could produce and appreciate figurative language.” E Winner. 1975. P. 280.

 Comment: After reading this report of research, I would give it a try. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English, January 1, 1976 to June 30, 1976.” Daniel J. Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 278-293.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Speed Listening


Annotated Research

Question: Will listening skills be improved if children are trained to respond to speech speeded up?

Answer: “No evidence was observed which would indicate that a gain in listening skills will result when a faster rate of presentation is used as compared to a normal speaking rate of presentation.” M.A. Ihnat. 1975. P. 279.

Comment: I just thought that such an idea should be tested. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English, January 1, 1976 to June 30, 1976.” Daniel J. Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 278-293.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Black English and Black Parents

Annotated Research

Question: How do parents respond to the use of black English by their students and in school?

Answer: “Findings showed that parents have rules for the use of several varieties of Black English and that they accept Africanized English in listening and speaking, but not in reading and writing, not in schools, and seldom in formal settings.” M.E.R. Hoover. 1975. P. 278.

Comment: No comment. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English, January 1, 1976 to June 30, 1976.” Daniel J. Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 278-293.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Levels of Questions (2)

Question: What are some higher levels of questions to use in helping students respond to literature?

Answer:
Sample questions for “A Mother’s tale,” a short story by James Agee, anthologized in 1973.

Knowledge: “What event is taking place as the story opens?”

Comprehension: “Can you summarize the story that she tells them?”

Application: “”How would you apply this tale to her uncertain feelings about humans?”

Analysis: “What motivates her to tell the tale even though she is not sure it is true?”

Synthesis: “What might be other situations where a mother might have this kind of concern for her son?”

Evaluation: Do you think the mother is presented in a sympathetic manner?” p. 271.

Comment: The researcher suggests that the types of questions be presented in this order. I disagree. Except for the knowledge questions that establish the students’ understanding of the basics of the story, the other types of questions could come in any order. I think. RayS.

Title: “A Study of the Effects of a Hierarchically-Ordered Questioning Technique on Adolescents’ Responses to Short Stories.” RA Lucking. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 260-276.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Levels of Questions

Question: What types of questions do teachers usually ask when dealing with literature?

Answer/Quote: “Evidence from previous research suggests that teachers in all academic disciplines are given to low-level, factual questions. Corey (1941) found that 71% of high school teachers’ questions required factual information; Fahey (1942) and Gallagher (1965) discovered that teachers asked 63 percent and 61 percent memory questions, respectively, in their studies. English teachers of low- ability students in the Hoetker study (1968) asked over 10 questions per minute, allowing the students only brief seconds to think and respond. Similarly, Guszak (1967) found that although elementary teachers require students to place a value on many things, they seldom ask students for their reasoning.” P. 269.

Comment: The study that follows this introduction suggests a method for building types of questions that help students think more deeply about the literature they are reading. RayS.

Title: “A Study of the Effects of a Hierarchically-Ordered Questioning Technique on Adolescents’ Responses to Short Stories.” RA Lucking. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 260-276.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Literary Terminology


Question: Do teachers and students share a common understanding of literary terminology?

Answer/Quote: “ ‘Response is enhanced by articulation’ (Purves, 1969), and articulation is enhanced by the ability to name whole concepts through terminology. ‘Communication between student and student and between student and teacher improves if all can use words like plot, character, tone, and metaphor with a shared understanding of what these term mean and what they refer to (Purves, 1969). Of course, arriving at a consensual understanding of these terms is a response process in itself, and , as such, it requires effort and discourse, not pedantries.” P. 257.

Comment: In other words, don’t assume that students understand basic terminology of literature. And don’t just dictate the meanings. Discuss them. RayS.

Title: “The Effects of Reality Perception and Fantasy on Response to Literature: Two Case Studies.” AR Petrosky. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1976), 239-258.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Response to Literature

Question: What is the essence of response to literature?

Answer/Quote: “At the center of the curriculum are not the works of literature. . . but rather the mind as it meets the book. The response.” Purves, 1972.

“In this statement, Alan Purves has articulated what many textbook writers promise but few actually achieve—a significant change in our way of thinking about the teaching of literature. If we, as teachers and researchers, accept Purves’ notion, our primary interest is no longer in students’ mastery of information (about historical period, an author’s life, a set of literary terms) or of a given critical procedure. Rather, our chief concern is with the reactions, perceptions, interpretations, and value judgments students make in response to a piece of literature.” P. 203.

Comment: Which can be enriched by the thoughts of literary critics. RayS.

Title: “Describing Responses to Works of Fiction.”  Lee Odell and Charles R Cooper. Research In the Teaching of English (Winter 1976). 203-225.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Teaching Writing

Annotation

Question: Does the method of study influence how much students learn in writing?

Answer: “Concluded that students in this investigation were able to meet the objectives of a community college freshman English course equally well through independent study and lecture-discussion. Apparently the method of teaching was not a crucial variable for these students.” ML Murdock. 1974. P. 418.

Comment: What was the crucial variable? RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Basic Grammar and Academic Improvement

Annotation

Question: What effect does a course in basic grammar have on academic improvement?

Answer: “Concluded that the teaching of basic grammar as a remedial device did not produce significant improvement in English I as measured by grade point average, nor did it improve students’ academic performance in six selected subject areas of later study as measured by grade point average.” DF Lovejoy. 1974. P. 418.

Comment: Set up grammar as a straw man. Why would improvement in basic grammar improve over-all academic performance in any subject? Courses are not measured by grammar alone. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Teacher Responses to Writing


Annotation

Question: What messages do teachers send when they respond to student writing?

Answer: “Concluded that teachers frequently send students differing signals of what is important in writing by means of their responses to student papers.” CR Kline, Jr. 1973. P. 417.

Comment: Not surprising. What messages do you send your students when you respond to their writing? RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Teacher Response to Student Writing

Annotation

Question: What types of teacher responses on student writing were associated with higher performance levels?

Answer: “Investigated the effects of two types of written teacher comments on four specific writing behaviors of 55 fourth-grade children; corrective feedback was generally associated with higher performance levels that was positive feedback on all variables.”  TS Schroeder. 1973. P. 415.

Comment: What does “corrective feedback” mean? Does it mean correcting spelling, etc.? How is the correcting done? RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Public Relations


Annotation

Question: How should teachers prepare parents for the teaching practices they use?

Answer: “Noted that parents are often an inhibiting force for the implementation of recommendations which are highly innovative and suggested that more time and effort be devoted to informing the general public as to what constitutes the best in teaching practice.” JE Wilwhite. 1974. P. 409.

Comment: A recommendation today (2012). RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Questions


Annotation

Question: What types of questions do student teachers use in the classroom?

Answer: “Concluded that the 62 student teachers involved made substantial use of the question as an instructional device, but that the preponderance of questions asked required lower intellectual processes.” F Hevener, Jr. 1974. P. 409.

Comment: Research has consistently shown that the intellectual level of classroom questions is low. However, in my opinion, the lower needs to be used to enable the higher-level questions. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Teacher In-service

Annotation

Question: How do teachers react to in-service programs?

Answer: “Found that teacher attitudes were more positive after in-service training, that teachers’ linguistic knowledge was increased, and that students perceived teachers as more positive after in-service training.” DE Thompson. 1973. P. 408.

Comment: Of course, this annotation does not reveal the topic of the in-service program. Good to know that, whatever the topic, the program was perceived in a positive way by the students. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Studying Literature

Annotated

Question: Is listening to literature while reading it superior to simply listening to its being read or simply read?

Answer: “Compared three methods: listening to a tape recording of a literary work while following the reading in the text; listening only; reading only. All three study methods generally appeared to be equally effective.” RR Gribbon. 1973. P. 406.

Comment: In what way effective? Not enough information. Comparing the three methods is, however, an interesting idea. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

American Indians in Literature

Annotated

Question: How are American Indians depicted in adolescent literature since 1930?

Answer: “A study of the American Indian in adolescent literature since 1930 revealed that the novels for the most part continued the traditional dual and contradictory image of the Indian as the dirty savage and the glorified, noble native.” A Troy. 1973. P. 406.

Comment: And today, 2012? RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Women in Literature

Annotated

Question: How are women depicted in literature?

Answer: “Of the 171 selections analyzed, only 24had female authors; most stories depicted women in the traditional roles of housewife and mother; females shown as fully developed characters were either pre-menstrual or post-menopausal; women shown as professionals were teachers—‘old maids’ and heartless people.” G Hurst. 1973. P. 404.

Comment: Would the same be true today (2012)? How about in the media? RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Spelling

Annotated

Question:  Is there much interest in teaching spelling today? (1974)?

Answer: “From this study it can be inferred that educators have lost interest and neglected the study and teaching of Spelling. There seems to little utilization of the knowledge acquired through years of experience and research.”  BL Criscoe. 1974. P. 398.

Comment: Is the same true in 2012? Misspellings hurt academically and socially. With spell-checks on the computer, it’s too easy to ignore spelling. We can predict misspellings. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Dialects


Annotated

Question: Are students influenced by a three-week course in dialectology?

Answer: “Found that students’ attitudes toward and knowledge about dialects did change as the result of teaching a three-week unit in dialectology.” EW Gratz.  1974. P. 397.

Comment: Worth noting. Two types of dialects: regional and social. The latter is considered subordinate to Standard English.

“The term dialect (from the Greek word dialektos, Διάλεκτος) is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors, such as social class. The other usage refers to a language socially subordinate to a regional or national standard language, A dialect is distinguished by its vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation (phonology, including prosody).” Wikipedia.

Rays.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English: January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1974.” Daniel J Dieterich. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 396-422.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Black Dialect and Reading

Question: Does children’s black dialect interfere with the students’ learning to read?

 Answer/Quote: “Black children as a group are not learning to read as well as their white counterparts…. A mismatch between their language and the language of the materials used in school to teach reading….. this study is concerned with the grammatical mismatch only, not the phonological mismatch. It follows from this line of reasoning that reducing or eliminating this mismatch will reduce a reading interference and result in improved reading performance…. [Solutions:] Eliminate Black Dialect and replace it with Standard English to the use of reading materials written in dialect.” Pp. 339-340.

Quote: “Future research should turn to the analysis of the instructional process in the classroom and the complicated interaction between Black Dialect speaking children and teaching procedures, teachers’ attitudes, and the materials used for teaching reading.” P. 357.

Comment: In effect, this research rules out the mismatch between standard grammar and Black-dialect speaking children as interfering with learning to read. It suggests that the process of teaching reading is the problem, from teachers’ methods, attitudes and use of materials. One problem eliminated. A whole new set of instructional problems revealed. RayS.

Title: “Black English Syntax and Reading Interference.” HD Simons and KR Johnson. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 339-358.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Remediation


Question: If students with remedial needs are grouped together, will they succeed in remediating their needed skills?

Answer/Quote: “If students are grouped for a remedial experiment, their sense of themselves may be so negative that the experiment is bound to fail before it starts.” Reviewed by W.R.P.

Comment: An interesting observation. If they are self-perceived as failures, they are bound to fail because they expect to fail. Never thought of this before. RayS.

Title: “An Exploration of Deep structure Recovery and Reading Comprehension Skills.” Roy C. O’Donnell and FJ King. Research in the Teaching of English (Winter 1974), 327-3338.