Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/taking-a-fresh-look-at-everyday-practices/5024218/
The impact of effective early literacy practices on the future school success of children is well established. In 2010 the massive Reading for Understanding project focused on a key element in the process of learning to read that was underrepresented both in terms of research and in curricular goals: language comprehension. Researchers, including Tiffany Hogan, undertook an intensive, multi-tiered, longitudinal research program that explored ways that children learn to comprehend and make meaning from listening experiences. The investigators then created and tested an innovative curriculum, Let’s Know!, an accessible, free resource of effective instructional practices aimed at increasing language comprehension in young children that focused on an everyday occurrence in thousands of early learning programs—sharing a storybook together.
Three key findings became the basis of an evidence-based curriculum. With her summary, examples, and links to the Let’s Know! curriculum, Hogan provides clear and useful ways to apply this research directly to the classroom. By taking cues from the research project itself, however, we can find additional insights into how to enhance our own professional growth and improve learning outcomes for young children. Three ideas include: (1) examining current knowledge and practices; (2) reviewing and using curricula; (3) fostering collaborative ...