ID Coordinator Juan Serafica & Adriaan Louw & Victor Li
A 21st century learner needs to be able to analyze information and think deeply about what they’ve read, drawing connections and comparing what they know and what they just learned. With access to unlimited information via the internet, a modern student must curate their learning and think about solutions to problems on their own.
This semester every Kang Chiao campus transitioned from Reading Street to myView as its primary reading text. As Reading Street is over 10 years old, we took the opportunity to update our teaching methods and materials to better reflect what is expected from 21st century learners. Please allow me to share “our view” on myView!
myView, Reading Street’s successor, was written to reflect not only the latest expectations of the common core curriculum, but also new teaching strategies and methods. To better align with current best practices in teaching English Learners abroad, the International Department implemented the “Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol,” or SIOP model, which dictates how and when instruction should take place. FETs will primarily be responsible for teaching grade-level literature and informational text, writing, and standards-based learning projects. CETs will be responsible for teaching language, differentiated reading instruction, and inquiry-based learning projects. By assigning job responsibilities according to the model, we can make sure each learner gets the instruction that they need.
Looking at the book itself, there are two things you’ll immediately notice that are different: 1) the inclusion of relevant questions and worksheets included in the book and 2) the increased rigor of the texts. Rather than split the comprehension skills between long stories and short stories, there will just be a main reading and the comprehension questions and skills paired together. This is because the common core curriculum focuses on skills and thinking over word-for-word reading.
As such, you will notice that the homework from the practice books provided by Savvas will focus on students practicing their skills over remembering everything that happened in a story. Moving forward, the common core curriculum wants students to think about what they read. It’s not as important to memorize everything about a story as it is to draw meaningful connections. This critical thinking is highly important for our students as they grow up and continue their education in high school and abroad.
Knowing that the level of reading is more difficult compared to Reading Street, we’ve made two major changes to help our students. First, we’ve rearranged our syllabus to provide dedicated weeks for reading and for review. Second, we’ve hosted professional development workshops and continue to have reflection meetings with our teachers throughout the semester to regularly discuss student growth.
Last year, we implemented myReading so that students will foster reading as a daily habit. Reading a wide range of texts at one’s own pace helps students improve their vocabulary, fluency, and grammar. Rest assured, it is the mission of our teachers to ensure student learning and growth by understanding the stories in myView. Therefore, the best way to improve your student’s reading level quickly is to encourage them to do as much myReading as possible.
The students at our school are passionate, dedicated, and diligent towards their learning. Given the time to grow accustomed to this new way of teaching, they will soar to new heights, towards the future that is the 21st century. Let’s continue to work together to make that beautiful future a reality.