Lia Smith, ESL Instructor Sabbatical Report (Spring 2015 / Fall 2016) December 31, 2016 Contents Section 1 Is there anything new in research on reading? page 2 Section 2 Survey of City College Instructors page 8 Section 3 Computerized Reading Programs page 34 Section 4 Survey of tools we use to determine page 49 student reading levels/competency Section 5 Recommendations page 52 Appendix 1 (Bernhardt: Critique of body of research page 63 on second language reading) Appendix 2 (My Reading Load/Assessment Survey page 63 questions w/rationales) Appendix 3 (Degrees of Reading Power details for answer type) page 67 Appendix 4 (types of answers and word counts for ESL Reading page 70 Tests for Common Final) Appendix 5 (List of books purchased Fall 2016 page 71 by CCSF Rosenberg Library) Appendix 6 (On-line ESL reading resources) page 73 Appendix 7 (Directions for on-line browsing Read Collection page 74 in Rosenberg Library) This report is organized in sections. Section 1 introduces the idea that there is no “general reading skill,” and presents what might be reasonable expectations for how well a literate, educated second language reader might be expected to handle advanced disciplinary texts. Section 2 contains the results of my survey “My Course Reading Load / Assessment” done here at City College of San Francisco (CCSF). Two hundred and thirty instructors across the disciplines participated and wrote voluminous comments, revealing that they are deeply engaged
Irrelevant question Misleads student; frustrates student Subjective answer Misleads/frustrates student Guided help (e.g., explanations for missed answers) Sometimes useful Sometimes misleading Text based questions Makes reader text responsible student is merely hunting for the answer Text associated questions Fosters the forming of connections Frustrating; not true test of reading of target text Word definitions Helps train students to attend to parts of speech Distractor (incorrect answer choices) are often ridiculous Scan mode (feeds students text so that they must read without stopping) Forces students to remember everything rather than strategizing what to focus on Prevents ESL readers from looking up every word Keeps reader text focused Prevents reader from hunting for answers Forces students to remember everything rather than strategizing what to focus on Prevents students from learning new, unknown vocabulary Frustrates students No Audio The missing “phonological loop” is an invaluable key to second language acquisition. The absence of audio is sold as a positive for forcing students to read silently, but ESL students need aural input. To use the web-based Reading Plus program, each student is assessed and, based on this assessment, the computer program “allows” each student into the program at an Assigned Reading Level (ARL) matched to the student’s assessed reading proficiency. The program has three components: 1. Perceptual Accuracy/Visual Efficiency (PAVE) w/trademark a. Scan - Here the students are asked to identify when a “target element” appears. The target element asks students to attend to the “details” of “script.” That is, they are to determine if an “O” is open or closed or to identify a number. b. Flash - Here the students must recall a group of numbers or letters that are flashed on the screen, either by choosing from three possible matches or by typing in what they have seen. c. PAVE claims a capacity to build readers to a skill level of accurate scanning up to 120 lines per minute. 2. Guided Reading
summary after presentation of 2 points [distractors are ludicrous] [answer nonsensical but process of elimination points to it] summary of problem/solution [bad writing; I got this answer wrong] summary of problem/solution summary of main point summary of main point summary of main point reference summary of new point made summary of new point made previous knowledge and concession summary of new point made summary of new point made language of analogy [bad writing; correct answer arrived at through process of elimination] pronoun reference word forms (acidic condition = acidity summary of point just presented summary comment (mentioned in previous 2nd paragraph) correction of what was previously believed summary of point just presented summary of point just presented Appendix 4 - Types of answers for ESL final Reading Tests: 110 Reading Answers (25) 120 Reading Answers (25) 130 Reading Answers (30) 140 Reading Answers (30) 150 Reading Answers (25) 160 Reading Answers (30) noun (8) noun phrase (6) sentence (6) fact (2) verb (1) adjective (1) inf. purpose (1) noun (6) noun phrase (4) sentence (12) fact (NA) verb (3) adjective (NA) noun (6) noun phrase (6) sentence (13) dep clause (1) verb (2) adjective (1) noun (8) noun phrase (8) sentence (9) dep clause (1) verb (3) adjective (1) noun (14) noun phrase (2) sentence (8) dep clause (NA) verb (1) adjective (NA) noun (5) noun phrase (7) sentence (12) dep clause (1) verb (2) adjective (2) inf. purp. (1) Word Count ESL Final Tests: Reading & Grammar 110 120 130 140 150 160 Reading Whole Test 1397 1830 2562 2819 2573* 3391 Stems Range: 4-13 Range: 2-15 Range: 3-14 Range: 3-32 Range: 4-16 Range: 3-25
Madam C. J. Walker: The Inspiring Life Story of the Hair Care Entrepreneur. By ; Compass Point Books, 2017, $26.99, hardcover; ISBN: 978-0-7565- 5165-0 Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak by ; Paperback, 144 pages; 2006 by Groundwood Books (first published 2004); ISBN13: 9780888996459 Appendix 6 On-line resources Esl-bits.net An extensive collection of short and long reads read in two speed modes (“normal rate” / “slow rate”) by a variety of English speakers (e.g., American English, British English, etc.). Shorter, non-fiction pieces range from 5 minutes to 45 minutes and offer a wide variety of contemporary subjects (Why I wear a headscarf; What kind of parent are you? Do you believe in ghosts? What’s wrong with what we eat? Hey, Google, please forget me!). Audio books include both full-length novels and short pieces in a wide selection: Classic literature (e.g., Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald) Contemporary serious fiction (e.g., The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood; A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby; The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros) Mystery (e.g., And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie; Wailing Wind by Toni Hillerman) Young Adult (e.g., Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney; Stardust by Neil Gaiman) Appendix 7 - Directions to guide ESL students to CCSF library resources. Browse the Read Collection (at all CCSF library locations) in person or online. It’s a little tricky getting to the Read Collection….Here are two ways: Method #1 (by location)