How shared reading and cooperative learning are transforming two diverse New Zealand classrooms.

1. Comprehension Instruction
for Digital Natives
How digital shared reading and cooperative learning
are transforming two diverse New Zealand
classrooms
Neale Pitches

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know – that while children generally develop
The Problem sound reading skills when they first begin
Year after year, Kyran Smith – Deputy school, many later find that they are no longer
Principal and Literacy Leader of Wellington’s able to apply those initial reading strategies to
Miramar South School – faced classes full of more demanding texts. At this point, contends
grade 5, 6, and 7 students who struggled with Canadian sociologist Keith Stanovich, good
literacy. Kyran was a competent teacher, so readers get better while those less well
why wasn’t she managing to make inroads equipped fail to progress. The prevalence of
into her students’ flagging reading this veritable phenomenon led Stanovich to
comprehension? brand it the “Matthew Effect,” applying the
Biblical reference to the “haves” and the
Farther south in Christchurch, high-school “have-nots” in terms of literacy wealth.
English teacher Laura Borrowdale was asking
herself the same question. Over the course of While this fall-off in comprehension rates is an
18 months, she’d tried many approaches to attested fact in many Western nations,
improving the low literacy rates of her grade 8 including Australia and the United States,
and 9 cohort. But even with the in-class Kyran and Laura refused to accept this fate for
support of a specialist literacy educator, their students. Questioning their approach to
Laura’s students’ progress was too slow. teaching rather than the students’ capability
to learn, the two educators discovered a new
The two teachers could have decided their mixed-media comprehension system designed
students were inherently poor readers. Kyran precisely to target this problem.
could have invoked the low socio-economic
status (SES) and ethnic backgrounds of her
students, predominantly from Pasifika,
The Intervention
indigenous Māori, and refugee/ELL families.
Neale Pitches is the CEO of South Pacific
Laura could have likewise blamed the Press, in New Zealand. He is an educational
behavioral problems of her mostly male 14– resource developer, and a former teacher and
15-year-old students at Hagley Community
principal. He is not willing to accept the
College, an inner city school known for taking inevitability of middle years’ literacy failure.
in “last-chance learners.” Neale found a willing joint-venture partner in
Jim Connelly, President of Pacific Learning of
But Kyran and Laura refused to believe that California, and began work in 2005–2006
their students were destined to the low developing a resource, grounded in best
literacy rates, and decided to keep trying for practice and robust research, to provide
that elusive progress in literacy. instructional support – leadership even – to
teachers and students in grades 3 to 8 and
Both teachers were in fact dealing with a above. Neale brought together a team,
more fundamental problem that goes beyond including New Zealand educator Meryl-Lynn
SES indicators and beyond New Zealand Pluck, publisher Matt Comeskey and, for the
borders: the slump in reading comprehension first year, Pacific Learning’s Toni
in the middle years of school that occurs in Hollingsworth. Over a period of two years the
the USA and throughout the OECD (Mullis, team developed CSI – Comprehension
Martin, Gonzalez, & Kennedy, 2003; OECD, Strategies Instruction, the acronym
2001). Research indicates – and teachers well deliberately chosen to underscore the
Neale Pitches, “Comprehension instruction for digital natives” © 2011 South Pacific Press

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similarities between reading comprehension provide many of the literacy challenges to
and forensics with which popular culture has middle years students.
an enduring fascination, due in part to the
successful television series of the same name. In their recent publication “Let’s Start Leveling
Neale was convinced that the deliberate and About Leveling,” (2011) Glasswell and Ford
explicit teaching of comprehension strategies conclude that there needs to be a balance
as advocated by, for example, Harvey and between texts that are cognitively challenging
Goudvis (2000; 2007) and P. David Pearson in and those that are emotionally supportive.
the context of a strong engagement factor The CSI project team had the same
(advocated by US academic John Guthrie philosophy, believing that students would
[2001]) would yield the accelerated progress benefit from on-grade-level texts if they had
that was needed. That engagement factor the support of their teachers, their peers, and
would need to be a mix of pedagogy, texts, the digital scaffolds that are all features of the
and technology – quite a challenge. CSI project.
The pedagogy was influenced by the findings This challenging yet supportive design has
of researchers Graham Nuthall and Adriene been endorsed by both Kyran and Laura, who
Alton-Lee, but especially the work of Nuthall,
have reported how well students have
whose research Neale allied to his own views responded to more difficult texts, and how
that a child’s educational performance was much they engage with and enjoy being able
heavily influenced by classroom practices, and to read, think, talk, and write about the on-
that there was no inevitability about low SES grade-level texts.
effects on student literacy learning. Pitches
synthesized the big idea in Nuthall’s research Harnessing interactive whiteboard and other
as “all students can learn difficult concepts as advanced technologies, half of the CSI texts
long as they have several exposures to the (those designed for explicit teaching) are
concept in different ways while the concepts interactive digital texts which include hyper-
are in working memory.” The CSI project, linked glossaries and video footage. The
accordingly, adopted a learning model which student cooperative texts are hard-copy
involved text-based, explicit instruction of a format accompanied by audio files. This is a
new concept, followed by text-based peer new approach to “differentiated instruction”
cooperative learning of that concept that was whereby students’ differences are
further extended: not only do students work accommodated through scaffolding rather
together as learning partners, but they work than leveling. The strongest scaffold is explicit
as a learning community – entire classes work teaching, where the teacher reads and thinks
together on the same text. aloud and encourages student interaction as,
together, the teacher and class work through
In two further decisions the CSI project team the text.
determined that teachers and students would
use texts that were on-grade level and that 80 Kyran and Laura believe that this is key.
percent of all texts to be used would be Although the CSI package includes guidance
nonfiction, and three quarters of texts would and lesson plans for teachers, both teachers
be from the content areas of science, math, now feel sufficiently experienced and
and social studies. The research indicates that comfortable with the method to the point
it is the content area and nonfiction texts that where they don’t need to “follow the lesson
Neale Pitches, “Comprehension instruction for digital natives” © 2011 South Pacific Press

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plans.” Kyran, for instance, no longer even aware of their thought processes and the
pre-reads passages before class. In displaying strategies they employ to understand a given
an unseen text, she can emphasize to her text. What’s more, they develop skills in
students that she and the students are “all the monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness
same” in that neither have seen it before, but of these approaches when assessing their
they all share their thinking strategies in trying levels of understanding. As a result, the
to understand it. This equal footing is students take ownership of their reading and
empowering for the students, Kyran says. become more independent, more confident
readers.
After reading the text aloud together, the
students – and Kyran – show each other how Not only do the students become more
much they feel they understood the text, on knowledgeable about themselves, but their
an imaginary sliding scale with their hands. breadth of world knowledge increases, too.
Clearly the content of the texts and the
quirky, thought-provoking and inspiring topics
provide much-needed background knowledge
as well as motivation to read. They variously
present young people as heroes, raise moral
and ethical questions, or take poetic form, all
authentic examples of the sorts of text that
students meet every day.
In terms of content literacy, the exposure to
such a wide range of material seems to add
substantially to the students’ vocabularies and
their ability to handle more complex texts.
Kyran Smith and a Miramar South student show
Indeed, experience with a variety of
each other, and the class, their levels of
understanding of a CSI text, which has been stimulating texts is increasing not only the
projected onto an interactive whiteboard. baseline of cognitive skills that students
master on their own, but also their ability to
operate at higher levels without guidance.
Kyran then talks the class through her own
This is evident by the strong increases in
way of processing the text, while making sure
comprehension evidenced by the post-testing.
to reference the particular CSI reading
strategy (or strategies) the class is working on:
Furthermore, the students are up for the
“This is what I do as a reader. I’ve never been
challenges of more demanding texts. The
to space so I’m making connections to the
domain-specific vocabulary, and the concepts
world, from what I’ve seen on TV *. . .+. I’m
included in the texts are purposefully tough in
going to show you what I do using the
places. In Kyran’s experience, however, the
visualizing strategy. I’m picturing a cloud of
students thrive on the challenge. If they are
dust that looks like a flower . . .” Working with
unable to draw on any prior or background
a learning partner, the students then discuss
knowledge, they draw inferences or use other
and apply the strategies for themselves.
comprehension strategies, working together
The metacognitive principles on which CSI is
as a learning community. While Kyran admits
based encourage learners to become critically
that she would never have given her students
Neale Pitches, “Comprehension instruction for digital natives” © 2011 South Pacific Press

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such difficult texts in the past, she now
recognizes that the texts need to stretch the
The Outcomes
learners – high- and low-operators alike – so The excitement and engagement of Kyran’s
that they can see the strategies working. and Laura’s students are borne out in the
results of pre- and post-tests for literacy
Laura voices this exact same opinion. In many levels. Three years of asTTIe (Assessment
ways, she adds, the pressure is taken off her Tools for Teaching and Learning) data for
students to perform if they know that the Miramar South School consistently show huge
texts are tough. So when Laura tells her improvements in the reading comprehension
students that The Hounds of the Baskervilles is of students after CSI instruction. Figure 1
a difficult text, their appetites are whetted (below) gives a snapshot of the percentage
and they rise to the occasion, performing change in students’ test scores before and
“almost despite themselves.” Again, this after the intervention in 2009.
experience confirms the research cited by
Glasswell and Ford that “children can have Across 2008–2010, an average of 86 percent
less than successful interactions with at-level of students started the year in the lower
texts and sometimes more successful quartiles for reading. By the end of each year,
interactions with more difficult texts.” (210) however, almost half of the students, on
After trying to figure out the puzzle, what average, were reading at or above national
then really delights learners is being able to norms. Disaggregated by ethnicity, the test
check the meaning of selected words by scores for the three years of different cohorts
touching vocabulary that is hyperlinked to reveal that Māori students made some of the
embedded digital glossaries. biggest advances in comprehension, with
shifts to the upper quartiles of up to 75
percentage points between tests.
Figure 1: Percentage of students at Miramar South School reading at or above national norms in
the asTTIe test, pre- and post-CSI (2009)
100
80
60
%
40
20
0
All
Pasifika
Maori
Other
NZ
Boys
European Girls
Feb-09 Nov-09
Neale Pitches, “Comprehension instruction for digital natives” © 2011 South Pacific Press

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On a larger sample size, Pasifika students also Students from Hagley Community College also
made considerable gains: in November 2010, produced dramatic results, as illustrated
for example, 72 percent of this learner group below in Figure 2. Before the CSI intervention,
was reading at or above national norms, Laura’s students posted an average score of
compared to 22 percent before the CSI 50 units in the Progressive Achievement Test
intervention. As for performance by gender, (PAT) for reading comprehension, well below
data indicate that boys progressed at a the national average of 72 for their age group.
greater rate, meaning that they caught up But after just four-and-a-half weeks of CSI
with – and in one instance, surpassed – the instruction, the same students lifted their
proportion of girls reading at or above the average to 60 PATC units.
national norm.
Figure 2: Percentile-based ranks of students at Hagley Community College against national
distribution for the PAT reading comprehension test, pre- and post-CSI (2009)
Neale Pitches, “Comprehension instruction for digital natives” © 2011 South Pacific Press

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While this score remained below the national
average, the students experienced remarkably
The Implications for
accelerated achievement, progressing at Teaching and Learning
double the standard yearly rate of
improvement (5–6 PATC units) over the Practices
course of just one month.
So, is CSI really a “silver bullet” for reading
For Laura, the rate of change was so good that comprehension? As Kyran and Laura both
it was almost “perversely demoralizing” – she attest, there are certainly many benefits to be
explains that after struggling for 18 months to had from using this resource. From a teacher’s
make any significant advances in her students’ perspective, the package provides clear
literacy, she felt disappointed that she’d guidance through exemplar lesson plans and a
expended so much effort up to that point, rich pedagogic framework that accelerates
only to find a resource that worked so their students’ literacy progress. More
effectively in such a short space of time. importantly, it provides 80 texts per grade
level all chosen to engage and challenge their
Not only did both Kyran and Laura’s students’ student readership, and to expose them to
comprehension scores improve, but there the content matter and strategic thinking
were other benefits. Laura’s students’ experiences needed to help them through the
behavior improved, too. Instead of off-task crucial middle years of schooling. CSI is explicit
and petty talk, the students spoke out to about instruction, yet flexible to allow for
agree or disagree with their peers’ teacher professionalism. Premised on an
interpretations of the texts. Following the increasingly evidenced metacognitive
success of Laura’s CSI trial, the school is now approach, it also promotes formative
using the system right across grade 10, and assessment which is responsive to learners’
students are being taught to apply CSI needs and supports their improvement over
strategies more broadly. At Miramar South time as increasingly self-aware readers.
School Kyran reported that the 2008 class Importantly, CSI offers opportunities for
experienced higher math scores, as well as growth through its cognitively demanding
higher reading comprehension scores. The texts that can at the same time be taught and
metacognitive and problem-solving strategies, understood at different levels.
and the resilience developed by students in
Some might question how much the success
their learning communities, clearly carried
of CSI actually relies on the individual teacher,
over into the test environment as students
and his or her abilities. This is a fair question.
gained in resourcefulness.
Both Kyran and Laura acknowledge that to an
extent, they gained their students’ “buy-in”
These are, of course, the success stories of
for CSI through the strength of their trust
just two New Zealand schools that used the
relationship with them. But it was more than
CSI resource. But there are many others,
that. Let’s not forget that as competent
including many classrooms across the USA.
teachers with good student rapport, the two
There are significant implementations in
teachers were nevertheless struggling to
Newport News and Prince George County, VA,
make a difference in their students’
USA, and in St Paul, MN.
comprehension rates pre-CSI.
Neale Pitches, “Comprehension instruction for digital natives” © 2011 South Pacific Press

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There are three strong challenges to
established literacy classroom practice that
Critical success factors of
warrant further investigation: the CSI literacy resource
1. CSI seems to be showing that there is
great benefit on students all working  Short, engaging digital texts that
together on one text – to form a respect and challenge readers
learning community, where they
 Cooperative learning
share thinking, problem-solving, and
metacognitive strategies.  Tight adherence to rich, evidence-
based pedagogy
2. The notion of “leveled students,
 Pre-prepared lesson plans
leveled texts” that underpins much
literacy instruction is called into  Explicit teaching
question and, at least, should be  Modeling reading behaviors
varied for elements of the classroom
 Metacognitive principles that nurture
literacy program where explicit
instruction is the goal and students critical self-awareness
can be scaffolded into texts that they  Content literacy for all
may not be able to read alone.
3. New technologies, such as interactive
whiteboards, seem to show promise
to engage students more and provide
embedded objects to scaffold
students into better understanding of
texts – especially nonfiction, content-
oriented texts that research evidence
shows are the stumbling blocks to
students’ literacy progress in the
middle years of schooling.
Neale Pitches, “Comprehension instruction for digital natives” © 2011 South Pacific Press

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Neale Pitches, “Comprehension instruction for digital natives” © 2011 South Pacific Press