Helping educators build and maintain healthy literacy ecosystems to support transfer of knowledge at scale and improve student outcomes.

GUEST COLUMN | by Ethan Scherer

What does science and social studies have to do with moving the needle on nationwide reading outcomes? 

• Only thirty-five percent of 4^th grade students were proficient readers before the pandemic, and this has declined. 
• Research shows that high-quality science and social studies units can help build skilled readers.

The good news is that your ELA block doesn’t have to work alone to achieve your academic goals.

Instead, educators can steadily and systematically build connections over time to help students transfer explicitly taught knowledge to new, untaught topics —in the classroom and beyond.

‘…educators can steadily and systematically build connections over time to help students transfer explicitly taught knowledge to new, untaught topics —in the classroom and beyond.’

Developed out of READS LAB at Harvard University, Model of Reading Engagement (MORE) is an elementary science and social studies program that improves academic outcomes – including literacy and math. 

How does MORE do it? Schemas. What are schemas? They are knowledge frameworks that help students organize and connect information. 

READS Lab found that their schema-building program caused lasting improvements in elementary-grade students’ ability to read for understanding in science, social studies, and English language arts.

How did they get such powerful results?

It wasn’t just due to standards-aligned lessons. MORE’s unique focus on schemas and returning to topics and concepts year-after-year with increasing complexity, encouraged students to “hang” new vocabulary and topics onto existing knowledge to make connections and bigger patterns visible. For example, in economics, students “think like a buyer” in first grade and think about market systems as a whole by third grade. 

Through an innovative, digital portal that can be incorporated into a classroom Learning Management System, MORE equips teachers with three evidence-based tools:

• Lessons
• Digital activities
• Formative assessments of transfer

Teachers use these three tools flexibly to get their students reading, writing, and discussing complex science and social studies topics.

READS LAB

Thanks to the funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), the team behind MORE was able to conduct a randomized controlled trial – a rigorous study using the highest levels of evidence –  to follow students who received MORE over time, as well as after the program completed. They found that:

• The difference in reading for long-term MORE students was equal to more than two months’ worth of additional literacy learning after embedding MORE within the science and social studies blocks for only 6 weeks per year.
• MORE also improved state mathematics scores.
• The results of MORE persisted two years later without additional lessons.

But teaching schemas doesn’t start and end in the classroom.

The MORE team spent years distilling research into core principles and practices that build schemas throughout the school day. The next phase is all about making these principles and practices available to a broader audience. MORE has developed a unique model to successfully scale up and transfer these significant results by:

• Building a low-cost, high-impact teacher training model that is being used by more than 1,800 teachers.
• Developing a robust technological infrastructure that lets teachers, administrators and district leaders cohere around a common goal and leverages resources, real-time data, and tools to adapt the program to their context.
• Empowering local educators to adapt the core concepts of MORE to meet specific needs of their students and fit flexibly into their school day.
• Increasing the number of students served by more than tenfold in the last three years.

Based upon this strong foundation, MORE won a highly selective federal Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant to continue to scale its impact to help kids learn to become skilled readers.  The combined support of CZI and the EIR grant expands the reach and access to MORE, and provides an additional runway to allow for long-term sustainability and growth of the program.The grant and CZI’s continued support will provide funding through the end of 2029, providing time to develop MORE’s self-sustaining model.

Here’s the bottom line: MORE’s core principles and practices – their emphasis on schemas and transfer – can be applied to any subject in any classroom. So, instead of skimping on science and social studies, try a schematic approach to improve academic outcomes. If you are a district with over 20,000 students and want to hear more, let the MORE team know via the MORE website sign-up page. Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about our offerings as we continue to scale.

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Ethan Scherer is the Director of READS Lab at Harvard University. READS Lab helps educators build and maintain healthy literacy ecosystems to support transfer of knowledge at scale and improve student outcomes and created the Model of Reading Engagement (MORE). Connect with Ethan on Linkedin.

The post The Untapped Potential of Schema Awareness: Connecting and Organizing Knowledge  appeared first on EdTech Digest.

During the recent ISTELive 2024 in Denver, Discovery Education unveiled Mystery Writing by Discovery Education by offering elementary educators nationwide the unique opportunity to participate in the development of its latest product through a free, year-long trial. 

Mystery Writing is a dynamic and engaging writing program designed specifically for students in grades K-5. This innovative curriculum captivates young learners with “wow!” content that not only sparks their interest but also builds their confidence in writing.

One of the standout features of Mystery Writing is its no-prep, open-and-go lesson plans, which make it exceptionally easy for multi-subject elementary educators to implement. Teachers can effortlessly provide differentiated lessons tailored to the varying needs of their students, ensuring that each child receives instruction appropriate to their skill level.

The program’s structure explicitly teaches the writing process through a series of step-by-step written, visual, and auditory directions. This comprehensive approach ensures that no young writer is left struggling with the daunting “fear of the blank page.” By featuring stories and visuals that are of high interest to students, Mystery Writing maintains student engagement and enthusiasm throughout the learning process. The inclusion of visual and auditory directions caters to different learning styles, making the lessons accessible to all students, including those who might need additional support. 

Moreover, Mystery Writing’s content is thoughtfully designed to seamlessly integrate various subjects, making learning multidimensional and holistic. Students are not only improving their writing skills but also enhancing their overall academic knowledge. 

In summary, Mystery Writing is an invaluable resource for elementary educators, providing an effective and enjoyable way to teach the writing process. Its innovative design ensures that students remain engaged, confident, and fear-free when it comes to writing. With Mystery Writing, teachers can foster a love for writing in their students that will last a lifetime.

Elementary school educators interested in claiming their free trial can visit the Mystery Writing website here. 

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Educators working in Special Education have a new friend in this very cool tool. In axis3, Creatively Focused connects special education teams on one user-friendly platform to help simplify their workflows and enhance their access to training, education, and professional development resources. Educators know exactly what needs to be worked on, and when it needs to be completed by without having to search, wonder, or worry.

Within axis3, special educators understand exactly where they are at on crucial timelines and paperwork which leads to increased visibility and compliance. A combination of achievable tasks that are relevant to the students each educator serves, along with the paperwork needed and any associated learning are provided and customized by role.

Creatively Focused is empowering educators with the time and resources they need for a fulfilling, lifelong career. In axis3, educators can connect with the people who are going to support their role the best. Sometimes that might be a person within the district, or it might be a person from the Creatively Focused team. But ultimately, it’s a person who understands that educator’s workday changes quickly. This reduces the feeling of isolation, and an environment to learn in the flow of work on topics that are relevant.

“Creatively Focused embodies what it means to be a true partner,” says Sara Pratt, Director of Special Services at Northfield Public Schools. “The platform has been incredibly simple to both implement and use, making it easy for our staff to get up and running.” For these reasons and many more, axis3 by Creatively Focused was named “Best Workflow Management for Special Educators” as part of The EdTech Awards 2024 from EdTech Digest. Learn more. 

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