Diagnostic Teaching For Primary Level Schooling Program overview: What is diagnostic teaching? Developed by International Reading Association For UNESCO December 2005 ERNATIONAL Reading we Association ) — —— = — <= |The following is an introduction to diagnostic teaching with theoretical background, overview of the workshop approach and program objectives for Diagnostic Teaching for Primary Level Schooling. The techniques were field-tested in a series of meetings in 2005 with schoolteachers and literacy facilitators from communities in Ghana, Tanzania and Kenya. The following groups made this program possible: UNESCO Literacy and Non-Formal Education Section ~ France UNESCO Acera Cluster Office - Ghana Ghana Ministry of Education and Sports University of Education-Winneba Local Reading Couneil at Winneba UNESCO Nairobi Cluster Office ~ Kenya Kenya Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Egerton University Local Council of IRA at Egerton UNESCO Dar es Salaam Cluster Office — Tanzania Tanzania Ministry of Education and Culture Chama cha Usomaji Tanzania The following individuals contributed to the evolution of this program: International Reading Association (original co-authors) - Susan Carey Biggam, University of Vermont Anne McGill Franzen, University of Tennessee Knoxville Marjorie Youmans Lipson, University of Vermont James M. Wile, IRA International Development Division Workshop Co-Facilitators: Joseph Asamoah , Wesley Teachers College, Ghana Comfort Boison, University of Education-Winneba, Ghana Johnson Changeiywo, Egerton University, Kenya Margaret Makenzi, Egerton University, Kenya Elizabeth Koimet, Kenya Institute of Education Pilli Dumea, Childrens’ Book Project, Tanzania Sebastian Mhando, Korogwe Teachers College, Tanzania Marietha Urio, Morogoro Teachers College, Tanzania International Reading Association technical volunteers: Dena Beeghly, West Chester University, USA Dorothy Singleton, National University, USA. For technical questions about the program, please contact International Reading ion at intldev@reading.org.Program Overview: Diagnostic Teaching Objectives The objectives of this program are to help teachers: improve pupils’ literacy levels — i.e. ability to read, write, think critically and do other tasks effectively in language and content areas: develop an understanding of the connection between instruction and assessment; develop an understanding of the process of literacy development; develop, adapt, and apply a set of easy-to-use techniques for monitoring students’ literacy development; and acquire a diagnostic teaching approach as a habit for reflecting on their own understanding of literacy and their effectiveness as literacy teachers, Format This program contains the following features: Participatory demonstration of diagnostic teaching techniques using local contexts Guided discussion on procedures and applicability Small-group and large group activities Guided practice in applying specific techniques to local contexts Classroom implementation Opportunities for reflection, self-evaluation, peer-evaluation, and formal observation Anticipated Outcomes By the end of this program participants will be able to: identify the major components of the literacy process; explain the relationship between assessment and instruction; identify the main the processes for constructing meaning from print; identify and use diverse techniques for monitoring students’ ability to use the main strategies for constructing meaning from print; provide evidence of having adapted and applied techniques of the diagnostic teaching approach with leamers in their own contextsINTRODUCTION Diagnostic Teaching: Linking Assessment and Instruction Effective literacy teaching emphasizes helping people to become independent life-long learners, yet many education systems slip into a narrow focus on literacy as a mechanical, word-centered process. Decoding and word recognition are, arguably straightforward to teach and assess. The literacy skills required in today’s societies, however, require an carly start in processing skills to effectively evaluate, analyze and articulate information in oral, print, or graphic form, These skills require not only the fundamental literacy skills of pronouncing words but also, fluent, automatic and strategic comprehension of text. Diagnostic teaching is the “process of diagnosing student abilities, needs and objectives and prescribing requisite leaming activities” (Retrieved online from : www. ibe.unesco.org/international/DocServices/Thesaurus/ 00001796.htm). ‘Through diagnostic teaching, the teacher monitors the understanding and performance of students before teaching the lesson, while teaching, and after teaching the lesson. Diagnostic teaching can inform teachers of the effectiveness of their lessons with individuals, small groups of students, or whole classes, depending on the instruments used. Within a diagnostic teaching perspective, assessment and instruction are interacting and continuous processes, with assessment providing feedback to the teacher on the efficacy of prior instruction, and new instruction building on the learning that students demonstrate. Teachers may evaluate student learning on the spot, or collect data at different points in time and compare progress over units of instruction. Diagnostic assessments are themselves educative for teachers. By introducing the concept of diagnostic teaching and the monitoring techniques to support such instruction, teachers will be better able to recognize reading as a developmental process and target instruction to meet the needs of individuals and groups. Through professional development, teachers will be able to recognize the importance of the various components of the reading process and identify and use assessment and instruction to support the development of these components. ‘The diagnostic teaching techniques presented in the workshops cover the entire continua of reading development. Teachers will be able to demonstrate how to assess and support students’ emerging reading behaviors, such as concepts about print and basic decoding, among the youngest or Icast cxpericnced readers. By using a fluency rating rubric, such as that developed for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, and determistudents’ words correct per minute on an oral reading of a short passage, teachers also will be able to identify more experienced students’ fluency and put into practice activities to support automatic word recognition, such as dramatic readings or rereadings of text. Teachers will demonstrate how to assess and instruct students in comprehension strategies before, during and after reading. Before reading, teachers will assess whether students can preview, set a purpose for reading, and bring prior knowledge to bear on the topic of the reading As teachers lear to administer and interpret these diagnostic assessments, they themselves will develop a more elaborated understanding of the reading process. In order to assess comprehension of narrative text and the adequacy of students’ retellings, for example, teachers must themselves learn to identify the story elements of character, plot, setting, problem and resolution. Likewise, in order to evaluate whether students are able to navigate nonfiction texts, teachers first must be able to recognize the organizational patterns in particular informational texts, for example, cause and effect, or comparison and contrast, and then identify and teach the comprehension strategies that students are not using, The Literacy Process: Constructing Meaning with Print The goal of all reading is understanding — the reading process is an active search for meaning. Gillet, Temple, & Crawford (2004) provide a clear explanation of the cognitive processes involved in comprehension. According to these authors, reading comprehension is “understanding new information in light of what we already know” (p.33). We make sense of information in texts by matching this information against our world knowledge and knowledge about print. Readers use a variety of strategies as they attempt to make this match between what the author has written and what they already know. Reading and writing are not passive activities, In fact, reading and writing require the interaction between the reader, the text, and the author. The strategies people use in this interaction make up the basic components of the reading process and the literacy curriculum. The Reader ‘The reader (or writer) approaches each text with important background knowledge. This may be background knowledge about the world. A reader uses his or her background knowledge about the world to predict what an author might write, how information might be organized, even some of the specific words an author might use. The reader also has important background experiences with reading and writing. They may have positive or negative experiences with reading and writing. They can also have positive or negative