Rachel Horstman

Return to: ETAP 623 Fall 2019 (Zhang) | Engaging Phonics with Technology

About Me

Hello! I am a licensed K-8 teacher with a TESOL endorsement in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My undergraduate degree was completed at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, where I received a degree in Elementary Education and Spanish with an English minor.

My teaching experience includes elementary school general education and high school Spanish. I currently work as a resource teacher and teacher support specialist in Albuquerque Public Schools.

My Topic and Purpose

This mini-course is meant to help teachers to incorporate learning technologies to increase engagement and understanding during phonics lessons. All strategies will be rooted in current educational research regarding phonics and child development.

Learning Outcomes

Learners will be able to:

determine which instructional approaches are used in any given phonics lesson
identify engagement techniques for whole group instructional settings
reflect on current phonics instruction by analyzing current lessons
create a phonics lesson which incorporates technology

Needs Assessment

Problem:
My district is at a crossroads with two literacy curriculums. We recently adopted a new balanced literacy curriculum, which includes phonics instruction. However, teachers are still required to incorporate an older, phonics-specific curriculum. Each program has its benefits, but implementing both requires some adjustments. Furthermore, teachers are debating which program is more effective based on their experiences. I surveyed the six Kindergarten and First-grade educators at my school regarding our phonics curricula to identify what obstacles the teachers encounter. Additionally, I have access to our school-wide data in literacy. Across grade-levels, our data, as measured by i-Ready, shows a disconnect between phonological awareness and phonics application (see figure below). 86% of our students are proficient in phonological awareness, while only 65% are proficient in phonics.

Elementary School K-5 data
measured with i-Ready Diagnostic
(Curriculum Associates, 2020)

Analysis:
From my observations, the underachievement in performance stems from a lack of alignment among our school. 83.3% of the teachers feel that they need to supplement their current phonics curriculum. The same percentage thought that the programs have inadequate resources/materials for teaching effectively. This information indicates that teachers may be using a multitude of strategies, which is problematic for two reasons. The first issue is the source of their strategies/resources; some may not be rooted in research. More importantly, a lack of alignment across grade-levels can lead to holes in the student's learning. When presented with potential opportunities for phonics professional development, the majority of teachers showed interest in incorporating technology with phonics. This realization, coupled with limited attention spans in our students, illuminated the need for more engaging phonics instruction.

Goals:
I aim to develop a mini-course that will help educators incorporate technology into their phonics lessons to increase engagement and performance. Educators will be able to apply the knowledge from this course to any phonics curriculum.

Analysis of the Learner and Context

This course is geared towards elementary school teachers, specifically primary teachers (grades K-2). However, it may also be useful for teaching older grades who have students who struggle to read. Participants will likely come from a variety of backgrounds and experience levels. Participants should be working with a prescribed phonics curriculum and willing/able to utilize technology.

Performance-Based Objectives

identify four principles to phonics instruction when reviewing two sample lessons
compare a lesson that incorporates technology to previous lessons to analyze the effectiveness.
reflect on a current phonics lesson to analyze where technology can be incorporated
modify a phonics lesson which incorporates two engagement techniques and follows one approach to effective phonics instruction

Task Analysis

Unit 1
What makes a phonics lesson effective?

The participant will critically analyze two lessons from two different curriculums.
The participant will identify the four main principles of phonics instruction.
The participants will use a rubric to reflect on the lessons.

Unit 2
How do our brain's process language? How does technology increase phonics learning?

The participant will compare the effectiveness of an exemplar lesson that utilizes technology to previous lessons.
The participant will reflect on the benefits of incorporating technology into their classroom.
Participants will learn the basics of Google Slides.

Unit 3
How can educators use technology to modify/create phonics lessons to increase student engagement and understanding?

Participants will reflect on phonics lessons and identify one they would like to modify or create.
Participants will create an effective phonics lesson that incorporates technology.
Participants will reflect on the process.

Curriculum Map

References and Resources

Cowen, C. D. (2016). What Is Structured Literacy? Retrieved from https://dyslexiaida.org/what-is-structured-literacy/

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2020, January 29). Broca Area. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/science/Broca-area

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, DHHS. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read: Reports of the Subgroups (00-4754). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

Goodwin, B., Gibson, T., Lewis, D., & Rouleau, K. (2018). Unstuck: How Curiosity, peer coaching, and teaming can change your school. ASCD & McREL International.

Honig, B., Diamond, L., & Gutlohn, L. (2013). Teaching Reading Sourcebook. Arena Press.

New South Wales Department of Education and Training. (2009). Literacy Teaching Guide: Phonics. Retrieved from https://my.vanderbilt.edu/specialeducationinduction/files/2011/09/1-Literacy-teaching-guide-phonics.pdf

Wilson, B. (2012). Fundations Teacher's Manual: Second Edition (Level 1). Wilson Language Training Corporation.