User talk:Lady sherjr/sandbox

Fluency Interventions

Daley, Nuegebauer, Chafouleas & Skinner (2015), describes reading fluency as “the ability to read accurately, rapidly and with little effort”. Reading fluency is important for students to be more motivated about reading as well as to increase comprehension skills (Daley et al., 2015). Additionally, Daley et al., (2015), has outlined several evidence-based intervention strategies effective for building fluency in students identified as at-risk for reading difficulties. This list includes the following: Repeated readings- This is a strategy that provides a lot of practice time for struggling readers and will work with the largest amount of students working in a group. Phrase Drill Error Correction: Using this strategy, teachers model correctly reading words, encourage immediate response from students, and provide swift feedback in the form of praise for correct response, or correction for incorrect response. Through this process the student practices the correct reading of the word in connected text. Performance Feedback: This is a strictly fluency based strategy that encourages students to read faster than they are currently reading. Students are motivated based on positive feedback and/or rewards which lead to performance increases. Modeling: Listening While Reading: In this strategy student reading accuracy is strengthened as the teacher models appropriate reading skills. However, according to Daley et al., (2015), this strategy is not as strong on increasing reading fluency as repeated readings. Teaching Word in Isolation: For students whose word-reading accuracy is very poor, this strategy helps to improve text reading by isolating the word individually and modeling correct reading of the word. Strategic Incremental Rehearsal flashcard method is another way to describe this strategy. This strategy can be used with hand written flash cards as well as computer generated flash cards in the form of a power point. However, there are disadvantages with using computer based flash cards as voice recognition software can create articulation problems, and computers do not adjust their procedures or feedback to account for student responses (Daley et al., 2015). As each of the fluency intervention methods listed above can be very effective depending on whether the student need is greater with accuracy, fluency, or generalization, Daley et al., (2015), affirm that repeated readings would be the strongest fluency building intervention of all. Also to ensure more tangible results the researchers recommend that both repeated readings and performance feedback will work well together. In my practice, I have used a combination of modeling: listening while reading and performance feedback when working with students with disabilities. I have read appropriate passages and have had the student or students reread the same passage out loud. I provided praise based on the student’s performance. I found in most cases that this combination has been helpful when working with students with disabilities in that they practice oral reading fluency and are generally able to apply this skill when reading different text of the same appropriate level. Some students tend to be more confident also because they know they are reading correctly based on listening to the teacher read before. However, I also found that at times some students become dependent on the teacher and still don’t seem as motivated to try independently. One intervention from the list above that I will definitely implement into my practice is repeated readings combined with error correction and performance feedback. I appreciate that this combined strategy can be effective with small groups as well as large class sizes (which is difficult to avoid at times) because it can support both students with and without disabilities at the same time (Daley et al., 2015). Because of the fact that some students may have poor reading accuracy, I feel it is necessary to combine phrase drill error correction for greater effect. This combined strategy will be effective because of the repetition involved as well as positive feedback. Hence, this strategy will ensure that the students improve in accuracy as well as fluency and increase student’s motivation to read. Two additional evidence-based fluency interventions I found in my research are using iPad app to improve sight word reading fluency and using video self- and peer modeling. Using computer- assisted instruction (CIA) has the advantage of allowing educators to be able to design instruction for the individual learner (Musti-rao, Lo & Plati, 2015). Additionally, Musti-rao, Lo & Plati (2015), asserts that using an iPad app, students are equipped with a plethora of opportunities to practice the skill while receiving swift feedback and reinforcement. In this strategy of using the iPad app to improve sight word reading fluency, the instruction will target five sight words per week. Students are able to read the word, tap on the word to hear the correct pronunciation, record the word in their own voice and replay it as well as game activities to reinforce the word (Musti-rao, Lo & Plati, 2015). This strategy will meet the needs of the students that I teach because it provides for repetition through various kinds of interaction with targeted words and will help students to build their sight word reading fluency as well as vocabulary. Using video self- and peer modeling (VSM) is another strategy that promotes the use of technology to support students with learning difficulties. This strategy involves using edited videos that show the students themselves or their peers (students with similar or slightly advanced skills) demonstrating positive performance in reading fluency (Decker & Buggey, 2014). Additionally researchers Decker & Buggey, (2014), have proposed that viewing peer models has a positive impact on how students perceive themselves and their abilities to achieve similar results. This strategy will meet the diverse needs of the students that I teach to the extent that they would have a visual of the end goal and the realization that it is attainable thus increasing motivation to learn the skill. More specifically thoroughly modeling and practice they will increase in fluency skills. Decker & Buggey, (2014), further reported that based on their research findings the data indicated that students who participated in VSM with or without additional intervention showed outstanding results with student’s WCPM increasing on average by 45 WPM. Reading fluency is an important component of success in reading. Therefore, it is paramount that educators research and use a many evidence-based interventions as is needed to assist students with learning disabilities or students identified as at-risk for reading problems early on in their learning experience.

References Daley, E. J., III., Neugebauer, S., Chafouleas, S., & Skinner, C. H. (2015). Interventions for reading problems: Designing and evaluating effective strategies (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press Decker, M. M., & Buggery, T. (2014). Using video self- and peer modeling to facilitate reading fluency in children with learning disabilities. Journal on Learning Disabilities, 47(2), 167 - 177 Musti-Rao, S., Lo, Y., & Plati, E. (2015). Using an iPad app to improve sight word reading fluency for at-risk first graders. Remedial and Special Education, 36(3), 154-166