Barone, Diane M., and Morrow, Lesley Mandel. (2003). Literacy and young children: research-based practices. N.Y: Guilford Press.
Pp. v + 318
$28.00 ISBN 1-57230-819-2
Reviewed by Marilyn Murphy
Temple University
September 12, 2003
If timing is everything, then Literacy and Young Children: Research-based Practices is well positioned for the current education market. This volume presents the most current research-based practices in literacy for young children, focusing on what the teacher can do for the learner. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 has changed the national conversation on what works in education, and the climate is calling for evidence-based practices. Indeed, one of the Strategic Goals reported by the U. S. Department of Education in its Strategic Plan 2002-2007 is to transform education into an evidence-based field. The editors of this timely book rightly acknowledge the tension between research and practice that such a climate can augment, when dealing with the highly contextual world of education: “However, scientific research does not always take into account individual differences among children and teachers. Therefore, the art of teaching incorporated in this book considers individual differences between children…” (p. ix). The strength of this volume is that it respects both the art of teaching and the science of research, and is replete with both individual chapter-by-chapter syntheses of current research and objective information for teachers and learners concerned with literacy in young children.
The format of this book is balanced with most chapters presenting a discussion on the synthesis of the existing body of research on the particular theme of the chapter followed by constructivist activities for the classroom, or in some cases, actual case studies of the practices in implementation. It is claimed that the standard rule for change in schools requires 25% good ideas, and 75% how to get there. The structure of this book supports that ratio relatively well. All chapters conclude with a list of current references from leaders in the particular reading area of focus discussed in the chapter. The editors, Diane M. Barone and Lesley Mandel Morrow, have achieved a balanced presentation combining the intellectual caution of valid research with the practical caution of an experienced teacher. As researchers and educators themselves, they have managed to present the research in a way that is accessible and promising while never pretending to deliver a “silver bullet” approach.
The book is divided into five parts. Part I provides foundations for ways early learning and literacy are developed from the perspective of both the teacher and the learner. Chapter One by Lesley Mandel Morrow, Heather Casey, and Courtney Haworth presents ways to support staff development and includes two case studies that exemplify the range of learning styles not only for students, but for teachers as well. This chapter speaks to facilitating change in teaching to support the learning of students. It demonstrates the shift in outlook and perspective that occurs as two veteran teacher move from teacher as leader to teacher as learner, sensitizing the teacher to the processes and challenges involved in the learning experience.
Chapter Two by William H. Teale also deals with teachers and teaching, and poses a number of thoughtful questions not only about what is known, but about what is not known. With this particular chapter, the editors continue to develop the theme of educational research as highly contextual. The authors call for “contending rigorous and thoughtful theoretical and field-based investigations” (p. 41) is one that resonates strongly in the current educational climate. Included is a synthesis of what research is available and where the shortfalls are in the research base. Tiele also poses a series of thoughtful and intriguing theoretical questions, instructional questions, teacher education questions, and policy questions. Finally, this author considers what are some topics he feels receive more attention than they deserve. This can be dangerous territory, since much research negates earlier theories that were once thought to be unassailable.
Chapter Three by Irene W. Gaskins provides a specific twelve-part approach to achieving early literacy in Benchmark schools. While the chapter discussion is specific to Benchmark schools, the strategies and methods of this multi-dimensional approach would seem to translate well in part or in whole across non-program schools, with an emphasis on continually linking research and practice.
Chapter Four successfully transitions this section from theory to specific instances of learning as Shelley Hong Xu presents a case study of two students, Qing and Maria, and uses their schooling experiences to develop the linkages of the learner, the teacher, the text, and the context. The sociocultural aspects of literacy acquisition are examined and conclude with strategies encouraging teachers to master the creation of authentic and print-rich contexts in their all-English classrooms. This chapter sets the stage for the two chapters in Part II, and the discussion on home literacy experiences.
The two chapters in Part II are interesting and somewhat unusual because they do not specifically deal with the importance of the home environment in literacy development, a point which is presumably well documented and recognized at this stage in the educational community. What are presented are two discussions that are considerably less well documented.
In Chapter Five, Lisa Lenhart and Kathleen Roskos discuss the part that siblings and other family play in influencing the literacy development of their younger brothers and sisters. The authors present a case study of Hannah and Emma and the impact of the home environment as a powerful force in shaping literacy understanding. This is a chapter rich in narrative and illustrations, and it also provides specific helpful strategies in how all parents can support the learning of their children. In addition, it offers testimony to the importance of sibling support in establishing a supportive literacy environment, and discusses particular strategies for how families actively support literacy development. This discussion on the positive effects of siblings as natural coaches is a unique contribution to the research base on family involvement in literacy development.
Jeanne R. Paratore, Gigliana Melzi, and Barbara Krol-Sinclair in Chapter Six consider the experiences of Latino families in supporting the literacy development of their children to emphasize the efficacy and importance of recognizing the impact of multiliteracies, and the need for educators to look beyond the obvious sources of literacy when supporting the development of young children. The authors provide strategies and suggestions for products that are attainable in less affluent and mainstream communities, including monthly newsletters, home portfolios, and encouraging all parents to be classroom readers. These authors present a persuasive and compelling plea for teacher awareness in looking beyond the stereotype of less-affluent families being incapable of offering support for emerging literacies, to recognition of the alternate forms of literacy that could be possible.
Part II considers specific strategies for teachers and children as they learn about alphabetic sounds and concepts, and focuses on phonemic awareness, code learning, and book acting. In Chapter Seven, Judith A. Schickedanz presents strategies for engaging pre-schoolers in code learning, and argues for the use of direct instruction as opposed to formal instruction, in order for them to acquire letter name knowledge, phonemic awareness, and sound-letter association. She also presents a scripted scenario on a teaching moment and compares and critiques the styles of the two teachers involved in the process. Schickedanz considers providing a solid basis in these essential components of early literacy education essential to assure later success as the child’s literacy skills develop. “It is important that preschool educators continue to give careful thought o how they might improve code-related literacy learning, and that the benefits of such consideration reach children without delay. “ (p. 138)
In Chapter Eight, Marcia Invernizzi provides lively testimony to strategies aimed at engaging young readers as they explore concepts, sounds, and the ABC’s. She encourages use of performance-based strategies to stimulate the learner’s understanding of vague concepts, such as syllable, rhyme, etc. The author offers specific strategies, manipulatives, web sites, and reading material in a thoughtful and careful balance of research and practice.
Chapter Nine by Lea M. McGee is also replete with implementation advice in her discussion of Book Acting as a device for engaging children in literacy. She first presents the body of research on the efficacy of story retelling and drama as it relates to increasing children’s language and literary concepts, and then gives specific advice for replicating Book Acting in the classroom. McGee posits that “The ability to engage children in a story so deeply that they adopt its literary language, explore the motivation of the characters, and try out multiple ways of being in a character’s role, is effective in promoting children’s literacy and language growth.” (p. 158) Included is a list of possible book titles that make for energetic and effective retelling (Book Acting), and includes such standard and obtainable titles as Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Gingerbread Man.
Part IV considers what are the recent trends in literacy research, and includes chapters on technology, fluency, and informational text. Chapter Ten by Rachel A. Karchmer, Marla H. Mallette, and Donald J. Leu, Jr., considers the topic of early literacy in a digital age. In this chapter, the authors look at the potential of the information and communication technologies as a source for developing a multiliteracy perspective rather than using computers in the more traditional way to support a singular written literacy. They argue for early exposure to these digital tools to prepare students not only for their future immersion in computers, but to enlarge upon their early and natural propensity for the visual literacies, gradually expanding into the multiple literacies suggested by such scholars as The New London Group (2000). The chapter is replete with Internet web sites and useful Internet resources, and also with suggestions on how educators are currently using the digital resources to creatively support literacy development. They conclude with a call to move beyond “singular book literacy.” (p. 190)
Steven A. Stahl in Chapter Eleven tackles the difficulties of motivation and fluency development with struggling readers with sensitivity and creativity. This chapter reviews the traditional methods and research when educators deal with “struggling readers.” However, Stahl suggests providing instructional scaffolding to build the readers’ confidence and numerous other concrete strategies to provide evidence to the poor reader that progress is being made. He cautions against praising inappropriately, but rather suggests a course where real progress can be acknowledged, and ways that “effective teachers make all children part of the same classroom community.” (p. 204) This chapter recognizes the need for both reading skills, and motivational tools that will halt a growing reading achievement gap between poor readers and their class peers.
Melanie Kuhn’s Chapter Twelve builds on the topic of fluency by presenting specific strategies to help transition the young reader from simple decoding to prosodic, expressive reading and increased comprehension. She provides a concise explanation of terms followed by useful research-based fluency strategies in assisted and non-assisted formats. Also provided is a fluency scale to assist in determining levels of current fluency. Kuhn’s chapter makes this emerging topic not only accessible to the educator, but provides a range of practical strategies that could be implemented on Monday morning.
Nell K. Duke, V. Susan Bennet-Armistead, and Ebony M. Roberts in Chapter Thirteen present a cogent argument for the increased use of informational texts in grades pre-K-3. Their discussion is interesting because it presents three “Unsupported Beliefs”—young children cannot handle informational text, young children do not like informational text, and young children should first learn to read and then read to learn—and then proceeds to debunk them. They also acknowledge that no “large scale evaluation of the impact” of incorporating informational text reading into the early grades can have a positive impact on early literacy. Several suggestions for classroom strategies to implement informational reading are included, among them a suggestion that young children be introduced to reading as research, a skill which would seem useful on many levels in increasing schooling success.
Renee M.Casbergue and Mary Beth Plauce use the topic of fostering emergent research and writing as a springboard for the discussion in Chapter Fourteen on immersing children in non-fiction. Plauce uses case studies from her own multi-age K-2 classroom to demonstrate and illustrate the grasp of expository writing by students whose abilities varied widely. The illustrations support the authors’ contention that: “When teachers allow students to concentrate on content first and create an environment in which the information presented is given as much information as the quality of the writing, students become very willing, indeed eager, to document the things they learn.” (p. 258) The authors also discuss selection strategies teachers can easily implement in their own classrooms to build a library around both expository and informational texts suitable for all ages and stages of development.
Chapter Fifteen builds on the discussion on expository text, as Carol Vukelich, Christine Evans, and Bonnie Albertson consider the importance of learning how to organize expository texts. The authors model strategies for teaching this skill and provide examples of the various forms of expository text structures. Although the authors model the process and diagrams they suggest using, they do not indicate the increased time that would be involved in actually implementing their diagrams and flow charts into the classrooms of young children. They acknowledge that insufficient research exists on the topic of organizing expository texts and suggest that this area would seem to be a good candidate for future research.
In the final chapter of the book, editor Diane M. Barone uses a series of vignettes documenting various successful and unsuccessful strategies that were implemented in classrooms. She uses this technique as a closing caution that all the research and all the applications discussed throughout this book are to be approached with caution and a dose of good sense. She states: “Clearly, it is important for teachers to retain their own good sense about their students and instruction when adapting these newer strategies in their classrooms.” (p. 306) She, along with several of her co-authors, also clearly articulate a need for gradual, focused change in their teaching practice, working on developing effective smaller changes before moving on to larger ones. Respect for teachers and teaching is prevalent throughout this volume, along with consideration of contextuality as a crucial variable in teaching. In her final thoughts, Barone speaks to this issue: “Rather, strategies and techniques must be adapted to the contextual experiences of the teacher and learners at the moment of engagement—whereby the student is moved to a newer, more refined level of knowledge and understanding.” (p. 306) It is this sort of cautionary advice and reliance on professional wisdom for what works that adds credibility and accessibility to the strategies in this useful volume.
In a recent edition of Educational Researcher, a question was posed as to what would a knowledge base for the profession (teaching) look like and where would we get one? (Hiebert, Gallimore & Stigler, 2002). Volumes using a format such as this one offer an effective strategy for compiling such a base, if not actually creating one. Hiebert, Gallimore & Stigler (2002) note that the work of researchers could become more relevant with a system in place to digest and transform their general feelings into professional knowledge for teaching. As part of a regional educational laboratory, one element of our mission is to disseminate research-based information to a wide variety of stakeholders, including educators. One of the challenges is to present concise, targeted research that is also linked to practice. Educators need access to research that has meaning for their work, and more than most professions, in this age of accountability their time is minimal at best. A volume such as this fulfills a valuable service by presenting an overview of the available research, and linking it to the professional wisdom of what works in the classroom.
References
Hiebert, J., Gallimore, R., & Stigler, J. (2002). A Knowledge Base for the Teaching Profession: What Would It Look Like and How Can We Get One? Educational Researcher, 3(5), 4-15.
The New London Group. (2000). A pedagogy of multiliteracies designing social futures. In B. Cope & M. Kalantzis (Eds.), Multiliteracies: Literacy learning and the design of social futures. London: Routledge.
U. S. Department of Education, Strategic Plan 2002-2007.
About the Reviewer
Marilyn Murphy is Director of Outreach and Dissemination for the Laboratory for Student Success, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory. She is also a doctoral student at Temple University, School of Education. Her current research interests include the development of metaphor as a critical thinking tool in children; the influences of gender on literacy development in children; how context and politics influence educational research.
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