In Baltimore, community volunteers help students with low test scores read more quickly and memorize their multiplication tables:
The program involves community volunteers meeting with pupils three to five times a week for about 15 minutes to practice reading "sight words" - words that pupils should be able to read without sounding them out. They also help pupils improve reading fluency - the accuracy and speed at which a child reads - and memorize multiplication tables.
Last fall, about 30 pupils participated in the program based on standardized tests showing that they needed more help with reading and math...
The development of the program was based on research by educational consultants who believe learning is enhanced when students are taught a ratio of 70 percent known information to 30 percent unknown information...
The first, known as the Drill Sandwich, involves using a ratio of known to unknown words to help pupils identify sight words. On a weekly basis, the schoolchildren are given word lists to study, and volunteers test the pupils' knowledge of the words during sessions...
The second technique, Repeated Reading, entails having children read passages from books that are familiar and unfamiliar. Volunteers count the number of words read correctly and use a graph to chart progress.
As for the math? Oh, they used flash cards. Some "progressive" types might hate "drill-and-kill", but a kid who hasn't developed an automatic understanding of the basic math skills simply won't be able to progress any further.
Posted by kswygert at February 11, 2004 03:58 PM