DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 252 701 CE 040 497

AUTHOR Wo tt, Michael E.; Kendall, ElizabethTITLE Assxt, Students in Achieving Basic Reading Skills.

Modul^ M-1 of Category M--Assisting Students inImproN ng Their Basic Skills. Professional TeacherEducation Module Series.

INSTITUTION Ohio State Univ., Columbus. National Center forResearch in Vocational Education.

SPONS AGENCY Department of Education, Washington, DC.REPORT NO ISBN-0-89606-169-8PUB DATE 85NOTE 52p.; For related documents, see ED 249 373, ED 250

531, and CE 040 498.AVAILABLE FROM American Association for Vocational Instructional

Materials, 120 Driftmier Engineering Center,University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602.

PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use - Materials (For Learner)(051)

EDRS PRICEDESCRIPTORS

MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.Case Studies; Classroom Environment; ClassroomTechniques; Cloze Procedure; *C:Impetency BasedTeacher Education; *Content kzea Reading; EducationalNeeds; Fused Curriculum; Guidelines; IndividualizedInstruction; Informal Reading Inventories; LearningModules; Material Development; Needs Assessment;Postsecondary Education; *Reading Instruction;*Reading Skills; Secondary Education; SkillDevelopment; Student Evaluation; Teacher Education;*Teaching Methods; Vocabulary Development;*Vocational Education; Vocational EducationTeachers

ABSTRACTThis learning module, one of a series of 127

performance-based teacher education learning packages focusing onspecific professional competencies of vocational teachers, deals withthe task of assisting students in achieving basic reading skills.Addressed in the individual learning experiences included in themodule are the following topics: the role of the vocationalinstructor in developing students' reading skills; creation of anappropriate environment; assessment of students' reading needs andabilities to handle instructional materials using such techniques asthe cloze procedure; and techniques and strategies to use in helpingstudents improve reading skills (teaching technical vocabulary,providing practical reading knowledge and tips, using seeding games,supplementing reading assignments, individualizing reading help, andproviding practice and reinforcement). Each learning experiencecontains an objective, one or more learning activities, and afeedback activity. The module provides student teachers with anopportunity to examine case studies, develop their own instructionalmaterials, and assist students in developing reading skills in anactual teaching situation. (MN)

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FOREWORDT his module is one of a series of 127 performance-based teachereducation (PBTE) learning packages focusing upon specific pro -fessioriat competencies of vocational teachers The competencies upon which these modules are based were identified andverified through research as being important to successful voca-tional teaching at both the secondary and postsecondary levelsof instruction The modules are suitable for the preparation ofteachers and (INK occupational trainers in all occupational areas

ach module provides learning expenences that integrate theoryand application, each culminates with crterien-referenced assess-

ent of the teacher s (instruct 'S. trainer's) performance of thespecified competency The materials are designed for use byfeacheisi training working individually or in groups under thedirection And with the assistance of teacher educators or othersacting LiS i esource persons Resource peisons should be skilledin the teacher competencies being developed and should bethoroughly oriented to FBI E concepts and procedures beforeusing these materials

The design of the materials provides considerable flexibility forplanning and conducting performance-based training programshot preservice and inservice teachers. as well as business.industry labor trainers. to meet a wide variety of individual needsand interests The materials are intended for use by universitiesand colleges state departments of education. postsecondary in-stitutions tonal education agencies, and others responsible forthe professional development of vocational teachers and otheroccupational trainers

I he PBTE curriculum packages in Category M.AssistingStudents in Improving Their Basic Skills--are designed to enablevocational teachers and other occupational trainers to integratethe teaching and reinforcement of basic skills into their regularvocational instruction The modules are based upon 85 teachercompetencies identified as essential for vocational teachers toteach and to reinforce basic communication. computation, andemployment skills as pan of the ongoing occupational educationprogram

Many individuals and institutions have contributed to the research.development. testing, and revision of these significant trainingmaterials Appreciation is extended to the following individu-als who. as members of the OACUM analysis panel. assisted

*IE WNW CENTERFBI PIRO" IN WHEW EDUCATION

Tr* (110 S 1 Al LIMA' RSITNto r X r t iY Roan cot woos QIpC 4.1:,ki

The National Center for Research in Vocational Education's rmsSion is to increase the ability of diverse agencies. institutions. and.i.1..iizat.oris to sot' 3 educational probtems relating to mdiv pjai

"4- planning, OreParalion. and progression The National Centerits mission by

Generating knowledge through researchDeveloping educational programs and productsEvaluating individual program needs and outcomesProviding informahon for national punning and policyinsraiiing educational programs and productsOuerating information SysternS and servicesConducting leadership development and training programs

National Center staff in the identification of the teacher competency statements upon which this category of modules is basedMilton Arnold. Lewis Cain. William Chandler. Jim Frazier. JackieMarshall. Teresa Paige, Thomas Peterson, Marie Schernaz. andNancy Underwood.

Field testing of the materials was carried out with the assistanceof field-site coordinators. teacher educators. students. directorsof staff development, and others at the following institutionsUniversity of Alabama-Birmingham; Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute. New Mexico; University of Central Florida.Dupage Area Vocational Education Authority, Wisconsin: HollandCollege, P El., Canada: Seminole Community College. Flonda.University of Southern Maine. and Temple University, Pennsyl-vania.

Special recognition for map individual roles in the developmentof these materials is extended to tha following National CenterStaff: Lucille Campbell-Tbrarie. Associate Director. DevelopmentDivision. and James B. Hamilton, Program Director. for leader-ship and direction of the protect: Lois G. Harrington and MichaelE. Wonacott. Program Associates. for module quality control.Cheryl M. Lowry, Research Specialist. for developing illustrationspecifications; Barbara Shea for art work; Adonia Simandiuntak.Graduate Research Associate. for assistance in field-test datasummarisation: and Catherine C. King-Fitch and Michael E.Wonacott. Program Associates. for revision of the materials follow-ing -NM testing.Special recognition is also extended to the staff at AAVIM for theirinvaluable contributions to the quality of the final printed products.particularly to Donna Pritchett for module layout. design. and finalart work. and to George W. Smith. Jr for supervision of themodule production process.

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Robert E TaylorExecutive DirectorThe National Center for Research inVocational Education

AMERICAN ASSOCIATIONFOR VOCATIONALINSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALSThe Nations/ Institute for frisfrucfrona 4.4.0(-41,

120 Drittmier Engineering CenterAthens. Georgia 30602

The American Association for Vocational lastructional MaterialsCAAVIM1 is a nonprofit national institute

The institute is a cooperative effort of universities. colleges anddivisions of vocational and technical education in the United Statesand Canada to provide for excellence in instructional materials

Direction is given oy a representative from each of the slates.provinces and territories AAVIM also works closely with teacherorganizations government agencies and industry

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INTRODUCTION

EMost workers today need to be able to read in

order to survive in the world of work. Can you imag-o ine an occupational area or specific job position in

which a worker would never have to read in orderto perform? Is there a company that never sends outmemos, notices, or policies for its employees to read?Can you think of a situation in which any worker wouldnot want to be able to read the voucher accompany-ing his. her weekly paycheck?

However, not all the students in your vocational-technical program will have the basic reading skillsthey will need in the world of work. Students' read-ing skills have bOcome a Matter of national concernof late. Educatorsgeneral and vocationaland thepublic alike are concerned over declining scores onreading achievement tests. There is an increasinglyurgent feeling that something must be

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As a vocational-technical teacher. you can assiststudents in achieving the basic reading skills theywill need on the job. You canand shouldensurethat each student leaves 'your program equipped withall the skills he or she will needboth in obtainingemployment and in advancing in a career.

This module is des oned to give you skill in as-sisting students in achieving basic reading skills. Itsinformation and practice activities will enable you to(1) create an environment in your own classroom orlaboratory that is appropriate for reading, (2) assessindividual students' reading needs. and (3) use a va-riety of strategies and techniques to help individualstudents gain needed basic reading skills.

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ABOUT THIS MODULEObjectivesUniting' Obese: In an actual teaching stbadton. as-

studtmts basic meg slat Nbur perky-mance wilt be f = by your resotaroe person usingthe Teacher Pertemance Assessment Fonn, pip. 45-46(I-earning Expedencett).

Enabling objectives:1 After completing the required reading. critique the per-

formance of the teachers described in given casestudies in preparing to assist their students in improv-ing their basic reading skills (Learning Experience I)

2 After completing the required reading. develop mate-rials that could be used by students in your own vo-cationalechnical program to improve their basic read-ing skills (Learning Experience II).

PrerequisitesThe modules in Category M are not designed for the pro-spective teacher with no prior training and or expenenceThey assume that you have achieved a minimal level ofcontent knowledge in your occupational specialty andskill in the core teacher competencies of instructionalplanning execution. and evaluation. They then build onor expand that knowledge and skill level. specifically inTerms of assisting students in improving their basic skills.

ResourcesA list of the outside resources that supplement those con-tained within the module follows Check with your re-souice person 11)10 determine the availability and the lo-,tholl of these resources. (2) to locate additional references

in your occupational specialty. and (3) to get assistancesetting up activities with peers or observations of skilled

teachers if net;essary Your resource person may also beontacted if you have any difficulty with directions or iniyii-.,ssinq your progress at any time

Learning Experience Ioptionai

A reacting speciarist with whom you can discuss Oasit !editing skills4 . iv of tne Slosson Oral Reading Test (SORT, thatyou can review in order to determine its approprigteneSs for use in your own programReference Smith Frank Reading Without Non-Nense New York NY Columbia University Teachers(,oilene Teachers College Press 1978

Learning Experience IIRequired

A short reading that you could assign to students ina program you are or wilt be teaching

Learning Experience IIIRequired

An actual teaching situation in which you can assiststudents in achieving basic reading skills.A resource person to assess your competency in as-sisting students in achieving basic reading skills

General InformationFor information about the general organization of eachperformance-based teacher education (PBTE) module.general procedures for its use. and terminology that iscommon to all the modules. see About Using the NationalCenters PBTE Modules on the inside back cover. For morein-depth information on how to use the modules in teachertrainer education programs. you may wish to refer to threerelated doCuments.

The Student Guide to Using Performance-Based TeacherEducation Matenals is designed to help orient eraser vice andinservice teachers and occupational trainers to PBTE in gen-eral and to the PBTE materials

The Resource Person Guide to Using Performance-BasedTeacher Education Materials can help prospective resourcepersons to guide and assist preservire and inservice teachersand occupational trainers in the development of professionalreaching competencies through use of PBTE modules If alsoincludes lists of all the module competencies. as well as alisting of the supplementary resources and the addresses wherethey can be obtained

The Guide to the Implementaton of Performance -BascomTeacher Education is designed to help those who will admin.'stet the PBTE program ft contains answers to implementa-tion questions possible solutions to problems and alternativecourses 01 Acton

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Learning Experience I Is

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Nbu wIl be remOng the Case !Nudes. pp. 19-20. and critiquing the perfor-mance of the teachers descreed.

wiil be evtalatbrg your comma:Icyin improving

cridqubig the teachers' perfor-mance in preparbg ft) assist students their basic reacarg skdb;

,by comparing your completed cridques wdh the Model Critiques, pp. 21-22.

6

Activity Reading is one occupational skill that some of your rtudents may lack Forinformation on your role in assisting students in achieving basic reading skillsand steps to take in preparing to fulfill your role, read the following inform&lion sheet.

BASIC READING: A VOCATIONAL SKILLIt is unfortunately true that some students today

lack basic readir* skillsthe ability to read andcomprehend words (word recognition), sentences.and larger elements such as paragraphs and directions. For whatever reason. even secondary andpostsecondary students sometimes cannot read attheir grade levels. In fact. it is not uncommon forvocational-technical teachers to discover that someof their students read only at a very low level, some-times as low as third or fourth grade.

Not all students. of course, read at levels this lowSome students read at higher levels but still do notread as well as thf4 will need to in the world of workStudents who lack the reading skills required in theworld of work are at a disadvantage in finding andretaining employment. Thus. students who lack re-quired reading skills become a matter of concern foryou. the vocational-technical instructor.

How is this so? Isn't teaching reading the respon-sibility of teachers in the primary grades? For thatmatter. isn't the lob of improving students' readingskills the responsibility of trained specialists--theremedial reading teacher. for example? The answerto both questions is both yes and no.

7

Teaching students to read is generally consideredto be the responsibility of primary school teachersThe fact remains, however, that some students simplydo not acquire basic reading skills in the primarygrades. Worrying about whose fault it is does nothelp those students who lack the basic reading skillsthey need.

It is also generally agreed that reading remedia-lion Is primarily the responsibility of trained special-ists. Teaching reading is a field unto itself. It requiresa specific set of knowledge. skills, and attitudes. lustas your own occupational specialty does.

Yet. in spite of these two considerations. you dohave a responsibility. as a vocational-technical in-structor, for helping your students acquire the read-ing skills they will need for entry into the world ofwork. This is part of your overall responsibility forpreparing students for employability.

This overall responsibility is usually defined asproviding students with the knowledge. skills. andattitudes they will need for success in the trade orvocation. This set of competencies is often carefullydefined and specified in an occupational analysis.which specifies the requirements for entry-levelcompetence in the current. local labor market.

A close look at occupational analyses for your vo-cational service areaplus common sense and yourown personal experienceshould make it clear toycu that reading is a skill that almost all beginningworkers should have. It is hard to imagine an occu-pational area in which even beginning workers wouldnever need to read anything

For example. a beginning painter, from the veryfirst day on the job, would probably have to read twothings: the work order telling what color and kind ofpaint to use and the label on the paint can. A ship-ping clerk. even upon lob entry, would need to beable to read Invoices and the labels on packing crates

For that matter. any worker should be able to readon doorsEMPLOYEES ONLY. NO SMOK-

1 or PRIVATE. for exampleand act accord-ingly And. all workers should be able to read theirown paychecks and pay vouchers, notices from su-pervisors or management. or posted safety re-minders.

Your RoleYou can see, then. that reading is often. if not al-

ways. an occupational skill. Helping your studentsacquire this skill is part of your job. How you fulfillthis responsibility will depend. to some extent. onyour own situation.

There may be remedial specialists in your schoolor college who are assigned the major responsibeityfor providing reading instruction to students who lackbasic reading skills. If this is the case. your respon-sibility will be. in part. to work with the specialist. Youcan provide this person with relevant technical vo-cabulary and reading materials. The specialist canuse these to ensure that the reading instruction isrelevant to each students occupational area.

Your school or college might. on the other hand.assign the responsibility for reading instruction toother teachersfor example. English teachers. Inthis case, you would work with them just as you wouldwith a remedial specialist, providing vocabulary andmaterials for their use.

It is possible. however. that there are no remedialspecialists in your institution. And, if you are teach-ing at a postsecondary institution, some of your stu-dents may not be enrolled in English classes. In ad-dition, some state; have passed legislation requiringthat all teachers acquire training in teaching read-ing. regardless of their own area of specialization.Such legislation reflects a growing concern in soci-ety at large about students' levels of basic skills.

All in all, whether you work alone or with others,by state mandate or on your own initiative, there ismuch you can do to help students achieve basicreading skills. Within your own vocational technicalinstruction, you can and should help your studentsto improve their skill in reading and comprehendingwords, sentences. and larger written elements.

Before you can provide this help. however. youwill need to do some basic preparation. completingtwo simple steps'Its follows:

Create en appropriate environment. The en-vironment in your classroom or laboratory shouldbe conducive to reading. You should demon-strate a positive attitude toward reading andmotivate your students to improve their basicreading skills.

Assess students' reading needs. VW will needto identify the Vasic reading skills required forentry into the o'xupation for which your stu-dents are training. Then. you can identify stu-dents with possible reading problems and as-sess their individual reading skills, includinggeneral reading levels and specific problemareas.

Lett take a closer look at these two steps

8

Create an Appropriate Environment

Creating a positive environment is a very impor-tant part of your preparation. Many students, espe-cially those with low basic reading skills. may havenegative feelings toward reading. Perhaps reading.in their own experience, has never been pleasur-able or helpful. Perhaps they found reading instruc-tion in the primary grades boring or irrelevant.

In addition, most of your students are probablyadults or young adults. It is often very difficult for anadult to admit to a lack of basic reading skills. Ybucan probably imagine how embarrassing it could benot to be able to read well when it seems that every-one else around you can. For this reason, your stu-dents may be very sensitive about the idea of im-proving their basic reading skills.

You can. first, make students aware of the rolereading will play on the job. Students who say suchthings as -I don't need to read just to work on cars!"very likely just don't know any better. You can easilyeducate them simply by telling them about the kindsof materials theywIll need to read: trouble-shootingand repair manuals, specification sheets. work or-ders, schematic diagrams, menus and recipes. pa-tients' records, catalogs, children's books, or what-ever pertains to your service area.

It could be very effective to bring into your class-room or lab someone who cLrrently works in the oc-cupational area and who could talk to students aboutthe importance of reading in their work. While stu-dents might lake the attitude that you. who are -justa teacher," really don't know what its all about. theywon't be able to say this of a successful worker froma local business or industry

You should also acquaint students with the factthat many supervisors and employers see basicreading skills as an occupational asset. Studentsneed to know that reading is not something doneonly for *ethers. Once they have finished your pro-gram, they will not have finished with reading. Basicreading skills may welt be a prerequisite for ad-vancement in students' chosen careers. Thus. theneed for basic reading skills, and the benefits ofhaving them, wilt continue throughout their lives

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You can also motivate your students by using theirspecial vocational interests. Imagine. for example. afloriculture student who is particularly interested ingrading orchids. An excellent way to motivate thisstudent to improve basic reading skills would be toprovide materials (e.g.. books. articles. and pam-phlets) on orchids.

This student's special interest in orchids might beall that he or she needs to take that first step in im-proving basic reading skills. The student can dis-cover that. with basic reading skills. a wealth of information on orchidsor any other special interestis just waiting to be tapped.

9ii

Assess Students' Reading Needs

In preparing to help students to improve their ba-sic reading skills, you will also need to assess theirindividual reading needs. There are three major thingsto consider here. First. you will need to know whatbasic reading skills are required for entry into theoccupations for which students are training.

Second, with basic reading requirements in mind.you should identify students with possible readingproblems and carefully assess those individualproblems, so tnat you can plan to provide the kindof help that each student needs.

Finally. you will need to know whether studentswill be able to handle your instructional materials.For'students whose reading problems prevent themfrom learning from .course materials in their presentform. you will need either to adapt the materials tothe students' skills or to assist the students in usingthe materials.

Occupational RequirementsYou will need first to deterniThe what basic reading

skills your students will need in the occupations theyhope to enter. To identify these requirements. youcould begin by reviewing an occupational analysisor competency profile for each student's chosen ca-reer goal. You should examine each task or com-petency statement to determine whether skill inreading is required in performing the task.

You may find task statements in which reading skillsare explicitly described. In a competency profile forthe occupation of shipping clerk, for example. youmight find the task statement. Read freight invoices.You should make a note of these task statements asyou identify them.

In other cases. it will be necessary to use yc . rjudgment and personal experience to determinewhether individual tasks require the use of basicreading skills. As you review each task or compe-tency statement. you can ask yourself one simplequestion. Does the worker need to read in order toperform this task?

For instance. students in a restaurant manage-ment program may need to achieve competency inthe task. Inventory existing stock of food and sup--piles Would This task require reading? Think abouthow a worker would conduct such an inventory.

In all probability the worker would use an inven-tory form (a list of food and supplies ordinarily kepton hand) and check to see if the items listed are instock. This would require readingboth the wordson the form and the words on the labels on boxes.cans. and containers in the storeroom. Thus. per-forming this task would require one of the basicreading skills: word recognition.

Other tasks or competencies might require skill enreading and comprehending sentences, pare-gr*phs, or directions. Workers in many areas havetoread and understand work orders. job sheets, op-

'eraton manuals, or customer correspondence. Otherworkers must read such items as recipes.. menus.written doctors' orders. reference manuals, cata-logs, or Wholesalers' sales and service Policies.

You should also review your own personal expe-rience as a practitioner in the specialty area. Youcan probably identify most of the reading requiredon the job through reviewing occupational analyses.But is there, in your experience, other reading thatworkers are likely to have to do in their prospectivejob settings?

1012

For example. in the occupations students aretraining for, are they likely to encounter Such thingsas written Rotes from supervisors about their dayswork assignments? Will there be safety signs andreminders that students will need_to read and under-stand (e.g.. DANGER, TURN POWER OFF BE-FORE UNPLUGGING MACHINE. or SAFETYGLASSES AND HARD HATS REQUIRED}

A you determine students' occupational readingrequirements. you should remember that not all stu-dents will necessarily need to meet the same re-quirements. Different students may have differentcareer goals and, consequently, may be trainjng toachieve different sets of occupational competen.cies. If this is the case in your Class. you shoto( conyseder how differences in goals will affect individualreading require rent ;. I

Your goal an ::Iponsibility, of Arse. is to helpyour students to achieve the basic reading skiffs theywill need for entry into the world of work. If they needon:y to be able to read and comprehend words, yourobligation could end there.

On the other hand, you should always be willingto help your students to achieve the basic readingskills they want. If students want to go beyond min-imal occupational requirements. you should. by all'means. provide them with the opportunity to do so.Certainly you should never discourage a student'sdesire to go beyond the bare minimum.

Individual AssessmentWith occupational reading requirements in mind,

then. you should be on the lookout for students whofall short of those requirements. This doesn't meanthat you should interrupt your teaching to giveeveryone a reading test. Rather. you need to ob-serve students' performance in the classroom, look-ing for behaviors that indicate that a student may behaving trouble with the kinds of reading he or shewill need to do on the job.

For example. depending on occupational require-ments. the following might signal that a stucL.nt needshelp.

Inability or reluctance to read aloudFailure to complete assignments that requirereadingInability to spellOr; writeInability to follow written directionsInability to read the chalkboard, bulletin board.posters. etc.Inabitity to locate information in a manual orcatalogInability to extract information from a chart

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You don't have to set up special observation situ-ations. In fact, this would probably intimidate stu-dents. and they might not perform as well as theyare actually able to. It will be sufficient just to be onthe lookout for these signs as you interact with stu-dents during the course of normal instruction.

Ybu should, of course, make some record of yourobservationsa brief note or two describing whatyou have observedas soon as you can do so oon-veiriently and unobtrusively. You don't need to keepformal, detailed records: you do need to documentyour Observations se that you don't have to rely onyour memory

When you have identified a student with possiblereading problems. you should conduct a careful as-sessment of that student's reading proficiency. Youneed ti determine. first of all, Whether the studentreally does have reading problems. If there is a

/ problem. your assessment will help you determinethe extent of the problem, so that you can plan tooffer the student the help he or she needs.

One approach to assessment is to use the resultsof standardized reading achievement tests, whichmany institutions routinely administer to students atregular intervals. The results of these tests can gen-erally be -found in students' cumulative records.

11413

lbu should consult counselors in your school orcollege for help in interpreting and understanding in-formation in the cumulative records. You may not befamiliar with the scoring systems used in standard-ized reading tests. Counselors have the expertise toassist you in accurately interpreting this and otherinformation in the records.

l'bu may. for example, find anecdotal commentsabout students' reading skills in the records. Suchcomments might tell you a lot about a student, butthey do have some limitations. First, the teacher whomade the comments may not have been completelyobjective. Teachers, like everyone, are human andmay at times let their feelings color their perceptionsof students. Furthermore, some classroom teachersmay not have had the expertise in reading assess-ment to form' an aegade judgment of a student'sbasic reading skillS. Their comments, thus, may beobjective but not accurate.

You should also consider whether the informationin the records is up to date. A comment about a stu-dent's reading skills in the fourth grade is np lowerpertinent six or eight years later. It is quite possiblethat the student's basic reading skills have improvedconsiderably in the intervening time.

Standardized reading test results should some-times be treated with caution. This may be espe-cially true for students with limited English profi-ciency or for those who are members of racial: ethnicminority groups. Many experts criticize standardizedtests on the grounds of bias. claiming that these testsare valid only for students who come from a partic-ular backgroundwhite, middle-class, English-speaking. and Anferican-bom. Your school or col-lege counselors should. again, be able to point outthe possibility of such bias in the test results you findin students' records.

In addition. you must avoid prejudging studentsbased on information you find in records. Lowachievement in the past does not necessarily meanlow achievement in the present.If you stereotype astudent, assuming that earlier low achievement willcontinue. you may be setting up a self-fulfillingprophecy: you expect the student to fail, treat thestudent as though he she will fail, and the expects-

, lion becomes a reality.

Finally. information in students' records may notbe pertinent to your program. Depending on yourservice area and -an . individual student's occupa-tional goals, that student's ability to read academictexts may have limited relevance to his or her abilityto do the required occupational readingperhapsusing a technical manual. reading a recipe. follow-ing directions on a can label, or reading a blueprint.Research is beginning to show that vocational reed-ing can be quite different from academic reading.Thus. you should be cautious about putting too muchemphasis on nonvocational reading measures.

If you do use existing scores, remember that theinforrnalion you find in students' records should bekept irfthe strictest confidence. Yiati should sharethis information only with appropriate personnel inaccordance with your institution's policy and right-to-know regulations.

If you do not find existing information on the read-ing proficiency of individual students, you should findout whether, in your school or college. individualreading assessment is considered to be the re-sponsibility of teachers or of specialistscounse-lors, reading teacheN, or English teachers, for ex-ample.

If a specialist is charged with the responsibility forassessment, you should share with that person yourobservations concerning your students, indicatingthose with possible reading problems. The special-ist can then perform the required assessment, shar-ing and explaining the results with you. At that time.the specialist may also have specific motions forhelping students in achieving the basic reading skillsthey wilineed.

If you must condtfct your own assessments, youshould focus on the three areas of basic reading skills(reading and understanding words, sentences, andlarger elements). You should conduct your assess-ment in a nonthreatening manner. Students shouldknow that they are not being graded and that this isnot a passlair situation. Students should not feel thatthey are being singled out because they lack skill,but rather that you are acting positively, on their be-half, to offer them help.

A good assessment technique to use is to admin-ister word recognition and comprehension ex-ercises to your students: Nbu can devise your ownexercises, using technical vocabulary from your ownoccupational specialty. Nbu could also check withother qualified personnel in your school or college.

Counselors, reading specialists, and Englishteachers. for example, may be able to identify orsupply you with vocabulary exercises and compre-hension exercises (sentences, paragraphs, and @-rections). Finally, there are compreoension exit-cises available from many commercial publishers thatyou could obtain and administer to your students.

Sample 1 snows a word recognition exercise. Theexercise in the sample was prepared for students ina woodworking and cabinetmaking program. All thevocabulary in the exercise is simple and basic. Thepoint of the assessment is not to stump students,but rather to find out what they can read. You wouldadminister an exercise suth.as this by giving a stti*dent a copy of it and having him, her read the wordsaloud to you. You would then make a notez--per-haps on another copy of the exerciseof whetherthe student read each word correctly or incorrectly.

12 14

SAMPLE 1IIP

WORD FIECOGNITI EXERCISE

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birchwarpptiOchsetPilowootveneerdock,borecherrythinnerPaint

Sample 2 illustrates a comprehension exerciseone designed for students in a retail merchandisingprogram. The exercise consists of a short narrative,using simple technical vocabulary and sentences.The Student reads the paragraph and answers thesimple questions after it. The student's responsesshow whether hei she comprehended the narrative.Again, the purpose of the exercise is not to ask com-plicated or trick questions about the narrative. Youshould, instead. ask questions that focus on the mainpoints of the narrative to determine whether the stu-dent understands the passage.

Sample 3 is an exercise to test for comprehensionof written directionsin thfp case for a simple taskin office occupations. If elop your own exer-cises for comprehension of directions, you shouldensure that the task outlined in he directions issimple, requiring only technical vocabulary that stu-dents already know

Furthermore, the task should be absolutely free ofdanger. Since some students may not follow the di-rections correctly, there should be no chance thatthey could injure theme ::ivesin trying to use a pieceof equipment, for example. Also, the task should notinvolve the use of ex oensive equipmer that couldbe damaged through misuse or the use of consum-ables that would be expensive to replace.

To administer an exercise such as the one insample 3, you would give a student a copy of theexercise and observe himrher carrying out the direc-tions given. You should watch carefully as the stu-dent carries out each step. noting whether he shedoes so correctly or incorrectly.

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You will note that there are no directions to thestudent on either the word recognition exercise orthe first comprehension exercise. Ordinarily, ofcourse, directions are always included so that stu-ck:tilts know exactly what is expected of them. In thesecases, however, you should give oral directions onwhat to do. All that you want to do in the first twoexercises is determine students' skill in reading andcomprehending words, sentences, and paragraphs.'Jou should not, therefore, make their success in thesetasks dependent on their skill in reading and com-prehending directions.

On the other hand, directions to the student areappropriate in the exercise for comprehension ofwritten directions, since that is the purpose of theexercise. 1tur directions should, of course, be clearand simple. telling students exactly what they aresupposed to do with the sr feet of paper.

Ability to Handle Instructional MaterialsUp to now we have been talking about assessing

students' ability to do on-the-job reading. But that'snot all there is to a student's reading needs. Gettingthe course content across to students usually in-volves some readingoften a textbook: perhapstechnical manuals, operation sheets, or other writ-ten materials. liou need to know whether your stu-dents can handle your instructional materials. And ifyou find that some students can't, you will need todecide how to help them so that reading difficultiesdon't prevent them from learning what they need toknow.

One way to assess students' ability to handle yourinstructional materials is to compare reading lev-elsthose of your students with those of your ma-terials. Reading levels are generally expressed ingrade levels (e.g., he/she reads at the fifth-gradelevel; the book is written at the seventh-grade level).

To determine students' rescUng levels, you canuse existing records of recent reading test scores,have a counselor or reading specialist administer areading test, or administer a reading test yourself.

An easy way to determine students' general read-ing levels is to use the Slosson Oral Reading Test(SORT). The SORT is based on students' ability tocorrectly read aloud words at different levels e dif-ficulty. The SORT consists entirely of lists of words.starting with simple words at the first-grade level andprogressing to more and more difficult words at ad-vanced grade levels. The SORT is administered tostudents individually and can be used at intervals tomeasure student progress. You may be able to ob-tain a copy of the SORT from a counselor or readingspecialist in your school or college.

14 16

SAMPLE 2

SENTENCE/PARAGRAPH COMPREHENSION EXERCISE

The Torn Shirt

*Excuse me, do you work tare? asked the yotmgman.

"Ves, sir. Can I help your repffed the Clerk. rlihtdi, I bought this shirt yeaterdaytw said the man,

putting a bag on the counter. "Awl when I tried it onthis morning. I noticed Mat thrall a big rip lo thesleeve. I would like to mdtantlpi for WOW one."

Of course, air. Italie a kt of Mese Shirts onthe rack over there. %bold you go and pick out oneto replace the tom one? WNW the customer was

looking though the rack, the clerk started tilling outthe exchange form

`I sot that you don't have any more in the samecolor:' said the custuner, returning to the counter. "Ireally like this Old ciie, however. Is there any way Icould ffflt tuvother blue one? .

ymi have Just a minute, sir, I can check thestockroom; said the Clerk. The customer nodded,so the clerk picked t the Otone and called thestockroom to askabout the avallaNity of blue shirts.

1. The day when the customer bought the shirt was

2. The shirt had a big tip in the

3. There were more shirts of the same kind on the

4. While the customer looked for another slid, the clerk filled out the

5. The customer wanted to get anoMer shirt.

6. The clerk picked up the phone to call the

SAMPLE 3

DIRECTIONS COMPREHENSION EXERCISE

faking a Baskwas LOter

Directions: Follow the "pa Aged below to fold a busktateleSts to fit Into a standard business envelope.

Step 1: Place Ste ktlfer`On the desk In fiord of you w4h the typed side up and the bottom of the pageclosest to you.

Step 2: Fold the bottom of the pive so that the brAtom edv Is shot 31/2 Inches from to bop edge.

Step 3: Fold the top of Me page down so that the top edge is about Y2 inch from the fokled bottom edge.

1 51 7

To determine the reading level of your materi-als, you can apply one of the many available read-ability formulas, such as the Flesch Reading EaseFormula or those developed by George Spache andby Edgar Dale and Jeanne S. ChM.'

When you have determined the two reading lev-els, you can compare them. If a student reacts at thefourth-grade level and your material is written at theeighth -grade level, for example, you can predict thatthe student will have trouble reading the material.Then you will need. to decide how best to deal withthe problemwhether to substitute simpler mate-rial, adapt the material, supplement the material withvisuals, offer individual help as needed, or use otherstrategies.

I To gam skin to usIng the Fiesch Reading Ease Formula. you maywish to refer to Module B-5. Select Student Instructional MatenaIs

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HOwever, =paring reading levels is not the onlyway to determine students' ability to handle yourmaterials. Another method, the doze procedure,does not deal with reading levels at all. Proponentsof the doze procedure feel that it is very well suitedto vocational-technical materials because of the typ-ical structure and vocabulary requirements of suchMaterials.

The doze procedure allows you to test studentsdirectly on the reading materials in question. Basi-cally, a doze test involves selecting a passage oftext and deleting every fifth word. The student is thenasked to supply the missing words: A simplificationof the doze procedure appears in sample 4..

You may wish to meet with a reading specialist to discuss how you can pre-pare yourself to help students to achieve basic reading skills. If your ownschool or college has a reading specialist, you could focus your discussionon the services and resources the reading specialist can offer to assist youin your preparation.

You may wish to review a copy of the Slosson Oral Reading Test (SORT) todetermine its appropriateness for use in your own vocational program. YOUmay be able to obtain a copy of the SORT from your resource person; froma reading counselor, reams specialist. or English teacher in your own insti-tution; or from a reading specialist at a local college or university. Mau canalso obtain a copy of the SORT by writing to Skisson Educational Publica-tions, Inc., P.O. Box 280, East Aurora, NY 14052.

To learn more about the process of reading, you may wish io read the follow-ing supplementary reference: Smith, Reading Motif Nonsense. This book,whickis written in a very readable, nontechnical Style, examines the processof reading, using an interesting and common - sense approach. It also pre-sents the authors view of how we learn to read.

The book is primarily concerned with how children learn to iread. However.its contents are goplicable to people of any age who are learning to read orwho are working to improve their basic reading ';kills.

USING THE CLOZE PROCEDURE

SAMPLE 4

Follow these rules and steps in using the doze pro-cedure.

A. Selecting Samples

1. Select three passages, which students havenot read, from different parts of your mate-rial.

2. Do not start in one major section of the ma-terial and end In another.

3. Choose passages that do not contain manynumerals or mathematical symbols.

B. Deleting Words

1. Leave the first sentence intact. Thereafter,delete every fifth word until you have de-leted 50 words. Then leave the last sen-tence intact.

2. Count as a word anything set off with spacesbefore and after. For hyphenated words,count the parts of the word separately if bothparts can stand alone as words (e.g., self-.image). Count the parts as one word if onepart can't stand alone (e.g., co-worker).

3. Count a number (e.g., 1,260) as one word.

4. Don't delete punctuation surrounding thedeleted word. Don't delete hyphens. Do de-lete apostrophes in deleted words.

C Preparing the Test

1. Type the passages, with the instructionsshown in the following example. Replaceeach deleted word with a 15-space under-line.

2. Leave a space before and after each blank.Leave no space between a blank andlhepunctuation that follows it (or the hyphen thatprecedes it).

3. Type the passages double-spaced or space-and-a-half. Follow original paragraph inden-tations and margins.

D. Giving the litst1. Read 0* instructions shown in the example

aloud while the students read them silently.(After students have had experience withthese tests, this usually becomes unneces-sarY)

E.

F.

2. Have students read the passage through onetime and then start guessing at the missingwords and filling in the blanks the secondtime through.

3. Don't put a time limit on the test.

Scoring the Test

1. Score the number of correct responses ineach passage. Score a response as correctonly when it exactly matches the deletedword.

2. Score responses as correct it they have mi-nor spelling errors, as long as they are oth-erwise correct.

3. Score responses as incorrect if plural ortense endings are wrong (e.g., lob for jobs,work for worked).

Evaluation of Scores

$. There are various ways to evaluate dozescores. The simplest, for your purposes isthe following:

70% and above Independent reader--:The student has no diffiaculties with comprehen-

. Won; can lianas the ma-terials without specialassistance.

40% to 70% instructional level -Thestudent reads with about75 percent comprehen-sion; may need assis-tance occasionally.

Frustration levelThestudent comprehends lessthan half the content;needs major help or Ott

ferent materials.

2. If a student's scores on the three samplesare very different, It may indicate that thematerial varies considerably in difficulty. Inthat case, you will need to be alert to troublespots in the material and offer help asneedet.

The following s tows an example of test instructionsand a sample test.

40% and below

17

Instructions

At the bottom of this page is a sample of a new kind of test. Each of these tests is made by copying a fewparagraphs from a Wok. Every fifth word was left out the paragraphs, and blank spaces were put wherethe words, lum Out,

*us 14 tO guess what word was left outof each space and to write that word in that space.

It will help yo4, inlaking trl'a test if you remember these things;

Write Only Onai'r:Arord in ear* bfank. -

Try to tilt. every blank, Delft bo istrald to guess.You may skip hardbilutks and coma back to them when you have finished.Wrong spelling will kit comit against you if I can tell what word you meant.Mast of thte blanks can be answered with ordinary wordS, but a few will be

numbers like 3,427 or $12,ot' 1954contractions like can't or weren'tabbreviations like Mrs. orparts of hyphenated words like seff- in the word self-made

Semple Test

Below Is a sample of one of these tests. Fill each blank with the word yogi think was taken out. ltau maycheck-your paper when you finish it by lookinto at the answers that are written upside down at the bottomof the page.Nrtte neatly

The Beam

Irieltariscall beavers, the little men of the woods." But they really so verylittle beavers grow to be .______or four feet long weigh from 30to ___ _pounds. These little men the woods" are very busy ofthe time. That why we sometimes say, " busy as a beaver."

how to build. that can hold water. use their twofront

_knowto do some of work Cutting down a with their four

sharp- teeth is easy. A can cut down a four inches thickin 15 minutes.

mow 430 :owl :Jawaq (Lt) Valolod (90 :salt (St) it LI !smed (EL) !Aetu. te 'saer)l) 'SJOAPaia (0I) .SP (6) !St (9) 3SOW (L) (9) !GP (9) !Pue :mg), (C) (Z) UOJP (t) :SJOMSUV

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Activity

5

The following case studies_ describe how two vocational teachers preparedto assist their students in improving their basic reading skills. Read eachcase study and then critique in writing the performance of the teacher de-serted, explaining (1) the strengths of the teacher's approach. (2) the weak-netwes c4 the teacher's awroach, and (3) how the teacher should have pre-pared to assist students In improving their basic reading skills.

CASE STUDIES

Case Study 1:Mrs. Bell looked up as Bob Smith approached her

desk. She had asked Bob to stop by after class soshe could talk to him about his reading problems. Itwas very early in the program, and she warded tostraighten these problems out as soon as possibleso Bob could have a productive year.

"Hi, Bob. Here, sit down. I wanted to talk to youabout your reading. It looks like you're going to haveto improve if you want to be able to get a job at theend of this program. Nbu don't seem to read verywet"

Bob sat silent. Mrs. Bell waited for a minute to seeif he would say anything; then she went on. "Nbuknow Bob, there is a lot of reading that you will needto be /tie to do, even when you first get a job. 'There'llbe operation manuals for machinery, job sheets, andlots of other written materials that you'll be expectedto read"

"I didn't know that, Mrs. Bell," Bob replied, lookingglum. Are you sure I'll have to read all that stuff?"

1

"You probably will. Workers usually do. I'll tell youwhatdon't you know Hank Stevens? He gra lu-ated from this program last year, and he's beenworking for some time now, Here's his phone nut,-bet Why don't you give him a call and talk to himabout IV You're going to be looking for the samekind of job that he has."

-Okay, I Could ck) that. I know Hank. He's on mysoftball team. I'll give him a ring."

"Good. Oh, one more thing. Do you read Trade-week? There was a really good article in last month'sissue about job possibilities in the Southwest. Don'tI remember that you'd like to move t9 Arizona afteryou finish setvol? It seems there's a real need forworkers in our field in that area."

"Oh, yeah?" Bob's eyes lit up. "Can I get the mag-azine from you? Maybe I'll look through that article."

"Sure. Ifs on the reading shelf by the window Helpyourself."

"Hey..thanks a lot, Mrs. Bell. I'll have to try to re-member to look through Tradeweek when I havetime."

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Compare your written critiques of the teachers' performance with the modelcritiques given below. Your responses need not exactly duplicate the modelresponses; however. you should have covered the same major points.

MODEL CRITIQUES

Case Study 1:Overall, Mrs. Bell did a pretty good job of creating

an appropriate environment in order to help BobSmith improve his basic reading skills. Most of herapproach was, in fact, quite good; however, she didstart off on the wrong foot.

Her majoi mistake occurred at the very beginningof her talk with Bob. She approached the idea of hisimproving his basic reading skills in a rather nega-tive tone. She started right off by saying that Bobwould have to improve because he didn't read verywell. Judging from Bob's reactioncomplete si-lence .we could probably assume that he was, per-haps. sensitive or embarrassed about his poor read-ing skills.

Mrs. Bell was able to save the situation, however.She did well to talk to Bob about the need for read-ing in the world of work. As it turned out, he seemedto have been unaware that he would have to do anyreading on the job. Learning that he would very likelyhave to do some reading as a worker, he becamesomewhat more motivated to improve his basicreading skills.

Mrs. Bell also did well to suggest that Bob talk toa worker currently employed in the field. She appar-ently had done her homework well, because sheknew of a friend of Bob's with whom he could talkand whose word Bob would probably be willing totrust. Bob's positive reaction to her suggestion wasanother step in the right direction for him.

Finally, telling him about the magazine article onemployment in the Southwest was sheer inspiration.Knowing that Bob wanted to move to Arizona aftergraduating, Mrs. Bell was able to use this specialinterest of his to get him started, once again, on theroad to improvement

In talking about the article, she also managed toshow Bob that she herself read, demonstrating apositive attitude toward reading in general. Further-more, from the fact that the magazine was on areading shelf by the window, we could infer that areading area was set aside in her room and that itwas probably cheerful, well lit, and well ventilated.

21

Bob's interest in the article showed the soundnessof her approach.

All in all, then, Mrs. Bell's approach was positiveand appropriate. She might have lost Bob at the verybeginning by embarrassing him, but she was able toovercome that shaky beginning and to motivate Bob.at least a little, to improve his basic reading skills

Case Study 2:Mr. Lister's performance in assessing individual

students' reading needs was mixed. He seemed tobe well motivated and working conscientiously, buthe made a couple of mistakes that could have seri-ous consequences for his plans to assist studentsin improving their basic reading skills.

To start with one of the good points. Mr. Lister hadapparently put in a lot of work identifying occupa-tional reading requirements by reviewing a compe-tency profile for entry-level workers. He had identi-fied explicit and implicit reading tasks related to thecompetencies listed on the profile. He was certainlycorrect in thinking that his hard work was well worththe effortit was.

He made a major mistake, however. in assumingthat this single competency profile was appropriatefor all students, even those training to achievesomewhat different competencies. The reading re-quirements that he identified using this profile ap-plied only to students training to achieve those par-ticular competencies. The other competencies :hatother students needed might require no basic read-ing skills or different basic reading skills.

He also forgot to consider his own personal ex-perience as a practitioner in the field. It he had thoughtabout his own work experience, he might have iden-tified other reading tasks that workers in the areamight be expected to do (e.g., notes from a super-visor, safety signs). His competency profile may nothave identified all the likely occupational reading re-quirements.

Mr Lister s review of students cumulative recordswas also part good. part bad. He did well to go tothe counselor to get information about students thathe had identified as having possibie reading prob-lems It was also good that he intended to ask for anexplanation of test scores that he didn't understandHe was conscientious it his efforts to obtain the in-formation he needed concerning his students' basicreading skills

Those efforts were somewhat misguided, how-ever First. he should have been more skeptical aboutthe anecdotal comment, made by one student's for-mer teacher, about the student's "negative attitudetoward learning in general.- This comment may havebeen perfectly objective and valid. On the other handit could also have been subjective: its difficult to knowsince the comment is not supported by any details.

Furthermore. even if the comment was entirelyobjective and accurate. it was not very recent and itwas too vague to tell him very much about the stu-dents reading skills While Mr. Lister had the rightidea in seeking more information about the studentsreading skills, a reading specialist --- or, at least. the

comments of more recent teachers would be abetter source.

Finally. Mr. Lister made a serious error in leavinghis papers spread out on the table when he left theroom Information from students' cumulative rec-ords should have been kept confidential, in order tosafeguard students legal rights to privacy of infor-mation. Notes spread out on a table in plain view ofanyone passing by are hardly private or confidential.

To sum up. Mr. Lister should have rememberedthat each student's occupational reading requirements depend on the specific competencies thatstudent is seeking to attain. He should also haveremembered to review his own personal experienceto identify other likely reading requirements forworkers in the area

Mr Lister should have put less faith in otherteachers' anecdotal comments and should have beenmore careful about how he treated the informationfrom students' cumulative records. If he remem-bered to do these things. his own motivation andconscientiousness would serve him well in assess-ing students' individual reading needs.

Level of Performance: Your written critiques of the teachers' performance should have covered the samemajor points as the model critiques If you missed some points or have questions about any additionalpoints you made, review the material in the information sheet, Basic Reading: A Vocational Skill. pp. 7 18.or Chock with your resource person it necessary

422 21

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ActivityHelping students to imprdve their basic reading skills should not be an "add-on" to your vocational-technical program. There are a variety of techniquesfor incorporating reading innrovement into your regular instruction. For infor-mation on techniques you can use to help students improve their basic read-ing skills. read the following information sheet.

IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIESThere are numerous techniques and strategies you

can use in your own vocational-technical program togive your students the specific reading help theyneed. You can teach students the technical vocab-ulary of your occupational area. so that they are notattempting to read words they do not know.

You can give students practical knowledge aboutreading and demonstrate practical reading tips.Reading games. word games. personalized instruc-tion, and self-evaluation might all have their place inyour program of assistance. along with practice andreinforcement of basic reading skills.

You also need to deal with your students' ability tohandle your instructional materials. You .von'? fur-ther your aim of improving students basic readingskills it you require them to read instructional mate-rials that they can t comprehend.

It you find --either by comparing reading levels orby using some other procedure that your instruc-tional materials are written at too high a level for yourstudents to use them, you should identify and, ifpossible. obtain other available materials written atthe appropriate level

24

A lack of money in your program or departmentalbudget may not allow you to purchase needed ma-terials, however. Should that be the case. you maybe able to develop alternate or supplementary ma-terials that are appropriate for student use. Or, youmay be able to use materials developed by otherinstructors in your department or vocational-technical1.-ea. If none of these options are practical, you willneed to supplement the use of your instructionalmaterials with other. nonprint materials and resources

Let's look at these and other strategies and tech-niques in more depth.

Teach Technical VocabularyAs you assign matenal for your students to read.

you should identify vocabulary in each assignmentthat students must know. This includes new wordsthat you haye not previously taught. It also includeswords that you have already taught but that are es-sential to an understanding of the present readingFinally, it includes words that have one meaning incommon usage and a specialized meaning in youroccupational specialty.

There is a wide range of techniques available foryou to use in teaching students the meaning of tech-nical vocabulary: definitions, context, examples.common equivalents, real objects. models, picturesand demonstrations_

Definitions. One technique for teaching vocabu-lary is to use definitions. These can be oral or writ.ten definitions. They can be definitions from the dic-tionary or ones that you adapt fran the dictionary ordevelop yourself to meet your needs.

You might find it useful, in fact, to provide studentswith a glossary of terms and their definitions_ Youcould develop this glossary yourself. Or you couldhave students develop their own glossariesthroughout the program as you introduce new termsto them. This latter approach provides students notonly with the definitions they need at the momentbut also the skill to locate definitions of terms in thefuture. when you are no longer available.

26

Whet ler you use a definition straight from the dic-tionary one adapted from the dictionary or one newlydeveloped depends on the situation. If the dictionarydefinition can be understood by ali,your students andmeets your needs, it can be used. If, however. somestudents cannot understand the definition, you gainnothing by trying to use it. In the latter case. youshould either adapt the definition or write a new onethat is simpler and more exact.

Context. Another technique is to teach studentsto use context --the words or phrases surroundinga word to determine the meaning of a word. Con-text clues can be used as long as the 'meaning ofthe word is apparent from the contest.

For example. an information sheet on carpentrymight contain the following sentence: 'Miter joints,or joints made by cutting two pieces at an angle.andjoining them. together, are commonly used." An in-formation sheet on cooking techniques might say thatpan frying is cooking in a smaif amount of tat in a

pan. griddle, or skillet." Here, the meaning of the termmiter joints or pan frying is quite apparent from therest of the sentence

Context clues are not always that obvious Norj'e they always located that close to the term inquestion Consider the following example:

Pits particular product is,highly combustible and.therefore. dangerous. Using this product in an areawhere workers are smoking or using weldingequipment ,s asking for trouble. If the productshould ignite, the fire should be extinguished usingthe following procedure.

-,iven the context clues in that passage. a readerran determine that combustible means easily ig-nited Students need to be aware that such cluesare often provided in the text. And they need to betaught how to locate these clues and use them todiscover what new words mean.

Examples. Vocabulary can also be taught throughthe use of e, amples. While not usually used alone,this technique can be very helpful as a *pplementto the use of definitions or context. For instance, inintroducing the term pan frying, the instructor couldsupplement the definition provided in the context withexamples of foods commonly friedchicken, eggs.bacon. hash browns, and so on.

You can also have students give you examples t6iiio,,trate a definition. This not only serves to heir'clarify the definition but also tells you whether stu-dents understand the definition or not.

Common equivalents. if possible, you can givestudents common. everyday equivalents for techni-cal terms This technique may be of limited useful-ness. since not every technical term has a commonequivalent But if equivalents do exist, using themc- an save you time and trouble. For example:

25

Technical Term

SkilletPlungerPlatenCc:Wander

Hypodermic ty ringe

Biltmore stickSpackling compound

Common Equivalent

F lying PanPlumber Fricnd

Roilef (91 a typiaw!!f

StraUltNeedleCruise stickPatching plaster

Real objects. Another technique is to use realobjects as examples. For instance. suppose you needto teach students the names of the various piecesof equipment and machinery in your laboratory. Youcan physically indicate each piece at you say itsname. In other words, you can best tell students whata lathe or spatula is by showing them one.

Likewise, you an use real objects as examplesalong with definition& In giving students the defini-tion of the term miter joints, for example,ttie instruc-tor could also point out real miter joints around them,perhaps in the wooden trim around doors and win-dows, or possibly in the construction of furniture orequipment in the classroom or lab.

Models. Similarly, you can use models to teachthe meaning of vocabulary. A model is a three-di-mensional. scale representation of a real object. Ateacher might, for example, use a cutaway model ofan engine to teach automotive vocabulary or a Vis-ible Man or Visible Woman model to teach anatom-ical vocabula(y. The use of a model allows you toshow students exactly what the word you are teach-ing them means.

S.

27

Pictures. If you don't have real objects or models.you can use pictures for teaching some vocabulary.They can be simple drawings that you make or thatsomeone else makes for you, for this express pur-pose. You might also be able to use pictures or pho-tographs from magazines, brochures, promotionalmaterials, and so on. Magazine ads can be an ex-cellent source of many different kinds of pictures.

Pictures are usually more suited to defining ob-jects than to illustrating actions or procedures. It iseasiest to find or draw a picture of an object. A pic-ture of an action is often less clear-cut and moresubject to misinterpretation. For example, it is rela-tively easy to find a picture of a tomato. You can usesuch a picture to teach the word tomato to students,with little chance of confusion.

But, if you are trying to teach the verb slice, youmay run into problems. You might find a picture ofhand holding a knife, which is cutting through a to-mato. But when you present your picture to illustratethe word, it might not be clear whether slice is thehand, the knife, the tomato, or the action of cutting.

Demonstrations. A more effective way to teachvocabulary related to actions or procedures is to givea demonstration. For example, a carpentry instruc-tor can easily demonstrate how to countersink aScrew or set a nail. Likewise, the best way to teachan office occupations class what the term double-space means is to show them. Similarly, misting aplant is more quickly and easily demonstrated thandescribed.

There is no one best technique for teaching vo-cabulary to your students. Often your choice of tech-nique is governed by factors beyond your control,such as whether you can find a model or picture il-lustrating a particular word or whether a particulartext defines words adequately through context. Youmust choose your techniques according to each sit-uation.

It is good to keep in mind, however, that you canprofitably use rn)re than one technique to teach asingle term. In fact, it is often best to use a combi-nation of words and objects or visuals. This allowsstudents the opportunity to learn the same informa-tion through two different media.

You will no doubt be able to get additional sugges-tions and advice on teaching vocabulary by consult-ing with colleagues, such as teachers of reading,Englisn_ foreign languages. and communications.

Finally, you should follow these four rules for intro-ducing vocabulary to your students:

Present the word to students both orally and inwriting. Say it aloud more than once so stu-dents can hear it t. aarly. Write it downon thechalkboard or in a handout--so they can seehow it looks. Have students repeat the wordaloud several times and write it out themselves.This helps to fix the sound and spelling of theword in students' minds.Teach students what the word means. Do thisby using one or more of the techniques alreadypresented, according to the needs of the situa-tion. Any technique is fine, as-long as it works.Ensure that every student understands what thenew word means before going on.

26 28

Use the new word as often as possible in orderto give students the chance to practice it. UseIt yourself and have students use it. You can dothis by asking them questions that require theuse of the word in the answer, pointing to thereal and asking what it is, or giving thema definition and asking what word it fits.At this point, don't use any other new terms thatmean the same thingalways stick to the oneword you are trying to teach. Unless you areusing common equivalents as a teaching strat-egy, it is best to avoid confusing students byintroducing anything extraneous.Later, when you are satisfied that students havethoroughly learned the new word, you can intro-duce variationssynonyms, slang terms, andso forth. This will help students to function suc-cessfully in the world of work.But don't try to rush things initially. It is far betterthat students learn only a single, standard wordfor somethingand learn that one wellthanthat they learn three different versions of it butlearn those three poorly.Devise some permanent, visible reminder of thewords you are currently teaching. For example,you could label objects in your classroom or lab.Or you could post a list of current vocabularywords on the bulletin board or chalkboard, alongwith definitions or pictures. A poster of termsand definitions could also be developed.

Provide Practical Reading Knowledgeand Tips

If the material students are reading is printed in away that gives the reader clues about what is im-portant, you should point this out t1 your students.For example, a textbook might highlight new or im-portant vocabulary in various ways. Words may ap-pear underlined or in bold print, or they may be printedin the margin. New vocabulary for a chapter issometimes listed on the first or last page of thechapter.

Other visual devices for highlighting key points mayappear in commercial print materials. The introduc-tion or summary of a chapter may be screened (asis done with the samples in this module). Chaptertitles and subheadings should also be &signed toinform the reader of the main topics of the section.

You can easily point out these reading aids to yourstudents as you make reading assignments. Theymay seem too obvious to you to deserve mention,but you are probably a skilled reader already A readerwho is less skilled than you can benefit from know-ing about these devices.

There are also some practical tips that you canpass on to your students to make the reading pro-cess easier for them. Some people find that it helpsto focus their attention on what they read if they pointas they read. They simply follow along with their fin-ger to keep their eyes on track, so to speak. Othersfind it helpful to underline important points in the ma-terial. If they own their books, students might under-line new vocabulary, key terms, or important topicsand details.

You could also demonstrate to students how touse preview skimming. Preview skimming is a rapidreading of the material, in which the reader looksover the lines so fast that he/she can only pick outthe most important points. Once students haveskimmed aitd know the important points of the ma-terial, they can go back and read the material care-fully, absorbing all the information. Preview skim-ming provides a framework for organizing andretaining all the detailed information the text in-cludes.

You may know of other shortcuts and tips for mak-ing reading easier. Perhaps you use some of theseyourself. If so, you should demonstrate these to yourstudents as well. Practical techniques such es theseare very helpful for unskilled readers, and they oftenhelp to make the process of reading less mysteriousand threatening.

Use Reading GamesThere are various reading games that you can use

in your classroom or lab. Games have one advan-tage over other techniques for assisting students inachieving basic reading skillsthey can be fun. Theycan make reading and the task of improving readingskills seem less of a chore. Reading games can givestudents the opportunity to practice their basic read-ing skills in a watt doesn't always seem like work.

One well-known reading game is the crosswordpuzzle. You can develop your own crossword puz-zles using technical vocabulary from your occupa-tional specialty. You should use vocabulary your stu-dents know. The directions should be clear andsimple, and the whole puzzle should be well pro-duced and free of errors. Sample 5 shows a cross-word puzzle using welding terms.

Another reading game, the word search, alsoprovides the opportunity to practice technical vocab-ulary. A basic word search consists of numerous rowsof apparently random letters, among which wordsare hidden. The words may appear vertically, hori-zontally, or diagonally, but each word must appearin a straight line. without changing directions (e.gfrom vertical to horizontal). Students search for thehidden words and circle the ones they find.

27 29

Sample 6 illustrates a word-search game usingterms from health occupations, with one of the termscircled. In this version of the word search, studentsfirst match the terms with definitions and then findthem in the puzzle. You can also use word-searchgames that contain just a list of words to look for andthe rows of letters. Matching the terms with defini-tions is an optional activity to give students addi-tional practice in using technical vocabulary.

A variation of the word search that you can alsouse is the word maze. A word maze contains fewerrows of letters, with fewer letters per row. Studentsare not given a list of words to look for. Instead, theylist all the words they can find. They can move inany direction and can change directions within asingle word. Sample 7 shows a word maze, with afuller explanation of how to locate words within themaze.

Another easy game for students is the wordscramble. A word scramble is nothing more than alist of words, with the letters in the individual wordsout of order. Students look at each group of lettersand unscramble them to find the word. Sample 8shows a completed word scramble using typingterms.

w

ad. -

Another version of the word scramble, using au-tomotive repair vocabulary, is illustrated in sample9. In this version. students write the solution for eachscramble in the numbered t;ianks next to the scram-ble. When they have unscrambled all the words, theycopy selected letters. according to the numbers inthe bottom row. to make up another word or phrase.The sample snows the completed word scramble.

A final game you might use is the directions game.In this type of word game, shown in sample 10, stu-dents start with a given word. They then follow asequence of directions for adding, dropping, or re-arranging letters in order to arrive at a different word.You will notice that the sample includes directionsfor the game, a complete example of how to playthe game. and finally, the game :*self.

introduce Reading AssignmentsWhen you assign materials for your students to

read, you should always introduce the reading as-signment to them. This is true whether the assign-ment is a two-page inforination sheet that you de-veloped or an entire chapter in a textbook. Forstudents to derpe the most benefit from the reading,they need to khow several things.

First, studeOts should know what they are read-ing. Does this aksignment prOide a broad, generalpicture of a partim-topie,-br a detailed treatmentof one small point? What are they supposed to re-tain from the readingmain points and importantdetails or a lot of minor details?

Second, students need to know why they are going

to read this assignment. How does this topic fit intowhat they did yesterday in your program and whatthey are going to be doing tomorrow? How does thetopic relate to the world of work?

This information (what and why) may seem veryobvious to you because you already know the an-swers to both questions. However, if a teacher givesout an information sheet, for example. on the vari-ous kinds of wrenches and their uses, that teachershould remember that some of the students may notknow that there are different kinds of wrenches, muchless that each kind is best suited to a particular kindof job. You can motivate your students to read care-fully and conscientiously by sharing this kind of in-formation with them.

As you assign reading to your students, you shouldalso keep in mind the length and difficulty of the as-signment. A reading assignment should not be toolong. For students with a low level of basic readingskills, one or two pages may be more than enoughat one time. It is often better to assign students nu-merous shorter readings than to assign one longreading in which they can get thoroughly lost andconfused. Another good rule is that the morethe reading, the shorter the assignment should oe

2830

SAMPLE 5

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Directions: In the columns labeled DOWN and ACROSS beneath the Puzitle,. sitiuwords that fit into the puzzle. The number .each due tells yOu where to' the ahsWer ill the puzile,For example, the answer for 3 DOWN, which Is completed for you,' starts #t the black under the 3 and fillSup all the blocks beneath the 3. One hint: if you count the blocks, you ktitAii,hoW ma i it s tiri4iki: theanswer. Some answers contain more than one word.

rok o J

DOWN ACROSS

1. Shortened 'same for gas-welding process2 Used to tighten fittings3 A joining together4 Used to contain gases5. Something omitted0 Tight

6. Gas compased of carbon and hydrogen7. To join or faster WeenierO. Passage for Wang something out9. Correct name for crescent wrench

11. One means used to Identify different typesof electrodes

SAMPLE 6

30

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SAMPLE 9

WORD SCRAMBLE II

Directions: Laic at Me = at biters brotrAtprogram, with the lette4s out order. UnscrambleWrite out each word when yr$4 UMArartitgeDon't pay any attention to the number* Wow the

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Supplement Reading AssignmentsYou may determine that some of your instructional

materials are written at a level that is too high forsome of your students. Vet you may not be able togo out and obtain a whole new set of materials writ-ten at a level appropriate for students' present read-ing levels. At the same time, it would be counter -

procuctive to try to make students read materialsthat are simply beyond their capacity. Students whoget nowhere, no matter how hard they try, usuallybecome discouraged.

It might be possible for you to rewrite materials ata lower reading level, using simplified language andsentences that students with lower reading levelscould understand. Another way to help students ac-quire the information presented in such materials isto develop alternate or supplementary materials forstudents to use with the original materials. Such ma-terials can be designed to enable students to ac-quire the information they need and, at the sametime. work on improving their basic reading skills.

You could, for example. make audiotapes ofreading assignments. If necessary, students couldlisten to the audiotapes instead of reading the ma-terials from which they are taken. A better approachis for students to listen to the tapes while readingthe material. This second approach gives them theopportunity to practice their word and sentencecomprehension skills.

Similarly, you might be able to make a videotapes'iowing a process or technique described in a read-ing assignment. Students could view the video-tape in addition to reading the material-- -in orderto ensure comprehension.

You can also add illustrations to help studentsunderstand the content of materials. An informationsheet on the functions of the various keys on a type-writer keyboard would be even more informative ifthe instructor added an illustration of the keyboardwith the different keys labeled. Students could thenrefer to the illustration as they read.

Another possibility is to add vocabulary (sectionsto your reading assignments. These sections couldpresent definitions and illustrations of new and im-portant technical vocabulary contained in the read-ing. Students could review the definitions and illus-trations before beginning to read and refer to themas necessary while reading.

Students can also use flash cards to supplementtheir work in vocabulary building. You can provideflash cards of different types. depending on yourstudents needs. Cards could contain only technicalvocabulary, vocabulary plus pictures. or pictures onthe front and vocabulary on the back.

35

You might develop such supplementary or alter-nate materials yourself, if you have the time and skillYou may also be able to involve students in devel-oping these materials. Doing so would, in fact, serveas practice for students in using basic reading skills.There might also be professional staff in your school(e.g., media specialists), aides, or volunteers whocan be of help in this task.

Another way to help students cope with difficultinstructional materials is to change the way they usethem. Usually, we think of reading as an individualactivity, each student reading the assignment alone.Reading can, however, be a group activity.

You can, for example, pair students for peerteaching in reading activities. If a good reader workswith a weaker reader, the good reader can read aloudwhile the other reads along silently. Or, the weakerreader can read aloud with the help of the other. Youwill find that both students benefit from the addi-tional exposure to reading that they- receive in thispeer-teaching situation .2

There may be other peopleperhaps profes-sional or volunteer aideswho can work with stu-dents having low basic reading skills. The pair wouldfunction in the same way as in peer teaching. Youmight also be able to use tutors who can devote thee/stra time to practice that students may need toachieve basic reading skills.

Tr) qa.r ,n errp:olong peer teiic str :149 at A tt,,toe, to (' 4 Sr,;(11-arry ,t1 ; /tar"

37

Individualize Reading HelpThe help you offer each student in achieving basic

reading skills should be exactly the help that the stu-dent needs. You should individualize your programof assistance, involving each student in activitiesdesigned to achieve his or her own goals.

This does not mean that you need to design dif-ferent activities for each student It means that youshould be aware of each student's needs. Then youcan group together students with similar needs andgoals and provide them with the type and quantityof materials and activities they require.

Some students may need a lot of practice, start-ing at a very basic level, while others may only needa little at a higher level. Students who are skilled atreading and comprehending words, for instance,probably do not need and will not benefit from inten-sive practice in word comprehension.

When providing supplementary materials, careshould be taken to avoid making them seem like ex-tra work. Sometimes it is best to tell students aboutspecific supplementary materials you have that canhelp them, rather than assigning extra materials thatthey have to use. Extra work assignments seem likepunishment to some students.

If some of your students are working with readingspecialists, you should give the specialists specificinert about individual students. A specialist wa needto know from you what basic reading skills inafividualstudents need for their specific occupational goals.A specialist may want a lot of technical vocabularyand course materials for one student and less foranother.

Provide Practice and ReinforcementYou can provide students with opportunities to

practice and reinforce the basic reading skills theyare achieving by using the materials and activitiesthat are part of your reading assistance program.For example, students can use the new vocabularythey are acquiring as they read assigned or supple-mentary materials.

Perhaps an even better way of providing practicefor students is to locate and make available readingmaterials on students' special vocational interests.The student in automotive mechanics who is an avidantique car buff might balk at the textbook but jumpat the opportunity to read magazines on antique cars.

36

You don't need to spend money for such materi-als. You can locate them in the library in your insti-tution or conmunity. You can bring in magazines that

you happen to have at home and ask other teachersand students to do the same. You 'will probably findarticles in the newspaper that you .ouki cut out forstudents to read.

An excellent means of providing reinforcement ofstudents' basic reading skills is to encourage stu-dents to self-evaluate. One method is to providecomprehension exercises for students to use withthe materials you ass0. Students can read the ma-terial and then do the exercise to check their com-prehension of it.

Some textbooks have such exercises for eachchapter or section, which you could encourage stu-dents to use. You can also develop short, simplecomprehension exercises of your own. These neednot be sophisticated. The object of the exercises Isnot to produce immortal prose, but rather to providean aid and focus for students to use while reading.

night simply take a reading assignment andadd to it written notes or csiestions to help the stu-dent focus on key points, define the necessary words,and so on. Be sure to use clear, simple directions,sentences, questions, or definitions.

As students' reading skills improve, you can grad-ually make the exercises more difficult. This allowsand encourages students to develop the capacity toread independently. Your ultimate goal, after all, is tohelp your students improve their basic reading skillsso that they don't need you to walk them throughevery reading task.

Thus, you could start with exercises that are merelynotes to remind students of the key vocabulary ormain points of the material. These notes shouldcontain the same simple straightforward informationyou present in your in-class preview. The vocabu-lary review in sample 11 illustrates an exercise atthis first level of difficulty.

Then, you could graduate to exercises that con-tain simple questions instead of notes. The ques-tions should be of an objective nature (e.g., multiplechoice, completion, true-false, matching) and main-tain the same focus as the notes in easier exercises.Sample 12 illustrates an exercise at this second level

of difficulty.

3 s

VOCABULARY REVIEW

SAMPLE 11

the Vow/6 KeybOrd

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SHIFT LOCK: Holds theSHIFT key down to print adcapital letters.

SAMPLE 12

SWT: Is used to mkt capi-tal letbes (A) instaxi of lower-cased letters (a).

COMPREHENSION EXERCISE

use this thistrated hat ads

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RETWilt Moves the car-*pi back tb the leftand rob tie paper tqr to thenod lln

SPACE BAR: Moves the car-Aloe forward one space with-out printing anything.

Query Production of Scrambled Eggs

Directions: Answer the foNowing questions by referring to the information sheet and writing the correctnumber in the blank.

1. To serve twee people, you shodd use2. To serve twelve people, you sfxruld use

3. To serve thirty-ohe people, you shotAd use

4. To serve one person, you should use eggs

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Select a short reading that you could assign to students in h program thatyou are or will be teaching. The reading may consist of (1) commerciallyprepared materials (e.g., a portion of a textbook, operation manual, or learn-ing activity package). (2) materials you have developed for student use (e.g..an information sheet), or (3) samples of materials students would be ex-pected to use on the job (e.g., job sheets, operation sheets, customer orders,or correspondence).

For the assignment you have selected, develop the following materials thatstudents could use in improving their basic reading skills:

A reading game to provide practice in the use of key vocabulary in thereading assignmentA vocabulary review for students to use as they read the assigned mn-terialA comprehension exercise for students to use in evaluating tpeir com-prehension of the assigned material

After you have developed materials that students could use in improving theirbasic reading skills, use the Materials Checklist, p. 41, to evaluate your work.

39 41

NOTES

40 42

11..

MATERIALS CHECKLIST

Directions: Place an X in the NO, PARTIAL, or FULL box to indicate thateach of the following performance components was not accomplished, par-tially accomplished, or fully accomplished. If, because of special circum-stances, a performance component was not applicable, or impossible to exe-cute, place an X in the N/A box.

Name

Date

%MOW Ce

Your vocabulary review:1. presented key vocabulary contained in the assigned reading

2. provided clear and simple definitions of vocabulary

3. contained illustrations of vocabulary, as appropriate

4. was free of grammatical errors and typing errors

3. was neatly and attractively reproduced

Your comprehension exercise:6. focused on key points and important details of the assigned reading

7 was written in clear and simple language

8 required students to demonstrate comprehension of the assignedreading

9. was free of grammatical errors and typing errors

10. was neatly and attractively reproduced.. ..

Your reading game:11 provided practice in the use of key vocabulary contained in the as-

signed reading

12. contained clear and simple directions

13. was free of grammatical errors and typing errors

14. was neatly and attractively reproduced

LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE

/11 El ElLi II

LI

LI

1

LI

Li

LI

Li

Li

I I

[ 1

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Level of Performance: All items must receive FULL or N/A responses. If any item receives a NO orPARTIAL response, review the material in the information sheet, Improvement Techniques and Strategies,pp. 24 -38, revise your materials accordingly, or check with your resource person if necessary.

41 43

NOTES

Le erience 111

FINAL EXPERIENCE

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AS you perform aach el the above ectivItlee, dooteseet yourig, on tape, through a leg) for ateetteroant, . .

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Feedback Your ccooptbitOw tiff' imit'estisedTeacher PerfortnetterAlaesernent Form

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43

NOTES 0

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di TEACHER PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT FORMAssist Students in Achieving Basic Reading Skills (WI)

Name

Directions: indicate the level of the leached; accmnpikihment by placing anX in the appropriate box under the LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE heading. If, Dote

because of special circumstances, a performance component was not appli-cable, or invossible to execute, place an X in the N/A box. Resource Person

In creating an appropriate aolValrent, the teacher:1. presented basic reading( improvement in a positive

manner LI

2. ensured that the physical environment of the classroom orlab was conducive to reading [11

3. demonstrated a positive attitude toward reading

4. emphasized the positive benefits of doing assigned reading

LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE

5. motivated students to improve their basic reading skills by:a. informing students of the need for basic reading skills in

the dre

of work

b. acquainting students with reading as a prerequisite foradvancement in the world of work

c. using students' special vocational interests to create in-terest in reading and reading skills improvement

In assessing students' individual reading needs, theteacher:

6. determined occupational reading requirements by:a. reviewing the occupational analysis or competency pro-

file for individual students' chosen career goals

b. reviewing his/her personal experience to identify likelyreading requirements for the service area

7. encouraged individual students to achieve basic readingskills beyond occmational requirements, as appropriate

8. identified students with possible reading problems 11000

4547

4, 0:2 4419. obtained accurate, up-to-date, reliable information on indi-

vidual students' reading skills and levels by:a. consulting qualified professionals in his/her own school El ID Etor college (e.g., counselors)

b. consulting students' cumulative records n c.!c. obtaining correct interpretakin of information on read-

ing skills in cumulative records Eld. performing his/her own assessment of students' read-

ing skills and problems, as necessary

in using wecific techniques and strategies, the teacher:10. WO! necessary technical vocabulary using appropriate

techniwes and materials Ell

11. demonstrated practical reading knowledge And tips to stu- Ddents

12. used reading games

13. introduced reading assignments

14. provided supplementary and alternate materials for stu-Eldent use with reading assignments

15. used small groups/pairings for reading activities 1:1

16. individualized his/her program of assistance for each stu-dent El

17. provided materials and input to reading specialists workingwith individual studentswith Ell

18. provtled opportunities for practice and reinforcement of basicreading skills El

19. assisted students in evaluating their own comprehensionand progress in skills improvement El

20. provided reviews and comprehension exercises for student Eluse

Level of Performance: All items must receive N/A, GOOD, or EXCELLENT responses. If any item re-ceives a NONE, POOR, or FAIR response, the teacher and resource person should meet to determinewhat additional activities the teacher needs to complete in order to reach competency in the weak area(s).

4648

*NOTES

o47 49

NOTES

Si

48 50

0

ABOUT USING THE NATIONAL CENTER'SPBTE MODULESOrganizationEach module is designed to help you gain competencyin a particular skill area considered important to teachingsuccess. A module is made up of a series of learning ex-periences. some providing background information, someproviding practice experiences, and others combiningthese two functions. Completing these experiences shouldenable you to achieve the terminal objective in the finallearning experience. The final experience in each modulealways requires you to demonstrate the skill in an actualteaching situation when you are an intern, a student teach-er. an inservice teacher. or occupational trainer

ProceduresModules are designed to allow you to individualize yourteacher education program You need to take only thosemodules covering skills that you do not already possess.Similarly. you need not complete any learning experiencewithin a module if you already have the skill needed tocomplete it. Therefore, before taking any module, youshould carefully review (1) the introduction. (2) the objec-tives listed on p. 4, (3) the overviews preceding each learn-ing experience. and (4) the final experience. After com-paring your present nee& .d competencies with the in-formation you have read :// these sections, you should beready to make one of the following decisions:

That you do not have the competencies indicated andshould complete the entire moduleThat you are competent in one or more of the ena-bling objectives leading to the final learning ex-perience and, thus, can omit those learning experi-encesThat you are already competent in this area and areready to complete the final learning experience inorder to "test out"That the module is inappropriate to your needs at thistime

When you are ready to complete the final learning ex-perience and have access to an actual teaching situation.make the necessary arrangements with your resource per-son If you do not complete the final experience successful-ly . meet with your resource person and arrange to (1)repeat the experience or (2) complete (or review) previoussections of the module or other related activities suggestedby your resource person before attempting to repeat thefinal experience.Options for recycling are also available in each of the team-ing experiences preceding the final experience. Any timeyou do not meet the minimum level of performance re-quired to meet an objective, you and your resource per-son may meet to select activities to help you reach com-petency. This could involve (1) completing parts of themodule previously skipped, (2) repeating activities, (3)reading supplementary resources or completing additionalactivities suggested by the resource person, (4) design-ing your own learning experience. or (5) completing someother activity suggested by you or your resource person

TerminologyActual Teaching Situation: A situation in which you areactually working with and responsible for teaching second-ary or postsecondary vocational students or other occupa-tional trainees An intern a student teacher an inserviceteacher. or other occupational trainer would be function-ing in an actual leaching situation If you do not have ac-cess to an actual teaching situation when you are takingthe module, you can complete the module up to the finallearning experience You would then complete the f nallearning experience later tr e when you have access toan actual teaching situation)Alternate Activity or Feedback: An item that may sub-WWI* for required items that, due to special circum-stances, you are unable to complete.Occupational Speckrity: A specific area of preparationwithin a vocational service area (e.g.. the service areaTrade and Industrial Education includes occupationalspecialties such as automobile mechanics, welding, andelectricity).Optional Activity or Feedback: An item that is not re-quired but is designed to supplement and enrich the re-quired items in a learning experience.Resource Person: The person in charge of your educa-tional program (e.g., the professor, instructor, adminis-trator, instructional supervisor, cooperating/supervising/classroom teacher, or training supervisor who is guidingyou in completing this module.Student: The person who is receiving occupational in-struction in a secondary, postsecondary, or other trainingprogram.Vocational Service Area: A major vocational field: agn-culturig education, business and office education, market-ing and distributive education, health occupations educa-tion, home economics educatton, industriad artstechnical education. or trade and industrial edYou or the Tescher/Instructor: The person who is com-pleting the module.

Levels of Performance for Final AssessmentN/A: The criterion was not met because it was not ap-plicabie to the situation.None: No attempt was made to meet the criterion,although it was relevant.Poor: The teacher is unable to perform this skill or hasonly very limited ability to perform it.Fair: The teacher is unable to perform this skill in an ac-ceptable manner but has some ability to perform it.Good: The teacher is able to perform this skill in an ef-fective manner.Exit: The teacher is able to perform this skill in avery effective manner.

51

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