Teaching Literacy in the Visible Learning Classroom, Grades 6-12

Douglas Fisher is professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Doug was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator.  He is a credentialed teacher and leader in California.  In 2022, he was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame by the Literacy Research Association. He has published widely on literacy, quality instruction, and assessment, as well as books such as Welcome to Teaching, PLC+, Teaching Students to Drive their Learning, and Student Assessment: Better Evidence, Better Decisions, Better Learning. Nancy Frey is professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Nancy was a teacher, academic coach, and central office resource coordinator in Florida.  She is a credentialed special educator, reading specialist, and administrator in California.  She is a member of the International Literacy Association’s Literacy Research Panel. She has published widely on literacy, quality instruction, and assessment, as well as books such as The Artificial Intelligences Playbook, How Scaffolding Works, How Teams Work, and The Vocabulary Playbook. John Hattie, PhD, is an award-winning education researcher and best-selling author with nearly thirty years of experience examining what works best in student learning and achievement. His research, better known as Visible Learning, is a culmination of nearly thirty years synthesizing more than 2,100 meta-analyses comprising more than one hundred thousand studies involving over 300 million students around the world. He has presented and keynoted in over three hundred international conferences and has received numerous recognitions for his contributions to education. His notable publications include Visible Learning, Visible Learning for Teachers, Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn; Visible Learning for Mathematics, Grades K-12; and 10 Mindframes for Visible Learning. Marisol Thayre, PhD, is a secondary English teacher, author, and instructional coach. She has worked with preservice and experienced teachers alike in creating purposeful, collaborative, and data-driven classrooms for various grade levels and content areas. In addition to her role as a teacher leader and mentor, Marisol has presented both nationally and internationally on topics including assessment, secondary literacy strategies, differentiation, and collaboration. Her current research endeavors are focused on the integration of social emotional learning into content-area instruction. Marisol currently teaches high school English and college composition in San Diego, California.

Introduction
Chapter 1. Mobilizing Visible Learning for Literacy
Visible Learning for Literacy
Components of Effective Literacy Learning
Adolescent Literacy: Reading
Adolescent Literacy: Writing
Knowledge of How Students Learn
Developmental View of Learning
Meaningful Experiences and Social Interaction
Surface, Deep, and Transfer of Learning
What Students Need
Scheduling Instructional Time
Spotlight on Three Teachers
Conclusion
Chapter 2. Teacher Clarity
Understanding Expectations in Standards
Learning Intentions in Literacy
Student Ownership of Learning Intentions
Connecting Learning Intentions to Prior Knowledge
Make Learning Intentions Inviting and Engaging
Social Learning Intentions
Success Criteria in Literacy
Success Criteria Are Crucial for Motivation
Conclusion
Chapter 3. Deliberate and Direct Teaching
Relevance
Teacher Modeling
Pair With Think-Alouds
The “I” and “Why” of Think-Alouds
Students Should Think Aloud, Too
Checking for Understanding
Use Questions to Probe Student Thinking
Guided Instruction
Formative Evaluation During Guided Instruction
Independent Learning
Fluency Building
Application
Spiral Review
Extension
Closure
Conclusion
Chapter 4. Teacher-Led Dialogic Instruction
Effective Talk, Not Just Any Talk
Foster Deep Learning and Transfer
Listen Carefully
Facilitate and Guide Discussion
Teacher-Led Tools for Dialogic Instruction
Anticipation Guides
Pinwheel Discussions
Opinion Stations
Close and Critical Reading
Scaffolded Reading With Small Groups
Conclusion
Chapter 5. Student-Led Dialogic Learning
The Value of Student-to-Student Discussion
The Social and Behavioral Benefits of Peer-Assisted Learning
Fostering Collaborative Discussions
Teach Students to Develop Their Own Questions
Student-Led Tools for Dialogic Learning
Fishbowl
Gallery Walks
Book Clubs
Readers Theatre
Reciprocal Teaching
Peer Tutoring
Conclusion
Chapter 6. Independent Learning
Finding Flow
Independent Reading for Fluency and Knowledge Building
Independent Writing
Power Writing
Error Analysis
Extended Writing Prompts
Learning Words Independently
Independently Working With Words
Use Games to Foster Retention
Big Ideas About Independent Learning
Does It Promote Metacognition?
Does It Promote Goal Setting?
Does It Promote Self-Regulation?
Conclusion
Chapter 7. Tools to Use in Determining Literacy Impact
Do You Know Your Impact?
Do You Know Your Collective Impact?
ASSESSING READING
Assessing Background Knowledge
Cloze Procedure
Vocabulary Matching Assessment
Assessing Reading Comprehension
Informal Reading Inventories
Reading Fluency
Metacomprehension Strategies Index (MSI)
Assessing Attitudes Toward Reading
ASSESSING WRITING
Assessing Writing Fluency
Assessing Spelling
Assessing Writing Holistically
Literacy Design Collaborative Student Work Rubrics
Why Assess? Know Your Impact
Conclusion
Compendium of Assessments
Appendix: Effect Sizes
References
Index