Distance Education in Action: The Wisconsin Rural Reading Improvement Project
OTHER
Margaret J. Wilsman
Abstract
The Wisconsin Rural Reading Improvement Project implements a research-based telecommunications model of professional development and school improvement that rural school districts can use when redesigning K-12 reading curriculum. The project's approach to staff development assumes that change in school reading programs proceeds via extensive reconceptualization by administrators and teachers. New concepts involve the teaching of reading as thinking; teaching reading in content areas; integrating reading, writing, and thinking throughout learning phases; and strategic reading and teaching. Participants are leadership teams (typically an elementary school principal, library-media specialist, and reading specialist or teacher) from 18 small Wisconsin school districts. Teams view in-service education programs in their schools on broadcast public television. Via narrowcast FM public radio and telephone conferencing, the project staff helps participants to use the programming to reflect on their own views of reading and in their daily classroom practices. Participants use telephone conferencing and electronic mail to share their reflections and thereby create a common working language. Evaluation of the project's first year (1987-88) documented changes in reading instruction by some participant teachers and reading specialists, accompanied by the use of new language to talk about reading as a thinking process. This report contains 11 references. (SV)
Citation
Wilsman, M.J. Distance Education in Action: The Wisconsin Rural Reading Improvement Project. Retrieved August 11, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/141469/.
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