Course Contents

UNIT 1: Introduction to Reading Difficulties In this unit prospective teachers will explore the concept of reading difficulties, examine types of reading difficulties faced by elementary school students and identify factors that trigger or result in those difficulties. It is crucial for reading teachers to be familiar with the reading difficulties so that they may first prevent them from occurring or identify them to make a timely intervention to remove the reading difficulty. Week # Topics/themes • Definition of Reading Difficulties What are Reading Difficulties and Reading Disabilities Conceptual Definition and Differentiation between difficulties and disabilities • Factors behind Reading Difficulties Common factors impeding reading skill development in English, Urdu & Regional languages: o Physical o Cognitive o Language (articulation, phonological factors, rote-learning, L1(regional language) and, L2 (national/official language) overlapping and confusions) o Socio-Economic o Socio-Cultural (family and regional school community) o Faulty Reading habits • Special Reading Disabilities  Dyslexia  Hyperlexia  Central-auditory processing disorder (CAPD)  Attention deficit disorder (ADD)  Visual-processing deficit/disorder  Types of Reading Difficulties: (English, Urdu & Regional language)  Beginners (class 1-2), Phonemic Awareness, Phonological Awareness, Phonics, High Frequency words, Fluency, Vocabulary, Comprehension  Intermediate (class 3-5) High frequency words, Fluency, Omission and Addition of Letters or Sounds, Vocabulary  Advanced (class 6-8) • Comprehension, Syntax, etc. UNIT 2: Identification of Reading Difficulties (English, Urdu & Regional language) This unit acquaints prospective teachers with the identification of reading difficulties in English, Urdu and regional languages. The unit highlights different difficulties in early grade readers in Pakistan. It also provides information as how to assess and identify reading difficulties by using standardized tools. It gives an opportunity for selection and administration of tools for data-led placement of the early grade readers as per their difficulty level. Week # Topics/themes • Rational for identifying reading difficulties and interventions • Levels of reading difficulties o Independent Level o Instructional Level o Frustational Level • Assessment Tools for Reading Difficulties (ASER & EGRA) • Salient Features of Early Grade Reading Assessment (ASER & EGRA) • Relevance of (ASER & EGRA) for reading difficulties • Guidelines for Assessment Tools for reading difficulties • Early readers / Beginners: Assessing Letter Knowledge, Letter-sound association, alphabetic code • Intermediate: Word-learning, meaning-construction, high frequency words 6 • Guidelines for Assessment tools for Advance Level readers  Vocabulary and oral language development  Meaning Construction  Comprehension UNIT 3: Intervention of Reading Difficulties This unit orients the prospective teachers to intervention practices for reading difficulties, combining preventive and remedial approaches. The unit highlights the role of Technology Assisted Reading Instruction for reading attainment. It also provides an orientation to research-based community involvement approaches for designing collaborative reading program in schools for reading success. Week # Topics/themes Preventive Approaches for Reading Difficulties • Early Intervention through Standards based Instruction • Strategies for Scaffolding Student Learning • Practical Application of Scaffolding Approaches to Corrective Instruction Part-to-Whole Approach • Whole-to- part-Approach • Interactive View Principles of Corrective Instruction: • Prevention vs. Correction • Fostering Independence • Active Involvement • Personalized Instructions • Continuous Assessment • Integrated Approach Role of School Leader for Standard Reading Intervention • Ways to deliver intensive interventions • Classroom instruction for meeting the needs of all learners • Characteristics of effective interventions Ways to provide intensive intervention for struggling readers • Small group instruction • Work outside the regular reading block • Intervention classroom Key aspects in establishing and monitoring effective School level intervention • School Leadership • Programs and Materials • Monitoring and tracking of reading development progress Models of Standard-based Reading Interventions • Standards for reading interventions: challenges and prospects for Pakistan • Response to Intervention (RTI)/3-Tier Reading model • Best practices in implementation of RTI • Assistive Technology for Reading Instruction • Online Tools, Applications and Programs for Reading Interventions School-Community Collaboration for Managing Reading Difficulty • Models of Community Involvement in Reading Success • Research about Community Involvement • Designing standardized Preventive and Remedial Program for Reading Difficulties UNIT 4: Linking Theory to Practice This Unit is about the practical implementations of all pervious units regarding Reading difficulty issues; Types of Reading difficulties, Reading difficulties in Urdu & English, Identifications of Reading Difficulties and their remedial activities along-with Action Research in their Practicum schools. In which they can minimize/reduce the Reading difficulties of the students of the practicum school. Week # Topics/themes • Designing of Action plan for schools Interventions, • Selecting a case with Reading Difficulties • Selecting & Implementing tools for reading difficulties 13 & 14 • Practice Differentiated Instructional Strategies (DIS) – for Schools / Community / Out of school Children • Reflective Video Magazine (Assignment) • Reflective Seminar with practitioner and beneficiaries

Course Synopsis

This course is focused on equipping prospective teachers with the knowledge, disposition and skills needed to identify learners facing reading difficulties, and to select and use research-based interventions that combine preventive and remedial approaches to addressing reading difficulties in the classroom. The course on reading difficulties orients the prospective teachers to reading difficulties students face across the curriculum. The course encompasses identification of reading difficulties in the socio-cultural context of elementary schools of Pakistan, with an emphasis on the early-grade students. In this course, prospective teachers will develop declarative knowledge (what needs to be taught and why), procedural knowledge (how to) and conditional knowledge (when, where) of reading instruction and intervention focusing on students with reading difficulties. The course is focused on high priority skills and strategies.

Course Learning Outcomes

Course Outcomes: By the end of the course the prospective teachers will be able to: • Identify and explain key difficulties readers face at each major milestone • Describe effective ways for addressing reading difficulties. Administer assessments tools to diagnose reading difficulties • Differentiate between preventive and remedial approaches used to intervene for reading difficulties • Analyze the role of technology assisted instruction in prevention and remedy of reading difficulties • Plan instructional strategies that help prevent reading difficulties • Plan whole-class, peer and remedial instruction to address reading difficulties • Conduct a case-study to diagnose and remedy a reader’s reading difficulty. • Design Community Involvement Program to prevent and rectify reading difficulties • Link theory with practice as reflective practitioners in elementary classrooms