ECI524


 * [[image:globe7.jpg width="116" height="106"]] || In ECI 524: Theory and Research in Global Learning I decided to research how teachers instructed reading to primary grade students in other countries. The two countries I decided to focus my research on were China and Italy, because according to the UNESCO Database, both countries achieved high youth literacy rates. For example, in 2007, China's total youth literacy rate was 99.3% and Italy's total youth literacy rate was 99.9%. This intrigued me because I was interested in what these two countries were doing to teach primary students how to read and write compared to how I was teaching literacy here in the United States. For this project, I focused mainly on reading instruction in China and Italy during the primary school years. Also, I looked at technologies that English Language Arts teachers were integrating into their reading instruction.

**__Research Question__**: What can I learn about teaching reading and integrating technology by analyzing and comparing best practices for instructing reading in China and Italy?
Click below to view my research paper that answered this question as part of the Inquiry Learning Process:

Conclusions: I learned that China and Italy have very diverse ways of teaching primary students how to read. China's educational system is very similar to their culture. Classes are very teacher-centered and the students are seated in rows, expected to listen and take notes about everything the teacher says. The students begin by learning the sounds first, and then once these sounds are mastered, they are taught how to read characters. By sixth grade, students must master a total of 3,000 characters in order to be literate adults. To do this, memorization is valued, and is a necessity for students to be successful learners. In Italy, there are three different approaches to learning how to read. One is a natural approach, which is similar to Piaget's beliefs, because each child learns how to read according to his or her development. The second approach is called the phonemic approach and this is similar to China's approach where the students learn the sounds first and then progress to learning the consonants and whole words. The third, and final, approach is called the global approach and it focuses on students learning whole words in order to read. Most times this approach involves the teacher pre-teaching the vocabulary prior to the students reading the story. Italian primary schools focus on the students learning how to write first, and they believe learning to read comes from a strong foundation in writing. The main difference between China and Italy is the flexibility for teachers to choose how to instruct reading. In China, teachers have little choice because they need to teach the curriculum and reinforce it by asking questions throughout the lesson. In Italy, teachers can choose from the three methods listed above to teach reading. Also, Italian classrooms are a combination of teacher and child centered. Students are expected to make meaningful connections to the curriculum by "playing" after the lesson. Playing means that the students are expected to use other materials such as yarn, glue, etc. to construct a product of their learning from that particular day's lesson.

Based on this research I learned that teachers need to be consistent in the way they instruct reading. In China, instruction is very rigid, but it is consistent and the students know what to expect. It is very routine and the students know what is expected of them as well as the importance to learn those 3,000 characters so they can be successful adults in the future. I do believe that some lecture is appropriate for the students to be taught a specific skill, such as phonics. Although lecture is an important part of instruction, I do not think it should be the sole method. There also needs to be room for a child-centered environment comparable to the one illustrated in Italian primary school classrooms. Children need to demonstrate their learning through play and projects. Also, a balanced literacy approach seems to be working well for both countries based on their total youth literacy rates. Starting with phonics and then moving to whole words seems to produce successful, proficient readers.

||