Inclusive and Supportive Education Congress International Special Education Conference Inclusion: Celebrating Diversity? 1st - 4th August 2005. Glasgow, Scotland

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DOING THE CATLI PRACTICALLY

Ms Elaine Harcombe
University of the Witwatersrand
Johannesburg, Gauteng
South Africa
harcombee@umthombo.wits.ac.za

INTRODUCTION

This workshop will be conducted as practically as possible.    It will include showings of video footage and demonstrations as well as providing time for participants to engage in actually doing various sections of the CATLI.    Please bring paper, coloured pens, broad felt-tip pens and scissors to the session to enable maximum participation.

Following is an excerpt from a course material manual I have written for my students, which will explain the CATLI process in some depth.   

Please note that this material the University of the Witwatersrand holds the copyright to this material.

EXCERPT FROM : Harcombe, E J (2001). Instructional principles and practices for inclusive classrooms.. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand.   Pages 58 - 62

Table 4: Steps in the CATLI Process

An explanation of the terminology used in the CATLI is given in the following paragraphs.

TERMINOLOGY USED IN THE CATLI

In-the-process instructions (IPI)

This term means that metacognitive strategies are learnt during the process, which means during most of the steps in the CATLI process.

Out-of-the-process instruction (OPI)

This instruction relates to teaching a skill such as phonics on its own, usually during Step 6: Multitilevel teaching. However, this is only done briefly, and the skill is always applied in the process

Construction Tasks (Concrete Level)

This term refers to any reading/writing activity that starts with a structured activity that the learners do physically before any reading or writing occurs. For example, Grade 1 is doing food as a theme, so one of the construction activities would be to make a fruit salad. Text-based tasks

Construction Task (Representational and Abstract Level

This term refers to any reading/writing activity that is based on a picture/map etc or a text. For example, Grade 3 is doing a theme on the gold fields in early Johannesburg. One of their structured activities would be to read an early document, such as a letter that describes the beginning of the gold rush. They will work together through the text according to a structure devised by the teacher, and thereafter negotiate a written text together in groups.

Literacy Experience

This activity centres around the teacher (mostly) reading his or her learners, i.e. providing literacy experience. Texts for this activity should be highly interesting to the learners and should not be too far beyond their level of general knowledge.   

Publishing

This activity involves the writing of authentic texts (such as a letter to the local newspaper or a story based on a construction task).    The text should then be published in as an authentic manner as possible, such as in the school magazine or in books for classroom use.    These books can be large enough for a group to read from or small enough to be taken home to read.

Multilevel Teaching and Learning Tasks

This step involves the design of certain tasks that each individual may need to enhance and speed up their literacy learning and usage.    More information will be given below on this step.

PART ONE: USING THE CA T L I PROCESS IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE

In the following subsection, how to do CATLI at various levels is explained – as practically as it is possible to do on paper. The headings of each subsection correspond with the steps given in Table 5. How to do each step is explained in sequence. Occasionally, some comments are made on the process, in order to clarify practical details. Part One ( for the foundation phase) only focuses on construction tasks that are concrete or representational .   Construction tasks that are abstract will be not be discussed in this workshop.

STEP 1: Theme and lesson planning

Theme planning

• Use some method to discover what interests the learners have. Then see to what extent you can accommodate their interests into a meta-theme, which includes required aspects from the curriculum.
• Negotiate the meta-theme with the class.
• Plan how many weeks the meta-theme will cover.
• Plan every aspect of the CATLI (you will be given a graphic organiser to do this). It is particularly important to plan strategies that individual learners need.

Comments

• Allowing learners to negotiate some aspects of the theme keeps motivation and curiosity high.
• It is particularly important to assess what concepts (knowledge) are not developed in learners, so that you can try to fill these gaps as effectively as possible.

STEP 2: Theme initiation

• Introduce the theme with videos, stories, visits, etc. Anything that is as real as possible, so that their current knowledge (concepts) are activated and linked strongly to the new material. Do this with as much in-process instruction as possible.
• Some learners have large gaps in their knowledge, so some out-of-process instruction on enlarging their knowledge is often necessary. The other learners can work quietly on related work during this time.
• The out-of-process instruction can also be mediated by more knowledgeable children in group/pair work.

Comments

• Learners who have had little experience (i.e. never been to the sea, to the country or to a bank) often have gaps in their knowledge, especially of school-related knowledge. In addition,
• Learners who have not been read to, or even told stories, tend to have other kinds of gaps in their knowledge. It is important to try to fill these gaps by real experience, such as going to a bank, or reading many genres to the learners in school, etc.

STEP 3: Literacy Experience

• A book is carefully selected to read.
• If the content of the book is not theme-related and is out of their experience, some preparatory work regarding the content will be necessary.
• Start by showing them the book – the cover, the front page, the pictures. Then interact with the learners orally, asking open-ended questions about content, about how they feel about the content etc. This strategy activates schema and also shows you where there may be gaps in their knowledge.
• Then read the story to the class, with passion and expression or  more able learners can  take turns with the teacher (only if they want to) but keep their reading brief, such as a paragraph each etc.
• Read the story with constant interaction with the learners, such as by saying “What will happen next”, What do you think about this?”, “How do you think she is feeling?” These questions help them to make send of the story, text etc. They also help them to link what is happening in the story to what they already know.
• At the same time, do vocabulary development by activating old schema with questions and linking this to new knowledge and then linking it to new vocabulary.
• Also teach reading strategies while you read, such as prediction and problem-solving. These are best taught by using questions in the process of reading. For example, “What word should come next?” “Why do you think so?” etc. They are further explained:

Prediction: This is teaching them to use the context to predict what is coming next. The context is provided by the meaning in the text and by language and literacy conventions.

Problem-solving: “What happened before, so what is likely to happen now?”

• Literacy conventions, such as phonics, rhymes in words, punctuation, terms such as ‘author’, ‘artist’, etc. are taught in the process, while reading. ALWAYS use the correct terminology eg “Who is the author?” “Who is the artist, front/back of the book, beginning/end, text, left, right, pictures,” Some of this teaching can be taken directly out of the process for a moment, and done more directly. For example, a sentence can be written on the board so that the punctuation can be underlined, or a sentence can be written on the board in which the rhyme in a word can be used in sentences quickly, eg “He fell flat on his back!” “pack”, “sack”, etc. . Then go back into the process of reading the story.
• When the story is finished, the group discusses what they like about it, how it made them feel, how it compares with a favourite author (what’s different/what’s the same etc). it could be given a rating that is negotiated.
• Learners are being taught evaluation skills here, but very informally. This post-mortem gives a sense savouring the pleasure. It can also help supply catharsis, in that feelings raised by the book are discussed and hopefully dealt with.

Comments

• This step can come anywhere in the day really, as long as it happens at least once a day. Choices of books within the theme would be useful but are not always necessary. In Grade 1 it is usually better to use storybooks as the interest is high in this area and therefore motivating.
• It is best that most of the instruction is done in-the-process in this step. You may find that some children may need, for example, instruction out-of-process in phonics or punctuation, but most children will learn these literacy conventions very easily, almost like breathing, if the purpose of the conventions are taught briefly while reading a story (i.e. in the process).

STEP 4: Construction Tasks (Concrete)

The introduction of the construction task is done by reminding the learners of the progress of the theme and their interests and how the task is linked to the theme. They are also shown the materials, and the instructions(written) for doing the task.

• Then the class does the activity in their groups, talking and listening to each other as they do this. A sentence or two may be written on the board to clarify the usage of new vocabulary.
• The learners are then gathered together. The products are admired, discussed, displayed, linked appropriately to the theme, etc. (This must not take too long).
• Then the group works out a plan for writing the story of how they did the activity (a graphic organiser does well for this). Then the class dictates a negotiated text, sentence by sentence which the teacher writes down on a large piece of paper or a pre-made large book. While the writing is being negotiated and written, the meaning is linked intensely to the language and the literacy process.
• Some attention to details can occur, such as drawing attention to a full stop, a rhyme, etc, while writing. In Grade 2 and on, the more formal aspects of  grammar can be taught in the process.
• Then the story is read together, in unison, from the flip chart / book at first. The teacher models this as a very satisfactory exercise. All learners can then take it in turns to read a sentence – however this must not be punitive – the teacher can pair read with those who have slight difficulty. Each word is pointed out by the teacher with the ruler, etc, from the top of the word. This allows the eye to travel on rapidly to the next word/line easily. The teacher lags behind in an effort to see which words are not always recognised instantly. She helps them to develop strategies like prediction, grammar and rhyming to help them guess the word.

Comments

• Construction tasks take quite a long time to complete. One way to speed the process up without compromising the quality of the strategy is to plan that making/doing the task does not take more than 15 minutes. This can be done easily by sharing work amongst small groups, which together will make a product, or by pre-cutting objects, etc. Another strategy is to take two sessions to do the task.
• Editing in important, even at this stage. However, it is better done in the process of writing, with the help of the teacher. Editing at this stage is better done in the process.    For example, when the plan is finished, the learners negotiate a sentence orally for the first part of the plan.    This sentence is then discussed in terms of questions like “Are we making sense?” Is there anything missing?” “Can we make this sentence more interesting?” “What should we put at the end of the sentence?”etc. Once everyone is happy with the sentence, it is then written down and the need for additional editing is not necessary at this stage

• These tasksjst be practical and authentic, so that interest is aroused, which improves motivation to read/write. Designing a meta-theme that incorporates learners’ interests helps with motivation but tasks still need to be authentic and practical. An example of the practical and authentic task is making cookies and fruit salad for a class party.

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• When these tasks are done correctly,   learners acquire many words they can recognise without any effort. In addition, they do not have to decode them to do this in any way. This is because, as they did the activity, and spoke about it, and then dictated how they did it, and then read about how they did it, and so the meaning implicit in the process becomes inextricably linked to the language (spoken) and the text. For example, if you have been doing an activity on making fruit salad, the word ‘apple’ is likely to be recognised instantly. And even if it is not recognised instantly, it will be after a few sessions of reading the book over again (repeated readings).

STEP 5: Publishing

• The teacher types up the story into the Big Book, which is illustrated, if only with magazine pictures. The story is read from the Big Book at least two or three times as a class activity, and is then placed in the library.
• It is often helpful to make each learner a ‘small’ book of the same text as the ‘big’ book or learners can copy from their big books into small books, if they are able to. These small books can be taken home and read for homework, as well as being read in class in a spare moment. Learners are very interested in books they have contributed to, and read them often.
• Publishing a book gives meaning to reading/ writing. It also provides opportunity for the learners to practise reading (repeated reading). It also helps them to build their vocabulary and concepts, as well as allowing them to just enjoy something they have made. This gives them a sense of mastery and motivation.

STEP 6: Multilevel Teaching and learning tasks

Up until now you will have noticed that all the class have done everything together. Step 6, however, allows the teacher to design strategies that will provide extra work and practice according to the individual needs of each learner. Cognitive processing style, literacy and other experience, age etc will all give pointers on whether the learner needs to do the particular strategy at all, and/or how much practice a particular strategy needs. It is important to note that some learners may not need to do any of these tasks. Of so, these children can be given enrichment tasks, such as reading books of their choice or doing some research for a project, or doing a game related to literacy etc.

6.1. Repeated reading: This strategy has been explained already. It involves learners reading the texts they have dictated over and over again at this level.    Learners should not do repeated reading with published texts until their reading is very confident

6.2 Sentence matching: The teacher provides each child with duplicate copies of a few sentences out of the published text. Then the children, in pairs, place intact sentences on their desks, cut up the duplicate sentences, and then match them to the intact sentences. Then they read the sentences out loud. This can be done with as many sentences as the teacher feels necessary. Then the pair see what other kinds of sentences they can make up with their words. They can ask for a few more words which the teacher can write for them. These can be written on stiffish paper, not cardboard, so it is not an expensive activity. This task helps the child to get practise in many things, such as sentence construction, a concept that words make up sentences, linking meaning to vocabulary and punctuation. It also provides invaluable practice in associative linking to meaning for individual words.

6.3 ­Word matching: Here children can work in pairs and play matching games, such as Lotto, Bingo etc, with the individual words they tend not to recognise quickly. Such games must focus on visual matching, i.e. all cards be face-up and matched. For example, she has ‘apple’ in her hand and must find another ‘apple’ on the table. Every time a child finds a word in one of these games, she must say the word out aloud. The purpose of the games is to give the learners a fun way of practising instant word recognition. Not all learners will need to do much practise with word matching. However, some children may need more practise than others, especially those who don’t have well-developed successive processing. You may notice that many function words (words which are not highly impregnated with meaning, such as where, how, was etc) and irregularly spelled  words (such as laugh, cough, one, etc) are often those words that are not easily automatised by poor successive processors.

6.4 Shared writing: Learners need to be encouraged to start writing for ‘fun’ and so a big deal needs to be made regarding authors and writing. Some examples of shared writing follows:

Journals: Start a journal between the teacher and the child, to be exchanged possibly on a weekly basis. Here the teacher writes a sentence or two, with some little drawings used to represent words, such as drawing a cat instead of using the word ‘cat’. The child responds.

Story book: Each child has a story book in which they write stories to share with the teacher and the class (if they want to). You could give them a number of points for each sentence, half-page, whatever. No coercion to share with the class unless they want to. No evaluation element at all – just sharing.

6.5 Handwriting practice: Children who are able, can copy the sentences from the big book. Children who cannot do so can trace over ‘dotted’ words in sentences. (The sentence-matching sentences can have some words dotted, which the learner traces, and eventually, after a very little time, they will be able to copy the sentences, and then progress to writing their own sentences.)

6.6 Rhyming: Poems, songs, nursery rhymes and nonsense games with a rhyming emphasis should be done every day for fun, and treated just like a book reading activity. Teaching children to hear the rhymes in words is a prerequisite to being able to sound words out for spelling. Some children have more difficulty with this, as their strengths do not lie in processing sequential stimuli.

6.7 Simple phonics:

Step 1 of this has already been done, i.e. talking about words that sound the same at the end (rhyming) when reading a book, writing, etc.

Step 2 has also been done, i.e. focusing on rhyming in poems, etc.

Step 3 involves making up silly poems with matching rhymes, though they can be nonsense words, if desired.

Step 4: this should be done later in the first year, but of course the teacher should often model (in the process) words that have the same rhyme. For example, “Oh look, ‘cat’ and ‘hat’ rhyme – they have the same ending!” Then, when the principle is clear, start linking it to the written word, i.e. write down the words that sound the same, then circle the actual rhyme.

Step 5: When the learners can hear and see rhymes in words, they are ready to carry on with a more formal phonic instructional method. I recommend the Sound Family Approach (this is explained in detail later on) for all learners, but especially for learners who do not process successively very well.

Step 6: When learners are doing shared writing, it is better that they copy correctly-spelled words from a little book made especially for this purpose. Gradually, as they learn their phonics, they will be able to sound out regularly spelled  words on their own.

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