This document summarizes a presentation about a partnership between a university's reading foundations course and an elementary school. The course aims to give teacher candidates hands-on experience applying reading pedagogy. Through the "Reading Buddies" program, candidates work one-on-one with K-3 students at the school to provide individualized reading support. The partnership benefits both the candidates, who gain clinical experience, and the students, who receive extra reading assistance. The document outlines course goals, the school's student demographics, examples of assessments used, and advocates for clinical practice being central to teacher preparation.

1. Reading Buddies:
A Mutually Beneficial Partnership
Elizabeth Fogarty, PhD, University of Minnesota
Sharon Hendrix, Principal, Galtier Elementary School, St. Paul, MN
Michelle Martig, Graduate Student, University of Minnesota
A Presentation for the AACTE Conference in Louisville, Kentucky
February 23, 2019

2. Participant outcomes:
• Discuss emerging problems of practice in clinical field
placements.
• Reflect on experiences and implementation of reading
foundations coursework within their own university.
• Examine how reading foundations content is delivered
in close partnership with P-12 colleagues through the
use of video and story.
• Brainstorm ideas for enhancing your own clinical
partnerships.

3. Why is this work important?
Prior to learning about reading pedagogy
teacher candidates must understand that
literacy is comprised of intertwined processes
such as phonemic awareness, vocabulary,
fluency, comprehension, decoding, and writing,
which all contribute to one’s ability to read.
(National Reading Panel Report, 2010; Salinger et al., 2010;
Templeton & Gehsmann, 2013)

6. Purpose and Goals of Reading
Foundations class
1. Theoretical frameworks that undergird the process of
reading and its development, including language and
linguistic foundations and how oral language is
related to facility with written language.
2. Research on reading processes used to inform
teachers’ understanding of reading and students’
literacy learning.
3. Research on comparisons between traditional print
literacies and digital media and literacies.
4. Research on motivation and engagement and its
importance for K-6 learners.

7. Purpose and Goals of Reading
Foundations class
5. Research undergirding the development of
comprehensive and balanced K-6 curriculum in
reading, and what this instruction looks like.
6. Know and use approaches to assessment and types
of reading assessment tools used to establish
reading proficiency and engagement.
7. Understand how to use data to improve instruction
and drive a cycle of continuous learning for students.

8. Course Purpose and Goal #2
Research on reading processes
used to inform teachers’
understanding of reading and
students’ literacy learning.
Course Purpose and Goal #6
Know and use approaches to assessment and types of
reading assessment tools used to establish reading
proficiency and engagement.

10. Context of Galtier Elementary School
Students Who Qualify For:
• Special Education 9.6%
• Free and Reduced Lunch 88.5%
• English Language Learning 29%
• American Indian 1%
• Asian American
15%
• African American
61%
• Hispanic American
12%
• Caucasian American
11%

11. Charvelle
Kafia
Sharon,
Principal

12. What are Reading
Buddies?

13. Reading Buddies Video

15. Lesson Plan Template
Reading
Writing
Word Work
Assessment

16. Course Purpose and Goal #7
Understand how to use data to improve
instruction and drive a cycle of continuous
learning for students.

17. Charvelle
Kafia
Sharon,
Principal

21. He who studies medicine without
books sails an uncharted sea, but
he who studies medicine without
patients does not go to sea at all.
Sir William Osler

22. Teacher education has too often been segmented with
subject-matter preparation, theory, and pedagogy taught
in isolated intervals and too far removed from clinical
practice. But teaching, like medicine, is a profession of
practice, and prospective teachers must be prepared to
become expert practitioners who know how to use the
knowledge of their profession to advance student
learning and how to build their professional knowledge
through practice. In order to achieve this we must place
practice at the center of teaching preparation.
Blue Ribbon Panel on Clinical Preparation and
Partnerships for Improved Student Learning

23. Representation of Clinical Partners
• In Minnesota we are asked to provide teacher
candidates the opportunity to work with diverse
students across their placements prior to graduation.
– Students who are racially and culturally diverse
– Students who have a range of exceptionalities
– Students who are linguistically diverse (those who are
English Learners)
– Student who are experiencing homelessness
30%
8%
8%
30%

24. Practicum Grid

25. Motivation Surveys
Elementary Reading Attitude Survey Motivation to Read Profile - Revised

26. Words Their Way
Elementary Spelling InventoryPrimary Spelling Inventory

27. Assessment Analysis

28. Practicum Grid

35. Questions . . .
Comments . . .
Random Thoughts?

36. Dr. Elizabeth Fogarty
foga0017@umn.edu