Adrian College partners with local schools posted 12/18/07
Two-way mirror provides unique teaching methods.

ADRIAN, Mich. – The Education Curriculum Center at Adrian College is the new setting for Reading Recovery teachers of Lenawee County, thanks to the College’s purchase of a two-way glass mirror.

A remodeled classroom in the College’s Valade Hall gave seven area educators a chance to critique and discuss Reading Recovery teaching methods in early December. Teachers from Adrian and Sand Creek schools watched through a two-way window as Blissfield Elementary reading specialist Dianne Cory worked with first-grader Gavin.

“It’s a wonderful experience,” Cory said of the evaluations. “Sometimes there are better decisions that could be made.”

Kay Allingham, the teacher leader of the Reading Recovery program in Lenawee County, is very excited about the College’s role in the program.

“It’s a nice partnership to have with a local college,” says Allingham. “We are very appreciative of Adrian College and their wanting to help us.”

Participating school districts in the Reading Recovery program in Lenawee include Adrian, Blissfield, Hudson, and Sand Creek.

Reading Recovery is an international program based on the research of Dr. Marie Clay, developmental psychologist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. It is an early intervention program designed to assist the lowest achieving children in first grade that are having difficulty learning to read and write.

Children meet individually with a specially trained teacher for 30 minutes each day for an average of 12-20 weeks. The goal is for the children to develop effective reading and writing strategies.

During this relatively short-term intervention, these children make faster-than-average progress. They can catch up with their peers and continue to work on their own within an average group setting in the regular classroom.

The state of Michigan is having great success with the program. During the 2006-2007 school year, 4,783 students were taught by 547 Reading Recovery teachers at 388 schools in 119 districts. Out of the 3,703 students who received a complete intervention, about 30-35 hours of one-on-one instruction total, 71% reached average performance levels in reading and writing. The other 29% did show progress but not enough to reach average performance levels; they were recommended for additional intervention.

The Reading Recovery program has been in place in Adrian schools for about 13 years.

During a training session, teachers look on as one teacher instructs a student they have been working with from their local district. The teachers, who are watching this interaction through the two-way mirror, comment on how the student responds to the lesson. After the 30 minute lesson is over, the instructors discuss and evaluate which methods were effective and possible alternative techniques.

Although Adrian College is making the process easy for local educators by providing the space, the College is also benefiting from this program and the two-way mirror. The College anticipates the mirror to be utilized in some of the College’s courses. Social work and educational professors can now use the mirror for interviewing and teaching techniques with their own students.

“This is a win-win situation for everyone,” says Allingham. “It gives the young students a chance to receive training on a college campus and could also be an educational tool for college students in the teacher education program. Those are all things that are going to grow out of this. We love this program.”