Lately, I have been thining a great deal about basic skills,
particularly reading and math skills. We have run an
experimental and control group study of kids in our Fifth
Dimension after school program. Kids in the Fifth Dimension
engage in approximately 30-40 hours of activity centered around
Microcomputer games and telecommunications over the academic
year. A key component of the program is that we do not provide
direct instruction on skills. Rather when kids play games we
provide assistance when needed and only as much as is needed.
Our data reveals that the expermental 5D kids perform
significantly better on standardized reading and math tests.
This is a strong finding, given that treatment is 30-40 hours in
duration and embedded in social activity.
Earlier this year, Gordon Wells raised the question of what
constitutes basic skills and how children should master them.
Mike Cole pointed out, and Gordon agreed, that basic skills might
viewed as basic activity mediated through tools (basic skills).
Mike also said that he could share references (Griffin & Cole,
Fischer & Biddell, and others).
My purpose here is to stimulate a discussion on basic skills.
First, Mike, will you share the references with us? Second, it
seems that the dominant mode of basic skills instruction is
repeated exposure to isolated skills. More often than not,
children are engaged what Jensen called Level I learning. The
outcome is making an internal of a skill, as opposed
transformation of the internal plane. I would like to be able to
articulate this better. Third, how would one explain the
differences between basic skills instruction and basic activity
mediated through basic skills for teachers, administrators, and
teacher education faculty?
Bill Blanton