MimioReading
Comprehension Suite
An effective, flexible solution
to the changing technology
in the classroom
T. V. JOE LAYNG, PH.D.
DIRECTOR, LEARNING SCIENCES, MIMIO
To learn about MimioReading
comprehension suite
visit mimio.com/mimioreading.
An effective, flexible solution to the changing
technology in the classroom.
In a recent white paper (Layng, 2012), I described the transition in today’s classrooms.
Technology of all sorts is making its way into the classroom and offering new ways to engage
learners. This transition is not smooth, nor is it following a single path. Classroom technology
was once limited to presentation via VCRs, filmstrips, and slide projectors; today we find
more interactive technology that uses LCD projectors, interactive whiteboards, notebook and
desktop computers, and, most recently, tablets such as the iPad. How much penetration each
interactive technology has differs not only from district to district, but also from school to
school and from classroom to classroom. Schools may have a computer lab, but no computers
in the classroom. They may have interactive whiteboards, but no computer lab. They may
have computers in the classroom, but no whiteboard. And they may have any or all or none of
these, and have iPads.
Mimio understands this dilemma and is the first teaching technologies company to offer
a comprehensive solution. The solution includes the first product suite designed to take
advantage of whatever technology a school is using, or plans to use: the scientifically
developed and research-based MimioReading™ comprehension suite. MimioReading
comprehension suite is the only program that teachers can use to directly and systematically
teach learners how to comprehend text (Leon et al., 2011). It provides instruction in literal,
inferential, main idea, and derived word meaning comprehension. It accomplishes this by
providing online, adaptive instruction (where learners interact with the 50-episode program
for about 30 minutes a session), as well as offline, whole-classroom interactive whiteboard
lessons that focus on collaboration and answering open-ended comprehension questions. The
essential comprehension strategies are taught in both online and offline instruction, providing
a powerful cross-discipline solution. The online lessons are accessible via desktop or notebook
computers or iPads, either at school or at home. The interactive whiteboard lessons can be
used with any interactive whiteboard or interactive projector installed in the classroom.
Let’s see how this may work. A teacher might begin by assigning the first three
MimioReading lessons to be completed online as homework. Learners could access the
lessons using a notebook or iPad they have at home, or using a computer that may be located
in a library or computer lab at school. The teacher could access reports that not only let her
know if the work was done, but also describe the precise performance achieved by individual
students on each comprehension type – literal, inferential, derived vocabulary, and main idea.
The online program would catch errors and re-teach concepts until the learner has mastered
what he previously missed. Corrections are provided within the application, based on the
type of error that may be made. However, the teacher would know how many questions were
answered correctly the first time, versus after a correction. Learners who gave the correct
answer only after many corrections would be flagged as perhaps needing more attention.
The teacher could then provide whole-classroom interactive whiteboard lessons that review
and extend the material learned online. Learners would be able to participate and verbalize
the strategies themselves. No interactive whiteboard? Teacher guides and learner response
materials are provided that help transfer and extend the skills learned in the program.
The teacher may find that some of the learners do not have the basic reading
skills necessary for the MimioReading program. A brief two-minute assessment administered
to each learner identifies those learners who need to catch up on their basic reading skills
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© 2013 Mimio
by using the MimioSprout™ early reading program, which is included as part of the
MimioReading comprehension suite. Learners are placed in the MimioSprout program based
upon skills needed to be successful in the MimioReading program. For learners participating
in Response to Intervention (RtI) programs, the MimioReading comprehension suite offers a
comprehensive program that provides either targeted or intensive instruction. It also offers practice
in decoding (through the use of the MimioSprout program), and in reading comprehension
(through the use of the MimioReading program), depending on the learner’s needs.
The MimioReading program provides teachers with unprecedented access to data on how
well learners can comprehend what they read. Teachers get detailed feedback on each of the
four types of comprehension, and can formulate their own queries for individuals, classrooms,
or schools – such as the error rate for “expository passages when the question is an inferential
‘how’ question asking about if – then likelihoods.”
As the program proceeds, skills learned online become the basis of collaborative in-class
activities. The activities extend beyond the multiple-choice, inquiry-based lessons provided
online, and give learners the opportunity to construct open-ended answers to literal,
inferential, derived vocabulary, and main idea questions. Learners are explicitly taught how to
collaborate. They learn not only how to express the meaning they have discovered, but also to
listen carefully and provide relevant and important feedback. Material from a range of subject
matter is included in the collaborations. Learners master increasingly complex reading tasks
and eagerly extend their comprehension abilities to new areas.
Other teachers may focus on the whole-classroom lessons for most students, giving the online
work only to learners who seem to be having trouble in class. Still other teachers may rely
on the online program and use the interactive classroom lessons for small-group instruction
for targeted learners. And yet others may begin with the interactive whiteboard lessons and
subsequently rely more on the online lessons as a result of acquiring computers or iPads for
their classrooms. Though MimioReading comprehension suite is the only program that
effectively teaches learners to comprehend what they read and makes use of any technology
teachers have at their disposal, it does still more: it specifically makes use of the combination
of technologies to provide integrated experiences that extend and bridge the learners’ new
comprehension skills in ways not likely possible without the technologies.
The instructional modules comprising MimioReading comprehension suite underwent
extensive user testing during the course of development. More than 150 learners interacted
with the various program segments one at a time, providing data on their effectiveness and
occasions for revisions. Every component and then the entire MimioReading comprehension
suite was revised and retested until nearly all learners met criterion. As of this writing, more
than 50,000 online learners have provided, and have continued to provide, data for further
evaluation and revision. An overview of Mimio’s reading comprehension solution and its
development can be found in Leon et al. (2011).
mimio.com | An effective, flexible solution to the changing technology in the classroom
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The following components comprise
MimioReading comprehension suite:
1. MimioReading – Computer 50 online lessons targeted at grades 3−5, and intervention for grades 6−8.
2. MimioReading – iPad 50 online lessons targeted at grades 3−5, and intervention for grades 6−8.
3. MimioReading – Group instruction
20 interactive whiteboard/projector classroom units, enabled for voting technology.
4. MimioSprout – Computer
80 online (desktop or notebook) early reading lessons that provide the necessary reading
skills required to use the comprehension program. Students are placed in the program
based upon their performance on a readiness assessment.
5. MimioReading Comprehension Suite
Teacher Guides and online student materials and resources.
6. MimioReading Transfer and Extension Implementation Guide and student materials.
7. Three-hour professional development webinar
With MimioReading comprehension suite, schools can take advantage of
any or all components, in any combination that meets their needs:
•
Looking to introduce iPads in one classroom, but not another? No problem. Learners in
other classrooms can access the same lessons on a computer.
•
No computers available, but interactive whiteboards are available in the classroom?
Students can learn the critical comprehension strategies needed for reading success.
•
Do some learners have reading skills that are below where they need to be? MimioSprout early
reading can help them rapidly catch up, allowing the teacher to provide individual help.
•
Looking for an integrated, flexible solution, in which all components work alone
or together to provide the best possible outcomes? The answer is MimioReading
comprehension suite.
References
Layng, T.V.J. (2012). Mimio RtI solution: Using integrated formative evaluation and adaptive instruction to ensure response to
intervention success. White paper, Cambridge, MA: Mimio.
Layng, T.V.J. (2012). Technology changes in the classroom: In search of effective, flexible solutions. White paper, Cambridge,
MA: Mimio (http://info.mimio.com/technology-changes-in-the-classroom/).
Layng, T.V.J., J.S. Twyman, and G. Stikeleather (2003). Headsprout Early Reading: Reliably teaching children to read. Behavior
Technology Today, 3, 7-20. (HER is now MimioSprout.)
Leon, M., V. Ford, H. Shimizu, A. Stretz, J. Thompson, M. Sota, J.S. Twyman, and T.V.J. Layng (2011). Comprehension by design:
Teaching young learners to comprehend what they read. Performance Improvement Journal, 50, 40–47.
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