RM Winter 2016 FLIP

55 / 88

Reading Matters
Teaching Matters
Reading Matters | Volume 16 • Winter 2016 | |53|
Plugged In
From think-tac-toe, it is particularly simple to transition to
an online format for the same activity using Blendspace (www.
, a web-based platform that allows teachers
to construct unique lessons with interactive components.
Blendspace allows teachers to search, drag, and drop all within
one window. The search tool is an embedded YouTube, Google,
EduCreations, Flickr (and many more) search, so the options and
resources are nearly unlimited. Teachers can also choose to import
files from Google Drive or Dropbox, thus easily transforming an
unplugged lesson, such as think-tac-toe in Figure 1, into one
that combines technology with constructivist experiences.
The use of technology to conduct historical inquiry through
the examination of primary and secondary sources is an
important skill for students to learn, and the use of think-
tac-toe can serve as a foundation for this and other similar
experiences (Hicks and Swan, 2006). The diverse nature of
social studies as a content area also lends itself to the use of
Blendspace to create think-tac-toes because they can be used
for multiple topics. Additionally, Blendspace is an effective way
to incorporate cooperative learning models in an integrated
setting, thus addressing the learning needs of students with
disabilities in the general education environment (McCoy,
2005). The use of Blendspace may eliminate the need to
create large-print copies of the activity because the student
has the capability to enlarge the font on his or her screen
to be better able to see it. Also, many newer devices have
accessibility features that will meet the needs of learners
without much advanced preparation required of the teacher.
Using Blendspace to create think-tac-toe lessons (see
Figures 2 and 3) provides a way for teachers to modernize a
classic instructional strategy and provide students with more
meaningful, independent learning experiences in social studies.
Figure 3: Blendspace Think-Tac-Toe (available from
Activating Prior Knowledge
Grounded in schema theory, the activation of prior
knowledge facilitates comprehension because it encourages
the integration of new knowledge with a network of existing
experiences. Harris and Hodges (1995) suggest that reading is
an active and schema-building process because students are
encouraged to ask themselves why facts in a text make sense.
The relationship between activating prior knowledge and text
comprehension is validated by a number of studies (Amadieu,
Van Gog, Paas, Tricot, & Marine, 2009; Chi, de Leeuw, Chiu, &
Lavancher, 1994; De Grave, Schmidt, & Boshuizen, 2001; Kostons
& van der Werf, 2015; Ozuru, Dempsey, & McNamara, 2009).
To answer questions about the text, students must connect
prior knowledge with new information, thus constructing
meaning from the text. The activities of a) question elaboration,
b) generation, and c) answering all work together to activate
and use prior knowledge (National Reading Panel, 2000).
Figure 2: Blendspace DOK with Inventions (SC Standard 5-3.1) available at