Introduction: The Need for Active/Accountable Student Response to
Instruction
Research has confirmed what every teacher knows; students who are most in need
of instruction, are least engaged in it! Noted literacy researcher, Keith Stanovich
(1998), described this phenomenon as the “Matthew Effect” in learning, referencing
the biblical parable in the book of Matthew in which “the rich get richer and poor
get poorer”. In other words, far too many under-performing adolescents view
learning in the content areas as a “spectator sport” and are often allowed to adopt a
passive role in their classrooms. In terms of effectively developing skills and
knowledge in the content area disciplines, the implications are enormous. Classroom
teachers need efficient and effective instructional strategies to insure that all
students are actively and accountably responding to all lesson content.