Discuss with another teacher, his/her philosophies about teaching literacy.
Literacy instruction is a hot topic for many teachers. Each having their own personal experiences and beliefs, teachers teach literacy to their students in the ways in which worked well for them. It is an important topic that needs to be addressed, researched, implemented and monitored.
Students learn literacy through listening, speaking, reading and writing. Teachers need to have a balanced approach to teaching literacy in a manner that will foster a child’s growth in each of these modes. Even though listening, speaking, reading and writing are individual aspects of learning, they are all interrelated. This means that giving instruction in any one of the modes of learning will help in the others as well. Lessons that have students using a variety of modes will have the best result in literacy instruction. Activities for listening and speaking include: having students listen to a variety of fluent readers and participating in group discussions in a variety of topics and giving students the opportunity to discuss topics with others. Students will learn from not only the task given but from listening to others point of views and descriptions. Activities for reading and writing include: reading in a variety of genres, writing in a variety of genres and writing for a variety of purposes and people. Teachers need to be cautious when teaching literacy; they need to steer clear of getting stuck in any one mode of teaching. Teachers need to make sure that literacy instruction is meaningful to the students and authentic. Students should be able to connect it to their daily lives and be able to use it in the real world.
The five key components to a research based literacy program are: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency and Comprehension. Teachers who give instruction in a variety of ways within each of the elements will have students with a strong literacy background. Teachers need to make sure that they are giving their students scaffolding tips and techniques for the students to be able to apply when needed. Teachers need to also take into consideration the needs and strengths of the students.
In conclusion, literacy instruction needs to be explicit and comprehensive. It needs to help students learn real world experiences through the modes of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Literacy programs need to teach through these modes as well as teach the five elements of a research based program. Teachers need to give many opportunities to students and develop curriculum around the students’ needs and interests. Taking all these measures into account will ensure that each student will have a strong literacy base.
Hi Laurisa,
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to have another class with you. I appreciated reading your post as I was preparing my own. What stood out most to me was your comment that teachers need to be sure that they don't get stuck in one mode of teaching. Most teacher I know are doing wonderful things in their classrooms, but you give an important reminder that it needs to be varied to be most effective to most students. For example, I love reader's theater for middle school students, but I recognize that I should not overuse them! -Danielle
The fact that every teacher is different is what makes teaching great. Every teacher needs to have their own beliefs that best benefit their students and their own styles that show success for them. If every teacher taught literacy the same way, many students would be left behind.
ReplyDeleteBy teaching using listening, speaking, reading, and writing teachers can really get an idea of how a student is doing or where they are struggling. It seems many teachers don’t look at speaking as much as they should. If a student is having difficulty speaking or pronouncing, then this can greatly affect their literacy learning.
Wonderful Blog
TH
Dear Danielle and TH,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, thank you for responding to my blog. I am very new to blogging and did not actually see my blog until Danielle responded to it. I need to look at my blog settings. :) - I too love the fact that teachers all think differently but creatively. I can always count on my fellow teachers to give me ideas and inspiration about any given topic. You are right TH, if all teachers taught one way then we would miss numerous amounts of students in the process. -By assessing and then evaluating what students say, how they are perceived listening, their ability to read and write, teachers will be able to tailor instruction to meet the needs of the students at all times.
Thanks,
Laurisa
Hello Laurisa,
ReplyDeleteI found this statement to be particularly true regarding teaching literacy, "Literacy instruction needs to be explicit and comprehensive". I believe strongly that all students' needs can be met if instruction is explicit and well planned.
Misti Snow