As I begin the second semester of a three semester licensure program in elementary education, I am excited to learn about literacy in early childhood education. After spending my first semester of the program studying literacy in intermediate grades, I am eager to learn more about how our young people develop the necessary skills in order to learn how to read.
After a discussion in our primary reading class last week, it was apparent that many of us have no recollection of what skills, theories, or strategies we used when learning to read. Though we have no memory of the reading learning process, many of us do have recollection of individuals who influenced our reading habits and perhaps taught us the joy of reading in the early years of our lives.
In the book, Catching Readers Before They Fall, Pat Johnson and Katie Keier discuss two common literacy theories that teachers employ in the classroom to help young students learn how to read. Through the use of a simple reading theory, a teacher may concentrate reading time on visible reading tactics, such as, phonics, sight words, parts of speech, and punctuation. Through the use of a complex reading theory, the student is able to make meaning of the text as he is learning various visible parts of the text.
Johnson and Keier discuss the importance of how a teacher understands the reading process and the role that understanding will play in determining what literacy theory is implemented in his or her classroom. Though both theories are beneficial in countless ways, as a teacher it is important to understand the needs of each student and how the implemented literacy framework will benefit the individual. Not one strategy or both may be effective for all learners.
As teachers we must consistently re-evaluate the literacy theories and framework we employ within our classrooms depending on individuals in our classrooms. Though it is unlikely that our students will remember the theories we used to help them learn how to read, the decisions we make as teachers when implementing literacy strategies in the early childhood classroom will have a lasting impression on each students understanding and perception of reading.
Most importantly, if we have done our job well as teachers, we will have helped teach the child how to learn to read through a best fit theory and be remembered for instilling a joy and love of reading in that child's mind.
After a discussion in our primary reading class last week, it was apparent that many of us have no recollection of what skills, theories, or strategies we used when learning to read. Though we have no memory of the reading learning process, many of us do have recollection of individuals who influenced our reading habits and perhaps taught us the joy of reading in the early years of our lives.
In the book, Catching Readers Before They Fall, Pat Johnson and Katie Keier discuss two common literacy theories that teachers employ in the classroom to help young students learn how to read. Through the use of a simple reading theory, a teacher may concentrate reading time on visible reading tactics, such as, phonics, sight words, parts of speech, and punctuation. Through the use of a complex reading theory, the student is able to make meaning of the text as he is learning various visible parts of the text.
Johnson and Keier discuss the importance of how a teacher understands the reading process and the role that understanding will play in determining what literacy theory is implemented in his or her classroom. Though both theories are beneficial in countless ways, as a teacher it is important to understand the needs of each student and how the implemented literacy framework will benefit the individual. Not one strategy or both may be effective for all learners.
As teachers we must consistently re-evaluate the literacy theories and framework we employ within our classrooms depending on individuals in our classrooms. Though it is unlikely that our students will remember the theories we used to help them learn how to read, the decisions we make as teachers when implementing literacy strategies in the early childhood classroom will have a lasting impression on each students understanding and perception of reading.
Most importantly, if we have done our job well as teachers, we will have helped teach the child how to learn to read through a best fit theory and be remembered for instilling a joy and love of reading in that child's mind.
Such a joy to read this first post! You are so right: teaching reading is personal. Yes, it's a complex mix of strategies but it is first and foremost about the teacher/child relationship.
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