|
|
Literacy
Tenets of Literacy
-
The teacher – supported by knowledge,
research, and experience, - is the essential component of the
classroom.
-
The goal of literacy is
comprehension.
-
Comprehension involves complex,
in-the-head strategies (including building word knowledge) which can
be applied “on the run.”
-
Using before, during and after
literacy activities deepens understanding and moves information into
long-term memory.
-
Literacy requires explicit, focused
instruction in what good readers and writers do including training
in phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, decoding, comprehension
strategies, compositional writing, and fluency.
-
Reflecting on background knowledge
builds schema and allows students to use what they know to get to
what they don’t know.
-
Motivation, both internal and
external, determines success in literacy.
-
Language processes (reading,
writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and representing) are
integrated; success in one area increases success in the others.
-
Models of fluency and prosody are
critical for literacy education.
-
Literacy is socially constructed
and requires participation between the author, the text, and the
reader.
Five Rules of Thumb for
Maintaining Balance
1.
Teach skills as a way to gain meaning.
Skills are not ends in themselves.
2.
Each day, include time for both guided
instruction and independent work. Otherwise,
students will never internalize skills and make them their own.
3.
Avoid teaching children as if they were empty
receptacles for knowledge. Instead, allow them to build
knowledge in a process-oriented way.
4.
Integrate print and electronic materials
effectively. That way, your classroom will reflect the
multimedia world in which students live.
5.
Always consider standardized test scores in
light of informal assessment data. Encourage parents to do
the same.
From Dorothy Strickland (Dorothy
S. Strickland is a renowned reading expert and professor of education at
Rutgers University. She has also served as president of the
International Reading Association.)
Evaluating Slow Readers
|