Knowledge to Support the Teaching of Reading (#3)
““The responsibility of preservice and induction programs is to ensure that the teacher in every classroom has a store of well-integrated declarative knowledge about language and literacy, knowledge sufficient to help them question and reject popular myths and misconceptions about second-language learners, about speakers of nonstandard dialects, and about children growing up in poverty. Connecting that declarative knowledge to well-chosen teaching practices and classroom procedures can optimize the literacy outcomes of every student””
I appreciated chapters three and four of “Knowledge to Support the Teaching of Reading” (Snow, Griffin, & Burns, 2005) due to the myths, realities, and suggestions in preservice programs to educators. I firmly believe that in order for teachers to be effective and efficient in any practice, they must be explicitly taught the practice. Once you have the knowledge, you can begin to gain the understanding. Effective teachers understand how learners learn. This has been my new mindset going into this year. It began over the summer when my district Language Arts department came together to work on aligning our standards and curricula. From this experience, as well as reading this text, I have felt validated and affirmed in my mindset. I do not wish to ever give or be given a program without having the opportunity to be involved in it. I hope, for my school, that we can continue to be given opportunities to have more preservice and induction programs so we can gain knowledge, understanding, and empathy.
Burns, M. S., Griffin, P., & Snow, C.E. (2005). Knowledge to support the teaching of reading. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.