Entry #1 Discuss with another teacher his or her philosophies about teaching literacy

Recently I had a discussion about teaching literacy with another teacher who has been teaching for the past 3 years.  She explained that her philosophy regarding literacy instruction is to make it fun, interactive, multi-sensory, and engaging.

She said that a “good read aloud” is an essential component of literacy learning and that it should be used in kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms. She stated that a good read aloud is one that models fluent reading and is interactive. In addition, a good read should also teach literacy skills and strategies.

When asked about the other essential components of literacy instruction, she explained that literacy learning should also include word study, phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary instruction.  She commented that phonemic awareness and phonics instruction are the foundation of literacy learning, and should therefore be the focus of primary literacy instruction.  In terms of vocabulary instruction, she explained that teachers need to do a better job of explicitly teaching vocabulary especially with their students who are learning English as a second language. She insisted that when students have limited English vocabularies, it is next to impossible for them to make meaning from any text. She went on to explain that when students have limited English vocabularies it is also difficult to provide them word decoding strategies such as one called cross checking, where the students encounter a new word and then try a word asking themselves, does my word look right, sound right, and make sense in the sentence. If a student does not know many words in a particular language, then it is very hard for them to determine if it sounds right and makes sense in the sentence.  Lastly, she said that word study also needs to be included in literacy instruction. She commented on the importance of students learning about prefixes, suffixes, and various spelling patterns. She also mentioned that several multi-sensory and hands on activities should support word study.

She concluded by saying that literacy learning must be engaging and not just involve reading a text, but should provide many opportunities for interaction, discussion, and hands on activities.