Give the Gift of Time to Students and Teachers

LeadershipLeadership is at the heart of effective

literacy instruction. Wolf, Borko, Elliot, and McIver (2000) found that strong leaders listened to their staff, were open-minded, and promoted shared leadership in their schools (Taylor, Pearson, Peterson, & Rodriguez, 2005).

Leadership Cont’d District leaders value these needs by

giving building administrators and teachers the gift of time within the day and throughout the school year to acquire knowledge through ongoing educational activities, participation in literacy organizations, and collaboration with stakeholders.

Leadership Cont’d

Resnick (2000) called for community involvement and support from families and community members to enhance the education for children (Johnson, 2006).

Leadership cont’dSchool leaders see their staff,

community, family, and students as contributing members to the district’s success and work with these individuals to develop effective curriculum and classroom practices, and to solve internal and external problems.

Leadership cont’dBy granting stakeholders the time to

share knowledge, responsibility, and ideas to create a common goal, the result will be an optimal learning environment, which extends from the school into the community. We are all responsible for the education of our children.

ClassroomsThe classroom is an active,

supportive, and resourceful learning environment where ALL students experience success in speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

Classrooms Cont’dAccording to the National Assessment

of Educational Progress (NAEP) on reading, in 2003, 37% of fourth-graders were reading below the Basic Proficiency Level, which was the same rate of failure reported in 1992 (National Center for Learning Disabilities and Schwab Learning, 2005).

Classrooms cont’dThis highlights the importance of

research-based reading instruction that is integrated into all content areas to prevent reading failure for struggling students in ALL classrooms.

Classrooms cont’dTo ensure deeper levels of

understanding, cooperative learning group activities and hands-on tasks are introduced at the students’ level of ability, interest, and readiness and consider their cultural, social, and linguistic backgrounds and knowledge.

Classrooms cont’d

In addition to adequate instruction, students are given additional time and practice to develop the skills that will ensure success.

Classrooms cont’d

The Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study conducted by Denham and Lieberman (1980) reported that student success was strongly linked to student learning and positive attitude when compared to moderate success, which was attributed to task difficulty (Allington, 2006).

TeachersTeachers view literacy development

on a continuum and view students on this continuum as individuals. There is no one way to learn. Teachers recognize students’ strengths and provide differentiated instruction that builds upon their successes.

Teachers cont’d

I can remember my own lack of readiness to learn, especially as an adolescent. This personal experience and insight allows me to see my struggling students in a different light. I am able to understand the reasons behind their lack of motivation and effort and continue to push my students forward on their path of learning without judgment.

Teacher’s Cont’d

Teachers grant students the gift of time to develop the skills that will move them along the developmental continuum at their own pace.

Teachers cont’d Students build new knowledge

through cooperative learning groups to share ideas and realize their voice in learning. Formative assessments teach students and teachers to become reflective learners and promote positive attitudes and motivation towards learning.

Teachers cont’d

Through cooperation, reflection, and success, students and teachers will see themselves as competent learners and teachers who are willing to take on challenges and risks that were once unthinkable.

Teacher’s cont’d

They will develop personality traits such as confidence, acceptance, and patience, which will transfer to their interaction with others outside of the school setting. This vision will be realized when ALL stakeholders see these elements of a classroom as a reality for ALL students. Inclusion will not just be a vision.

CurriculumThe curriculum infuses world events

into daily reading and writing tasks. Teachers have a strong knowledge of classroom content and collaborate with peers to extend learning beyond the curriculum. Teachers engage students in critical literacy activities to develop evaluative thinking skills.

Curriculum Cont’d

Strickland (2003) noted “Critical thinking and the ability to personalize meanings to individual experience and apply what is read and written in the real world, under many different circumstances and with many different types of texts, may be termed the ‘new basics’” (as cited in Morrow, Gambrell, & Pressley, 2003, p. xix).

Curriculum cont’d

Students utilize information from a variety of reading materials and technology to complete activities that demonstrate their power to act upon and influence their world. They develop an appreciation for fiction and nonfiction texts and acquire the world knowledge needed to see themselves as life-long learners.

Curriculum Cont’d

ALL teachers and students will become critical thinkers and consumers of text. Students will be able to engage in decision-making tasks and leave school with the knowledge to become productive members of society.

Effective literacy instruction is like a water drop striking a placid body of water. The water drop contains all the stakeholders of literacy. When it hits the surface, it creates ripples, which influence the essential components of teaching and learning literacy: professional development, classroom practices, and the powers and uses of literacy in our world.

Without the water drop, the body of water would remain undisturbed. No new knowledge in teaching or learning would occur. Be thankful for those drops of water.

REFERNCES Allington, R. L. (2006). What really matters for struggling

readers: Designing research-based programs (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education Incorporated.

Johnson, M. A. (2006). Experience matters: Maximizing the growth of veteran teachers. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.

Morrow, L. M., Gambrell, L. B., & Pressley, M. (2003). Best practices in literacy instruction (2nd ed., p. xix). New York: The Guilford Press.

National Center for Learning Disabilities & Schwab Learning (2005). Making the ‘no child left behind act’ work for children who struggle to learn: A parent’s guide. Retrieved on March 19, 2007 http://www.ncld.org/content/view/284/322.

Taylor, B. M., Pearson, P. D., Peterson, D. S., & Rodriguez, M. C. (2005). The CIERA school change framework: An evidence-based approach to professional development and school reading improvement. Reading Research Quarterly, 40(1), 40-69.