Becoming an Effective Literacy Teacher

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Becoming an Effective Literacy Teacher

• Session 1 September 9
• Terry Campbell

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Energizer Whats in a Name?

• Think of an alliterative adjective to describe
  yourself, e.g., Talespinning Terry, Marvelous
  Michelann.
• On the signal Go!, introduce yourself to as
  many people as possible in 1 minute.
• On the signal Stop!, return to your seats.
• Think of an alliterative verb to go with your
  name, e.g., Talespinning Terry trips Marvelous
  Michelann magnetizes.
• Source Larry Swartz, Dramathemes,

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Poetic Justice!

• You have just been given a contract to write your
  autobiography for a major publishing company.
  Your agent is anxious to get to press. S/he has
  decided to help you get started with a few poetic
  devices
• Write you alliterative name on the cover. Create
  a Table of Contents (what is a table of
  contents?) which may include
• Alliteration when you repeat the first
  consonant as many times as possible. Example Bob
  the busy beaver balances boards by the bay.
• Metaphor - when a thing is spoken of as being
  that which it only resembles. Example I am a
  busy beaver.
• Simile a comparison of two different
  thingsusing the words like, as, as if, as
  though, etc. Example, I am as busy as a beaver.
• Words Brainstorm as many words as you can think
  of that will describe who you are or hope to be
  as a teacher
• Image Create an image that represents who you
  are or hope to be as a teacher
• On the back cover, draw a picture of what you
  plan to do when you retire! Where will you go?
  What will you do?

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Session 1 Outline

• Administrivia Attendance, Punctuality, Office
  Hours
• Course Outline Course Expectations, Required
  Texts, Assessment and Evaluation, and Recommended
  Resources
• Goals of the Course
• Assumptions About Language Learning
• Excellent Reading Teachers
• Characteristics of Effective Teachers of Literacy
• Think, Pair, Share Influences on Literacy
  Development
• Community Building Activity

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Main Goal of the Course

• To learn how to teach children how to read and
  write
• To achieve this goal, you will need to
• learn teaching strategies in language education
• develop a personal philosophy of language
  education to guide your classroom practice
• develop an understanding of how children develop
  as language learners

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• How children develop as language learners shows
  us how we should teach.

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Assumptions about Language

• Language is a meaning-making activity.
• Learning language is an integrated process.
• Children learn language according to general
  principles rather than specific rules.
• Language is learned in use.
• Language and thought are interrelated.
• Language learning is interactive.
• Language development is not a linear process.
• Language development flourishes in an atmosphere
  of trust and respect for the learner.
• Language learners need to have quality models of
  successful language in use.
• Contexts of language affect performance.
• Performance and attitudes are interrelated.
• Communication in different modes involves
  different demands.
• Language use should demonstrate gender equity.
• Language teaching must respect racial and
  cultural differences.
• Source Assessing Language Arts, Ministry of
  Education, 1991

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Course Readings

• as you read, keep track of questions, comments,
  insights that you might have these will be
  useful during class discussions
• these can be highlighted in your text, indexed
  with flags or post-it notes or copied out
• Readings this week, in order of priority
• 1. Chapter 1, course text (Tompkins)
• 2. Excellent Reading Teachers Course Pack
• 3. Oral Language, Course Pack

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Office Hours

• Office A310 Extension 4231
• Wednesday 900 400
• Thursday after classes (330)
• These are by chance times. If you wish to see me,
  please make an appointment.

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Why Excellent Reading Teachers?

• Every child deserves excellent reading teachers.
• Teachers make a difference in childrens reading
  achievement and motivation to read.
• Excellent reading teachers share several critical
  qualities of knowledge and practice.

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Excellent Reading Teachers

• Based on research gathered by the International
  Reading Association
• Represents a position statement therefore a
  set of goals, rather than a how-to

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Excellent Reading Teachers

• Note the verbs used to describe what excellent
  reading teachers do
• Make notes about what each of these qualities
  would look like in the classroom

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Excellent Reading Teachers

• Understand reading and writing development and
  believe all children can learn to read and write

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Excellent Reading Teachers

• Continually assess childrens individual progress
  and relate reading instruction to childrens
  previous experiences

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Excellent Reading Teachers

• Know a variety of ways to teach reading, when to
  use each method, and how to combine the methods
  into an effective instructional programme

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Excellent Reading Teachers

• Offer a variety of materials and texts for
  children to read

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Excellent Reading Teachers

• Use flexible grouping strategies to tailor
  instruction to individual students

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Excellent Reading Teachers

• Are good reading coaches
• Provide help strategically

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Ideal Literacy Teachers

• In small groups, create an image of the ideal
  literacy teacher.
• E.g., Ms. Frizzle in The Magic School Bus, Mr.
  Thackery in To Sir with Love, Mr. Keating in Dead
  Poets Society Miss Sullivan in The Story of
  Helen Keller

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One simply takes the child from where he or she
is to somewhere else.

• Marie Clay

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Effective Reading Teachers

• Understand how children learn
• active learning through construction
• interactive learning
• by talking and thinking (sociolinguistic)
• making meaning by responding
• (see Figure 1-1, p. 5, Tompkins)

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Effective Reading Teachers

• Support childrens use of the four cueing
  systems
• Phonological------sound system
• Syntactic----------structural system
• Semantic----------meaning system
• Pragmatic----------varying language
• to fit purpose

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Effective Reading Teachers

• Create a community of learners

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Effective Reading Teachers

• Adopt a balanced approach to literacy instruction

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Effective Reading Teachers

• Scaffold childrens reading and writing
  experiences

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Effective Reading Teachers

• Organize literacy instruction in a variety of ways

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Effective Reading Teachers

• Connect instruction and assessment

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Effective Reading Teachers

• Continue to learn about reading and writing

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Think, Pair, Share Influences on Literacy
Development

• With a partner, discuss influences on your own
  literacy development.
• What do you remember as you were learning to read
  and write?
• Who do you remember as you were learning to read
  and write?

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Summary

• Goals of a Language Program
• to develop childrens ability to think to
  develop the range and power of their language
• to develop childrens confidence and abilities as
  talkers and listeners
• to develop childrens ability to read and write
• to nurture a reverence for language, a
  fascination with it, and an appreciation of how
  it works

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• Two Principles
• we should teach children to use the language arts
• we should know more than we teach

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References

• International Reading Association, The Reading
  Teacher, January 2000,
• Excellent Reading Teachers
• Gail E. Tompkins, Literacy for the 21st Century,
  2003
• Marie Clay, By Different Paths to Common
  Outcomes, 1998.