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Sunday, May 24, 2015

Russ on Reading: Putting the Student and Teacher at the Center of Reading Instruction

Russ on Reading: Putting the Student and Teacher at the Center of Reading Instruction:

Putting the Student and Teacher at the Center of Reading Instruction

Take a moment and look at the chart below and ask yourself, “As a teacher and/or parent which of these two approaches to learning to read would I want for my students/children?”




Contrasting Approaches to Reading Instruction


1
2
Instructional Material
Self-selected multicultural literature
Prescribed reading material

Instructional Approach
Teaching for individual strengths & needs
One-size-fits all reading programs
Assessment of Performance
Authentic, teacher based assessment
High stakes standardized testing
Curriculum Design
Collaborative student-centered curriculum
Standards-based curriculum
Teacher Role in Instruction
Teacher as reflective practitioner
Mandated instruction
Purpose of Instruction
Achieving social justice and equity
Achieving global competitiveness

I think most of us would select #1. The first choice seems more student friendly, includes a wider variety of reading materials and empowers teachers to make instructional decisions based on the needs of the children in the seats in front of them.

Now let me label the two approaches to reading instruction.


Whole Language
Corporate Education “Reform”
Instructional Material
Self-selected multicultural literature
Prescribed reading material

Instructional Approach
Teaching for individual strengths & needs
One-size-fits all reading programs
Assessment of Performance
Authentic, teacher based assessment
High stakes standardized testing
Curriculum Design
Collaborative student-centered curriculum
Standards-based curriculum
Teacher Role in Instruction
Teacher as reflective practitioner
Mandated instruction
Purpose of Instruction
Achieving social justice and equity
Achieving global competitiveness

You might be thinking, “Wait a minute you fooled me. Isn’t whole language a discredited approach to teaching reading?” In many ways you would be right. Whole language approaches to teaching reading have been under attack almost from the moment they became prominent as a way of teaching in the 1980s. The reason whole language was discredited makes for compelling reading on its own.

Garn Press under the leadership of literacy researcher and family literacy Russ on Reading: Putting the Student and Teacher at the Center of Reading Instruction: