29 May The basics teachers need in order to get students past the basics
When I took my teacher prep courses in the dark ages, 20+ years ago, the only class I took that had anything to do with teaching reading was a single three-credit-hour course entitled “Teaching Reading in the Content Areas” — and I was pursuing certification in secondary ENGLISH! Sure, I had a “Methods of Teaching English” course, but it didn’t address how to teach struggling readers how to read content.
As a department chair and reading coach over the past 15 years, I continue to encounter new high school teachers fresh from teacher prep programs who lack adequate preparation to meet all the demands of being classroom teachers. Many have little instruction in, or understanding of, how to support struggling readers. They are also not versed in preparing students to handle the complex tests they will be required to navigate (without teacher assistance) on the new exams aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) being rolled out for many secondary content areas.
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