Reply to Why was Balanced Literacy so popular for so long?

Forum Index » Schools and Education General Discussion

Reply to "Why was Balanced Literacy so popular for so long?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Teacher training programs also dropped the ball. I remember being marked down by my college advisor for “telling too much” during a reading lesson. They really wanted teachers to be a “guide on the side instead of a sage in the stage.” Um, look. Kids in the early grades need explicit instruction on how to read using phonics. They need a strong base of phonemic awareness. They don’t need their teachers to hand them books and figure it out. [/quote]

Ugh, this is disappointing.

If people want Montessori, they'll go do Montessori! Not all kids learn well in that environment. Some kids need direct instruction. You can also combine direct instruction with guided learning! In large classrooms or mixed-level classrooms, starting a lesson with direct instruction and then segueing to small groups or independent work where the teacher serves as a guide can be the best balance, because it allows for multiple learning styles and allows kids who are catching on quick to work independently but also ensures kids who aren't just picking it up on their own to have a clear explanation to refer back to.

Good teachers know how to do both and it's disappointing to here a perfectly acceptable teaching method (standing in front of the entire class and explaining a concept in clear, age-appropriate language) derided in favor of another one when a mix of methods is generally ideal.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics