Wednesday, May 30, 2012

How teachers can become the downfall of our schools—and how to fix this frightening phenomenon


Our country has been in a recession since 2007. Workers of all types have been struggling to find and keep hold of steady jobs for the past five years. I’m concerned that one of last month’s articles, Teacher Knowledge Maters in Supporting Young Readers (Fitzharris, et. al), is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to keeping under-qualified teachers in their classrooms. The revealing of the inconsistencies in skills and knowledge amongst teachers in the same school is appalling. Even more so, the fact that teacher training left some teachers still unable to accurately assess the needs of struggling readers horrifies me. Children are sent to school to receive services that will aid them in becoming literate beings. Why, then, are they placed under the care of teachers who cannot adequately help them? What are schools looking at when they hire these teachers? If they are not taking into account candidates’ experiences with practical classroom practices, I am afraid to ask what they are looking at.

In comparison to our educational system, running records are, arguably, a rather new means of assessment. That does not, however, excuse the fact that many teachers lack the knowledge and skill that it takes to successfully complete this oral reading assessment on beginning readers. Fitzharris documented that “Kathy”, a third-grade teacher with six years of teaching experience, “recorded an incorrect accuracy rate and self-correction rate. That in turn led Kathy to choose the wrong level of instruction—Instructional level rather than Easy level” (pg. 390). We can all be thankful that Kathy was merely practicing her newfound knowledge (or lack thereof) on this poor student and was not going to use her findings to actually determine the child’s reading level. What if this had not been a case study? What if Kathy had received training in running records and was sent back to her classroom to put this new skill to work? What would that one student’s future in literacy learning look like?

I applaud Fitzharris for her solid conclusions and suggestions on how to improve teachers’ knowledge within our nation’s schools. Teachers should be hired based not only on their credentials and certifications, but also on previous teaching and coaching experiences. Certainly someone who seeks out professional development is going to be more willing and able to accept the new tasks that a job requires. Additionally, suggesting that differentiated staff development is implemented is a simple solution to this big problem. We have been calling out for differentiated instruction for students for years- aren’t teachers the students, too? Finally, requiring teachers to regularly self-evaluate themselves can go a long way in identifying which teachers need more training in particular areas.  

If teaching is going to continue to be one of the most competitive job markets in America, then those vying for jobs better come prepared with the skills and knowledge needed to compete. They will need more than a Masters Degree. Time in a classroom will not be enough. Candidates must be well rounded in terms of schooling and experience. They must be aware of how they learn best so that, when asked to harness a new skill, they can do so effectively. If these changes do not occur, the futures of our students, particularly struggling readers, look very dark.

References:
Fitzharris, L., Jones, M., & Crawford, A. (208). Teacher knowledge matters in supporting young readers. The Reading Teacher, 61(5), 384-394.

1 comment:

  1. What a wonderful post. I totally agree with you. My own conclusion is that teachers MUST be life long-learners no matter what their schools do or do not do towards professional development. We must continue to read and reflect in about the "hot topics" and the "enduring areas of teaching" to assure that we are as prepared as we can be to meet the diverse needs of the diverse students we meet.

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