The best way to teach children how to read has been debated for more than a century. Accumulating research now shows that there is no one best way to teach reading. The effect of various types of instruction depends on the constellation of skills learners bring to the classroom. In this article, we discuss the idea of…

This review focuses on interventions or practices designed to help children in kindergarten through third grade learn to develop skills that are considered foundational to developing solid reading abilities. The following research question guides this review: "Which instructional practices improve beginning readers' foundational reading…

Explicit instruction helps students gain declarative knowledge as well as literacy strategies that support them in becoming competent readers. To facilitate this shift in reading so that teacher candidates might be more explicit in their instruction, the authors created a graphic organizer they call Reading for Teaching (RfT). They designed the…

Problem-based learning (PBL) creates opportunities for authentic learning in teacher preparation programs. In addition to developing content knowledge and pedagogy, problem-based learning affords students the framework for a holistic, collaborative approach to solving several interconnected problems. As students move through the process of…

Whenever Mr. Henderson's 3rd grade students had a question that he couldn't immediately answer or that seemed off-topic, he asked them to write the question on a sticky note and place it on a poster dubbed the "Parking Lot." His intention was to find time later to answer those questions, but too often, he said, the parking lot…

This article examines the new National Curriculum for primary schools that has been recently announced by the Secretary of State for Education. The article discusses some of the implications of that curriculum for children and teachers and ends with ideas for how we can effectively campaign against it.

This Teaching Tip is based on a vocabulary study conducted at Thetford Elementary in Thetford, Vermont. It explores the positive effects of utilizing paired conversational response and teaching of associative connections within read aloud. Teachers who scaffold student understanding during read aloud using the Four C's: compare and contrast…

Many children struggle with reading and are seldom engaged in this process when teachers assign them to read. Young learners may lack motivation to read an dislike this activity because they have had frequently have unpleasant experiences with reading. If educators fail to provide support for struggling readers, these pupils will likely experience…

This article discusses the significance of inferencing in reading comprehension and addresses theoretical and practical issues related to teaching inferencing in English classrooms. The author explains the nature of inferencing in reading and, drawing on previous research findings and his own reflections on teaching reading to English as a second…

This article focuses on the literacy of the adolescents who, in most European countries, are about to leave or have recently left basic education with the assumption that they have the command of functional literacy as required in and for further studies, citizenship, work life and a fulfilling life as individuals. First, the overall performance…

Across the nation, educators continue to face challenges as they work to individualize instruction to meet the specific needs of their students. However, theory suggests that teachers who possess a clear vision for teaching creatively weave their personal convictions for teaching with instructional practices. Drawing upon a teacher's (first…

How can we supplement the limited time available for vocabulary instruction while motivating students to attend to the words they are learning? As a part of an academic word vocabulary intervention, we challenged sixth-grade students to find their words in the world around them. This activity, In the Media, garnered responses from 51 of the 61…

Structured independent reading among students is often a vital missing component in many school districts' literacy curriculum. The nationwide implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) requires districts to re-think their literacy curriculum and what instruction might entail in order for students to demonstrate proficiency in…

This mixed methods study examined preservice teachers' growth in content knowledge and self-efficacy for teaching reading as they participated in a literacy course/reading clinic practicum with those not enrolled in the experience. Groups were compared on three measures using a pretest-posttest design. Additionally, five preservice teachers from…

This essay questions the digital humanities' dependence on interpretation and critique as strategies for reading and responding to texts. Instead, the essay proposes suggestion as a digital rhetorical practice, one that does not replace hermeneutics, but instead offers alternative ways to respond to texts. The essay uses the Occupy movement as an…