Theories Combined Lead to Reading More Lines!

After reading What I’ve learned about effective reading instruction by R.L. Allington, I am finding myself nodding in agreement with what she has painted throughout the pages of her work. It was very helpful for me to focus on her six points of effective elementary literacy instruction: time, text, teaching, talk, task, and testing.  As a student, I am feeling completely overwhelmed by theories, and methods of teaching. Going into this career, my reasons where solely because of the kids I would come in contact with, and how I wish to give them the support and encouragement they need to succeed and excel. Now, however, this desire and goal seems distant, as I am consumed by learning about paper work, methods, lesson plans, and grading guidelines.

I was on the phone with my dad the other day, and he asked me how my classes were this semester. I proceeded by discussing the fact that I was thoroughly enjoying the fact that I was learning things that I would apply to my profession, but at the same time, feeling completely overwhelmed by all the projects and steps in-between before becoming a teacher. He responded by reminding me that those who love children make great teachers. That some people who become teachers are fascinated with theories and what not, but that ultimately, when one is in the classroom, a theory is still a theory, and a successful teacher is one who is for his or her students. For a split second, I was reminded of why I chose this major, and my passion for education flickered once again.

This reading helped fan that flame of wanting to become an excellent teacher. My desire for this is not because I want to receive the highest test scores of the school, but rather because I want to see students succeed. Allington reminded me of that passion through her writing. Allington also assisted in my discovery that theories are needed, and that most theories interwoven, like the six T’s, are stronger when enforced as a whole. I also enjoyed reading from Classrooms That Work, and discovering that effective teachers give their students some kind of choice and responsibility when it comes to reading. Reading is so much more enjoyable when you feel like you had some kind of say in what you choose to read.

As a way to distribute responsibly to my students, I found this form to be a great resource to possibly use in my classroom some day! It encourages students to soak in what they are reading, and presents reading as something they should be proud of, and I love that!