Teacher Education

Teacher Knowledge Matters in Supporting Young Readers

By: Linda Fitzharris, Mary Blake Jones, and Allison Crawford (2008)

Knowing what teachers know and how they practice is necessary to ensure that there are professionals in every classroom meeting the diverse needs of students. Researchers evaluated case studies from a group of teachers and revealed four different levels of knowledge, indicating that future staff development needs to be differentiated and individualized.

The Content's Best Modality Is Key

By: Daniel T. Willingham (2006)

The idea that people may differ in their ability to learn new material depending on its modality — that is, whether the child hears it, sees it, or touches it — has been tested for over 100 years. And the idea that these differences might prove useful in the classroom has been around for at least 40 years.

How We Neglect Knowledge and Why

By: Susan Neuman (2006)

What Education Schools Aren't Teaching about Reading and What Elementary Teachers Aren't Learning

By: Kate Walsh, Deborah Glaser, and Danielle Dunne Wilcox (2006)

When some children are learning to read, they catch on so quickly that it appears effortless. It does not seem to matter what reading curriculum or teachers they encounter, for they arrive at school already possessing the important foundational skills. For other children, though, the path to literacy is far more difficult and by no means assured. It matters very much what curriculum their schools use and who their first teachers are.

What Do Reading Comprehension Tests Measure? Knowledge.

By: E. D. Hirsch, Jr. (2006)

The federal No Child Left Behind law requires more testing of students, and has spurred some frantic and ineffectual test preparation in many schools, says the author, E. D. Hirsch, Jr. Reading tests must use unpredictable texts to be accurate measures of reading ability, but if you cannot predict the subject matter on a valid reading test, how can you prepare students? Hirsch says you can't, and, therefore, you shouldn’t try. The only useful way to prepare for a reading test is indirectly–by becoming a good reader of a broad range of texts, an ability that requires broad general knowledge."

What Science Offers Teachers of Reading

By: Louise Spear-Swerling and Robert Sternberg (2001)

Excellent Reading Teachers

By: International Reading Association (2000)

Every child deserves excellent reading teachers because teachers make a difference in children's reading achievement and motivation to read.

Translating Research Into Practice

By: G. Reid Lyon (2000)

In order to make reading instruction research-based, the research itself must be trustworthy, teachers must be prepared to understand and use it, and efforts must be made to translate research findings into recommendations for instruction. This article describes the issues involved in each of these three areas.

Why Have Teachers Been Left Unprepared to Teach Reading?

By: Louisa Moats (1999)

Teaching reading is a complex process that draws upon an extensive knowledge base and repertoire of strategies. This article argues that many novice teachers are underprepared to teach reading effectively, and examines some of the reasons why.

Knowledge and Skills for Teaching Reading

By: Louisa Moats (1999)

The knowledge and skills base required for teaching reading well is extensive. This outline of a proposed curriculum for teacher education programs in reading covers knowledge of reading development, language structure, and strategies for instruction and assessment.

The Challenges of Learning to Teach Reading

By: Louisa Moats (1999)

Teaching reading is a complex process that draws upon an extensive knowledge base and repertoire of strategies. This article argues that many novice teachers are underprepared to teach reading effectively, and examines some of the reasons why.

What Teachers Need to Know for Informed Reading Instruction

By: Susan Brady and Louisa Moats (1997)

Recent research has provided a clearer picture about reading difficulties and how to prevent them. This position paper of the International Dyslexia Association argues for reform in teacher preparation to reflect these research-based understandings.