Not Everyone Learns the Same Way!

I loved the way “What I’ve Learned About Effective Reading Instruction” by Allington (2002) starts out the article by saying, “instruction that cannot be packaged or regurgitated from a common script because it is responsive to children’s needs” (p. 740). Not all children learn the same way, and in order to really teach a child anything, not just reading, we have to understand that.

I completely agree with the article that time, texts, teaching, talk, tasks, and text are all important in reading instruction. However, I think that we need to remember that there is no foolproof way to teach reading and writing. Each child is different and that is what

we need to remember as teachers. Also, teachers need to be intentional in the work and testing that they give so that children do not become overwhelmed by the “have to” and therefore lose the joy of reading and learning new things.

This article was a great reminder for me that every child is different and that one teaching method does not always work. This semester I spend nine hours a week in a public school; therefore, I am at the school during reading twice a week. In the school, I am able to see what is required of teachers each day by common core. The children are often times read to by a program on the interactive board instead of by the teacher that was present. I am lucky that I am observing in a classroom in which the teacher is passionate about reading and often times bends the rules a little in order to better teach to the children’s needs.

 

I just hope that as future teachers we are able to make the time to teach the children in our classes in the ways that work for them.