The Standard IV The Master Reading Teacher applies knowledge of primary and second language acquisition, including the relationship between the development of these languages, to facilitate and promote literacy.
Standard 4 reflects the central role of language development in literacy. The Master Reading Teacher understands the similarities and differences between mother tongue language acquisition, subsequent language acquisition, and bilingualism. The MRT is also knowledgeable of the impact all languages in a child�s environment have on his/her learning to read and is aware of ways to access a child�s first language to build literacy in English.
I have a fairly strong conceptual and theoretical background in children�s language acquisition so I found myself reflecting on this background during the process of writing my philosophy of literacy instruction for the Parent Newsletter. I reflected on what knew about language and extended and expanded that knowledge by integrating it with what I have learned in this course about best practices in literacy instruction. My new learning in relation to Standard 4 is largely in the arena of reading instruction strategies that are particularly applicable to assisting the ELL.
Through the numerous Book Club readings I reflected on the following:
�using prior knowledge in both languages to guide learning
� the appropriateness of standardized tests for ELLs
� offering a choice of reading materials in the classroom including bilingual materials to increase comprehensible input
� designing collaborative learning opportunities such as Buddy reading and collaborative writing which naturally provide scaffolding for the ELL, reduce anxiety, and increase social contact with English speakers
� offering systematic phonics instruction in the context of real language use that even compares languages.
I was challenged to think through the role of phonics instruction for the ELL through a RTeacher post from a fellow student who experienced carryover from Chinese, her first language of literacy, to English. She went from a pictographic orthography to a basically phonetic orthography during her formative literacy years.
In reviewing a journal article about Asian students who struggle to read, I was challenged to consider my stereotypes of Asian students and to be more sensitive to the multi-lingual and culturally fragmented experience of many immigrant families and the impact of that experience on the learner. In email consultation with a parent, I applied my learning gleaned during this course about the multi-language environment and its impact on literacy development. Making this connection with my professional life further consolidated my learning in this area.
Parent Newsletter
Book Club � CompendiumBest Practices in Literacy re: ELL
LSD � learning 2 re: ESL phonicsArticle
Review - Fostering the literacy strengths of struggling Asian American readers
Email - Parent Consultation
