Developing the characteristics of a perfect literacy teacher is not an easy task; it requires both the ability to interact with students efficiently and the skills of analyzing the results of these interactions, thus, enhancing students’ motivation through gaining their interest and helping them realize the benefits of having certain skills and knowledge.
A literacy teacher is, therefore, supposed to both help students acquire literacy skills and promote the principles of lifelong learning among them, seeing how language is prone to changes, and so are its rules (Excellent reading teachers, 2000).
By providing detailed information about the role of the RTI in the process of teaching students the basics of literacy, this course has enabled me for promoting literacy among students and shown me the ways in which literacy skills could be taught to students in a very efficient manner.
One of the key insights that I have gained in the process of learning about the role of the RTI in shaping the responsibilities and strategies of an expert literacy teacher concerns the fact that learners are not to be underestimated in terms of their ability to be engaged into the studying process.
According to what Lesley Morrow says, students are “productively engaged” (Teacher development in literacy education, n. d., 00:05:01) from the very moment that they walk into the room; in other words, a teacher does not have to pander to the students’ responsibilities, duties, etc. – instead, a literacy expert is supposed to trust a student in their ability to get invested with the process of learning: “they don’t have to wait until the teacher start class […] they know what to do” (Teacher development in literacy education, n. d., 00:05:25–00:05:26).
Therefore, the standard routine actions, which traditionally take an unreasonably big amount of time, can be cut and even excluded completely from the learning process.
A good literacy teacher must keep in mind that literacy is the key priority, and standard elements of organizational behavior should only allow for making the learning process faster; as soon as they start hindering the process or slackening it, they should be dismissed.
Another important step towards becoming a better literacy teacher was taken once it was discovered that a teacher is, in fact, supposed to evolve professionally, just as their students develop academically.
In other words, the significance of coaching for literacy teachers, who are going to become experts, has been discovered. On the one hand, it could be argued that the strategies of teaching reading do not change fast and, therefore, coaching reading teachers might seem somewhat redundant.
On the other hand, it is not only the process of learning new skills, but also collaboration, that makes a difference in learning to teach students reading.
In the process of communication, teachers and their coaches gain new insights and discover new ways of approaching their students (Teacher development in literacy education, n. d., 00:06:20–00:06:36).
Being a literacy teacher means being able to learn new skills and design new strategies from interacting with students, as well as being flexible enough to shape the existing standards and create the environment that facilitates students’ learning.
It was crucial to find out that the organization of the lesson may differ from the models that are traditionally prescribed by the current standards, as well as the fact that some of the class routines can be viewed as obstacles in the learning process.
Therefore, an expert literacy teacher must master both the skills of communicating with students efficiently and manage time successfully so that the students could train the acquired skills and learn to use them.
Reference List
Excellent reading teachers (2000). Web.
Teacher development in literacy education (n. d.). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.