Despite the seeming simplicity of literacy education, it requires multiple competencies and skill sets to provide efficient tutoring. In this sense, a qualified teacher who has sufficient knowledge and experience is the most critical factor in any literacy program. Moreover, working with children and adults with limited English proficiency requires unique approaches to teaching, making the role of the educator even more crucial. The current essay shows why a qualified teacher is critical in literacy programs and examines three factors that can improve student outcomes.
Discussion
Literacy education is a complicated task that requires multiple teacher competencies. For instance, Oliveira et al. (2019) specify that knowledge in various areas of reading and writing, such as phonemic awareness, spelling, orthography, and syntax, is necessary to provide high-quality tutoring. In other words, simply being a native speaker does not guarantee that the teacher can be an efficient literacy instructor. Consequently, the first thing that educators can do to enhance learning outcomes is to understand the audience. A static approach with no games or interactions might be ineffective while teaching literacy to children, but it might be more practical for adults with limited language proficiency (Oliveira et al., 2019). The second factor is to personalize education as much as possible. Every student is at a different level of proficiency, and teachers should address their needs individually in case the school provides sufficient resources. Lastly, teachers should continually learn more about innovative learning strategies and approaches in literacy education (Oliveira et al., 2019). It can imply both evidence-based practices and new technologies, all of which require significant teacher competencies.
Conclusion
There is a large variety of approaches, techniques, and strategies that can improve learning outcomes in literacy education. Nevertheless, the one common variable in all of these methods is the teacher. It is the primary role of educators to convey relevant information to students in an engaging manner, and it requires numerous competencies and skill sets. Ultimately, teachers should continually hone their skills to provide high-quality tutoring and address the needs of a diverse student base.
Reference
Oliveira, C., Lopes, J., & Spear-Swerling, L. (2019). Teachers’ academic training for literacy instruction. European Journal of Teacher Education, 42(3), 315-334. Web.