What I've Learned About Effective Reading Instruction

Richard Allington, former president of the International Reading Association and publisher of over 100 books, articles and books provides a compelling case for teaching and learning in our classroom. Allington cites that "exemplary teachers we studied too often had to teach against the grain" and that "motivation for reading was dramatically influenced by reading success." Both of these observations have huge implications for my practice as a facilitator of learning. With so much of the current trend to focus on so-called great teaching, how are we recognizing that exemplary teaching as Allington states centers on providing instruction that is radically different and then acknowledging success to build great success. Seems like a simple idea but in practice the challenge lies in identifying and communicating positive student behavior even in those students whom we may not like. Additionally, particularly as it relates to our course as developing high quality units to coincide with literacy strategies, the author describes good teaching as planning instructional time and allowing students to develop a "writing task" for some ten days or more. To sufficiently allow youth to observe that writing (and learning for that matter) is a constant process between drafting, editing, reviewing and publishing whether its for designing a data table, a sculpture, or a geometry theorem.