I recently read a journal article on 'Standards for Reading Professionals', that was both a challenge and an observation. It confirmed my belief that as long as you are in the profession of education , then you never stop learning and endeavouring to improve yourself. Soon, we will be graduating as Reading Specialists, and with our newfound knowledge, will be expected to be experts in the literacy field. Is this where our academic development ends? Will we have learnt all there is to know about the new literacies and how best to communicate with our students?
Think again!! We will now be the source of reliable information for administrators, teachers, parents and other stakeholders, who will expect us to be highly competent and willing to share our expertise. Therefore, professional development has to become an important priority for us, as we continue to participate in it, as well as provide it to others (Godt, 2009). We have to be vigilant about reading professional journal articles in our field, so that our knowledge base will be updated.
Children's books are ever-changing and Reading Specialists need to be aware of what is being offered to students, so that recommendations will be accurate and relevant to individual needs. Sometimes we may have to make sacrifices and attend international conferences, where we can interact with other educators and share information on the newest techniques and information. We can also check the Internet for professional development sites that provide guides for teachers and parents. In this way, we can expand our knowledge and also collaborate with other Reading Specialists for the benefit of the nation's youth.
Reference:
Godt, P. T. (2009). Leadership in reading. Illinois Reading Council journal, 37(3), 59-62.
Hi Lyn,
ReplyDeleteYou are so right. We as teachers will never stop learning, as new information and technology improve we have to keep abreast of what's going on, so that we can give our students the most accurate and up to date information. children are curious and they believe that we "teachers" know it all its ok to tell a student that we do not know the answer to a question. but it is vital that you go and research the information and get back to the student.
We will soon be specialist in our field and everyone will be looking at us to help with the literacy problem that is rapidly spiraling out of control in our nation's schools. and I agree professional development is the way to go. We should continue to search and get new information about reading and ways to improve it in the schools. We should also be holding workshops that will educate teachers on ways of incorporating reading in the content areas.
Be a leader and do what you can to end this ever growing deficiency.