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  • Features of Structured Literacy

How can we better prepare educators to teach reading?

Louisa Moats, Ed.D.
Video thumbnail for How Can We Better Prepare Educators to Teach Reading?
Produced by Reading Universe, a partnership of WETA, Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book
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Louisa Moats: Our field, or educators in general, have just vastly underestimated what's required for building teacher knowledge and skill so that teachers are able to ensure that most kids learn to read. This job requires that the teacher know a lot about several things. One is basic psychology of reading — how students learn to read, what goes on in their minds as they learn to read. Secondly, they need to know the content that they're teaching, and that to me, primarily, is the structure of language and how students learn it. And now, more and more, how to think about language varieties or differences in language that kids bring to the classroom. And then, we need to expect that any teacher who gets out of even a good teacher-prep program is going to need continuing mentoring, coaching, collegial support, and continuing education. We have a long way to go to match our practices around professional learning, professional development, professional support with what the job really entails.

Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim & Donna Barksdale; the Hastings/Quillin Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation; the AFT; the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation; and three anonymous donors.