Lit 5203 Module 5 Course Reflection Template Application Assignment Template-1
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
American College of Education *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
5203
Subject
English
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
5
Uploaded by CountThunderToad35
LIT 5203 Module 5 Course Reflection
American College of Education
LIT 5203 Strengthening Literacy
Dr. Ellen Brewer
July 30, 2023
1
LIT 5203 Module 5 Course Reflection
Literacy is one of the most basic and important skills that students need to master to be
ready for college and the workforce. Through the duration of this course, I have learned so much
about what is required to have a balanced and effective literacy program. I now know how to
assess a literacy program, pinpoint deficiencies, find research that can assist with those
deficiencies, and how to create and present a lesson plan. The goal of any literacy program is to
create proficient and successful readers but, to do that, teachers need adequate professional
development and administration must be on board. It is the responsibility of the school to ensure
that teachers are well equipped to instruct students. “The bulk of older struggling readers and
writers can read but cannot understand what they read.”
(Biancarosa and Snow, 2006). This
quote is one that all teachers should read before a professional development day. This deficiency
in reading is real and teachers need to equip themselves to try and close the gap.
Self-Knowledge of Literacy Program
My self-knowledge of my literacy program mostly comes from teaching ESOL students
in a low-income area. Our current program focuses on oral language and phonics as other
components are often seen as too difficult for students to grasp without a solid foundation. I have
now learned that all students need instruction in all components and that there are strategies to
help even those struggling readers. Due to the low oral language and vocabulary that my students
tend to have, I chose to spend more time researching comprehension strategies as my school data
showed a severe deficiency. I also find comprehension to be one of the neglected components.
Rickenbrode and Walsh (2013) note that “roughly one-third of the programs provide no
instruction on the five essential components.” (p.34).
2
Collaboration
Completing the application assignments has taught me how important collaboration is
when implementing a literacy program, especially when changing a literacy program. Not only
do teachers need to be on board when deciding on and implementing change but coaches and
administration need to be on board as well. Our school lacks the leadership to effectively help
teachers implement new strategies or even help to find the literacy needs of our students. I have
learned about the importance of collaborating during professional development with teachers and
administration. The coaches and media specialist can also collaborate to help reach all the
struggling readers at our school.
Using the knowledge from the Application assignments, I would like to meet with my
entire first grade team and plan to analyze our current literacy program together. This is
something that should be done annually. I will implement changes in my classroom based on my
newly acquired knowledge but with ten first grade units, the greatest change can come if we all
work together. After analyzing our current literacy program, I can help the team find research-
based interventions and strategies that can tackle the grade level deficit. Many teachers on our
team fear technology and barely made it through virtual teaching, I was one of these teachers.
Based on all I have learned about using technology in the classroom, I now understand the
importance of incorporating technology into my students’ lives. They need to be ready for
college and the 21
st
century. “Technology has become a fundamental part of our daily lives, being
infused into entertainment, business, workforce, and educational environments” (Harris, 2023).
Conclusion
To meet the needs of our students, it is important for instructional leaders to have the
knowledge and skills to assess school-wide literacy. If we never assess our current literacy
3
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
program, we will always use the same strategies and instructional methods that may not work. If
we want to reach the majority of our students, we need to look at our program annually. After
assessing, those instructional leaders need to have the ability to research strategies that can be
incorporated to make a change. I am thankful to say that I am now one of these instructional
leaders that can assess our literacy program, locate deficiencies, research solutions, create
lessons, then present this to my team and administration.
References
4
Biancarosa, C., & Snow, C. E. (2006). Reading next—A vision for action and research in middle
and high school literacy: A report to Carnegie Corporation of New York (2
nd
ed.).
Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education
Harris, C. J. (2016). The Effective Integration of Technology Into Schools’ Curriculum. Distance
Learning, 13(2), 27–37.
Rickenbrode, R., & Walsh, K. (2013). Lighting the way: The Reading Panel report ought to
guide teacher preparation.
American Educator, 37
(2), 30–35.
5