Picture it, a room full of graduate students clapping syllables like we were auditioning for a spot in a kindergarten classroom, minus the juice boxes, to words like ‘watermelon’ and ‘rabbit.’ Nothing says ‘higher education’ like clapping out syllables! But we weren’t just clapping syllables. We were uncovering how knowledge of language shapes our teaching. Admittedly, back then, it was a concept that baffled me. Even more: what was the difference between speech to print syllabication versus print to speech? Further, I wondered how knowing this information helped us to read. Our professor, in her infinite wisdom, was trying to share with us the purpose of foundational knowledge. Would our knowledge of how phonemes worked impact the direction for future students in our classroom?
I remembered another instance where my college advisor came to observe one of my English Language Arts lessons with a group of 4 and 5 year olds. We were using our phonics knowledge to build words. It was adorable! The students manipulated cardboard brick blocks with pasted letters to construct short vowel words. After the lesson, my advisor spoke about a moment where a student had to build the word ‘cat’. During the lesson, I supported and guided the student when I noticed his hesitancy between ‘k’ and ‘c’ during his build. Later, my advisor asked me if I knew why the answer was c and not k. I could answer this easily or at least I thought I could. I served it up confidently like I was on ‘Jeopardy: Phonics Edition.’ I mean I did want to impress her with some kind of pedagogy as well as give her a Kodak moment. “It was information that is obtained as students grow,” I said with confidence. After all, that is how I learned it. I saw the word ‘cat’ enough times to know that it started with a ‘c’.
I was let down in the most eye opening way. “Kind of.”
That was the beauty of this advisor. She had a way of delivering a message that allowed for a lot of buy in, first. Second, she genuinely was trying to make you better at your job. I never felt judged or nervous when she was around. I knew she acknowledged my voice, my choices in my practice, and I respected her and was secure enough in who I was to accept her feedback. I actually welcomed it and loved hearing her thoughts. I was twenty plus years old when I learned the C vs K generalization . Now, I teach my little learners the poem:
‘C’ takes a, o, u and ‘k’ takes the other two
‘K’ takes i and e, ‘c’ takes the other three
That moment stayed with me because it revealed how foundational knowledge supports our instructional decisions. These are just some of the events that have helped clarify the importance of teacher knowledge in helping students to become proficient readers. These experiences and leaders have also helped me to understand and expect that the teaching profession is going to require my willingness to continually grow my knowledge. If there is anything that I truly believe, it is this. Education requires reflection, research, resourcefulness and refinement. These have been the main pillars that have really guided my practice.
Teachers are inherently reflective. We are constantly thinking about lessons and data and how to make the best decisions for learners in our classroom. This step, no matter if consciously or subconsciously done, is necessary for systems to grow or for our practice to stay relevant.
Just as scientists hypothesize the what ifs of the world around them, teachers do the same within their classroom. They reflect on what happened and make decisions for the incoming year to influence their classroom. There are so many facets of literacy instruction; vocabulary, background knowledge, phonics, fluency and writing. The ultimate question is, how will changes be made to improve best practices for instruction?
First grade is such a pivotal year for so many students because it lays the foundation for their academic journey. When I first taught first grade, we were using a balanced literacy program, but I quickly realized it wasn’t meeting the needs of all my learners. It was like giving everyone the same shoe size and wondering why some kids tripped while others sprinted. I reflected on how I could adapt my teaching to reach the students who weren’t thriving with the curriculum. I found that the program made assumptions that didn’t apply to all students. I recognized the importance of building a strong foundation to help them grasp core concepts. That year, I began using a blending board and had students segment phonemes, which helped them understand the individual sounds that make up words. This small instructional change led to a noticeable improvement, as students were able to engage with content learning and texts more effectively.
This change prompted me to ask: What are other instructional approaches that can impact the learners in my class? What are the different individual needs, and how can I meet them where they are, while helping them toward deeper understanding? My curiosity grew from there, and I began researching best practices. What do the experts say are the most effective ways for learners to engage and retain information?
In order for learners in my classroom to make greater strides, I needed to know how to get them there. I already saw the need, but my next steps were to find the how. This is why research is the next pillar in the process of building educational practices.
In Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print, Dr. Marilyn Jager Adams emphasizes the importance of research in education, particularly in literacy instruction. She argues that without research, teachers are essentially working blind, lacking the essential knowledge needed to guide effective reading instruction. From my own experience, I can attest to this. Teaching reading before fully understanding how children learn felt like an uphill battle. I didn’t know where to start, how to support or what strategies to implement to assist. Teachers who engage in research and adopt a mindset of inquiry provide invaluable benefits to the educational community. Research strengthens reflective practices, empowers teachers to make informed decisions in the classroom, and enhances data analysis. It ultimately brings us to better instructional strategies.
There is no perfect curriculum. What makes the curriculum work is the knowledge that educators bring to the instruction. That is what refinement is. It is the implementation of teacher knowledge which drives instruction. The knowledge about where to pivot or support my students to be more successful, has been an empowering movement. It is a dynamic process to make adjustments as needed to reach instructional goals.
So how does this triple R process impact literacy instruction? Well, through reflection and research my practice has been refined to enhance different facets of literacy. Through the years, I developed routines in my classroom that support explicit and systematic instruction, particularly in phonics. The research supports frequent, focused review, and provides students with ample opportunities to apply the skill. This understanding has guided my decisions in creating daily routines to support student learning. My literacy block begins with decoding instruction using continuous or successive blending techniques, followed by visual and auditory drills and then rounds out with explicit instruction of new skills, along with time for skill application. This is my daily goal!
Dr. Beck’s Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction, argues that vocabulary instruction should build a relationship between words and their meanings. It’s all about fostering a deeper understanding of words, not just cramming them into memory. Research shows that vocabulary should be actively engaged with, taught explicitly and applied in context. Meanwhile, we are expected to use the word once in a sentence and throw it on the word wall and call it sufficient. Spoiler alert: it’s not!. Now my vocabulary instruction involves a thorough kid-friendly explanation to build a relationship with the words. Vocabulary is brought up and intentionally used during discussions to apply words in context and promote application.
Dr. Timothy Shanahan argues in a 2022 blog post titled Comprehension Instruction that Really Helps that background knowledge can deepen the understanding of a text. The more familiar with a subject, the easier it is to engage with the material. Building background knowledge through content-rich instruction is essential for developing strong literacy skills. Incorporating literature, art, and visual media to literacy instruction can help to strengthen the background knowledge of learners in the class. Fluency can also play a role in comprehension. Dr. Louisa Moats emphasizes that automatic word recognition allows readers to focus less on decoding and more on understanding the meaning of the text as a whole. Fluency acts as the bridge to comprehension.
My main objective is to do right by the learners in my classroom. Growing my knowledge base has improved my ability to achieve that. It’s important to note that this isn’t about changing the curriculum, but rather it is adapting to meet the needs of diverse learners in all aspects of literacy. Curriculum writers do not know my students as well as I do. I’m pretty sure none of them have tried to teach a room of a six year olds mid-sugar crash. There are times when my students need more practice in phonics skills, varied multimedia resources, or a comprehensive guide to scaffold learning. Ultimately, empowered education shapes empowered learners. When teachers are given the space and support to reflect, research and refine, the outcomes for students are limitless.