How to Prepare Expert Teachers of Reading

Knowledge is important in any endeavor. It’s what separates novices from experts. Experts have more of it. Novices have less of it. Expert teachers have four kinds of knowledge:(a) content knowledge – knowledge of what they’re teaching. This would be math, if you’re a math teacher. Science if you’re a science teacher. And everything if you’re an elementary education teacher. (b) pedagogical knowledge. This is knowledge of basic teaching strategies such as discovery learning, question-asking, discussions, inquiry learning, and cooperative learning.(c) pedagogical content knowledge – This is knowledge of teaching strategies for specific content areas. In reading, this would reading methods. You have strategies for fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, etc.(d) and knowledge of learners and learning. You know how humans learn and develop. This is the ed psych stuff – which is the basis of all things. To move from novice to expert is a rather simple thing. Simply increase knowledge in all four areas. It’s not that complicated.