READING TIPS AND NOTES / EXPERT ADVICE

There are a number of reforms designed to boost reading achievement among the mostly poor students in urban schools. Urban campuses often have large numbers of students who speak limited English, and many inexperienced teachers.

Yet we know that teachers’ knowledge and experience have more to do with good teaching--and what children learn--than virtually any other factor.

Good teaching is a complex activity under any circumstances. It always requires consideration of who the students are, what they already know, what they need to know and which learning environments would best promote their learning.

Teachers, especially those who are responsible for helping children learn to read, need extensive knowledge of how children learn and how they develop speaking, reading and writing skills.

In educational terms, we say that teachers need to know about child development, language acquisition and emergent literacy. This knowledge is crucial to helping teachers assess their students’ abilities and potential and create stimulating learning environments.

This knowledge is particularly important for teachers whose classes consist of English language learners and native English speakers. The passage of Proposition 227, a measure that eliminates or reduces the use of students’ home language in the classroom, brings additional challenges to the teaching of basic reading and writing.

Effective teachers recognize that the knowledge children acquire from their home and community can serve as an important building block for learning at school. Teachers need additional knowledge to bridge home and school experiences and help students develop strong language and literacy skills.

Effective teachers understand how learning a language and learning to read differ in the home language--most often Spanish--and the academic language at school.

For example, strategies used to develop vocabulary or teach phonics to native English speakers may not be the most effective ways to teach those same skills to English learners. Asking children to listen for the sound of the short “i”--as in the English word “pin”--may be inappropriate, as not all languages have corresponding sounds.

Experienced teachers can also assess differences in oral language development and fluency in academic English, the language used in classroom lessons. Acquiring oral English skills often occurs more rapidly than the process of becoming fluent in academic English. Acquiring literacy, including fluent reading and writing skills, may take much longer. Thus, these teachers focus on learning subject matter and not just English language acquisition.

Moreover, good teachers not only have command of subject matter but also know how to share that knowledge with students.

Finally, effective teachers understand the tremendous diversity within groups of students who have different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and thus create varied, rigorous and supportive learning environments for their students.

BOOK EVENTS

* Wednesday in Irvine: “Parrots, Pirates and Magic,” a show with performing parrots and storytelling at the Heritage Park Regional Library at 3 p.m., 14361 Yale Ave. (949) 551-7151

* Thursday in Westchester: Storytelling at 3:30 p.m. at Loyola Village Library at 7114 W. Manchester Ave. (310) 670-5436

* Saturday in Pasadena: Story time at 10 a.m. at Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd. (626) 449-5320

* Saturday in Tarzana: “World of Bread Workshop,” crafts from the book “Electric Bread for Kids,” for ages 3-10, at 11 a.m. at Pages Books for Children and Young Adults, 18399 Ventura Blvd. Reservations suggested. Fee $5. (818) 342-6657