Position Statement- IRA Excellent Reading Teachers

Position Statement from the International Reading Association

Excellent Reading Teachers

Every child deserves excellent reading teachers because teachers make a difference in children’s reading achievement and motivation to read.

This position statement provides a research-based description of the distinguishing qualities of excellent classroom reading teachers. Excellent reading teachers share several critical qualities of knowledge and practice:

1. They understand reading and writing development, and believe all children can learn to read and write.

2. They continually assess children’s individual progress and relate reading instruction to children’s previous experiences.

3. They know a variety of ways to teach reading, when to use each method, and how to combine the methods into an effective instructional program.

4. They offer a variety of materials and texts for children to read.

5. They use flexible grouping strategies to tailor instruction to individual students.

6. They are good reading “coaches” (that is, they provide help strategically).

In addition, excellent reading teachers share many of the characteristics of good teachers in general. They have strong content and pedagogical knowledge, manage classrooms so that there is a high rate of engagement, use strong motivation strategies that encourage independent learning, have high expectations for children’s achievement, and help children who are having difficulty.

Note from Amy: These are the qualities you'll be asked to analyze for the Excellent Reading Teacher chart. I'll hand out the rest of the article in our Feb. 8 meeting for those who can't print it from the pdf.