1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,960
This is the Reading Instruction Show.

2
00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,440
I'm your host as always, Dr. Andy Johnson.

3
00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:13,920
Topic of today's podcast is how to prepare expert teachers of reading.

4
00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:18,720
Now, we want master teachers.

5
00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:24,000
Knowledge is important in becoming a master in any field.

6
00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:29,960
What separates novices from expert is knowledge.

7
00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:33,840
Teachers have more of it, novices have less of it.

8
00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:37,560
And expert teachers have four kinds of knowledge.

9
00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:39,400
They have content knowledge.

10
00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:42,520
That's knowledge of what they're teaching.

11
00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:44,520
If you're a math teacher, this would be math.

12
00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:46,760
A science teacher, this would be science.

13
00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:52,120
If you're an elementary education teacher, you have to have knowledge of a lot of stuff.

14
00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:56,840
For example, when I was a second grade teacher back in the day, I took a geology class.

15
00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:00,560
This gave me a deeper understanding of geology.

16
00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:06,800
And I needed this to create some basic geology units in my second grade classroom, content

17
00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:08,800
area knowledge.

18
00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:14,560
The second one is you need pedagogical knowledge, knowledge of basic teaching strategies that

19
00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:20,680
can be used in any curricular area, like discovery learning or question asking, discussions,

20
00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,240
inquiry learning, cooperative learning.

21
00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:31,440
The third is pedagogical content knowledge, knowledge of teaching strategies in a specific

22
00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:33,240
area.

23
00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:36,400
In reading, this would be reading strategies.

24
00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:42,240
In writing, this would be writing strategies or science strategies.

25
00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,920
And the fourth area, knowledge of learners and learning.

26
00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:49,320
You know how humans learn and develop.

27
00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:54,960
This is the end psych stuff, the basics of all things.

28
00:01:54,960 --> 00:02:00,920
Now to move from novice to expert is a rather simple thing.

29
00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:05,440
Simply increase knowledge in all four areas.

30
00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,760
It's not that complicated people.

31
00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:13,000
We want expert teachers teaching our students.

32
00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:19,560
This to our society's great advantage to have the best most masterful expert teachers teaching

33
00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:21,680
our children.

34
00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:28,600
They're preparing the next generation of human beings and trying to get by in the cheap as

35
00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:35,080
we seem want to do only damages our society.

36
00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:40,280
And by the way, there's this talk of a teacher shortage.

37
00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,720
And that's not quite right.

38
00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:46,000
As a matter of fact, it's poppycock.

39
00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:51,640
Yes, there is a shortage, but it's not a teacher shortage.

40
00:02:51,640 --> 00:02:56,800
It's a willingness to put up with bad teaching wages shortage or willingness to put up with

41
00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,960
poor working conditions shortage.

42
00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:03,600
That's not a teacher shortage.

43
00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,480
There's plenty of teachers.

44
00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,400
It's just that many have said to hell with you.

45
00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:11,200
I'm not taking it anymore.

46
00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:12,280
I can do better.

47
00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:14,880
I'm going to retire.

48
00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:20,480
Now how do you get all the high quality teachers we need?

49
00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:29,080
You pay them a professional wage, give them professional working conditions, provide legitimate

50
00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:35,560
professional development opportunities and for God's sakes, but out.

51
00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:41,400
Stop foisting all these useless mandates on them that only serve to drive good teachers

52
00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:44,120
out of the classroom.

53
00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,520
So how do we create expert teachers?

54
00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:50,840
We want expert teachers in our classrooms.

55
00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:57,880
And as I said, to develop expert teachers, we need professional, legitimate professional

56
00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:04,680
development that enables teachers to develop their knowledge in the four areas we described

57
00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:06,880
at the beginning.

58
00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:12,280
And master teachers are continually, continually learning.

59
00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,760
This is because the field of education doesn't stand still.

60
00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:20,360
It's continually evolving as we learn new things.

61
00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:24,600
To think that you've learned it all, you don't need to learn anymore to stand still is to

62
00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,640
regress or to devolve.

63
00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:34,920
And the best professional development still comes from legitimate graduate programs in

64
00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:40,840
education accredited graduate programs are still your best bet.

65
00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:45,240
We are not influenced by profit motives.

66
00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:52,560
A real graduate program, an accredited graduate program, I would choose programs that are

67
00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:59,320
aligned with the international literacy association standards as well as accredited.

68
00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:06,400
And not one of these for-profit clowns at Pearson Publishing or these other places.

69
00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:11,200
Good marketing is different from good education.

70
00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:16,640
To develop expert teachers, again, we need high quality, legitimate teacher professional

71
00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:23,800
development and not the clown shows put on by these for-profit entities.

72
00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,400
And yes, I'm talking about you letters.

73
00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:33,580
Sadly, because of the tax cuts given to the wealthy, higher education, including graduate

74
00:05:33,580 --> 00:05:38,840
education is becoming more expensive and becoming out of the reach of some.

75
00:05:38,840 --> 00:05:40,720
But what about college?

76
00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:46,360
You ask, don't we create expert teachers at the undergraduate level?

77
00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:47,360
No.

78
00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:48,360
What?

79
00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:51,880
Aren't graduates expert teachers?

80
00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:56,600
What are we paying you for if you're not doing your job?

81
00:05:56,600 --> 00:06:03,720
Well, the state of Minnesota pays me to develop my expertise in literacy instruction and teacher

82
00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:04,720
education.

83
00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:08,880
That's what they pay me for to become an expert.

84
00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:16,640
And I use this expertise to prepare our teachers to teach reading and other things.

85
00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:23,840
So if you're not an expert, why aren't we graduating expert teachers if you're an expert?

86
00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:27,920
Why aren't our new teachers experts?

87
00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,960
Well, it's not possible.

88
00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:38,200
Newly graduated teachers of any teacher preparation programs are not expert teachers.

89
00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,680
That's not possible.

90
00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:42,880
See that proves it.

91
00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:45,440
You professors aren't doing your job.

92
00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:47,320
I knew it.

93
00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:51,160
We need more laws and regulations.

94
00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:56,480
We need to hire expensive for-profit programs to come in.

95
00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:59,760
We need more tests and more standards.

96
00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,880
We need to get the business community involved.

97
00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:05,400
And we need a new mandate.

98
00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:07,040
That's the ticket.

99
00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:13,760
A mandate that every graduate of every teacher preparation program is to be an expert teacher

100
00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:16,200
and an expert teacher of reading.

101
00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:18,880
That's the new rule.

102
00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:21,200
Now hang on there, Polypanguon.

103
00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:26,840
There is not a program in the world that can create a finished teaching product in three

104
00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:33,520
semesters, plus student teaching, much less an expert teacher.

105
00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:41,000
It'd be very tough to do this in three years, much less three semesters.

106
00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:48,400
To think otherwise shows how very little you know about teaching, human learning, and teacher

107
00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:52,160
preparation program.

108
00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:58,280
At teacher preparation programs such as ours at Minnesota State University, we're like

109
00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:00,740
most teacher preparation programs.

110
00:08:00,740 --> 00:08:08,560
We prepare teachers to begin the journey and we do a vine job of it all and all, but we

111
00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:18,280
don't prepare finished teaching products and we certainly don't create expert teachers.

112
00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:23,360
Being and becoming an expert teacher takes time.

113
00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:28,600
It's more than just learning a bunch of tricks.

114
00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:32,240
Learning is not like programming a computer.

115
00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:38,080
It's knowing how and when to use these strategies and why you use them as well as knowing a

116
00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:40,560
bunch of strategies.

117
00:08:40,560 --> 00:08:45,080
You need to know about learners and learning and all the other stuff that makes teaching

118
00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:51,880
a very demanding job and you must develop knowledge in the four areas.

119
00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:57,000
Content knowledge, pedagogical strategies, content area strategies, and knowledge of

120
00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:59,440
learners and learning.

121
00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:06,720
You don't learn this adequately in three semesters.

122
00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:12,400
The Congressional Research Services says there are about 18,000 state approved teacher

123
00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:18,440
preparation programs at institutions of higher education in the United States.

124
00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:23,280
That seems like a large figure, but that's what I got.

125
00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:31,680
Our elementary education program at Minnesota State University is much like these others.

126
00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:35,760
We usually get students at the start of their junior year.

127
00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:42,840
They are, for the most part, 19 and 20 year old students whose only experience with teaching

128
00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:46,800
is their own experience as students.

129
00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:54,600
They have limited life experience and very limited experience as teachers when they graduate.

130
00:09:54,600 --> 00:10:01,560
Now, here's where that fourth area, knowledge area comes in, knowledge of learners and learning.

131
00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:04,240
This is where it comes into play.

132
00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:10,840
Knowing how learners learn and how learners best learn is an important part in preparing

133
00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:14,020
teachers.

134
00:10:14,020 --> 00:10:21,160
Knowledge of learners and learning means that you understand how undergraduates learn, where

135
00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:27,000
they're at developmentally and experientially, and how they best learn and what they can

136
00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:28,000
learn.

137
00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:34,760
Now, it would be the easiest thing in the world for me to simply assign a whole bunch

138
00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:41,600
of things for them to read, to include more lectures that I just described stuff, to dump

139
00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:47,240
a bunch of information and strategies over their heads, to give them lots of assignments

140
00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:54,520
that really challenge them to do more tests and assignments to hold them accountable.

141
00:10:54,520 --> 00:11:03,000
This would be the easiest thing to do, but it wouldn't prepare our students.

142
00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,800
That wouldn't mean more learning takes place.

143
00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:09,200
As a matter of fact, too much would get in the way.

144
00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:15,880
It's not the best way to get teachers ready to meet the real world demands of real students

145
00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:17,880
in a real classroom.

146
00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:26,080
Now, in our program here at Minnesota State University, much like every program, I encounter

147
00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:32,760
students in block one of a three block program or a three semester program.

148
00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:37,560
They get my literacy course for 15 weeks.

149
00:11:37,560 --> 00:11:40,000
That's it 15 weeks.

150
00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:42,440
That's all I've got.

151
00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:48,640
This course is taken in the context of three other courses at the beginning of their program.

152
00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:55,120
So they're taking my course and three other courses during their first semester.

153
00:11:55,120 --> 00:12:01,600
They're taking four, four credit courses for a total of 16 credit hours.

154
00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:05,240
Now, let's do the math.

155
00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:11,680
The rule of thumb is that you should spend three hours studying outside of class for

156
00:12:11,680 --> 00:12:14,880
every hour in class.

157
00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:23,600
So 16 credit hours of class would mean 48 hours of studying a week.

158
00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:26,880
Add this to the 16 hours they spend in class.

159
00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:30,160
That's 64 hours.

160
00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:36,000
This is on top of the jobs that most students have to have because those tax cuts given

161
00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:43,080
to the wealthy have resulted in cuts to higher education and tuition goes up.

162
00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:49,080
As well, most 19 and 20 year olds are doing the social and emotional things that 19 and

163
00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:55,520
20 year old people do as well as just trying to figure out who they are and having a bit

164
00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:57,000
of fun along the way.

165
00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:02,600
Oh yes, you have to schedule teeth brushing there along the way.

166
00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:07,840
And if you're working just 20 hours a week, well, that's 88 hours a week.

167
00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:15,280
Well, what about if you only study two hours outside of class for every hour in class?

168
00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:23,480
That would still be 32 hours of studying each week plus 16 hours of class for 48 hours.

169
00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:28,280
And that's still a busy, busy schedule.

170
00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:32,720
It's reasonable to assume that most students would spend two hours each week studying and

171
00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:34,800
doing their assignments for a course.

172
00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:39,760
That's reasonable, but you get the picture.

173
00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:45,320
Now pre-service teachers usually take two literacy methods courses of some kind in a

174
00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:51,000
program, but on top of this, they're taking a whole bunch of other courses all required

175
00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:53,880
by our accreditation boards.

176
00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:59,120
And these courses are related to science and social studies, health, math, educational.

177
00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:00,120
You get the idea.

178
00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:02,320
It's a whole bunch of stuff.

179
00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:07,480
We've got tons and tons of standards that we have to address.

180
00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:12,400
So what about expert reading teachers?

181
00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:19,480
Successful reading instruction and intervention are dependent on having teachers who are experts

182
00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:22,960
in reading instruction.

183
00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:26,840
So how do we create expert reading teachers?

184
00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:29,080
I'll give you a hint.

185
00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:33,840
It's that through letters training or Orton Gillingham training or any of these other

186
00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:37,680
for-profit boondoggles.

187
00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:44,640
Expert reading teachers have knowledge and a broad understanding in six areas.

188
00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:47,160
First, human learning, how humans learn.

189
00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:48,880
We've already addressed that.

190
00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:56,160
The second, you know the processes used by the brain to create meaning with print, the

191
00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:59,840
reading process, the writing process.

192
00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:07,400
The third, literacy, teaching and learning, how to best teach reading and writing.

193
00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:11,600
The fourth, literary literacy research.

194
00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:19,720
You know how to read research and you're familiar with a wide body of research in reading, writing

195
00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:22,160
and education.

196
00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:29,280
The fifth, literacy assessment and diagnosis, far more than just giving a standardized test.

197
00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:33,800
You understand and know how to use miscue analysis, running records, qualitative reading

198
00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:38,880
inventories, authentic assessment strategies.

199
00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:43,240
And the sixth, literacy pedagogy.

200
00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:45,960
This is content area pedagogy.

201
00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:53,040
You have a toolbox full of research based strategies for teaching, reading and writing.

202
00:15:53,040 --> 00:16:00,520
This is different from how to follow directions in a teacher's manual toolbox or how to implement

203
00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:03,400
a one size fits all program.

204
00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:07,080
Now, what are the answers?

205
00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:13,600
Perhaps we should hire Emily Hanford to design our graduate programs.

206
00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:17,360
Maybe we should hire her to design our reading intervention programs.

207
00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:22,240
I'm sure she's had lots of experience and immersed herself in peer reviewed academic

208
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:27,000
research tongue in cheek.

209
00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:35,760
It's impossible to become experts in these six areas of becoming a literacy expert in

210
00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:40,160
three semesters or even three years.

211
00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:46,040
The knowledge and skills related to these six areas are best learned in the context

212
00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:50,400
of an actual classroom while you are a teacher.

213
00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:58,480
And again, this means continued legitimate professional development of practicing teachers.

214
00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:07,440
And it takes five to 10 years to fully develop the expertise necessary to become expert reading

215
00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:08,440
teachers.

216
00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:14,200
Now, there's a Facebook group called Science of Reading, What I Should Have Learned in

217
00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:18,000
College and I sigh, What I Should Have Learned in College.

218
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:23,200
The implication here is that teacher preparation programs are not teaching the right things

219
00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:25,520
or enough things.

220
00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:30,760
But how do you know what is and isn't being taught in teacher preparation programs?

221
00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:34,400
What are the right things and how do you know these are the right things?

222
00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:36,720
Did Emily Hanford tell you?

223
00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:42,800
Are you basing your premise on I think isms, anecdotal evidence, and random data, which

224
00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:46,840
is often the case with Science of Reading advocates?

225
00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:54,720
Or do you use a wealth of peer reviewed research published in peer reviewed academic journals

226
00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:56,960
to come to conclusions?

227
00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:01,360
Not I think isms, but research.

228
00:18:01,360 --> 00:18:03,440
What I should have learned in college.

229
00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:11,000
And I just say, Poff, please pull your heads out of your collective asses.

230
00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:18,000
Stop seeking experts tease from non expert clowns like Emily Hanford.

231
00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:26,120
Stop seeking input for those who have a profit motive like Louisa Motez.

232
00:18:26,120 --> 00:18:34,040
Your best avenue for legitimate professional development is accredited graduate programs.

233
00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:41,080
Or if you want to do it yourself, immerse yourself in peer reviewed research published

234
00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:43,360
in academic journals.

235
00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:45,160
This has been the reading instruction show.

236
00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:49,800
I've been talking about how to prepare expert teachers and I am your host, as always, Dr.

237
00:18:49,800 --> 00:19:15,800
Andy Johnson.