The Reading Masters program has provided me the opportunity to learn valuable instructional strategies that I can share with teachers at the two schools I serve as an Instructional Facilitator. When put into practice, these instructional strategies directly impact student learning. The knowledge I have gained in this program gives me confidence when I collaborate with teachers in Professional Learning Communities to discuss student data and current research based methods . I can provide evidence for best practices to differentiate instruction from Psychological Bases of Reading with Dr. Ari. This reading masters has empowered me to assist teachers in identifying struggling readers specific needs and customize differentiated lesson plans to target these specific areas. These new set of skills were honed under the support of Dr. Gill and Dr. Schlagal in Reading Assessment and Correction and Practicum and Seminar in the Clinical Teaching of Reading. I can develop and conduct professional development on current and relevant reading issues aligned to school literacy goals related to information gleaned under Dr. Moorman in Politics of Literacy and Reading and Writing Instruction for Intermediate and Advanced Learners.
I have always been passionate about reading and the invaluable high quality professional instruction from Appalachian State Reading Department has further ignited my passion for reading. A key to lifelong learning is successful reading. This begins with decoding with automaticity because it helps put students on the path to successful reading. Research classes proved again and again how effective fluency can be improved through connected text and repeated readings. I have throughly enjoyed my classes in the masters program and hope to continue to pursue studies in the reading field further my literacy expertise. My goal is to ignite a passion for reading in the students I have the honor to impact.
I believe establishing relationships are also key to learning success. This program has helped me gain an increase awareness of issues outside the classroom that impact what happens behind the classroom door. I am dedicated to advocating for teachers and students to assist with removing barriers to academic success and address the needs of the whole child. As a collective team we can reflect on school and classroom goals and use research to do things differently to impact student learning. Doing it different can make all the difference. By creating a framework of support through networking and partnerships, the vision of meaningful and sustained student impact becomes possible.
"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child" Forest. E. Whitcraft