It Takes a Village: Working Together to Support Struggling Readers

• In Event: Supporting K-12 Preservice English and Literacy Teachers’ Navigations Between Self and Student

Abstract

Preparing preservice teachers to work effectively with students who struggle to read, simply introducing them to what to teach and how to teach in reading methods courses is not enough. This study describes a reading methods course where preservice teachers were actively engaged in the interactions not only with students who struggle to read, but also their parents and classroom teachers, through a university-public library collaborative tutoring program. The findings demonstrated the impact of the program on student reading achievement, preservice teachers’ understanding of literacy instruction beyond content and content pedagogical knowledge, and parents’ involvement in student reading activities beyond classrooms.

Authors

• Jean P. Rohr, Elon University

• Ye He, University of North Carolina - Greensboro