Response to Jennifer Payne

Response to Jennifer Payne

Like Jenny I have made many new friends and acquaintances in the MEd Reading programme and have learned a lot.

I agree with her observation that in spite of the general improvement in our living standards, where most children have cell phones, trendy clothes, access to free meals and so on, the decline in literacy, especially among our male students is alarming. In equipping our teachers to address this problem, I think the government also needs to provide for further teacher training in the area of special education, in addition to the MEd Reading programme.

Why I chose to become a Reading Specialist

WHY I DECIDED TO BECOME A READING SPECIALIST

In the face of increasing illiteracy among the general population of Trinidad and Tobago, arising largely out of growing levels of educational disengagement and underachievement on the part of our male students, I decided to become a reading specialist to assist in providing solutions for this disturbing phenomenon. It is my intention to participate in a wider holistic campaign, as well as a to interface on a more personal level with struggling readers, to bring about interventions aimed at reducing and eradicating illiteracy in our nation.

To further this objective, as a reading specialist, I would like to pass on valuable knowledge (to which I am exposed in this Med programme) to other teachers, especially those in the content areas. This is in order to equip them to become teachers of reading, as they deliver their respective curricula. I am cognisant of the fact that content area teachers in general do not consider themselves to be reading teachers, and as such they believe that promoting literacy is not one of their roles as educators. There is a desperate need to overturn this mindset, so that teachers will become more flexible in their outlook and open to a paradigm shift, wherein they will embrace the requisite training and instructional strategies to scaffold students in their literacy development.

Finally, as a reading specialist, I would be facilitating my own professional development. During my years of teaching experience at both the primary and secondary levels, I have noticed that over time, students’ interests and learning styles have changed. This is in accordance with changes in technology and how this has impacted social networking and entertainment. Hence I hope to be able to cater for the needs of emergent and struggling readers in the twenty-first century.