Reading and writing are two fundamental skills which can be used to gauge the success or failure of the learners. Language and literacy acquisition are experiences that begin at birth. However, it is important to note that students might lack the important language and literacy aspects such as phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, and print awareness and therefore the need for supplementary action (Sumrall, et al. 2017). Therefore, teachers in the elementary schools must provide an environment that enables students to develop both the language and literacy skills. In this regard, the teacher can act as a model, provider of experiences, and interactor in promoting language learning and literacy.
Modeling or demonstrating is an efficient way of instructing due to its pervasive and powerful nature. What the teacher does during the classroom session can act as an important model for the learner. Modeling is an effective learning tool especially for language and literacy skills because it might even occur when both the students and the learners are not aware. When the teacher properly uses various models in the classroom, all that was previously explicit now changes to implicit hence making the learning process visible. It also enables the learners to know what to do and how to do it. Teachers can also demonstrate to the learners the literacy skills that they are supposed to master using the modeling method.
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Other than just acting as a model, the teacher can do several other things such as being the provider of experience in the bid to promote language learning and literacy. The teachers can use their long-term experience to understand the complexities that are normally encountered in the reading and writing process and hence device means, skills, and knowledge that can be used by the learners to overcome this challenges. Genishi and Dyson (2015) asserted that the teacher can also encourage the learners to apply their prior knowledge which will hence provide them with adequate information to help them understand. The teacher can also provide the learners with a conducive learning environment by acting as the motivator, which will improve the learners’ attitudes towards achieving literacy and language mastery. Teachers have over the past identified that motivated students demonstrate a better urge to read, and improved cognitive strategies thereby attaining literacy and mastery of language faster than those who are less motivated. Other strategies that the teachers can use in providing a positive learning experience include assessment, observation, planning, and organizing instructions among others.
Promoting language learning and literacy also wants the teacher to assume the role of an interactor. Interaction demands that the teachers form a unique bond with the students. It is important to note that teachers should attempt to be leaders in both the classroom and the entire school so that they can earn warranted respect from the students, there acting as a positive example (Zheng, 2013). In equal measures, the teachers must depict concern and care for the students. The self-esteem of the learner greatly depends on how they interact with the teachers. Therefore, in their capacities as interactors, the teacher can assist the child to expand their scope of command, specify and clarify information, and also to solve various problems. In helping the child to expand, the teacher can make statements that attempt to widen the learner's response such as ‘'how do you feel about the weather,'' or ‘'would you keep cats or dogs?''In helping the learner to specify, the teacher can make a statement such as ‘'you love popcorns more than crisps,'' or ‘'are you a footballer?'' In clarifying, the teacher will tend to make statements that require clarity such as ‘'are you normally this free on lunch hours?'' or ‘'I know you don't like your aunt because she is harsh.'' Finally, problem-solving statements will attempt to find a solution such as ‘'why does the sun only shine during the day?'' or ‘'playing in the dust makes people catch flu.''
References
Genishi, C., & Dyson, A. H. (2015). Children, language, and literacy: Diverse learners in diverse times . Teachers College Press.
Sumrall, T., Scott-Little, C., Paro, K., Pianta, R., Burchinal, M., Hamre, B., & ... Howes, C. (2017). Student Teaching within Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Programs: An Examination of Key Features across 2- and 4-Year Institutions. Early Childhood Education Journal , 45 (6), 821-830.
Zheng, H. (2013). Teachers' beliefs and practices: a dynamic and complex relationship. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education , 41 (3), 331-343.
