To cultivate a culture of education from the start, it is essential to equip teachers with the right type of tools that will allow them to arrange their curriculum in a thoughtful, sequential, and comprehensive manner. This will enable teachers to teach their students using phonic instructions and support their ability to build a basic understanding of complex reading material. Here are three ways that will allow students to achieve better reading proficiency.

Give the Same Reading Instructions

Instead of dividing the students and grouping them according to their reading level, a better technique is to give the entire student body the same reading material and instructions. This way, no group of students is given instructions below their skill level, which lessens their reading proficiency. 

In his research, Timothy Shanahan proved that there is no positive impact of matching students according to their current reading abilities. 

Build a Foundation For General Knowledge Content 

Research concludes that a factor that plays a significant role in a student’s ability to comprehend their reading material is the base knowledge they have about the world. This knowledge mainly comes from learning about social studies and the sciences. 

Thus, teachers must use the student’s time in school on topics that are conceptually related to developing a base of general knowledge within the students. 

Incorporate English Language Arts Within the Curriculum

One of the primary reasons students across the nation have a problem with reading is a curriculum of poor quality. This is why schools need to develop or establish a pre-existing phonics program. 

However, various organizations have developed curricula that have been made according to higher standards based on the latest research. The great part is that educational institutes won’t have to put in a hefty amount of resources to do this. Several nonprofit organizations, such as EdReports, assist schools in identifying the best curriculum within this context.

While these are the three best ways to help students gain better reading proficiency, there are certainly other methods that teachers can utilize, as well. One great way is to join online communities of educators who want to further their understanding and skills to educate all types of students in different kinds of classroom settings. 

Concluding Thoughts 

Two great examples of such an online community are The Tech Edvocate and The Edvocate. Of course, a great way to quantify the improvement in reading performance would be to calculate your student’s grades, weighted grades, and final grades both before and after employing these three methods.