Dr. Altheria Caldera, TRL Consultant, offers the following advice:
Theories advancing what is known about creating a classroom environment that is inclusive of all students can be traced to the early 1970s. Throughout this fifty-year period, over a dozen terms have been put forth to describe these teaching practices. Scholars who study pedagogy, which can be defined as the theory and practice of learning, argue that teaching must be subjective in that it is responsive to students’ backgrounds.
It would make sense, then, that educators might question how to employ the objective science of reading in a way that empowers students from all backgrounds. This is a topic that Burns addresses in a 2021 article, “The Universal Implications of Science of Reading,” in which he proclaims, “From the instructional perspective, it’s uncontroversial that educators should be attuned to both the sociocultural context and local factors within the learning environment.”
Educators can apply knowledge from these two bodies of research by centering their instruction around the 4 Rs:
- Relevance: Use reading instructional materials and resources that reflect students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds and that build upon their existing knowledge.
- Rigor: Hold high expectations that all students can read rigorously, which includes complex texts that are approached from a critical literacy perspective.
- Real-world application: Provide reading experiences that students might encounter in their everyday lives.
- Relationships: Build relationships with students that are rooted in care and respect, not rescue and saviorism. Students are motivated to read by teachers with whom they have caring and respectful relationships.
While the science of reading might be objective and universal (based on current knowledge), the science of teaching reading must begin with valuing the cultural and linguistic assets that students bring to schools.
In order to be effective with diverse student populations, instructional strategies that align with the science of reading must be “compatible with and responsive to the characteristics of the population.” This can be done by starting with the 4 Rs.