Learning to read is vital for every child’s education. Literacy is the basis of success throughout life and develops critical thinking skills that everyone needs. As trends in education continue to change, current innovations in reading education also continue to advance to meet the needs of today’s students. An online Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) – Reading from Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU) can help elevate your literacy expertise and improve your support for students that struggle to read. Students in this program will be ready to lead school-wide reading programs and classroom instruction with advanced knowledge in fluency, phonics, comprehension and vocabulary.
How the Direction of Reading Education is Changing
Innovative practices emerge as educators study and continue to understand that developing new techniques to teach reading benefits their students. Below are some current trends and innovations in reading education.
- Gamification involves using gaming elements and video game design to motivate and inspire students to learn. In reading education and activities, gamification can help children grasp new skills and learn to love reading. Since children are familiar with video games and the procedures and rules of how to play, gamification can help influence the younger generation. While gamification doesn’t replace reading with playing games, it can boost the interest and motivation of students to read within a familiar or comfortable context. In place of quizzes and tests, students can embark on challenges or quests that could involve writing essays that display reading comprehension, and they can earn rewards within the game.
- Educational technology. Incorporating technology in the classroom is nothing new, but using it to encourage reading and stimulate reading comprehension is trending. Technology simplifies interacting with and editing content, practicing fluency and boosting engagement. In addition, technology can bridge at-home and in-class learning and increase research skills and vocabulary.
- Culturally responsive reading curriculum. Culturally responsive teaching is a pedagogical style that meets students where they are and recognizes their cultural experiences. Teaching students to read with culturally responsive teaching involves using culturally responsive texts, dialect awareness, reading comprehension and critical thinking skills development, discussion and participation. When teachers understand different communication styles, everyone benefits.
- A return to phonics. There is a division among educators over whether to teach reading with a balanced approach using phonics as a foundation or the whole language system; many are returning to a phonics-based curriculum. While some students can learn to read without phonics, others can struggle without it. For teachers with a well-rounded background in the science of reading, accommodating students who learn differently is a benefit.
- Literacy education and social-emotional learning. Social-emotional learning (SEL) develops self-awareness and fosters emotional and social skills. Literacy creates moments regarding thinking about how people feel, how to react to stressful situations and how to listen to others with empathy. Research has shown that when a teacher leads discussions after reading, students can develop reading comprehension, vocabulary and SEL skills.
Next Steps
Students in the Southeastern online M.Ed. in C&I – Reading program will develop effective instructional strategies for reading and writing and understand the foundations of reading, phonics, word recognition, vocabulary, reading comprehension and word recognition at an advanced level. Graduates of this program will be qualified to pursue careers as educational consultants, curriculum designers, instructional coordinators, curriculum specialists, adult education program designers and staff development specialists.
Learn more about Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s online Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction – Reading program.