The Attributes of a Good Literacy Teacher

Braithwaite et al (1997) has reported on the attributes of literacy teachers in 'best practice' classrooms. The findings are summarised below.

Braithwaite found that effective teachers:

expressed clear and cohesive views about the meaning of the term 'literacy', mirroring the views proposed in the national curriculum statements and profiles;

favoured classroom practices that had a whole language approach reinforced by the use of skill-based teaching in areas such as phonics;

justified their approach to teaching literacy on the grounds that it 'works';

claimed that their strengths in literacy teaching lay in their enthusiasm to deliver their programs;

believed that they had to consolidate their students' literacy skills;

were more proactive when it came to planning for parental involvement in their literacy programs;

used checklists more to record students' progress, rather than relying solely on anecdotal records;

were more likely to plan specific meetings with parents to report student progress;

were more likely to evaluate their teaching on a continuous basis, rather than only when things were not working; and claimed that they planned co-operatively with other teachers

Quoted from Literacy and English
Department of Education, Tasmania, School Education Division