The Role of Literacy Aides in the Classroom
With the addition of a literacy aide to the classroom setting, students can receive more effective literacy instruction. Many schools, eager to amp up the literacy levels of their students, have turned to adding a second body to the classroom setting during literacy instruction periods. In some schools these additional individuals are called literacy coaches, and in others literacy aides. By placing one of these resource staff members in the classroom, schools may be able to help their students experience more success in reading.
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Advise the Teacher
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Literacy aides are not a simple teacher's helper. In many cases, these individuals hold specialized training in the field of literacy. This extra training can serve as a resource to the teacher, providing her with additional literacy-building activities she can use in her classroom.
Provide One-On-One Instruction
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When one teacher is charged with the task of teaching 25 children, one-on-one instruction is next to impossible. A literacy aide allows schools to provide individualized student attention when necessary. Literacy aides often find they are most useful in working one-on-one with students who are falling behind or having more difficulty with literacy basics. During these one-on-one sessions, the aide can listen to the student read and help identify specific areas of struggle.
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Assess Student Needs
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Literacy aides often spend at least part of their classroom time directly assessing students. They may do this by listening to pupils read aloud and cataloging their errors or by inspecting graded work. In some schools, literacy aides are responsible for administering literacy screenings or standardized reading tests to assess students' overall reading abilities.
Assist in Facilitating Small Group Activities
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Many students build literacy skills best by working in a small group. Literacy aides can make facilitating small groups easier as two adults can more easily monitor students working cooperatively. Teachers can either assign a literacy aide one specific group to oversee, or encourage him to circulate among groups.
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