Teachers win a big tick over reading

An Education Review Office report praising primary school teachers on how they teach reading shows what teachers can achieve when given good support, says the union's national president Colin Tarr.

Mr Tarr, head of the NZEI Te Riu Roa, was commenting on an ERO survey of 112 primary schools in Term 3 last year, about reading programmes for Year 4 and Year 8 students.

The report found that almost two- thirds (63 per cent) of the schools were effective or highly effective in the design and implementation of their reading programmes.

The report said: "Overall it appears students not only enjoy and participate in reading but their teachers provide them with real and meaningful opportunities for success in reading."

Mr Tarr said this was high praise from ERO.

"They have found that these children are motivated and switched on to reading and that's a testament to the quality of the work their teachers are doing in this area."

The report also said that "almost without exception" the teachers involved in the survey felt confident and capable at teaching reading.

More than two-thirds felt their initial teacher education had prepared them to teach reading, and more than two-thirds had done some professional development in the area since.

"This shows what teachers can achieve when the education system provides them with good initial teacher education, effective professional development and good teaching and learning resources," Mr Tarr said.

The report also found that:

* 73 per cent of the teachers were effective or highly effective in applying their subject and teaching knowledge to their reading programmes.

* 81 per cent were effective or highly effective in their use of reading resources.

* 84 per cent were effective or highly effective in their assessment of student achievement.

- NZPA