Focusing on Children's Strengths

So much can be gained from observing and analyzing what a child can do. When we pursue a strengths-focused approach to teaching and supporting children's learning, we encourage students in what they can already do and use their abilities as a starting point for where they will go next. In Kate Foley Cusumano's (2008) article, "Every Mark on the Page: Educating Family and Community Members about Young Children’s Writing," she quotes Calkins (1983) regarding the value of this approach, stating, "children become our teachers, showing us how they learn” (pg. 10). By understanding what a child can do, we are also learning about how they learn, which can positively inform our instruction and support for that child. In terms of a child's literacy development, it is useful to know the skills and strategies they are using when they read and write. This knowledge will serve as a guide for how to support the child in reaching a new level of learning or development. For example, a child who uses their understanding of phonics and visual cues to predict words that they do not yet know when reading could be supported by being shown additional strategies to figure out words, such as using the context of the surrounding words to see what makes sense. If you did not know what strategies the child was using to predict words, it would be difficult to support them in furthering their development in a meaningful way. In her article, "'Sounding Out': A Pervasive Cultural Model of Reading," Catherine Compton-Lilly (2005) states that as educators, "we must constantly reflect on our teaching and the strategies our students apply as they become readers" (pg. 450-451). This allows us to continually improve our instruction by founding it on the abilities and needs of our students. Focusing on children's strengths guides us in being effective educators and supporters of learning and development.



Sources:

Compton-Lilly, Catherine. ""Sounding Out": A Pervasive Cultural Model of Reading."Language Arts 82.6 (2005): 441-51. Print.

Cusumano, Kate Foley. "Every Mark on the Page: Educating Family and Community Members about Young Children’s Writing." Language Arts 86.1 (2008): 9-17. Print.