[Edling] Colorado teachers need help teaching English learners to read. The state wants more training.

[Myrna Goldstein via Edling]

Hello, after some thought about this, might Colorado look at how Maria
Montessori taught children how to read and write and how her approach paid
off.

For openers, she had the learners teach themselves, and the  teachers as
*facilitators*, not *teachers**.* In Montessori's school, during a
government "inspection", one of the government overseers approached a child
writing and "cleverly" asked, *"Who taught you how to write?"* Surprised,
at the question, she responded without one  iota of hesitation, *"Why, I
did!" *

This might be a good place to start:  Have all the children rub with their
fingers hollowed out wood letters.

I'm studying her work now, but mostly from the cognitive language learning
perspective. However, I'm sure she had much to say about the matter
Colorado is energetically reviewing. Perhaps her book "The Child's Mind" (*La
mente del bambino*, for those who prefer her in the original Italian) might
hold some clues as also might a few trips to Montessori schools trigger
some productive integrative possibilities.

I love seemingly impossibilities!

Will write more if I come across any Montessori specifics about reading and
writing.

If anyone sees my messages, I wish them my best of luck!

Myrna Goldstein
Switzerland

On Mon, Mar 31, 2025, 15:59 Francis M. Hult via Edling <
edling at lists.mail.umbc.edu> wrote:

> Chalkbeat
>
> Colorado teachers need help teaching English learners to read. The state
> wants more training.
>
> While Colorado is seeing some improvement in reading instruction, some
> students continue to struggle.
>
> As a result, the Colorado Department of Education is seeking $3.3 million
> in the 2025-26 education budget to create new training for teachers to
> teach English learners to read. It would be used to help teachers
> differentiate instruction for those students.
>
> Full story:
>
> https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/03/12/english-learner-teachers-need-help-teaching-reading-state-and-survey-find/
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edling mailing list
> Edling at lists.mail.umbc.edu
> https://lists.mail.umbc.edu/mailman/listinfo/edling
>
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