Study: Better teachers help children read faster

[The Straight Story]

Study: Better teachers help children read faster

SEATTLE (AP) -- Genetics play the biggest role in determining how fast a child learns to read, but a good teacher can make a measurable difference as well, according to a study released Thursday.

Florida State University used twins assigned to different classrooms to develop the conclusions.

Researchers studied more than 550 first- and second-grade classrooms with at least one identical twin and more than 1,000 classes with at least one fraternal twin.

Among the identical twins, 42 pairs out of 280 pairs showed significant differences in reading improvement during the year studied, said lead researcher Jeanette Taylor, an associate professor of psychology at Florida State.

In each case, the teachers also had significantly different quality scores. Twins with similarly good teachers got similar scores.

"If you have identical twins, they should do very similarly in school," Taylor said.

Teachers whose students showed the greatest average one-year improvement in the number of words they could read out loud in one minute were considered the best teachers for the purpose of the study.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_LEARNING_TO_READ?SITE=WBBMAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[BrklynLiberal]

1. If you can read this, thank a teacher!!

A bumper sticker I have seen and think is superb.

[jody]

2. "Genetics play the biggest role in determining how fast a child learns to read" and perhaps all

other accomplishments in education.

If that is true, is it not harmful to a child to DEMAND more of a student than they are potentially possible of achieving?

[kwassa]

3. This from the research journal "Duh."

[abelenkpe]

4. I don't know...

When I assisted at a Montessori school for three years there were three kids in class that the teacher (who was a great teacher, btw) had decided were just slow and weren't going to go far having started the program late. So I paid extra attention to them, helping them with learning to read and do math. By the end of the year they were some of the strongest students in the class. I don't think it was because I was a good teacher. I was just willing to give them the opportunity to do more than what was expected of them. Genetics may help, but without someone who believes in you or the opportunity to shine how can we accurately judge what one can accomplish?
I left that job to come to CA. But those were happy days. What other job ends with a big group hug from 16 kids everyday?

[virgogal]

5. Parents are extremely important also.

[mzteris]

6. I taught all three of mine to read

at four. But what do I know, I'm just a "mom" and not a "trained teacher". :eyes: (Sorry, sore subject around here...)

One of mine is adopted and his bio parents are - well - let's just say neither finished highschool. He's not only above grade level - and has been since he started school - he's also above grade level reading in Spanish, as well (though I can't really take much credit for the Spanish part.)

[virgogal]

7. Good for you. They are lucky children.

[hobbit709]

8. My grandfather taught me to read.

By the time I started kindergarten at five I was reading and writing in two languages.