Teachers Teaching Teachers: An Approach to Enhancing Reading Across Content Areas

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Reading well is a necessity for academic success and a basic requirement for participation in civic life and in the global economy. The program "Every Child a Reader Program (ECARP)" highlights the significant role of teachers across subject areas to intensify the advocacy of involving all teachers in building a reading community. Hence, this study aims to determine the helpfulness and effect of the Program 3TCAR (Teachers Teaching Teachers on Content Area Reading) in the improvement of comprehension and content-learning skills of the learners.

METHODS

The study utilized action research design observing quasi-experimental method which basically aimed to explore a phenomenon and at the same to investigate impact of the program in understanding of the lesson and in improvement of reading comprehension of Grade 7 students. Data were gathered through administration of pre and post tests both in reading and in the discipline. SLAC sessions were done to capacitate the tool subject teachers with regard to reading integration. Monitoring and evaluation were done to determine the status quo of the program.

RESULTS

It was found that integration of reading in the content area is crucial in developing literacy. The increase in both content and reading tests justifies the importance of collaboration of language and content area teachers in improving learners' ability in the classroom. It was also found that capacity building of teachers across subject areas is a great help in solving not only reading comprehension problems but also in learning the concepts in the classroom.

DISCUSSIONS

The study revealed that the key to improve the learning competencies of the learners is to enhance the most important skill in the classroom and that is reading. Moreover, it also reveals that once the teachers are capacitated we are also capacitating our learners.