Some educators do not realize that they can use music to their advantage in the classroom. For example, music can help improve their students reading level. Educators can also use music as one of the teaching strategies for reading. Students can use music as an interesting way to strengthen their reading comprehension skills while also having fun. Professional learning communities can help monitor students learning by using music as a way to get them to focus on the lessons each day. Learning to read music can be helpful in teaching students to understand reading other materials as well. Members of professional learning communities use “results-oriented” action to determine what each student’s weakest areas are and continuously use this method to see what improvements need to be made. This can prove to be a very effective method for many students, parents, and educators in the community.

Because professional learning communities are a great way to create a collaborative environment and encourage participation, music can be a tool to unite all students in this way. It’s also important to remember that reading can be difficult to teach especially because each student has different difficulties and strengths with reading. Learning how to read music and understand the different notes can be a helpful way to get certain students on the same reading level as other students because some people have very different learning styles than others.

There are few teaching strategies for reading that are as fun for children as rock ‘n’ roll music can be. Teachers can incorporate parts of rock ‘n’ roll history, culture, business, and research as part of their lesson plans. This can also lead to greater participation throughout all professional learning communities. If students are reading about the history of rock ‘n’ roll music it can get them interested in reading overall. Reading about the people, events, and places of rock ‘n’ roll music history will help students practice their reading skills while also teaching them about an important era of American history and culture. Students should know how their lives have been developed and influenced by rock ‘n’ roll music.

Professional learning communities pay attention to each person’s own personal learning style and teaching strategies for reading can be customized to fit each learner’s needs. Teachers can improve comprehension throughout the curriculum by using these strategies. Students need to understand non-fiction, informational, and narrative text as well as develop vocabulary. Professional learning communities can help teachers gain the reflective strategies, writing strategies, and assessments needed to evaluate their student’s performance and to see if they are grasping the material.

Rock ‘n’ roll music can be a useful way to help with strategic lesson planning. Because reading is such a complex process, teachers should understand the stages of reading development and the literacy demands of the real-world. It’s important for educators to not only understand the reading process, but to also research the best practices and methods available for teaching strategies for reading. Lastly, remember that it can always be valuable to teach reading through collaboration, cooperation, and participation by everyone in the learning community.

Author Bio: Vince Welsh is CEO of Teacher Education Institute. TEI offers rigorous, graduate-level professional development courses for K-12 classroom teachers. For more about TEI, teaching strategies for reading, professional learning communities visit http://www.teachereducation.com

Category: Education
Keywords: teaching strategies for reading, professional learning communities