Kyle Wassmuth

NCTE/IRA standards article review

These are the standards brought forth from the National Council of Teachers of English
and the International Reading Association in 1996 and is, as stated, is designed to complement
other national, state, and local standards and contributes to ongoing discussion about English
language arts classroom activities and curricula (NCTE). Their guiding visions include allowing
to develop the language skills necessary for life as well as encouraging the growth of curriculum
and instruction and providing the innovation and creativity essential for both teachers and
learners. Included in the guided vision section is also the stipulation that the standards should
be considered a whole and should not be taken separately. The standards say that students
should: read a wide range of both print (books, magazines, etc) and non print (slideshows,
internet articles, etc) to develop their reading further, as well as a wide range of literature and
genres; apply various strategies on their readings, writings, and spoken language to become a
well rounded communicator; be able to critique, discuss, and research-both physically and
technologically- the texts; gain a respect for regional language and writings as well as the
English language as a whole; if they are secondary English speakers, be able to become
competent in the language and develop a common understanding about the teachings; be able
to participate in literary exchanges with peers; and be able to speak, write, or visually
communicate to their own accord.

I would probably use these within my own classroom because I have a strong will to be
able to teach my students how to effectively get their ideas across no matter how they choose to
display it. I feel like the only thing I would consider keeping from my class would be the standard
on secondary English speakers, though I would still want them to be able to join in on the
classroom discussions. The biggest thing I have against this would probably be the issue with
having to contribute all these standards at once within the classroom. Though I understand why,
I dont know how logically it may happen.
"NCTE / IRA Standards for the English Language Arts." NCTE Comprehensive News. National
Council of Teachers of English, Nov. 2012. Web. 06 May 2016.