Reflective teachers are caring teachers who try to recognize when it is the program that is failing students and not the students who are failing to learn.

Conclusion: A Matter of Balance

The strategies and activities in this resource have been developed to reflect a balanced approach to early literacy instruction. Such a balanced practice:

• provides skill instruction without losing an emphasis on meaning
• makes use of a whole, to part, to whole approach
• offers opportunities to apply skill learning for real purposes
• balances a concern for skill development with a concern for enjoyment
• contains safeguards that protect the child's self-esteem and cultural pride
• proceeds from developmentally appropriate assessment
• adapts to new insights obtained through a teacher's personal and professional development, classroom observations, and reflection.

The wealth of research including that from teachers' experiences has demonstrated that there is no one best way to teach language arts nor one program that works perfectly for all students. Research literature and experienced teachers agree that it is important to adopt a problem-solving approach and an attitude of openness toward new ideas and instructional methods. Such reflective teaching would be responsive to the differences between children, and the need to change or discard favourite approaches if students do not grow in both competence and confidence as a result of their use.

Finally, activities that are recommended for early literacy instruction are most successful when they are used by teachers who enjoy and respect children's ideas and who like to read and write themselves.