Assessment and Supervision of the Field Experience of a Competency Based Reading Methods Course

When the University of Houston committed itself to competency-based, field and campus-centered teacher education over eight years ago, the reading methods courses were primarily campus-centered and included lecture and discussion over assigned reading in a reading methods textbook. In an effort to be compatible with the field-centered focus of the College, a more intensive field-experience component was added to the reading methods course. This addition accentuated the need for a changed format which would be more consistent with a field-based program. The textbooks which had been used previously presented applications of the theory and practice of teaching reading, but did not provide enough guidance in applying them in a classroom situation. The preservice teachers were able to talk knowledgeably about providing for individual differences, yet when they were actually in the classroom they seemed to have difficulty translating the theory into practice.