What is Reading Practicum

This chapter describes use of a metacognitive tool to facilitate teacher reflection in an online graduate reading practicum course. The Teacher Learning Instrument (TLI) is a tool designed to support the evidence-based practice of reflection on teaching through collaborative inquiry. The purpose of using the TLI in an online reading practicum course is to facilitate candidates' reflections on teaching struggling readers in one-to-one intervention settings with the goal of refining instruction to improve students' reading ability. The analysis of the assignment data associated with use of the TLI demonstrates the potential of the TLI to inform a collaborative, reflective process among practicing teachers within the context of a practicum course, addressing the requirements of Standard 7. The reflective process and sharing of insights among colleagues make literacy instructional practices visible for close examination in an online environment and thus exposes the complexity inherent in the effective teaching of struggling readers.