Language Awareness in the Teaching of Reading and Writing

Reading and writing are highly complex and multidimensional processes (Bernhardt, 2005; Finkbeiner, 2005). Due to their multifaceted nature, learners’ challenges can likewise be manifold. On the teachers’ part, diagnostic competencies are indispensable and need to be aligned with an adequate amount of awareness of the kinds and nature of the potential challenges as well as with knowledge of suitable support actions and ways to implement them (cf. Finkbeiner, Knierim, Smasal and Ludwig, 2012; Finkbeiner and Schluer, 2014, submitted).