Reading:Instructional Philosophy and Teaching Suggestions

Reading:Instructional Philosophy and Teaching Suggestions

The information in this section applies to all grade levels, 6-9. Grade level differences will be reflected in the teacher's choice of learning objectives, resources, and activities.
Reading can be compared to the performance of a symphony orchestra. This analogy illustrates three points. First, like the performance of a symphony, reading is a holistic act. In other words, while reading can be analyzed into sub-skills such as discriminating letters and identifying words, performing the sub-skills one at a time does not constitute reading. Reading can be said to take place only when the parts are put together in a smooth, integrated performance. Second, success in reading comes from practice over long periods of time, like skill in playing musical instruments. Indeed, it is a lifelong endeavour. Third, as with a musical score, there may be more than one interpretation of a text. The interpretation depends upon the background of the reader, the purpose for reading, and the context in which the reading occurs. (Anderson Hiebert, Scott, & Wilkinson, 1985, p. 7, cited in Mason & Au, 1986, p. 3).

Reading

Reading is more than the decoding of written words into sound. Reading is a complex communication process which requires thought and individual construction of meaning.

Reading instruction at the Middle Level takes into consideration the general developmental needs of the students as well as their individual reading abilities. When considering the reading needs of Middle Level students, it is important to realize that all readers (ineffective readers, average readers, and proficient readers) differ considerably in their interests, aptitudes, personalities, backgrounds, and learning styles. Their varied needs can be addressed successfully in a reading program that includes features such as the following:

·  Silent reading is modelled by the teacher and class time is provided for students to engage in sustained silent reading.

·  The teacher regularly reads aloud to the students.

·  The students read aloud from selections they have chosen, after they have had the opportunity to practise.

·  There is a combination of guided reading instruction and independent reading time in which students have opportunities to read material of their choice and practise the strategies they have learned during guided reading experiences.

·  When required, instruction about comprehension strategies and language skills are modelled by the teacher and provided in the context of student reading selections.

·  Background knowledge and experiences of students are considered prior to instruction and to selection of relevant material.

·  Reading abilities are developed and used in conjunction with writing, speaking, and listening in an integrated manner.

·  Students are encouraged to respond to literature and other material personally and critically.

·  Teachers facilitate rather than lead discussions about what is read (e.g., Literature Circles).

·  Opportunities are provided for various group structures to interact (heterogeneous as well as homogeneous; interest groups as well as ability level groups).

Incorporating features such as those listed above makes it possible to establish a community of readers who:

·  value reading and choose to read for a variety of purposes, in and out of the classroom

·  share with peers response to what they have read (e.g., Book Talks, Literature Circles)

·  respond to literature in a variety of ways (e.g., response journals, role plays, illustrations)

·  recommend reading materials to peers and exchange books with peers.

Reading development varies depending upon the personal, social, and cultural experiences of the student. When readers have mastered the how-to-read skills, they develop higher level skills, attitudes, and behaviours in reading. A developing reader may demonstrate proficiency when reading some written formats or genres (e.g., narrative text) and remain an emerging reader when reading others (e.g., expository text).

The chart that follows in this section contrasts the characteristics of proficient readers with those of readers who are ineffective at making sense of what they read.

The Reading Classroom

Although the following points describe reading activity in an exemplary classroom, it should be understood that the writing, reading, speaking, and listening processes are intended to be integrated. Several elements from each process should be at work in all language arts experiences in the classroom.

In the classroom the following should be in evidence:

·  the teacher modelling and sharing reading strategies as well as a personal joy of reading

·  the students and the teacher reading and discussing a variety of genres (e.g., novels, poetry, short stories, essays, editorials, biography, informational articles, and books)

·  the students, and often the teacher, participating in silent reading on a regular basis

·  the students independently selecting and reading a variety of resources

·  the teacher reading aloud to students on a regular basis

·  the students reading aloud or practising prior to reading aloud

·  the teacher using integrated units of study based on curriculum objectives and students' needs and interests

·  the students developing their reading strategies and skills within meaningful contexts, rather than in isolation

·  the students willing to take risks and offering diverse responses to literature

·  the teacher using a variety of learning situations for instruction (e.g., individual/independent activities, whole class, flexible small groups, partners)

·  the teacher using instructional strategies that promote reflection, discussion, and critical thinking (e.g., Literature Circles, Reader Response)

·  the students engaging in reading activities that access and activate students' prior knowledge before, during, and after reading

·  the students and teacher assessing reading abilities and strategies using checklists, conferences, and anecdotal notes and using the data to inform instructional decisions.

Contrasting Proficient and Ineffective Readers

Proficient Readers / Ineffective Readers
Before Reading
·  Understand that reading is a sense-making process
·  Build up their background knowledge on the subject before they begin to read
·  Use their prior topical and linguistic knowledge as they read
·  Know their purpose for reading / ·  Think of reading as decoding--one word at a time
·  Do not expect reading to make sense
·  Start reading without thinking about the topic, the language, or the structure of the text
·  Do not know why they are reading
During Reading
·  Give their complete attention to the reading task
·  Keep a constant check on their own understanding
·  Adjust their reading rate to match purpose and reading material
·  Monitor their reading comprehension and do it so often it becomes automatic
·  Can match their reading strategies to a variety of reading materials
·  Stop only to use a fix-up strategy when they do not understand / ·  Do not know whether they understand or do not understand
·  Do not understand the concept of varying reading rates
·  Do not monitor their own comprehension
·  Seldom use any of the fix-up strategies
After Reading
·  Decide if they have achieved their goal for reading
·  Respond personally and critically to what they read
·  Evaluate their own comprehension of what was read
·  Summarize the major ideas
·  Seek additional information from outside sources / ·  Do not know what they have read
·  Are unable to respond critically to what they have read, although they may have a limited personal response
·  Do not follow reading with comprehension self-check

(Adapted from Irvin, 1990, p. 29. Used with permission of Orange County Public Schools, Florida.)

Selection of Reading Materials
Students should experience a variety and balance of reading materials during the course of each grade. A variety of communication forms (literary, informational, and journalistic) serve as the means through which students learn about language, learn to use language, and learn through language.

Literature includes novels, short stories, poetry, and literary essays. It may also include a variety of prose forms such as diaries, journals, biographies, and autobiographies. Creative nonfiction is a term often used to describe such literary works. The study of literature goes beyond acquiring knowledge about literature. It also includes developing and strengthening creative and critical thinking skills and personal response. Through literature, students come to understand and appreciate the dynamic relationships that exist between reader, writer, and text.

Students should also read other forms of written communication such as newspapers, magazines, informational books and articles, and electronic information. All forms of communication serve as vehicles for language learning as well as means of exploring ideas about life and human nature. When students make connections between literature and life, they get a better understanding of themselves and gain deeper insights into the richness, complexity, and variety of human experiences, thoughts, and values. As well, studying literature results in readers and viewers becoming more proficient at writing sentences, using advanced vocabulary, and recognizing appropriate grammar, usage, spelling, and mechanics.

Literature and other forms of communication have the power to help students:

·  broaden experience by encouraging creative, critical, and imaginative thinking, viewing, speaking, and writing

·  transcend the barriers of time and place, and explore worlds that can exist only in the imagination

·  recognize the timelessness of literary tradition and its relevance to their lives

·  appreciate their own culture and the culture of others

·  cultivate their personal and aesthetic awareness

·  increase their awareness of the importance of form, and the uses and power of language

·  gain insight into and understanding of the human condition

·  enrich imaginative expression in their own speaking, writing, and representing

·  increase their reading ability and capacity through increased interest and motivation

·  become aware of and recognize multiple points of view

·  build and enrich their vocabulary as they use, in their own speaking and writing, expressions and words encountered in literature

·  develop the habit of reading for lifelong functional and leisure purposes

·  solve problems independently and in collaboration with others

·  expand their knowledge base

·  cultivate analytical and critical thinking.

The Reading Process

Reading is an interactive-constructive process in which readers comprehend, interpret, and respond to text according to what they already know. Effective readers "have personal expectations about what they will get from a selection, and they bring those expectations to bear as they read by predicting and testing their predictions. They actively create meaning by constructing, or generating, relationships between what is within the text and what they already know" (Hennings, 1994, p. 456). See the diagram that follows.

An interactive-constructive model suggests that each student's interaction with a particular text differs and that each student constructs meanings that are uniquely personal.

Some researchers describe the reading act as a "transaction", in which meaning emerges from a continuing give-and-take relationship between the reader and the print on a page, each shaping and shaped by the other. The reciprocal interaction between readers and the text allows readers to construct their own meaning according to their background knowledge and experience.

In any reading transaction readers takes positions along the cognitive-affective continuum, depending upon their purposes. From the cognitive position, the reader's purpose is mainly to construct meaning that is to be remembered following the reading (e.g., actions to be performed, conclusions to be drawn, and concepts to be applied). From the affective position, the reader's purpose is mainly to experience personal feelings and ideas called to mind during reading. For example, if students are reading primarily for entertainment they will likely choose the affective position. On the other hand, if they are reading to understand how to construct an expository paragraph they will choose the cognitive position. However, cognitive and affective reading are not opposites; most reading consists of a combination of both.During the reading process meaning is constructed from text by:

·  using reading strategies flexibly and independently--sampling, predicting and inferencing, and confirming and correcting

·  selecting from the language cues--graphophonic, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic.

Proficient readers sample text, rather than focus on every detail. They make predictions and inferences and the meaning they make will be based upon the sampling, the reader's prior knowledge, and the specific context/situation. Readers then confirm or correct their predictions by further sampling the text, rereading if necessary, checking context, or reading ahead. Readers bring meaning to the text by using a developing and constantly adaptable set of expectations about what they will find as they read. As well, proficient readers access their knowledge of the language cueing systems to help them understand what they read.

An Interactive-constructive Model of Reading

In both the cognitive and affective positions, many factors affect the meaning that readers make of the text. Reading comprehension is influenced by the reader's world knowledge, linguistic knowledge, text structure knowledge, and metacognitive knowledge.

World Knowledge

Readers construct meaning before, during, and after a reading transaction depending upon their interest in and prior knowledge about the following:

·  facts relative to the topic

·  concepts and related vocabulary

·  underlying principles and generalizations.

Readers have schemas, or organized networks of prior knowledge and experiences about topics, which create expectations when reading about those topics. When students are involved in a reading transaction, they add to or adjust their schemas and their schemas influence and aid their comprehension of what they read. Using their existing schemas, readers make predictions and inferences about what they read.

Linguistic Knowledge

The reader's knowledge of the way that language works (e.g., the position of words in a sentence, punctuation marks, and word relationships within sentences) contributes to successful comprehension of text. Through the use of context clues provided by the cueing systems--graphophonic, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic-- readers make sense of what they read.

Proficient readers are concerned with meaning first. They use the continuous formulation of meaning to determine how much attention needs to be given to the print in confirming or correcting predictions, and also in making further predictions. Middle Level students need to continue to develop a balanced use of the interacting language cueing systems to access meaning from text. As readers become proficient, they internalize the language cues and use them automatically to help them make sense of what they read.