The major folklore of reading instruction relates to the
“theory” that reading is considered an exact process. In other words, the
reader is expected to read everything exactly as printed on the page in order
to understand the message of the author. In general the consuming public,
legislatures, courts, and too many educators hold to this theory. It is like
the theory of the world being flat during the time of Columbus.
--Robert Harper and Gary Kilarr
In order to achieve comprehension in a reading selection, a
reader does not need to read every word correctly. The text provided many running
records to show how a reader can have a variety of miscues in their reading and
still gain meaning from the text, mostly
due to the fact the a proficient reader use context-based strategies when they
read. In other words, readers are thinking ahead to make predictions of what is
coming next or what make sense to them and their prior knowledge.
One particular example can be found on pg. 78
and 79. This example examines Danny’s reading ability, focusing on his miscues
as well as his strategies used during reading to construct meaning. If reading
was an “exact process”, then based on Danny’s 35 miscues, a teacher might
consider him as being a struggling reader, which is not the case. When taking a closer look at his miscues and
the strategies he used during the reading, it is evident he is a “good reader” who
applies strategies to comprehend. According
to the text, “these strategies, along with the many miscues that fit the
context without needing correction, suggest that Danny is reading to construct meaning,
and probably succeeding.” (Weaver, 2002. p. 79) It is important for teachers to
take a closer look at our students reading and evaluate not just their miscues,
but the strategies they are using to construct meaning from a text. This was an eye opener for me, and I plan to pay closer attention to my student's miscues, and the strategies they are using to find meaning when they read.
After reading the assigned chapters, I feel I have better
understanding of what reading is. I will be honest; I have a different take on
my reading instruction after reading the first 4 chapters. I now “recognize
that reading is more a matter of constructing meaning than of identifying
words.” (Weaver, 2012. p. 77) This example opened my eyes to my past students,
and how I wish I could go back and examine their running records. I would love
to see if their “miscues show good use of reading strategies.” (Weaver, 2012. p.
77)
Reference
Weaver,
C. (2002). Reading Process & Practice (3rd ed.). Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Danille,
ReplyDeleteI too can see these two authors discussing the "theory" of the reading process! I completely agree with your statement "As teachers, we need to focus more on the comprehension component of reading rather than being able to decode every word in a text". As educators, it is important for the focus of reading to be on gaining meaning to help students gain meaning from a piece of text. Teaching reading in the primary grades is the foundation for student success in the upper grades. If we begin asking students comprehension questions and allow them to think like a reader and question the authors meaning of a text at a young age, they will better understand subject related context presented in textbooks in the upper grades. All in all, great post!
Like Catie, I agree with your statement that teachers need to be more concerned with the comprehension component of reading rather than decoding each word. It’s so easy to get caught up in making sure the reading “sounds” good when done aloud. I also wish I could go back to running records I have done in the past. It’s interesting to me that the knowledge about how students are miscuing is so valuable, but most teachers (myself included prior to these readings) don’t know how to deconstruct them to make sense of where and how students are struggling as readers.
ReplyDelete