Learning to Read/Reading to Learn/Reading Factors

“Reading is a process, and students use skills and strategies in order to decode words and comprehend what they are reading.” (Gail Tompkins, 2002).

The ultimate goal of reading is to be able to understand written material, to evaluate it, and to use it for one's needs. Comprehension is an essential component in the reading process and without it reading is impossible. 

Students who are Learning to Read

*Treat reading as a decoding process.

*Reading rate tends to be unvarying.

*Experience difficulties with pronunciation / enunciation.
*Experience auditory and  visual discrimination problems.

*Can't follow the sequence of ideas in a text.

*Have difficulties bringing to mind related knowledge and using the context to help them interpret what they are reading.

*Have few strategies at their disposal for dealing with any failures to understand the text even if they become aware of problems.

Students who are Reading to Learn

*Analyze text structure.

*Read questions before reading (during a test).

*Create questions about the text.

* Employ several word-recognition skills.

*Adjust their reading rate by exhibiting metacognitive competency.

*Make connections and explore inferences by using prior knowledge / experience to help them understand ideas not stated directly in the text.

*Critique what they have read.

*Imagine, using a variety of senses

Who is Right: Chall or Gunning?
"There is a belief that students learn to read and then read to learn. Actually the two are reciprocal processes. As students improve their reading, they are better able to learn from their reading. As they learn through reading, they naturally acquire added knowledge and vocabulary and apply their skills to a greater variety of materials. As they learn through their reading, students develop more advanced reading skills" (Gunning, 2003).

Factors that affect Reading

The Home Environment

Dysfunctional homes can be traumatic for children trying to develop their reading skills, but children whose environment is conducive to reading and learning are likely to have different experiences. 

              
Maturation 

Reading is a learned skill that is influenced by both brain maturation and experience (Houston et al., 2015). Results show that greater home reading exposure is strongly associated with activation of specific brain areas, which support semantic processing (extraction of meaning from language). These are vital areas for oral language and later for reading (Neuroscience News, 2015).

                                                                                                                 

    Background Experiences            The more positive experiences children have with reading at home, the more likely they are to progress through the reading stages naturally. However, children who are not immersed in reading and writing activities may experience delays in advancing to the next stage of reading development.      


                       

Methods of Teaching Activities

Read aloud, rhymes and nursery rhymes, use of books with word patterns, phonics, vocabulary games and activities, independent reading, group reading, puppetry, reading theatre, activity centres using labels, picture and word card activities    
               

  Attitudes             

Attitude determines altitude. In the classroom, reading instruction typically focuses on specific skills such as sounding out words and building vocabulary. However, the development of positive reading attitudes is often overlooked. Children with positive reading attitudes tend to be willing to read, enjoy reading, become proficient, and become lifelong readers. On the other hand, children with poor attitudes toward reading may only read when they have to read, tend to avoid reading, and may even refuse to read altogether. A child’s attitude toward reading may have a profound impact upon his or her overall academic progress.

Four Reading Strategies

Exam Questions
1. What difficulties do students encounter when they are learning to read? (4 marks)

2. Distinguish between learning to read and reading to learn. (6 marks)

3. List five factors that affect reading.

4. Explain any three of the factors identified in question 3. (9 marks)

5. Why is the constructivist method preferred over the traditional approach? (5 marks) 
                       

2nd Journal Entry (Due by End of Week 2)

Explain 2 issues that affect students learning to read.
Explain 2 ways students reading to learn are different from those learning to read.

How can the home environment and maturation affect reading development?