“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
Prior
to this module, and upon first reading this quote, I was really unsure about
first what this means, and second how it could be true. My entire education, I was under the
impression that every word on the page had to be read completely and
correctly. Never did a teacher tell me
that it wasn’t necessary for me to read every word. Admittedly, even as a teacher, I haven’t really
considered the fact that all words on the page don’t have to be read.
One
point that was at first surprising, but seems really reasonable was made in the
book and reiterated in the narrated PowerPoint.
Typically, the miscues that proficient readers make are done even though
they are still constructing meaning. It
is interesting to me that “the percentage of miscues involving pronouns and
function words tends to increase as one becomes a more proficient reader”
(Weaver, 2002. p. 65). As I looked at
the examples on pages 64 and 65, I noticed how nearly every miscue still
maintains the same meaning for that text.
I know that when I read things both aloud and in my head, there are
sometimes words I skip over, yet I still have comprehension of what I’m
reading. I think that many people,
students especially, think that they are only “good readers” when they read
texts without any miscues. I was glad to
see that Weaver made a point to explicitly state that “Proficient reading is
not miscueless” (Weaver, 2002. p.68). I think that this misconception is what
often times leads to students being reluctant to read aloud in class or read pages
ahead of the class in order to know words that they may possibly read
aloud.
Near
the end of chapter four, the section titled “revaluing readers” on page 77 was
a great wrap up to this week’s reading.
I will think harder next time I ask a student to read aloud in
class. Instead of automatically thinking
that students that frequently miscue when reading aloud are not strong readers,
I need to make a point to check for understanding. Many students I have worked with in the past could
have great comprehension of their reading, but I haven’t been aware of this
because of my assumption that understanding comes with fewer reading
miscues.
Hey Mackenzie,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your reading reflection for chapters 3 and 4. Our views are very similar. I was taught that every word had to be identified as reading as well. I thought I was a good reader by doing so too. When I entered middle school, I then realized that the main important component to reading is lifting from the text. I find myself at times to focusing on making sure my students identify each word, but I also teach them how to determine the meaning of what they read. I agreed as well with your quote about proficient reading not being miscueless. Proficient readers are going to miscue, but they comprehend, which is the most important part of literacy.
Hi Mackenzie,
ReplyDeleteI liked that you pointed out that this misconception leads to students reluctant to read aloud in class. This reminded me when I was an elementary student. In class,we did a lot of taking turns reading aloud to the whole class,small group, partner reading. I remembered how much I dreaded reading aloud to all my peers. I didn't consider myself a good reader because I couldn't correctly identified or pronounce all the words correctly because I was new to the country. I would always practice reading ahead when I know that my turn is coming next. I focused so much on trying to identify all the words correctly that it hindered my comprehension of the text. I'm really going to take this into consideration when working with my students. I hate to admit this but at my school we concentrate on learning all of the sight words on the list so much that I lose focus trying to get the students to gain meaning from the text.
You guys might want to check out the very slim book for teachers called "Good-bye Round Robin". It addresses these very issues about how round robin or popcorn reading is more harmful than good and strategies to use instead.
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