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When I read the last chapter of the book I was very happy when I saw that they agreed with what I said in my last blog post. For those of you that didn't read it, I said that as teachers we must understand that there are different types of reading that all need to be taught how to read all of them. I was happy that there was an emphasis on this concept.
When this chapter said that students tend to think that reading is a natural gift; either you get reading or you don't, I felt that this was something that I went through as a student. When I was little my younger brother was a few grade levels ahead in reading, while I was at grade level. This made me self conscious and I didn't really like to read. I had gotten to a point where I didn't want to read because I knew that I wasn't as good as he was and it seemed hopeless to try. To this day I don't read much other than what I need to read. I want to, but I just get frustrated when I see how much slower I read than other people. I think it would have been helpful if I had been helped to develop better reading skills rather than just being told that reading would help me, I may have been able to gain more motivation to read on my own. Also, teaching students how to read all the different types of text it important because if a student finds that they enjoy a certain type of writing like academic articles in science, that they wouldn't have encountered in English class. So that may help them to become a reader on their own. Therefore, anywhere a student can be taught how to read will open doors for them and their learning potential.
Hi Alix,
ReplyDeleteI liked your idea that as teachers, we must understand that there are different types of reading that all students need to be taught. I can't help but think of the visual aspect. A lot of students don't see that visual connection with the text. We are experienced readers, so this is something we have come to take for granted, but how do you think we can teach that? I think think-alouds are good strategies... they are spoken about extensively in a couple of different chapters. But, I think this is very important connection to have and understand. There are a bunch of different types of readers, which we are all familiar with by now, but I think one of the most important strategies we much try to teach is that visual strategy. What do you think?
Reading as a natural gift... I don't remember ever thinking this way, but it is too bad you felt that way when you were young. My brother has always been so brilliant, so I can definitely connect with you there. Its like with studying... He never had to study his first couple of years of Pharmacy school. He played mario kart and slept in every single day. I am not as "gifted." I have never really struggled, but I definitely have to work 20x harder than he ever did and it is very discouraging, but both of ours examples are good examples of the different types of students we are going to encounter in our future.
P.S. I'm glad you have gained more motivation to read on your own!
I agree, I really wish teachers put more effort into describing reading as a skill. I feel that alot of my experiences with learning how to read put students in front of their classmates and their was a clear distinction of which students in the class had higher reading levels than others. This difference was often unexplained, maybe this is why so many students thinking reading is just a gift they either have or don't have.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I really wish teachers put more effort into describing reading as a skill. I feel that alot of my experiences with learning how to read put students in front of their classmates and their was a clear distinction of which students in the class had higher reading levels than others. This difference was often unexplained, maybe this is why so many students thinking reading is just a gift they either have or don't have.
ReplyDeleteHey Alix, I agree with your frustration on reading being thought of as a natural gift, and appreciate you sharing your experiences in school. It can change a student’s mindset towards reading if they think of it as a skill to work on, instead of just a natural gift. When students learn to enjoy reading and develop confidence in their skills, it can really help them engage in other types of texts, like math passages we might use our classes. I don’t think all strong readers are automatically confident in reading math, but if a student’s not a strong reader it will certainly compound their struggles.
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