In Catching Readers Before They Fall, by Pat Johnson and Kate Keier, one of the biggest concerns mentioned are readers who are continually falling behind despite the plethora of programs, resources, teachers and teaching styles out there. Many questions started to fill my mind.
What is the right path to successful reading?
What does it mean to truly be a successful reader?
What is reading?
Why does reading come so naturally for some and not for others?
As Johnson and Keier mention, Why aren't all kids successful readers?
My first reaction to these questions was to question myself, as I am learning what it means to be a reader and how reading actually works. I wondered if I would feel truly prepared to teach reading to children who struggle when I finish my program and become a teacher. I was, and still am, afraid to fail these children. Struggling readers, and Johnson and Keier explain, "are not doing the kinds of thinking that proficient readers do in their heads as they read...They are not constructing a reading process system in their heads to make meaning from texts and solve problems as their nonstruggling classmates are doing" (pg. 10-1). It is quite terrifying to know that I am responsible for a child's reading difficulties. It is frightening to know that I am responsible for molding these young, eager children into successful readers. My racing thoughts were calmed by Johnson and Pat's insight into what is actually going on in the heads of readers.
So, what exactly is going on in the heads of these readers alongside the teaching they are exposed to? The answer is simply... something else. Children are developing a thinking system, or network of strategies, that helps them make meaning when they read. We each have our own subconscious reading process, and as proficient readers we automatically use our handful of strategies to understand what we are reading. Johnson and Keier suggest that noticing your own system at work is one of the best ways to gain understanding of reading as a processing system (pg. 13). Slowing down and paying attention our thought process as we read will help us understand how we arrived at our understanding of a text. "Reading is thinking guided by print" and proficient readers are actively working to comprehend what the author has written, rather than calling correct words (Lucy Calkins 2005). This efficient reading process system being constructed by proficient readers is not being built by the struggling reader. Therefore, these readers struggle to make meaning from texts as they do not have active strategies to use and are not able to solve problems when stuck.
If reading is thinking guided by print, how can we get those struggling readers to hop on board the strategy train? After noticing your own system at work, you will begin to understand that constructing a reading process system crucial to each individual. Comprehending my own thought process was a very eye-opening experience for me. As a future teacher, I need to be able to talk about the kind of thinking that is going on as a person reads. I need to be able to model it and show students what a proficient reader does. Before panicking about the questions I listed above, I need to take a step back and look at how struggling readers are not constructing their own reading process system, or web of strategies. Instead, as Johnson and Keier recommend, I should be asking myself,
How do I teach a child to construct this reading process system?
"Modeling, thinking aloud, and doing shared demonstrations are a few ways we begin to make our thinking visible for struggling readers" (pg. 18). It is key to remember that the reading and writing process is the same for everyone no matter what level reader/writer you are. In order to help children become successful, proficient readers, teachers must be knowledgeable of how reading works. Also, remember that each child has their own individual way of learning. Be sure to keep in mind that readers need help constructing a system of strategies that makes sense to them. It's all about making meaning of the text!
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