Reading complex text, or text containing complex ideas, will often entail many stops and starts, backtracking, and trying to infer meaning of unfamiliar words through context. A mental framework, or gist, of the text will emerge as you use strategies to monitor your understanding the author's intent. "Reading is problem solving." The reader makes sense of the text not just from decoding the words of the text but by applying their own memories, and thoughts being evoked by the words.
So "fluent reading is not the same as decoding." Fluency requires a good vocabulary and quickness in decoding but that is only the base. Fluency varies across genres and students need to have many chances to experience a wide range of texts with support and encouragement.
Not all readers, proficient or otherwise, will have fluency in all types of reading. But they do share some characteristics and habits with each other.
Motivated
Engaged
Socially active with reading tasks
Monitoring their process
Reading is a socially mediated process. This social-cognitive process is learned by participating in mediated activities with Masters who support learners in the areas in which they are not fully competent while still challenging their growth. This method of learning is considered cognitive apprenticeship. The proficient person engages the learner's interest in the activity and provides insight into the hidden or overlooked strategies needed to complete the task. Hidden or cognitive elements of the task need to be made visible for the learner and demystified.
Schoenbach etal. believe that habits and characteristics of skillful reading can be taught but not by transmission (instruction, practice, independent use) but through interactions throughout many different levels of classroom life. The reading apprenticeship model requires an environment of apprenticeship.
Engaged
Socially active with reading tasks
Monitoring their process
Reading is a socially mediated process. This social-cognitive process is learned by participating in mediated activities with Masters who support learners in the areas in which they are not fully competent while still challenging their growth. This method of learning is considered cognitive apprenticeship. The proficient person engages the learner's interest in the activity and provides insight into the hidden or overlooked strategies needed to complete the task. Hidden or cognitive elements of the task need to be made visible for the learner and demystified.
Schoenbach etal. believe that habits and characteristics of skillful reading can be taught but not by transmission (instruction, practice, independent use) but through interactions throughout many different levels of classroom life. The reading apprenticeship model requires an environment of apprenticeship.
It is very interesting to listen to a fluent reader, then ask what was read. Fluency itself can be deceiving. All too often teachers overlook the fluent readers and assume they are comprehending, when in reality they are just as much lost as the low fluency readers.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting stuff, Anna! I think it's sad that some teachers have given up expecting independent reading from students or are teaching without the use of the books. I was flabbergasted when I read that! Imagine a school with no use of books! I hope I never see the day! Anyway, thanks for sharing. I'm interested to read more!
ReplyDeleteWhile reading through your post and all the different aspects there are to reading I thought to myself, WOW, reading is so complex. I mean of course, I know it is no easy task to learn how to read. But I thought back to when I was a little girl, reading in my bedroom. It was pure joy looking through a book, reading the words, looking at the illustrations. The whole idea of the book was thrilling to me. To actually be holding it in my hands, turning the pages. The whole experience was (not to sound too cheesy) magic. I think having books in the classroom is ESSENTIAL and nessecary for children and students of all ages. ESPECIALLY when it comes to teaching reading.
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