“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
I disagree with the first two sentences in this statement saying that one must read everything on the page in order to understand it. I personally don't read every word, I skim because it is quicker for me. Many proficient readers are able to gain comprehension of a passage even after changing some of the simple basic sight words. "Constructing meaning from a text is far more important than identifying all the words-even though, obviously, many of the words have to be identified or at least understood conceptually, if the reader is to construct meaning effectively (Weaver, 2002, p. 70)."
If a student is applying reading strategies effectively and efficiently, he or she should be able to construct meaing of a text without having to read each word correctly. "Since meaing is the goal of reading, we hardly need to insist that every word be identified accurately (Weaver, 2002, p. 73)." People generally only read through a text once and are able to gain an understanding of what was read. It is not feasible to expect someone to correctly remember every word that was used in the text, because we are not looking for word identification, we are looking for reading comprehension.
I do not believe that students need to read every word correctly in a text in order to gain meaning. As long as a student is using reading strategies effectively and efficiently, he or she should be able to understand what has been reading.
References:
Weaver, C. (2002). Reading process and practice. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI too skim certain texts with I am reading strictly for the purpose of understanding. It is not imperative that I read every single word that is printed on a page. The "cloze test" is a great example. Weaver says that this test "typically requires [the student] supplying every fifth word of a text (Weaver, 2002, pg. 42)." We can still construct meaning from the text because we are able to supply the words that are missing using our semantic and syntactic cues.
I worry that the reading process is a common misconception among educators today. I was not fully aware of all of Weaver's points until this class. I will definitely be sharing this information with my new team in August when running records are discussed because I think that not every single aspect of running records is appropriate for assessing out students.
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteLike you, I don’t always read every word in a passage. It is much quicker to skim. While I am still able to gain understanding from what I have read I find the meaning doesn’t necessarily “stick” with me. Although I do agree with the statement you chose from the book, that is just my personal experience.
I do agree with you, when students read effectively they should be able to determine meaning without reading every word. As educators we provide them with many strategies and tools to help them construct meaning. My only concern with students reading with a large number of miscues is that they will begin to confuse meanings of words and of the passage.