Students who struggle to read are going to have difficulty in all subject areas because in hindsight reading is a part of every subject. I think this is why it's much more frustrating when you struggle to read because reading is literally everywhere and it's definitely tough having to manage your day around that especially as a middle schooler. The text talks about how there's the stereotypical teacher who says that "I'm a --- teacher, not a reading teacher!" but also we can't expect our students to succeed if they aren't understanding the material at the most basic level. I think one of the first steps to helping out struggling readers is just listening to them and letting them know that you are there to help them.
The author provides us with so many strategies to help struggling readers like small group discussions, multi-column notes, and text marking. I personally like the idea of small group discussions because I think it allows students to be able to voice their opinions more rather than when reading alone or as whole in class. The students are able to talk about topics between each other and bounce ideas off everyone in the group. This is also like the "think aloud" which I think can be beneficial to all students and not just those struggling with reading because they can actually see their thought processes and how their brain is working through a text.
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I immediately sympathized with the teacher that said, “I’m not a reading teacher.” However, this course has already changed my perspective on the importance of reading in the classroom across subject areas. It’s important to have the mentality of helping students with their reading ability not because it is or isn’t your obligation based on your content area, but because students cannot understand what you are trying to teach them without good literacy skills.
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Hey Calli, great post.
ReplyDeleteAs a future science teacher, I know that reading is apart of the foundation of the class. Whether is is reading articles, notes, chapters out of the textbook, or even reading how to preform an experiment, reading is always involved. It is my job to make sure my students are successful; this chapter provided several strategies for struggling readers, like you said. I agree with you about small groups, I think it is a great way for students to interact and discuss the content without having to do it alone.
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