I have learned so much this semester about the development of reading. Before this semester, I had never realized what a complex activity reading really was, and it is really and truly complex. I understand now that the process of reading development is just that - a process. Students must be given good instruction at each level in order to become lifelong readers and learners.
Teachers are vital in a child's reading development. The activities and strategies that they select to teach will be the basis for most of that child's development. I learned that this is not an easy task this semester. I had to really learn how to understand the five pillars in order to evaluate and choose activities that really benefited that particular objective. Sifting through the many lesson plans available to me was also a challenge. I wanted to make sure that all the activities fit the objective as well as were student-centered and engaging. I never realized the amount of time and effort that goes into creating a lesson plan so this was really eye-opening.
I think that knowing your students is the foundation of any learning. You need to be able to engage them knowing their interests and passions. When you are able to do this, you will be able to effectively monitor and understand when their learning breaks down.
While I do believe that the NPR pillars cover a strong portion of what is needed in a reading curriculum, I also believe they left a few things out. Sharon Taberski created her own set of pillars and I think they carry and convey everything that an effective curriculum needs to succeed. First, her pillars are set upon a foundation of time: time to read, time to talk, and time to write. So often teachers cram every minute of every day with some sort of activity or task and do not allow students to just have time. As with anything, we need time to excel at any task given. According to Malcom Gladwell, you need 10,000 hours of practice with something to be phenom. While our goal may not be to create reading phenomenons (but what a wonderful goal that would be) the point still stands. We need time to practice, reading is no different.
With Taberski's model the pillars themselves are also rearranged. Instead of phonics, phonemic awareness, comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency we get these: accurate and fluent reading, background knowledge, oral language and vocabulary, read and writing connection, repertoire of strategies. These new pillars include some very important combinations and additions. You might notice that comprehension is no longer a pillar. Instead, it is now the pediment that rests atop all the pillars. Our goal should always be comprehension, no matter what we are teaching. If the student is not learning how to better comprehend then there is no use in them learning at all.
I am so excited to take everything that I have learned this semester and use it in my future classroom. I now have a much deeper understanding of how to help students succeed and flourish in their reading lives. These strategies will really change the way I look at reading instruction in the future.
Teachers are vital in a child's reading development. The activities and strategies that they select to teach will be the basis for most of that child's development. I learned that this is not an easy task this semester. I had to really learn how to understand the five pillars in order to evaluate and choose activities that really benefited that particular objective. Sifting through the many lesson plans available to me was also a challenge. I wanted to make sure that all the activities fit the objective as well as were student-centered and engaging. I never realized the amount of time and effort that goes into creating a lesson plan so this was really eye-opening.
I think that knowing your students is the foundation of any learning. You need to be able to engage them knowing their interests and passions. When you are able to do this, you will be able to effectively monitor and understand when their learning breaks down.
While I do believe that the NPR pillars cover a strong portion of what is needed in a reading curriculum, I also believe they left a few things out. Sharon Taberski created her own set of pillars and I think they carry and convey everything that an effective curriculum needs to succeed. First, her pillars are set upon a foundation of time: time to read, time to talk, and time to write. So often teachers cram every minute of every day with some sort of activity or task and do not allow students to just have time. As with anything, we need time to excel at any task given. According to Malcom Gladwell, you need 10,000 hours of practice with something to be phenom. While our goal may not be to create reading phenomenons (but what a wonderful goal that would be) the point still stands. We need time to practice, reading is no different.
With Taberski's model the pillars themselves are also rearranged. Instead of phonics, phonemic awareness, comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency we get these: accurate and fluent reading, background knowledge, oral language and vocabulary, read and writing connection, repertoire of strategies. These new pillars include some very important combinations and additions. You might notice that comprehension is no longer a pillar. Instead, it is now the pediment that rests atop all the pillars. Our goal should always be comprehension, no matter what we are teaching. If the student is not learning how to better comprehend then there is no use in them learning at all.
I am so excited to take everything that I have learned this semester and use it in my future classroom. I now have a much deeper understanding of how to help students succeed and flourish in their reading lives. These strategies will really change the way I look at reading instruction in the future.