Df2 -- My Findings

Df2 -- My Findings

The article written by Elizabeth BiFuh Ambe about “Some Comprehension Strategies to Tutor Individuals or Small Groups of Reluctant Readers” illustrates tested ideas about how to help improve struggling readers.

Jamie’s (a middle school student) home problems are obviously affecting his school performance. He is “just one of many students who are labeled in the liter- ature as “unsuccessful,” “passive,” “disengaged,” “disenchanted,” “helpless,” “resistant,” “alienated,” or “low achieving.” He finally got over his reading problems with the collaborative teamwork of his homeroom teacher and reading teacher. His success in overcoming his reading challenges shows how teachers’ genuine desire and concern to help a student improve his reading abilities using what that student like can create a lot of changes in that student’s personal and academic life.

The reading teacher apparently looked for means to capture Jamie’s attention. That teacher used Jamie’s basketball idol’s book, Michael Jordan’s book, to get his interest and motivation to learn how to read and finally become a candidate member of the Literacy club. Her sincere, determined and creative approach to get Jamie’s interest and motivation was key to Jamie’s success. Without first finding out what the student’s interest was, the teacher would have negated the first requirement to learn and that is motivation.

Other essential points raised in this article are:
1. The important administration of performance assessment tests that can provide evidence of students’ reading and writing abilities. Also mentioned was the need to conduct a reading inventory by “preservice teachers” in the program to know students’ strengths and weaknesses.

2. The use of relevant picture or trade books that fits the reading level of the student is important for scaffolding reader’s vocabulary, reading and writing technique.
3. Results of the Analytical Reading Inventory by Woods and Moe (2003) indicate that students selected for intervention, like Jamie, were reading below their grade level. Further, results of the Interest and Attitude Inventory (adapted from Collins & Cheek, 1989) showed that many students in the intervention program were not motivated to read.
4. To increase motivation, students are allowed to choose their interesting reading materials and provide favorable instructional contexts.
5. Using engaging resources that related to textbook topics like a variety of interesting text types, trade books, journal articles and pictures captured students’ interest and motivation.
6. Construction and expansion of Building and expanding students’ prior knowledge is important before reading expository texts can be an effective way to improve student’s comprehension abilities.
7. To improve comprehension, teaching students the application of effective comprehension strategies before, during and after reading is important to facilitate construction of meaning and assist reluctant readers to develop positive attitudes toward literacy events.

Teachers have to be really aware of students’ needs and responses. Taking into consideration the physical, psychological and philosophical response of different levels of students can help the teacher applying teaching and reading techniques to improve their students’ abilities.

Guiding students to “learn to read and read to learn” may take a lot of time, effort and sacrifice for the teacher but the rewards of teaching can be felt only when teachers really like to improve their students’ abilities by innovating ways and creating different avenues to capture students’ interest and motivation.

References:
1. http://myportal.upou.edu.ph/mod/resource/view.php?inpopup=true&id=18697
2. Reading Stance by Hermosa, http://myportal.upou.edu.ph/mod/resource/view.php?inpopup=true&id=18692

Rafael E. Ablong