In Chapter 2, one idea that struck me as being important is the notion of the struggling reader. I found myself conjuring up images of a struggling reader similar to the initial description given by Beers; however, I didn't realize that "there is no single template for the struggling reader" (p. 14). The only image of a struggling reader that came to my mind was the typical description of a student who crosses his arms or puts his head down. A student whose body language clearly indicates that he has no interest in reading. It surprised me to consider the students who are funny and smoothly avoid having to read; the quiet students whose shyness helps them avoid having to read; and the students for whom English is not their native language. These other examples of struggling readers made me realize that anyone can be a struggling reader. I thought about myself as a struggling reader when I was learning to read French during high school. I thought about being in France, Belgium, and Switzerland and being frustrated at my inability to quickly translate menus, street signs, and other written displays. I also thought about my attempts to read a science textbook or even some academic journal articles. I realized that what saved me in each of my situations was my ability to rely on a reading strategy I had learned previously. Because I had a strategy that I could utilize in each of these situations, I was able to overcome my struggle with these different texts. But, Beers helped me realize that the struggle isn't the problem. The problem is that many readers don't know what to do when they encounter a tough text. This is what separates good readers who struggle from true struggling readers.
One additional point of interest that I found in Chapter 2 is the description of the reading problems that dependent readers, or readers who depend on an outside source to tell them what to do, face. According to Beers, dependent readers need cognitive confidence, social and emotional confidence, and text confidence. As they work to improve one area, other areas that they are weak in also start to improve. This made me think about the important role that confidence plays in being a successful reader. Readers who have a variety of reading skills and strategies to use are far more confident and willing readers than those who have very few skills and strategies in their repertoire.
I found the characteristics of a struggling reader to be surprising as well. However, the more I thought about it the more I realized sometimes students use other tactics such as, being funny to distract the fact they may have trouble reading. It is important as a teacher to realize that each individual student needs attention and not to let physical or social characteristics get in the way.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main points I found interesting in this chapter was also the unveiling of the struggling reader. It never occured to me that I too could be a struggling reader, even though I was able to comprehend most texts. I think a main issue that we need to address, is that for each different type of genre, we read differently. We all read magazines, novels, how to manuals, and so forth differently. If we can apply correctly how we are reading, to what we are reading, we might be able to comprehend things better. It is a lot easier for me to read novels compared to historic documents. Mind you, this is just one aspect of a struggling reader; this was just one idea I found particularly interesting.
ReplyDeleteGood points... we often overlook confidence!
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